the ioo,oo«i n ot the io ooo.ooo) n ®t the iooo,ooo.ooo> n ^>t the 1000X10,000,000) n Ot the ] 00,000x 10,000,000) n °t the 100.000X 10,000x10,000,000 part; it admits of no calculation, no counting, no reckoning, no comparison, no approximation, no secret teaching. So immense, incalculable, A^ita, is the merit- which a person, ranking the fiftieth in the series of the tradition of the law, produces by joyfully accepting, were it but a single stanza, a single word, from this Dharmaparyaya; how much more then (will) he (produce), A^ita, who hears this Dharmaparyaya in my presence and then joyfully accepts it? I declare, A^ita, that his XVII.
accumulation of merit shall be even more immense, more incalculable.
And further, A^ita, if a young man of good family or a young lady, with the design to hear this dis¬ course on the law, goes from home to a monastery, and there hears this Dharmaparyaya for a single moment, either standing or sitting, then that person, merely by the mass of merit resulting from that action, will after the termination of his (present) life, and at the time of his second existence when he receives (another) body, become a possessor of carriages yoked with bullocks, horses, or ele¬ phants, of litters, vehicles yoked with bulls 1, and of celestial aerial cars. If further that same person at that preaching sits down, were it but a single moment, to hear this Dharmaparyaya, or persuades another to sit down or shares with him his seat, he will by the store of merit resulting from that action gain seats of Indra, seats of Brahma, thrones of a Aakravartin. And, A^ita, if some one, a young man of good family or a young lady, says to another person: Come, friend, and hear the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, and if that other person owing to that exhortation is persuaded to listen, were it but a single moment, then the former will by virtue of that root of goodness, consisting in that exhortation, obtain the advantage of a con¬ nection with Bodhisattvas who have acquired Dha- ra ni. He will become the reverse of dull, will get keen faculties, and have wisdom; in the course of a hundred thousand existences he will never have a fetid mouth, nor an offensive one; he will have no 1 i?/shabhayana«Sm.
XVII. MERITORIOUSNESS OF JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE. 333 diseases of the tongue, nor of the mouth; he will have no black teeth, no unequal, no yellow, no ill- ranged, no broken teeth, no teeth fallen out; his lips will not be pendulous, not turned inward, not gaping, not mutilated, not loathsome 1; his nose will not be flat, nor wry; his face will not be long, nor wry, nor unpleasant. On the contrary, Afita, his tongue, teeth, and lips will be delicate and well¬ shaped; his nose long; his face perfectly round 2; the eyebrows well-shaped; the forehead well-formed. He will receive a very complete organ of manhood. He will have the advantage that the Tathagata renders sermons intelligible 3 to him and soon come in con¬ nection with Lords, Buddhas. Mark, A/ita, how much good is produced by one’s inciting were it but a single creature; how much more then by him who reverentially hears, reverentially reads, reverentially preaches, reverentially promulgates the law!
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the fol¬ lowing stanzas: 2. Listen how great the merit is of one who, the fiftieth in the series (of tradition), hears a single stanza from this Sutra and with placid mind joyfully adopts it.
3. Suppose there is a man in the habit of giving 1 Burnouf has some terms wanting in my text; they have been added by a later hand in the margin, but the characters are indistinct.
8 Tathagatan Mvavadanubhasakara pratilabhate. I am not sure of the real meaning of anubhasaka; it may as well be ‘ suggest¬ ing.’ Burnouf has, ‘ c’est de la bouche du Tathagata qu’il reeevra les avis et l’enseignement.’
XVII.
alms to myriads of ko/is of beings, whom I have herebefore indicated by way of comparison 1; all of them he satisfies during eighty years.
4. Then seeing that old age has approached for them, that their brow is wrinkled and their head grey (he thinks): Alas, how all beings come to de¬ cay! Let me therefore admonish them by (speaking of) the law.
5. He teaches them the law here on earth and points to the state of Nirvana hereafter. ‘All existences ’ (he says) ‘ are like a mirage; hasten to become disgusted with all existence.’
6. All creatures, by hearing the law from that charitable person, become at once Arhats, free from imperfections, and living their last life.
7. Much more merit than by that person will be acquired by him who through unbroken tradition shall hear were it but a single stanza and joyfully receive it. The mass of merit of the former is not even so much as a small particle of the latter’s.
8. So great will be one’s merit, endless, immea¬ surable, owing to one’s hearing merely a single stanza, in regular tradition; how much more then if one hears from face to face!
9. And if somebody exhorts were it but a single creature and says: Go, hear the law, for this Sutra is rare in many myriads of kods of./Eons; 10. And if the creature so exhorted should hear the Sfttra even for a moment, hark what fruit is to result from that action. He shall never have a mouth disease; 1 From this reference to the preceding prose we must gather that these stanzas are posterior to or coeval with the prose version.
XVII. MERITORIOUSNESS OF JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE. 335 11. His tongue is never sore; his teeth shall never fall out, never be black, yellow, unequal; his lips never become loathsome; 12. His face is not wry, nor lean, nor long; his nose not flat; it is well-shaped, as well as his fore¬ head, teeth, lips, and round face.
13. His aspect is ever pleasant to men; his mouth is never fetid, it constantly emits a smell sweet as the lotus.
14. If some wise man, to hear this Sfttra, goes from his home to a monastery and there listen, were it but for a single moment, with a placid mind, hear what results from it.
15. His body is very fair; he drives with horse- carriages, that wise man, and is mounted on elevated carriages drawn by elephants and variegated with gems.
16. He possesses litters covered with ornaments and carried by numerous men. Such is the blessed fruit of his going to hear preaching.
17. Owing to the performance of that pious work he shall, when sitting in the assembly there, obtain seats of Indra, seats of Brahma, seats of kings 1.
1 The purport of this passage seems to be that lay devotees who are regular in attending the sermon, besides receiving terrestrial blessings, will rank high as churchwardens and be entitled to con¬ spicuous places apart in the chapel. The gist of the whole chapter, at any rate, is that it is highly meritorious to come to church.
XVIII.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER 1.
The Lord then addressed the Bodhisattva Maha- sattva Satatasamitabhiyukta (i.e. ever and constantly strenuous). Any one, young man of good family, who shall keep, read, teach, write this Dharmapar- y&ya or have it written, let that person be a young man of good family or a young lady 2, shall obtain eight hundred good qualities of the eye, twelve hundred of the ear, eight hundred of the nose, twelve hundred of the tongue, eight hundred of the body, twelve hundred of the mind 3. By these many hundred good qualities the whole of the six organs shall be perfect, thoroughly perfect. By means of the natural, carnal eye derived from his parents being perfect, he shall see the whole triple universe, 1 DharmabMttak&nre'jaffzs&A. The use of anrisamsa, as a synonym to guna, is not limited to Buddhist writings, as we see from the inscription at Bassac in Camboja, st. 18. It is, of course, the Pali anisazrcsa.
2 The words ‘ or a young lady ’ are wanting in my MS., but BumouPs text had them, and from the sequel it would seem that they have to be added. It is certainly remarkable that we find mention being made of female preachers, who may be compared with the brahmavadinis of ancient times, and, further up, with the wise women of the Teutons, the Velledas and Volvas, the Pythonissas of the Greeks, and the Valians of the Indian Archipelago.
3 We may also render, of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought.
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 337 outwardly and inwardly, with its mountains and woody thickets, down to the great hell Aviii and up to the extremity of existence. All that he shall see with his natural eye, as well as the creatures to be found in it, and he shall know the fruit of their works.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the follow¬ ing stanzas: 1. Hear from me what good qualities shall belong to him who unhesitatingly and undismayed shall preach this Sutra to the congregated assembly.
2. First, then, his eye (or, organ of vision) shall possess eight hundred good qualities by which it shall be correct, clear, and untroubled.
3. With the carnal eye derived from his parents he shall see the whole world from within and without.
4. He shall see the Meru and Sumeru, all the horizon and other mountains, as well as the seas.
5. He, the hero, sees all, downward to the AvL£i and upward to the extremity of existence. Such is his carnal eye.
6. But he has not yet got the divine eye, it having not yet been produced 1 in him; such as here de¬ scribed is the range of his carnal eye.
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the young man of good family or the young lady 2 who proclaims this Dharmaparyaya and preaches it to others, is pos¬ sessed of the twelve hundred good qualities of the ear. The various sounds that are uttered in the triple universe, downward to the great hell Avi/’i 1 No Mpi ^ayate. Burnouf’s translation, ‘ il n’aura pas encore la science,’points to a reading, g-nayate.
2 This time the word is also found in my MS.
XVIII.
and upward to the extremity of existence, within and without, such as the sounds of horses 1, elephants, cows, peasants 2, goats, cars; the sounds of weeping and wailing; of horror, of conch-trumpets, bells, tym- bals; of playing and singing; of camels, of tigers 3; of women, men, boys, girls; of righteousness (piety) and unrighteousness (impiety); of pleasure and pain; of ignorant men and aryas; pleasant and unpleasant sounds; sounds of gods, Nagas, goblins, Gandharvas, demons, GaiWas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men, and beings not human; of monks, disciples, Pratyekabud- dhas, Bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas; as many sounds as are uttered in the triple world, within and without, all those he hears with his natural organ of hearing when perfect. Still he does not enjoy the divine ear, although he apprehends the sounds of those different creatures, understands, discerns the sounds of those different creatures, and when with his natural organ of hearing he hears the sounds of those creatures, his ear is not overpowered by any of those sounds. Such, Satatasamitabhiyukta, is the organ of hearing that the Bodhisattva Mahasattva 4 acquires; yet he does not possess the divine ear.
5 Burnouf’s version shows a few unimportant various readings.
a Ganapadarabda^, rather strange between the others. I sup¬ pose that ^anapada is corrupted from some word meaning a sheep, but I find no nearer approach to it than ^alakini, a ewe; cf. st. 8 below.
3 I follow Burnouf, who must have read vyaghra; my MS. has vadya.
4 This term, as it is here used, refers, so far as I can see, to the ministers of religion, the preachers. It is, however, just pos¬ sible that we have to take it in the more general and original sense of any ‘ rational being,’ for all the advantages enumerated belong to everybody who is not blind, not deaf, &c.
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 339 Thus spoke the Lord; thereafter he, the Sugata, the Master, added: 7. The organ of hearing of such a person becomes (or, is) cleared and perfect, though as yet it be natural; by it he perceives the various sounds, with¬ out any exception, in this world.
8. He perceives the sounds of elephants, horses, cars, cows, goats, and sheep; of noisy kettle-drums, tabours, lutes, flutes, Vallaki-lutes.
9. He can hear singing, lovely and sweet, and, at the same time, is constant enough not to allow him¬ self to be beguiled by it; he perceives the sounds of ko/is of men, whatever and wherever they are speaking.
10. He, moreover, always hears the voice of gods and Nagas; he hears the tunes, sweet and affecting, of song, as well as the voices of men and women, boys and girls.
11. He hears the cries of the denizens of moun¬ tains and glens; the tender notes 1 of Kalavinkas, cuckoos 2, peafowls 3, pheasants, and other birds.
12. He also (hears) the heart-rending cries of those who are suffering pains in the hells, and the yells uttered by the Spirits, vexed as they are by the difficulty to get food; 13. Likewise the different cries produced by the demons and the inhabitants of the ocean. All these 1 Valgus abda.
2 Here we see that kalavinkas are distinguished from kokilas, cuckoos.
3 The voice of the peafowl is proverbially unharmonious, but that is no reason why the poet should have omitted this item from his enumeration; such peculiarities give a relish to this kind of spiritual poetry.
XVIII.
sounds the preacher is able to hear from his place on earth, without being overpowered by them.
14. From where he is stationed here on the earth he also hears the different and multifarious sounds through which the inhabitants of the realm of brutes are conversing with each other.
15. He apprehends all the sounds, without any exception, whereby the numerous angels living in the Brahma-world, the Akanish^as and Abha- svaras 1, call one another.
16. He likewise always hears the sound which the monks on earth are raising when engaged in reading, and when preaching the law to congrega¬ tions, after having taken orders under the command of the Sugatas.
17. And when the Bodhisattvas here on earth have a reading together and raise their voices in the general synods, he hears them severally.
18. The Bodhisattva who preaches this Statra shall, at one time, also hear the perfect law 2 that the Lord Buddha, the tamer of men 3, announces to the assemblies.
19. The numerous sounds produced by all beings in the triple world, in this field, within and without, (downward) to the A.viki and upward to the extremity of existence, are heard by him.
20. (In short), he perceives the voices of all beings, his ear being open. Being in the possession of his six senses 4, he will discern the different sources (of sound), and that while his organ of hearing is the natural one; 1 Two classes of angels of the Brahma-heaven.
4 I. e. not being out of his wits.
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 341 21. The divine ear is not yet operating in him; his ear continues in its natural state. Such as here told are the good qualities belonging to the wise man who shall be a keeper of this Sfttra.
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who keeps, proclaims, studies, writes this Dharmaparyaya becomes possessed of a perfect organ of smell with eight hundred good qualities. By means of that organ he smells the different smells that are found in the triple world, within and with¬ out, such as fetid smells, pleasant and unpleasant smells, the fragrance of diverse flowers, as the great- flowered jasmine, Arabian jasmine, Michelia Cham- paka, trumpet-flower; likewise the different scents of aquatic flowers, as the blue lotus, red lotus, white esculent water-lily and white lotus. He smells the odour of fruits and blossoms of various trees bearing fruits and blossoms, such as sandal, Xanthochymus, Taberncemontana, agallochum 1. The manifold hun¬ dred-thousand mixtures of perfumes he smells and dis¬ cerns, without moving from his standing-place. He smells the diverse smells of creatures, as elephants, horses, cows, goats, beasts, as well as the smell issuing from the body of various living beings in the condition of brutes. He perceives the smells exhaled by the body of women and men, of boys and girls. He smells, even from a distance, the odour of grass, bushes, herbs, trees. He perceives those smells such as they really are, and is not surprised nor stunned by them. Staying on this very earth he smells the odour of gods and the 1 There is something strange in enumerating these plants, after speaking of fruits.
XVIII.
fragrance of celestial flowers, such as Erythrina, Bauhinia, Mandarava and great Mandarava, Ma ngil- sha and great Ma%'usha. He smells the perfume of the divine powders of sandal and agallochum, as well as that of the hundred-thousands of mixtures of different divine flowers. He smells the odour exhaled by the body of the gods, such as Indra, the chief of the gods, and thereby knows whether (the god) is sporting, playing, and enjoying himself in his palace Vai/ayanta or is speaking the law to the gods of paradise in the assembly-hall of the gods, Sudharma, or is resorting to the pleasure-park for sport 1. He smells the odour proceeding from the body of the sundry other gods, as well as that pro¬ ceeding from the girls and wives of the gods, from the youths and maidens amongst the gods, without being surprised or stunned by those smells. He likewise smells the odour exhaled by the bodies of all Devanikayas, Brahmakiyikas, and Mahabrahmas 2. In the same manner he perceives the smells coming from disciples, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Tathigatas. He smells the odour arising from the seats of the Tathagatas and so discovers where those Tath&gatas, Arhats, &c. abide. And by none of all those different smells is his organ of smell hin¬ dered, impaired, or vexed; and, if required, he may give an account of those smells to others without his memory being impaired by it.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the fol¬ lowing stanzas: 22. His organ of smell is quite correct, and he 1 The parallel passage in the poetical version, st. 41, is much less confused, and for that reason probably more original.
2 Three classes of aerial beings, archangels.
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 343 perceives the manifold and various smells, good or bad, which exist in this world; 23. The fragrance of the great-flowered jasmine, Arabian jasmine, Xanthochymus, sandal, agallochum, of several blossoms and fruits.
24. He likewise perceives the smells exhaled by men, women, boys, and girls, at a considerable dis¬ tance, and by the smell he knows where they are.
25. He recognises emperors, rulers of armies, governors of provinces, as well as royal princes and ministers, and all the ladies of the harem by their (peculiar) scent.
26. It is by the odour that the Bodhisattva dis¬ covers sundry jewels of things, such as are found on the earth and such as serve as jewels for women.
27. That Bodhisattva likewise knows by the odour the various kinds of ornament that women use for their body, robes, wreaths, and ointments.
28. The wise man who keeps this exalted Sutra recognises, by the power of a good-smelling organ, a woman 1 standing, sitting, or lying; he discovers wanton sport and magic power 2.
29. He perceives at once where he stands, the fragrance of scented oils, and the different odours of flowers and fruits, and thereby knows from what source the odour proceeds.
30. The discriminating man recognises by the odour the numerous sandal-trees in full blossom in the glens of the mountains, as well as all creatures dwelling there.
31. All the beings living within the compass of 1 Sthitiw nishannawz jayitam tathaiva.
2 KrWaratim mldhibalawz k&.
XVIIT.
the horizon or dwelling in the depth of the sea or in the bosom of the earth the discriminating man knows how to distinguish from the (peculiar) smell.
32. He discerns the gods and demons, and the daughters of demons; he discovers the sports of demons and their luxury. Such, indeed, is the power of his organ of smell.
33. By the smell he tracks the abodes of the quadrupeds in the woods, lions, tigers, elephants, snakes, buffaloes, cows, gayals.
34. He infers from the odour, whether the child that women, languid from pregnancy, bear in the womb be a boy or a girl.
35. He can discern if a woman is big with a dead child 1; he discerns if she is subject to throes 2, and, further, if a woman, the pains being removed, shall be delivered of a healthy boy.
36. He guesses the various designs of men, he smells (so to say) an air of design 3; he finds out the odour of passionate, wicked, hypocritical, or quiet persons.
37. That Bodhisattva by the scent smells trea¬ sures hidden in the ground, money, gold, bullion, silver, chests, and metal pots 4.
38. Necklaces of two sorts, gems, pearls, nice priceless jewels he knows by the scent 5, as well as things priceless and brilliant in general.
39. That great man from his very place on earth 1 Apannasatvl. 2 Vinamadharma.
3 Abhiprayagandha.
4 It need hardly be remarked that ‘to smell’ is here used in the same sense as in the English saying ‘ to smell a rat.’
5 The word gandha also means ‘ some resemblance, faint like¬ ness, an air.’
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 345 smells the flowers here above (in the sky) with the gods, such as Mandaravas, Ma%ushakas, and those growing on the coral tree.
40. By the power of his organ of smell he, with¬ out leaving his stand on earth, perceives how and whose are the aerial cars, of lofty, low, and middling size, and other brilliant forms shooting 1 (through the firmament).
41. He likewise finds out the paradise, the gods (in the hall) of Sudharma and in the most glorious palace of V aifayanta 2, and the angels who there are diverting themselves.
42. He perceives, here on earth, an air of them; by the scent he knows the angels, and where each of them is acting, standing, listening, or walking.
43. That Bodhisattva tracks by the scent the houris who are decorated with many flowers, decked with wreaths and ornaments and in full attire; he knows wherever they are dallying or staying at the time.
44. By smell he apprehends the gods, Brahmas, and Brahmakayas moving on aerial cars aloft, up¬ wards to the extremity of existence; he knows whether they are absorbed in meditation 3 or have risen from it.
1 ATavanti, Sansk. ^yavanti, altered by a later hand into bhavanti.
2 A sculptured representation of Indra’s palace of Vai^ayanta and the hall Sudharma is found on the bas reliefs of the Stupa of Bharhut; see plate xvi in General Cunningham’s splendid work on that Stftpa.
3 The real meaning is, perhaps, to say that he knows whether those inhabitants of the empyreum are plunged in glimmer or disengaged from mist, &c.
XVIII.
45. He perceives the Abhasvara angels falling (and shooting) and appearing, even those that he never saw before. Such is the organ of smell of the Bodhisattva who keeps this Sutra.
46. The Bodhisattva also recognises all monks under the rule of the Sugata, who are strenuously engaged in their walks and find their delight in their lessons and reading.
47. Intelligent as he is, he discerns those among the sons, of (Pina who are disciples and those who used to live at the foot of trees, and he knows that the monk so and so is staying in such and such a place.
48. The Bodhisattva knows by the odour whether other Bodhisattvas are of good memory, meditative, delighting in their lessons and reading, and assi¬ duous in preaching to congregations 1.
49. In whatever point of space the Sugata, the great Seer, so benign and bounteous, reveals the law in the midst of the crowd of attending disciples, the Bodhisattva by the odour recognises him as the Lord of the universe.
50. Staying on earth, the Bodhisattva also per¬ ceives those beings who hear the law and rejoice at it, and the whole assembly of the (Pina.
51. Such is the power of his organ of smell. Yet it is not the divine organ he possesses, but (the natural one) prior to the perfect, divine faculty of smell.
Further, Satatasamitibhiyukta, the young man of good family or the young lady who keeps, teaches, 1 Such Bodhisattvas may be said to stand in the odour of sanctity.
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 347 proclaims, writes this Dharmaparyaya shall have an organ of taste possessed of twelve hundred good faculties of the tongue. All flavours he takes on his tongue will yield a divine, exquisite relish. And he tastes in such a way that he is not to relish anything unpleasant; and even the un¬ pleasant flavours that are taken on his tongue will yield 1 a divine relish. And whatever he shall preach in the assembly, the creatures will be satisfied by it; they will be content, thoroughly content, filled with delight. A sweet, tender, agreeable, deep voice goes out from him, an amiable voice which goes to the heart, at which those creatures will be ravished and charmed; and those to whom he preaches, after having heard his sweet voice, so tender and melo¬ dious, will, even (if they are) gods, be of opinion that they ought to go and see, venerate, and serve him 2. And the angels and houris will be of opinion, &c. The Indras, Brahmas, and Brahmakayikas will be of opinion, &c. The Nagas and Naga girls will be of opinion, &c. The demons and their girls will be of opinion, &c. The GanWas and their girls will be of opinion, &c. The Kinnaras and their girls, the great serpents and their girls, the goblins and their girls, the imps and their girls will be of opinion that they ought to go and see, venerate, serve him, and hear his sermon, and all will show him honour, respect, esteem, worship, reverence, and veneration. Monks and nuns, male and female lay devotees will likewise be desirous of seeing him. Kings, royal princes, and grandees (or ministers) will also be 2 In the margin added rravawaya, ‘ to hear.’
XVIII.
desirous of seeing him. Kings ruling armies and emperors possessed of the seven treasures 1, along with the princes royal, ministers, ladies of the harem, and their retinue will be desirous of seeing him and paying him their homage. So sweet will be the speech delivered by that preacher, so truthful and according to the teaching of the Tathagata will be his words. Others also, Brahmans and laymen, citizens and peasants, will always and ever follow that preacher till the end of life. Even the disciples of the Tathigata will be desirous of seeing him; likewise the Pratyekabuddhas and the Lords Bud¬ dhas. And wherever that young man of good family or young lady shall stay, there he (or she) will preach, the face turned to the Tathagata, and he (or she) will be a worthy vessel of the Buddha-qualities. Such, so pleasant, so deep will be the voice of the law going out from him.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the follow¬ ing stanzas: 52. His organ of taste is most excellent, and he will never relish anything of inferior flavour; the flavours are no sooner put on his tongue than they become divine and possessed of a divine taste 2.
53. He has a tender voice and delivers sweet words, pleasant to hear, agreeable, charming; in the 1 The seven treasures or jewels of an emperor are the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the gem, the empress, the major domo (according to others, the retinue of householders), and the viceroy or marshal. See Spence Hardy, Manual of Buddhism, p.127; Burnouf, Lotus, p. 580; Senart, Legende du Buddha, pp. 22-60; Lalita-vistara, pp. 15-19.
2 Nikshiptarndtriu ka. bhavanti divyd rasena divyena samar- pitar ka..
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 349 midst of the assembly he is used to speak with a melodious and deep voice.
54. And whosoever hears him when he is deliver¬ ing a sermon with myriads of ko/is of examples, feels a great joy and shows him an immense veneration.
55. The gods, Nagas, demons, and goblins always long to see him, and respectfully listen to his preaching. All those good qualities are his.
56. If he would, he might make his voice heard by the whole of this world; his voice is (so) fine, sweet, deep, tender, and winning.
57. The emperors on earth, along with their children and wives, go to him with the purpose of honouring him, and listen all the time to his sermon with joined hands.
58. He is constantly followed by goblins, crowds of Nagas, Gandharvas, imps, male and female, who honour, respect, and worship him.
59. Brahma himself becomes his obedient servant; the gods isvara and Mahesvara, as well as Indra and the numerous heavenly nymphs, approach him.
60. And the Buddhas, benign and merciful for the world, along with their disciples, hearing his voice, protect him by showing their face, and feel satis¬ faction in hearing him preaching.
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who keeps, reads, promulgates, teaches, writes this Dharmaparyaya shall have the eight hundred good qualities of the body. It will be pure, and show a hue clear as the lapis lazuli; it will be pleasant to see for the creatures. On that perfect body he will see the whole triple universe; the beings who in the triple world disappear and appear, who are low or lofty, of good or of bad colour, in XVIII.
fortunate or in unfortunate condition, as well as the beings dwelling within the circular plane of the horizon and of the great horizon, on the chief moun¬ tains Meru and Sumeru, and the beings dwelling below in the Avt£i and upwards to the extremity of existence; all of them he will see on his own body. The disciples, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas dwelling in the triple universe, and the law taught by those Tathagatas and the beings serving the Tathagatas, he will see all of them on his own body, because he receives the proper body of all those beings, and that on account of the perfectness of his body.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the follow¬ ing stanzas: 61. His body becomes thoroughly pure, clear as if consisting of lapis lazuli; he who keeps this sublime Sutra is always a pleasant sight for (all) creatures.
62. As on the surface of a mirror an image is seen, so on his body this world. Being self-born, he sees no other beings 1. Such is the perfectness of his body.
63. Indeed, all beings who are in this world, men, gods, demons, goblins, the inhabitants of hell, the spirits, and the brute creation are seen reflected on that body.
64. The aerial cars of the gods up to the ex¬ tremity of existence, the rocks, the ridge of the 1 This seems to mean that the thinking subject or thinking power only (svayambhu or brahma) has real existence, the objects being products from one’s own mind. In so far it may be said that the thinking subject sees no other real beings.
XVIII. ADVANTAGES OF A RELIGIOUS PREACHER. 35 I horizon, the Himalaya, Sumeru, and great Meru, all are seen on that body.
65. He also sees the Buddhas on his body, along with the disciples and other sons of Buddha; like¬ wise the Bodhisattvas who lead a solitary life, and those who preach the law to congregations.
66. Such is the perfectness of his body, though he has not yet obtained a divine body; the natural property of his body is such.
Further, Satatasamitabhiyukta, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva who after the complete extinction of the TatMgata keeps, teaches, writes, reads this Dharmaparyaya shall have a mental organ pos¬ sessed of twelve hundred good qualities of intel¬ lect. By this perfect mental organ he will, even if he hears a single stanza, recognise its various mean¬ ings. By fully comprehending the stanza he will find in it the text to preach upon for a month, for four months, nay, for a whole year. And the sermon he preaches will not fade from his memory. The popular maxims of common life, whether sayings or counsels, he will know how to reconcile with the rules of the law. Whatever creatures of this triple uni¬ verse are subject to the mundane whirl, in any of the six conditions of existence, he will know their thoughts, doings, and movements. He will know and discern their motions, purposes, and aims. Though he has not yet attained the state of an Arya, his intellectual organ will be thoroughly perfect. And all he shall preach after having pondered on the interpretation of the law will be really true; he speaks what all Tathagatas have spoken, all that has been declared in the Sutras of former Ginas.
XVIII.
And on that occasion the Lord uttered the fol¬ lowing stanzas: