Thereupon the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Saman- tabhadra, in the east, surrounded and followed by Bodhisattvas Mah&sattvas surpassing all calculation, amid the stirring of fields, a rain of lotuses, the play¬ ing of hundred thousands of myriads of koris of musical instruments, proceeded with the great pomp of a Bodhisattva, the great display of transformations proper to a Bodhisattva, the great magnificence of a Bodhisattva, the great power of a Bodhisattva, the great lustre of a glorious Bodhisattva, the great stately march of a Bodhisattva, the great miraculous display of a Bodhisattva, a great phantasmagorical sight of gods, N&gas, goblins, Gandharvas, demons, Gammas, Kinnaras, great serpents, men, and beings not human, who, produced by his magic, surrounded and followed him; Samantabhadra, then, the Bodhi¬ sattva, amid such inconceivable miracles worked by magic, arrived at this Saha-world. He went up to the place of the Lord on the Grz’dhrakft/a, the king of mountains, and on approaching he humbly saluted the Lord’s feet, made seven circumambulations from left to right, and said to the Lord: I have come hither, O Lord, from the field of the Lord Ratna- 1 Utsahana.
1 Utsahana.
XXVI.
tqfobhyudgata, the Tathagata, &c., as I am aware, Lord, that here in the Saha-world is taught the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, to hear which from the mouth of the Lord 6akyamuni I have come accompanied by these hundred thou¬ sands of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas. May the Lord deign to expound, in extension, this Dharmaparyiya of the Lotus of the True Law to these Bodhisattvas Mahisattvas. So addressed, the Lord said to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra: These Bodhisattvas, young man of good family, are, indeed, quick of understanding, but this is the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, that is to say, an un¬ mixed truth 1. The Bodhisattvas exclaimed: Indeed Lord; indeed, Sugata. Then in order to confirm, in the Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, the females 2 among the monks, nuns, and lay devotees assembled at the gathering, the Lord again spoke to the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabha¬ dra: This Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, young man of good family, shall be entrusted to a female if she be possessed of four requisites, to wit: she shall stand under the superintendence of the Lords Buddhas; she shall have planted good roots 3; she shall keep steadily to the mass of disci- 1 Yad utasambhinnatathatd.
2 Tasam. I am not able to discover the connection between this confirming of the females in the gathering, and the foregoing remark on the character of the Saddharma. The explanation is probably to be sought in the term asambhinna, unallayed, un¬ mixed. The meaning of the passage may be that the Saddharma- puraifarika, as a general rule, is fit for males only, but under certain conditions may be entrusted to females also.
3 We would say: she must have a good antecedent behaviour.
XXVI. ENCOURAGEMENT OF SAMANTABHADRA. 433 plinary regulations; she shall, in order to save crea¬ tures, have the thoughts fixed on supreme and perfect enlightenment. These are the four requisites, young man of good family, a female must be possessed of, to whom this Dharmaparyiya of the Lotus of the True Law is to be entrusted.
Then the Bodhisattva MahasattVa Samantabhadra said to the Lord: At the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, I will protect the monks who keep this Shtranta; I will take care of their safety, avert blows 1, and destroy poison, so that no one laying snares for those preachers may surprise them, neither Mira the Evil One, nor the sons of Mira, the angels called Mirakiyikas, the daughters of Mara, the followers of Mira, and all other servitors to Mira; that no gods, goblins, ghosts, imps, wizards, spectres laying snares for those preachers may surprise them. In¬ cessantly and constantly, O Lord, will I protect such a preacher. And when a preacher who applies him¬ self to this Dharmaparyiya shall take a walk, then, O Lord, will I mount a white elephant with six tusks, and with a train of Bodhisattvas betake my¬ self to the place where that preacher is walking, in order to protect this Dharmaparyiya. And when that preacher, applying himself to this Dharmapar¬ yiya, forgets, be it but a single word or syllable, then will I mount the white elephant with six tusks, show my face to that preacher, and repeat this entire Dharmaparyiya 2. And when the preacher has 1 Or punishment.
2 Samantabhadra renders the same service to pious and studious preachers as the Buddha himself; see chapter X, especially stanzas 29-31. As to the elephant on which he is mounted, one knows XXVI.
seen my proper body and heard from me this en¬ tire Dharmaparyaya, he, content, in high spirits, ravished, rejoiced, joyful, and delighted, will the more do his utmost to study this Dharmaparyaya, and immediately after beholding me he will acquire meditation and obtain spells, termed the talisman 1 of preservation, the talisman of hundred thousand ko/is, and the talisman of skill in all sounds.
Again, Lord, the monks, nuns, male or female lay devotees, who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, shall study this Dharmaparyaya, when walking for three weeks, (or) twenty-one days, to them will I show my body, at the sight of which all beings rejoice. Mounted on that same white elephant with six tusks, and surrounded by a troop of Bodhisattvas, I shall on the twenty-first day betake myself to the place where the preachers are walking; there I shall rouse, excite, and stimulate them, and give them spells whereby those preachers shall become inviolable, so that no being, either human or not human, shall be able to surprise them, and no women able to beguile them. I will protect them, take care of their safety, avert blows 2, and destroy poison. I will, besides, O Lord, give those preachers words of talismanic spells, such as, Ada nd& dazzdapati, dawdavartani da^dakusale da^dasudhari dhari sudharapati, bud- dhapayyani dharam, avartani sawvartani sangha- parlkshite sanghanirghatani dharmaparikshite sarvathat the Bodhisattva entered the womb of his mother Maya Devi in the shape of an elephant with six tusks; see Lalita-vistara, p. 63. According to the description of the elephant, it must, originally, be a name of lightning.
1 Avarta. 2 Or punishment.
XXVI. ENCOURAGEMENT OF SAMANTABHADRA. 435 sattvarutakaiualyanugate siwhavikrk/ite 1. The Bo- dhisattva Mahasattva, whose organ of hearing is struck by these talismanic words, Lord, shall be aware that the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samanta- bhadra is their ruling power 2.
Further, Lord, th.e Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas to whom this Dharmaparyiya of the Lotus of the True Law shall be entrusted, as long as it continues having course in Cambudvipa, those preachers, Lord, should take this view: It is owing to the power and grandeur of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra that this Dharmaparyaya has been entrusted to us. Those creatures who shall write and keep this Sutra, O Lord, are to partake of the course of duty of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra; they will belong to those who have planted good roots under many Buddhas, O Lord, and whose heads are caressed by the hands of the Tathdgata. Those who shall write and keep this Shtra, O Lord, will afford me pleasure. Those who shall write this Sutra, O Lord, and comprehend it, shall, when they disappear from this world, after having written it, be reborn in the company of the 1 In BurnouFs translation we find added: anuvarte vartani vartali svaha. All terms are, or ought to be, vocatives of feminine words in the singular. Pati, as in Pfili pa^apati, Buddhistic Sansk. pra^apati, interchanges with the ending vati; not only in pra^avati (e.g. in Lalita-vistara), but in some of the words occurring in the spell; so for da»</apati the Tibetan text has da«</avati. As Alva in Maha- bharata XII, 10361 is represented as the personified Danda, we may hold that all the names above belong to.Siva’s female counter¬ part, Durga. The epithet of SiwhavikrWita is but a variation of Siwzhikfi, one of the names of Dakshayawi or Durga in her quality of mother to Rahu. Cf. the remarks on the spells in chap. XXI.
2 As the presiding deity of lightning he is also the lord of flame, of Svaha, identified with Dakshaya«i-Durga.
F f 2 XXVI.
gods of paradise, and at that birth shall eighty-four thousand heavenly nymphs immediately come near them. Adorned with a high crown, they shall as angels dwell amongst those nymphs. Such is the mass of merit resulting from writing this Dharmaparyaya; how much greater will be the rpass of merit reaped by those who recite, study, meditate, remember it! Therefore, young men of good family 1, one ought to honour this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, and write it with the utmost attention. He who writes it with undistracted attention shall be supported by the hands of a thousand Buddhas, and at the moment of his death he shall see another thousand of Buddhas from face to face. He shall not sink down into a state of wretchedness, and after disappearing from this world he shall enter the company of the Tushita-gods, where the Bodhi- sattva Mahasattva Maitreya is residing, and where, marked by the thirty-two sublime characteristics, surrounded by a host of Bodhisattvas, and waited upon by hundred thousands of myriads of korfs of heavenly nymphs he is preaching the law. Therefore, then, young men of good family, a wise young man or young lady of good family should respectfully write this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law, respectfully recite it, respectfully study it, respect¬ fully treasure it up in his (or her) mind. By writing, reciting, studying this Dharmaparyaya, and by trea¬ suring it up in one’s mind, young men of good family, one is to acquire innumerable good qualities. Hence a wise young man or young lady of good 1 Burnouf’s reading has, 0 Lord. The reading of the Cambridge MS. is no mere mistake, for we find it repeated in the sequel.
XXVI. ENCOURAGEMENT OF SAMANTABHADRA. 437 family ought to keep this Dharmaparyiya of the Lotus of the True Law. I myself, O Lord, will super¬ intend this Dharmapary&ya, that through my super¬ intendence it may here spread in Cambudvipa.
Then the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., expressed his approval to the Bodhisattva Maha- sattva Samantabhadra: Very well, very well, Saman- tabhadra. It is happy that thou art so well disposed to promote the weal and happiness of the people at large, out of compassion for the people, for the benefit, weal, and happiness of the great body of men; that thou art endowed with such inconceivable qualities, with a mind so full of compassion, with intentions so inconceivably kind, so that of thine own accord thou wilt take those preachers under thy protection. The young men of good family who shall cherish the name of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra may be convinced that they have seen.Sakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c.; that they have heard this Dharmaparyaya of the Lotus of the True Law from the Lord S&kyamuni; that they have paid homage to the Tathagata Sa¬ kyamuni; that they have applauded the preaching of the Tathigata Shkyamuni. They will have joy¬ fully accepted this Dharmapary&ya; the Tathagata Sakyamuni will have laid his hand upon their head, and they will have decked the Lord Sakyamuni with their robes. Those young men or young ladies of good family, Samantabhadra, must be held to have accepted the command of the Tathagata 1. They 1 If I rightly understand these cautious and veiled words, the meaning is that such persons, though no Buddhists, must be held in equal esteem as if they were. The persons alluded to are, not unlikely, Saiva monks or devotees, who, if leading a pious life, have will have no pleasure in worldly philosophy 1; no per¬ sons fondly addicted to poetry will please them; no dancers, athletes, vendors of meat, mutton butchers, poulterers, pork butchers, or profligates will please them. After having heard, written, kept, or read such Sutrantas as this, they will find no delight in those persons. They must be held to be possessed of natural righteousness 2; they will be right-minded from themselves, possess a power to do good of their own accord, and make an agreeable impression on others. Such will be the monks who keep this Sft- tranta. No passionate attachment will hinder them, no hatred, no infatuation, no jealousy, no envy, no hypocrisy, no pride, no conceitedness, no menda¬ ciousness. Those preachers, Samantabhadra, will be content with what they receive. He, Samanta¬ bhadra, who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, sees a monk keeping this Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law, must think thus: This young man of good family will reach the terrace of enlighten¬ ment; this young man will conquer the troop of the for protector or patron Samantabhadra, who, as we have seen above, is the lord of SvahS or Dakshayawi, consequently.Siva-Kala.
1 Na Lokayate ru/fir bhavisbyati. The Lokayatikas are the Indian Epicureans.
2 SvabhSvadharmasamanv&gata#, which may also be ren¬ dered by, possessed of the religion of Svabhava (Nature). This I think to be the recondite and real meaning of the term, whether it alludes to the Svabhavika sect of Buddhism or to materialistic schools among the A'aivas. Though the philosophical tenets of all Svabhavikas are identical with those of the Lokayatikas, their opinions on morals are exactly the reverse. Hence it may have been deemed necessary to inculcate on devotees of more or less strong ascetic habits the precept that they should have no inter¬ course with the immoral vulgar materialists.
XXVI. ENCOURAGEMENT OF SAMANTABHADRA.
wicked Mira 1, move forward the wheel of the law, strike the drum of the law, blow the conch trumpet of the law, spread the rain of the law, and ascend the royal throne of the law. The monks who at the end of time, at the end of the period, in the second half of the millennium, keep this Dharmaparyiya, will not be covetous, nor greedy of robes or vehicles 2. Those preachers will be honest, and possessed of three eman¬ cipations; they will refrain from worldly business. Such persons as lead into error monks who know this Sitrinta, shall be born blind; and such as openly defame them, shall have a spotted body in this very world. Those who scoff and hoot at the monks who copy this Sutranta, shall have the teeth broken and separated far from each other; disgusting lips, a flat nose, contorted hands and feet, squinting eyes; a putrid body, a body covered with stinking boils, eruptions, scabs, and itch. If one speaks an unkind word, true or not true, to such writers, readers, and keepers of this Shtrinta, it must be considered a very heinous sin. Therefore then, Samantabhadra, people should, even from afar, rise from their seats before the monks who keep this Dharmaparyiya and show them the same reverence as to the Tathagata.
While this chapter of the Encouragement of Samantabhadra was being expounded, hundred thousands of ko/is of Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas, equal to the sands of the river Ganges, acquired the talismanic spell Avarta.
1 Mstrakali^akram.
2 Yana; Burnouf has read pan a, drink. It is, indeed, generally impossible to distinguish between pa and ya in the Nepalese MSS.
XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE PERIOD 1.
Thereupon the Lord Vakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., rose from his pulpit, collected the Bodhisattvas, took their right hands with his own right hand, which had become strong by the exercise of magic, and spoke on that occasion as follows: Into your hands, young men of good family, I transfer and transmit, entrust and deposit this supreme and per¬ fect enlightenment arrived at by me after hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of incalculable /Eons. Ye, young men of good family, do your best that it may grow and spread.
A second time, a third time the Lord spoke to the host of Bodhisattvas after taking them by the right hands: Into your hands, young men of good family, I transfer and transmit, entrust and deposit this supreme and perfect enlightenment arrived at by me after hundred thousands of myriads of ko/is of in¬ calculable /Eons. Receive it, young men of good family, keep, read, fathom, teach, promulgate, and preach it to all beings. I am not avaricious, young men of good family, nor narrow-minded; I am confident and willing to impart Buddha-knowledge, to impart the knowledge of the Tathagata, the knowledge of the Self-born. I am a bountiful giver, young 1 Dharmaparyaya, properly, the period of the law.
XXVII.
THE PERIOD.
men of good family, and ye, young men of good family, follow my example; imitate me in liberally showing this knowledge of the Tathagata, and in skilfulness, and preach this Dharmaparyaya to the young men and young ladies of good family who successively shall gather round you. And as to unbelieving persons, rouse them to accept this law. By so doing, young men of good family, you will acquit your debt to the Tathagatas.
So addressed by the Lord Sakyamuni, the Tath&- gata, &c., the Bodhisattvas filled with delight and joy, and with a feeling of great respect they lowered, bent, and bowed their body towards the Lord, and, the head inclined and the joined hands stretched out, they spoke in one voice to the Lord Aakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., the following words: We shall do, O Lord, what the Tathagata commands; we shall fulfil the command of all Tathagatas. Let the Lord be at ease as to this, and perfectly quiet. A second time, a third time the entire host of Bodhi¬ sattvas spoke in one voice the same words: Let the Lord be at ease as to this, and perfectly quiet. We shall do, O Lord, what the Tath&gata commands us; we shall fulfil the command of all Tathagatas.
Thereupon the Lord Aakyamuni, the Tathagata, &c., dismissed all thoseTathigatas,&c., who had come to the gathering from other worlds, and wished them a happy existence, with the words: May the Tatha¬ gatas, &c., live happy. Then he restored the Stupa of precious substances of the Lord Prabhutaratna, the Tathagata, &c., to its place, and wished him also a happy existence.
Thus spoke the Lord. The incalculable, innume¬ rable Tathagatas, &c., who had come from other XXVII.
worlds and were sitting on their thrones at the foot of jewel trees, as well as Prabhutaratna, the Tatha- gata, &c., and the whole host of Bodhisattvas headed by Vbish/aMritra, the innumerable, incalculable Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who had issued from the gaps of the earth, the great disciples, the four classes, the world, including gods, men, demons, and Gandharvas, in ecstasy applauded the words of the Lord.