The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The White Lotus of Compassion

Chapter 1 Turning the Wheel of the Dharma

[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time: the Bhagavat was residing at Rājagṛha, on Vulture Peak Mountain, accompanied by a great saṅgha of 62,000 bhikṣus who, with the exception of one individual‍—which is to say, Venerable Ānanda‍—were all arhats whose outflows had ceased, who were without kleśas, who were self-controlled, who had liberated minds, who had completely liberated wisdom, who were noble beings, who were great elephants, who had done what had to be done, who had accomplished what had to be accomplished, who had put down their burden, who had reached their goals, who had ended the fetters to existence, who had liberated their minds through true knowledge, and who had attained all the perfect, highest, most complete powers of the mind.

Also present were eighty million irreversible bodhisattva mahāsattvas, such as Maitreya, who were established in retention, acceptance, samādhi, and emptiness.

Also present was Brahmā, the lord of Sahā, with many hundreds of thousands of Brahmā-realm devas.

Also present was Para­nirmitavaśavartin with eighty million Para­nirmitavaśavartin devas.

Also present was Sunirmita with seventy million Nirmāṇarata devas.

Also present was Saṃtuṣita with sixty million Saṃtuṣita devas.

Also present was Suyāma with 70,200,000 Yāma devas.

Also present was Śakra, lord of the devas, with eighty million Trāyastriṃśa devas.

Also present was the mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa with a hundred thousand yakṣas.

Also present was the mahārāja Virūpākṣa with a hundred thousand nāgas.

Also present was the mahārāja Virūḍhaka with a hundred thousand kumbhāṇḍas.

Also present was the mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra with a hundred thousand gandharvas.

Also present were a thousand nāga kings, such as the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda.

They and others had all entered the Mahāyāna, practiced the six perfections, and perceived, understood, and comprehended the Dharma of the four errors. They were all gathered around and they looked upon the one before them who teaches the Dharma in order that the four noble truths will be realized, and so that bodhisattva mahāsattvas will attain the various samādhis, the level of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas will be transcended, and through samādhi the highest, most complete enlightenment will be attained.

At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin, the bodhisattva Varuṇa, the bodhisattva Siṃhamati, the bodhisattva Vairocanamati, and ten thousand other bodhisattvas rose from their seats together, removed their robes from one shoulder, knelt on their right knees, bowed with their hands placed together, and, facing southeast and looking in that direction with great joy and delight, said these words: “Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksam­buddha Padmottara, you attained complete buddhahood and soon after manifested great miraculous powers, caused the good karma of many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings to ripen, and established them in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. That is a marvel! We pay homage to you! We pay homage to you!”

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, placed his hands together, bowed in the direction of the Bhagavat, and inquired of the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, why did the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin, the bodhisattva Varuṇa, the bodhisattva Siṃhamati, the bodhisattva Vairocanamati, and ten thousand other bodhisattvas rise from their seats together, remove their robes from one shoulder, kneel on their right knees, bow with their hands placed together, and, facing southeast and looking in that direction with great joy and delight, say these words: ‘Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksam­buddha Padmottara, you attained complete buddhahood and soon after manifested great miraculous powers, caused the good karma of many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings to ripen, and established them in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. That is a marvel! We pay homage to you! We pay homage to you!’?

“How long was the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara on the path? How long has it been since he attained the highest, most complete enlightenment, becoming a complete buddha? What is the name of the realm in which the Tathāgata Padmottara resides? In what way is that realm adorned by an array of qualities? For what reason did the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara perform that kind of great miracle? What is the reason why some bodhisattvas can see the bhagavat buddhas who reside in other innumerable realms in the ten directions, and can see the miracles of those buddha bhagavats, while we cannot see them?”

The bodhisattva Ratnavairocana said those words, and then the Bhagavat addressed him in return: “Noble son, excellent! Excellent! Noble son, it is excellent that you have made this request. In order to ripen the good karma of many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings, you have asked about the Tathāgata Padmottara’s manifestation of the miracle of attaining enlightenment and the qualities of his buddha realm. You have asked this because of the virtue of your confidence. Noble son, listen carefully and pay attention, for I will explain it to you.”

“Bhagavat, I will do so,” said the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana. As he listened to the Bhagavat, the Bhagavat recounted to the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana the following description.

“Noble son, in the southeast, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in a hundred thousand million trillion Ganges Rivers, there is a realm by the name of Padmā, which is adorned with a variety of good qualities, scattered with a variety of flowers, pervaded by a variety of fragrances, adorned with precious trees, and filled with precious lotuses. Its ground is made of blue beryl. It is filled with bodhisattvas and pervaded by the sound of the Dharma. The ground made of beryl is as soft and pleasant to the touch as down. A foot stepping on it sinks to the depth of four finger-widths, and when the foot is raised, the ground rises back up four finger-widths. Varieties of lotuses cover the ground.

“The trees there are made of the seven jewels and are seven yojanas in height. They are hung with divine orange cloth, and they emit beautiful, divine music. On those trees there are a variety of birds that sing the beautiful words of the powers, strengths, and factors of enlightenment. When the leaves of those trees touch each other, they create music of the five tempos, which surpasses that of the deva realms. Each of those trees has a pervasive fragrance, which surpasses that of the deva realms and spreads over a hundred thousand yojanas, and each of those trees is hung with divine adornments.

“In between those trees are kūṭāgāras made of the seven jewels, which are each five hundred yojanas high and a hundred yojanas wide. Around all these kūṭāgāras, in each of the four directions, there is an ornamental arch. Between these ornamental arches and the kūṭāgāras, there are pools that are eighty-eight yojanas long and fifty yojanas wide. On the four sides of those pools there are steps made of the seven jewels. Those ponds are covered with blue lotuses and red lotuses. Each flower is one yojana across. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas are born from the pericarps of those flowers. They appear on the pericarps of those lotuses in the first watch of the night. They spend the night sitting cross-legged, experiencing the joy and bliss of liberation. When the night turns to dawn, there come cool, fragrant, gentle breezes, the touch of which is delightful, and which cause the closed flowers to open and the bodhisattvas to emerge from their meditation. Leaving behind the joy and bliss of liberation, they come down from the pericarps and enter the kūṭāgāras, where they sit cross-legged on seats made of the seven jewels and listen to the Dharma.

“Surrounding the trees and kūṭāgāras are mountains made of Jambu River gold. They are each twenty yojanas high and three yojanas wide. Between those mountains, many hundreds of thousands of moonstones, sunstones, sapphires, and jyotīrasas are visible. When the light of the Buddha Padmottara strikes the mountains and jewels, the light of that buddha and the light of the jewels becomes a continuous great radiance throughout the Padmā realm. The light of a sun or moon is unknown, but when the lotuses close and the birdsong diminishes, that is called night, and the opposite is day.

“On top of the mountains are kūṭāgāras of blue beryl, which are sixty yojanas high and twenty yojanas wide. In each of the four directions from the kūṭāgāras there are ornamental archways made of the seven jewels. Within the kūṭāgāras, there are thrones made of the seven jewels, upon which bodhisattvas in their last lifetime sit and listen to the Dharma.

“Noble son, in the Padmā realm there is the excellent presence of a Bodhi tree called Indra, which is three thousand yojanas high with a trunk five hundred yojanas wide. Its branches, leaves, and petals are a thousand yojanas wide.

“At the foot of this Bodhi tree there is a silver lotus stalk, which is five hundred yojanas high. It has a hundred thousand million gold petals, five yojanas in height. All the pericarps have emerald stamens, and the pericarps, which are made of the seven jewels, are ten yojanas high and seven yojanas wide. It is upon this that the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara attained the highest, most complete enlightenment, becoming a complete buddha.

“Encircling that buddha’s lotus seat are other lotuses, upon which sit bodhisattvas who see the miracles of the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara.”

The bodhisattva Ratnavairocana then asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, what kind of miracles did the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara manifest?”

The Bhagavat replied to the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana, “Noble son, in the last watch of the night, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara attained the highest, most complete enlightenment, becoming a complete buddha, and at dawn he performed a miracle. He transformed himself to the height of the Brahmā realm and his uṣṇīṣa radiated a hundred thousand million trillion light rays. Those light rays illuminated the upper region’s realms, which are as numerous as the particles in a buddha realm. At that time, the bodhisattvas who dwelt in the upper regions looked downward. They did not perceive Sumeru or the Cakravāḍa, Mahācakravāḍa, or Kāla mountain ranges. In those worlds, the bodhisattvas who had received prophecy, who had attained samādhi, who had attained retention, who had attained acceptance, and who had completely transcended the levels of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were in their final lifetime, were illuminated, placed their palms together in reverence, and saw the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara’s body, which was perfectly adorned by the thirty-two signs and eighty excellent features of a great being.

“They also saw the assembly of bodhisattvas and the array of good qualities of that buddha realm, the world known as Padmā. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas became perfectly joyous and happy when they saw that. Countless bodhisattvas, from realms as numerous as the particles in a buddha realm, through their miraculous powers left their buddha realms and came to the Padmā realm in order to make offerings to, pay homage to, and honor the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara.

“Noble son, the Tathāgata Padmottara, while sitting, standing, and walking, extended his tongue from his mouth and covered that entire world of four continents with his tongue. Then the bodhisattvas who were in meditation arose from their samādhi and applied themselves to making offerings to the Tathāgata and the entire assembly.

“Noble son, when the Tathāgata Padmottara ceased manifesting the miraculous power of his tongue, he emitted six thousand trillion light rays from each pore of his entire body. This vast radiance reached realms in all the ten directions as numerous as the particles in a buddha realm. There were bodhisattva mahāsattvas in those realms who received prophecies and attained samādhi. Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas, through their miraculous powers, departed from their own buddha realms and came to the Padmā realm in order to see, pay homage to, and honor the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara.

“Noble son, when the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara concluded his miraculous manifestations, in order to benefit many beings, for the sake of the happiness of many beings, from compassion for the world, in order to bring benefit and happiness to devas and humans, and in order to perfectly complete the purpose of the Mahāyāna, he turned the righteous wheel of the Dharma called the Irreversible Wheel for the entire assembly of bodhisattvas.”

That concludes “Turning the Wheel of the Dharma,” which is the first chapter of the Mahāyāna sūtra titled The White Lotus of Compassion.

Chapter 2 The Dhāraṇī Entranceway

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhadanta Bhagavat, how does one distinguish day and night in the Padmā realm? What kinds of sounds are heard there? What kind of mental states do the bodhisattvas there have? What kind of dwelling do they dwell in?”

“Noble son,” answered the Bhagavat, “the Padmā realm is continuously illuminated by the Buddha’s light. The time there that is known as night is when the flowers close, the songs of the birds diminish, and the Bhagavat and the bodhisattvas enjoy meditation and experience liberation’s joy and bliss. The time that is known as day is when the flowers are opened by a breeze, the birds sing beautifully, a rain of flowers falls, and supremely fragrant, pleasant, gentle breezes, the touch of which is delightful, blow in the four directions. The Bhagavat arises from his samādhi, the bodhisattvas arise from their samādhis, and the Bhagavat Padmottara teaches the bodhisattva mahāsattvas the bodhisattva piṭaka, which transcends completely what is spoken of to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

“Noble son, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas are never separated from the word Buddha, the word Dharma, or the word Saṅgha. They are never separated from the word fearlessness, the word nonformation, the word nonbecoming, the words no cessation, the word pacified, the words very pacified, the words truly pacified, the words great kindness, the words great compassion, the words unoriginated phenomena, the words attaining the level of consecration, or the words buddhas and bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas continually hear words such as these.

“Noble son, moreover, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the Padmā world are all endowed with the thirty-two signs of a great being, have hundred-yojana-wide auras, and until enlightenment will have no downfalls.

“All those bodhisattvas have loving minds, affectionate minds, unpolluted minds, tamed minds, patient minds, settled minds, clear minds, imperturbable minds, pure minds, virtuous minds, Dharma-loving minds, minds that pacify the kleśas in all beings, minds as vast as the earth, minds that do not enjoy worldly conversation, minds that enjoy transcendent conversation, minds that strive for all virtuous qualities, minds that are sincerely, continuously dedicated, minds that have complete peace with regard to illness, aging, and death, minds that have incinerated all kleśas, minds that have pacified all involvements, and minds that are not proud of all their qualities.

“They possess the power of intention, the power of engagement, the power of motive, the power of prayer, the power of rising above the worthless, the power of comprehension, the power of good roots, the power of samādhi, the power of learning, the power of giving, the power of correct conduct, the power of patience, the power of diligence, the power of meditation, the power of wisdom, the power of śamatha, the power of vipaśyanā, the power of clairvoyance, the power of mindfulness, the power of enlightenment, the power of courage, the power of destroying all māras, the power of overcoming all the might of the māras, the power of defeating all promulgators of false doctrines through the Dharma, and the power of overcoming all kleśas.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the Padmā world have served many hundreds of thousands of buddhas and thus have planted good roots.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the buddha realm of the Padmā world consume meditation as food, Dharma as food, and inhaled aromas as food, just like the deities in the Brahmā paradise. Food eaten through the mouth is unknown there.

“Even the word nonvirtue does not exist there at all. Even the word female does not exist there at all; there isn’t even that term. Even the word suffering does not exist there at all. Even the words virtue and nonvirtue do not exist there at all.

“And in the same way the words kleśa, attachment, darkness, bad smell, mental fatigue, and physical fatigue, and the words hells, animal birth, and Yama’s world do not exist there. The words unfortunate rebirths do not exist there.

“There are no thorns, dark places, stones, or pebbles; there is no fire, no moon, no sun, no stars, and no great oceans; and there are no Sumeru or Cakravāḍa mountains, no in-between worlds, no Kāla mountains, no Mīḍhapāṣāṇa, and no Pāṃśu mountains. There aren’t the words clouds or rain, or the word storm; the words unfortunate existences don’t exist at all.

“Moreover, the Padmā realm is always illuminated by the vast radiance of the light from the Buddha, the light from the bodhisattvas, the light from merit, and the light from jewels.

“There are the birds that are called saphala, each of which, with their own pleasing and gentle song, sings of the powers, the strengths, and the aspects of enlightenment.”

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how vast is the Padmā realm? How long after his swift attainment of the enlightenment of buddhahood will Padmottara reside, live, and remain there, teaching the Dharma? When he has passed into parinirvāṇa, how long will his Dharma remain? How long will those bodhisattvas who have been born and will be born in the buddha realm of the Padmā world remain there? Are those bodhisattvas deprived of seeing the Buddha, hearing the Dharma, and serving the Saṅgha, or not? What was the name of the Padmā realm previously? How long after the setting of the sun of the previous jina did the Tathāgata Padmottara attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood? Why is it that some see the manifestations of buddhas, the miracles of buddhas, and the bhagavat buddhas performing miracles in other buddha realms in the ten directions, while others do not?”

“Noble son,” answered the Bhagavat, “it is like this: Sumeru, the king of mountains, is 168,000 yojanas high and 84,000 yojanas wide. If a diligent, powerful man came to Sumeru, the king of mountains, and with the power of his samādhi broke it into pieces the size of mustard seeds, then those pieces would be uncountable. No one but a being with omniscient wisdom could count those pieces of Sumeru that are the size of mustard seeds. That number of those pieces is the number of how many four-continent worlds there are.

“It is like this: just as the world of Sukhāvatī is completely filled with bodhisattvas, in the same way the buddha realm Padmā is completely filled with bodhisattvas.

“Noble son, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara will have a lifespan of thirty intermediate eons, during which he will reside, live, and remain there, teaching the Dharma.

“Noble son, after the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara has passed into parinirvāṇa, the sacred Dharma will remain for ten intermediate eons. The lifespan of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the Padmā realm is forty intermediate eons.

“Noble son, previously the Padmā realm was called Candanā. It was not completely pure, nor filled with pure beings, as the present Padmā world is.

“Noble son, in the Candanā world there dwelt the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the bhagavat buddha named Candrottama. He taught the Dharma for thirty intermediate eons. When the time came for him to pass into parinirvāṇa, some bodhisattvas, through the power of their prayers, departed to other buddha realms. The bodhisattvas who remained thought, ‘The tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama will pass into parinirvāṇa in the middle watch of this night. After the Bhagavat has passed into parinirvāṇa, his sacred Dharma will remain for ten intermediate eons. After it has come to an end, who will attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood?’

“At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra, because of his prayers in the past, received this prophecy from the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama: ‘Noble son, when I have passed into parinirvāṇa, the Dharma will remain for ten intermediate eons, and then my Dharma will come to an end in the middle period of the night. In the last period of that night, you will attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. You will become the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, and so on, the bhagavat buddha named Padmottara.’

“At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas came to the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama. When they had come before the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama, through the power of samādhi, with manifold bodhisattva miracles, all those bodhisattvas made offerings to the Tathāgata Candrottama, circumambulated him three times, and then said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhadanta Bhagavat, we will remain, with our minds in a state of cessation, for those ten intermediate eons.’

“Then, noble son, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra, ‘You must acquire, noble son, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. All the past tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddhas have taught it to the bodhisattvas they have consecrated to be their regents. Also, the present bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in the worlds in the ten directions teach it to the bodhisattvas whom they consecrate to be their regents. Also, those who will be buddhas in the future will teach it to the bodhisattvas whom they consecrate to be their regents. Therefore, you too should acquire the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. It is thus:

jalijalini mahājalini phutke butke sammade mahāsammade devāṃ aṭi caṭi ṭake ṭharaṭhakke amimakasi hilicilitili ruruke mahāruruke jaye durjaye jayamati śānte śāntanirghoṣaṇi amūle ale amūlaparichinne mārasainya vitrāsane mukte mukta­pari­śuddhe abhīte bhayamocane bhāradroharaṇā dānta vidyāvidyā varuttame nigrahaṃ paravādināṃ dharma­vādināmanu­grahaṃ ārakṣā dharma­vādināṃ caturṇāṃ smṛtyupa­sthānānām adhimukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

buddha­kāśaye amama nimama avevi arthe arthani stīraṇe lokādhimukte sandadha paribhāvane caturṇāmāryavaṃśānāṃ adhimukti­pada­prakāśanapadā |

bhāṣīthe bhāṣaṇe dhāre dhārayati gupte śubhe śubhaprade tatphale agraphale ’niṣphale nilaha samukta amukta nirmukte atravita vimuktavati vilaphala ayukta iviti diviti ratitula tulamaṃ ahiṃsāma ititāva atvānatvāna sarvaloka anaka livindha abhūsare hatamatte veśāgravate aphala kaphala trayāṇām ārakṣitānāṃ adhimuktipadamidaṃ |

jaḍataḥ ani­haravavatavyo idaṃ phalaṃ niyoma­phalaṃ samudānāya vibhuṣa paśya sāmantra anumanto akumanto chedāvane mantrastā daśabala vigrahasthā isusthita sunikhama tīkṣṇamati āloko atitṛṣṇā adimati pratyutpanna­buddha­pūrva­prahāre caturṇāṃ samyakprahāṇānāṃ adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

anye manye mane mamane vire virate śame śamitā viśānte mukte nirakṣame same samasame kṣaye akṣaye ajiti śānte samiṣṭhe dhāraṇī ālokāvabhāse ratna­vrate raśmyavate jñāna­vate meruvate kṣayanidarśane loka­pradīpani­darśane caturṇāṃ prati­saṃvidāmadhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

cakṣa ābhāsanidarśane jñānā­lokanidarśanaṃ ca prabhāsane sarvendriya bhūmātikrante sarvasarve vamāṃ sarve prāthavā kṣayaṃ kare gokāha vadane lokānudarśana vibhū caturṇāṃ ṛddhipādānām adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idam |

acale buddhe dṛdhapracale sattve gṛhna siddhi kaṃpati nisiddha smahiddhe parekasire some caṇḍe datve acale acale apare vicivale nipare pracacale prasare anayan prabhyāse kaṃkame prabhāvini same nijase grakrame nayute indriyāṇāṃ balānām adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

puṣpe supuṣpe druma­pari­hāre abhayarucire cekaratke akṣayamastu ninile mamale pañcaśiśire lokasya vijñāne naya­saṃgṛhīte ca yukte succendena saptānāṃ bodhyaṅgānāṃ adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

cakravajre maitra samāpade krānte kete karuṇa rudīkṣayi prītirūpe kṣamasaṃpanne arake varate kharo khare amūle mūle sādhane caturṇāṃ vaiśāradyānām adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

vartte cakre cakradhare varacakre vare prare hile hile dhare ārūpāvate huhure yathā jibhaṃga niṃbare yathāgne yathāparaṃ cariniśe yathā bhayaririśi satyanirhāra jaracavila vīryanirhāra cure mārganirhāra samādhinirhāra prajñānirhāra vimuktinirhāra vimuktijñānadarśananirhāra nakṣatranirhāra candra­nirhāra sūrya­nirhāra padāśca­turuttara­tathāgatena adbhutaṃ niradbhutaṃ saṃbuddhaṃ abuddha ihabuddhaṃ tatra­buddhaṃ nihaṃgamapare alaha dalaha paṇḍare paṇḍare tatrāntalu māṃgagharaṇi pūṭani saṃpūṭani gata­praṃgamanuniruva nāśani nāśabandhani cicchini cicchidra mayova hidiṃgamā vare mare hanane bharaṃ bhare bhinde bhire bhire ruṣare śaraṇe darane pravartte varaṇāḍaye vidranvumā varakhumā brahma­cāriṇa indravani dhidhirāyani maheśvaralalani mamasume alamini ekākṣaraci vaṃcani carasti ābhicaṇḍāla sūre sarvasurā āvarasurā punakanitāṃ paṇḍitāṃ āyinakaṇḍi jabhāme gandhare atra runimakare bhirohiṇī siddhamatte vilokamate buddhādhiṣṭhite dhāraṇīmukhe daśānāṃ balānām adhi­mukti­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

As soon as the Bhagavat recited the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, that great billion-world universe shook intensely in six ways: it shook, shook strongly, and shook intensely; it shuddered, shuddered intensely, and shuddered fiercely; it quivered, quivered intensely, and quivered fiercely; it trembled, trembled intensely, and trembled fiercely; it quaked, quaked intensely, and quaked fiercely; it bent upward, bent downward, and bent deeply downward. And a light appeared so that the worlds in the ten directions, which are as numerous as the grains of sand in countless Ganges Rivers, were filled with vast light. At that time, the Sumeru, Cakravāḍa, and Mahācakravāḍa mountains were not to be seen. The countless worlds in the ten directions appeared to be as flat as the palm of one’s hand.

Also, through the power of the Tathāgata, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who resided in countless worlds in the ten directions, who had attained samādhi, dhāraṇī, and acceptance, vanished from their own realms and arrived in the presence of the Bhagavat on Vulture Peak Mountain. They bowed their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet and, through various manifold bodhisattva miracles, made offerings to the Bhagavat. They then seated themselves there in order to hear this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience.

Also, countless devas, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, kumbhāṇḍas, and piśācas came to Vulture Peak Mountain to the presence of the Bhagavat, bowed their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet, and sat to one side in order to hear this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. All the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were gathered there saw the Padmā buddha realm and the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara encircled by an assembly of bodhisattvas. As soon as the Bhagavat had recited this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, bodhisattva mahāsattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in seventy-two Ganges Rivers obtained this dhāraṇī.

The bodhisattvas who had obtained the dhāraṇī saw the bhagavat buddhas who dwelt in countless worlds in the ten directions and saw the array of the qualities of those buddha realms. They were amazed, and, through the power of samādhi and bodhisattva miracles, made offerings to the Buddha and then were seated.

The Bhagavat said to them, “Noble sons, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who meditate upon the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will attain 84,000 dhāraṇī entranceways; they will attain 72,000 further dhāraṇī entranceways; and they will attain 60,000 samādhi entranceways.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained this dhāraṇī entranceway will attain great kindness and great compassion. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas contemplate the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment and attain omniscience solely in order to obtain this samādhi. It contains the entirety of all the Buddha’s teachings. All the bhagavat buddhas, through having understood this dhāraṇī in its essence, teach the Dharma to beings and do not pass into parinirvāṇa too soon.

“Noble sons, see how the power of this dhāraṇī, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, caused the great earth to shake and a great light to shine, a light that spread a vast radiance throughout endless, infinite buddha realms, and how that light caused endless, infinite bodhisattvas to come from endless, infinite buddha realms in order to hear the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. [B2]

“The endless, infinite devas of the desire realm and form realm, and the nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, humans, and nonhumans within this Sahā universe who listen to the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, as soon as they have obtained the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, will be irreversible in their progress to complete enlightenment.

“Those who write it out will always see the Buddha, listen to the Dharma, and serve the Saṅgha until complete parinirvāṇa. The bodhisattvas who chant the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will eliminate without remainder their primary karma, and in the next life they will ascend to the first bhūmi.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who meditate on the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will completely eliminate even the five actions with immediate results at death if they have committed and accumulated them, and in the next life they will ascend to the first bhūmi. If they have not committed the actions with immediate results at death, then in that lifetime they will completely eliminate all other karma and in the next life will ascend to the first bhūmi.

“Even if someone does not meditate on this dhāraṇī or chant this dhāraṇī, but only listens to it and binds a turban onto the Dharma reciter, then the bhagavat buddhas residing, living, and remaining in other realms, who are as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River, will declare ‘excellent!’ and those bhagavat buddhas will prophesy his attainment of the highest, most complete enlightenment. Not long after, that bodhisattva will be consecrated as their regent, and he will be only one lifetime away from attaining the highest, most complete enlightenment. In the same way, those who make an offering of incense to the Dharma reciter will before long obtain the incense of the highest, most complete enlightenment. If they offer a flower to the Dharma reciter, they will obtain the unsurpassable flowers of wisdom. If they offer cooked rice, food, and drink to the Dharma reciter, they will attain the unsurpassable nourishment of the tathāgatas. If the bodhisattvas clothe the Dharma reciter, they will attain the unsurpassable complexion of a tathāgata. If they adorn the Dharma reciter with jewels, they will obtain before long the jewels of the Dharma of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment.

“Noble sons, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience has this kind of great benefit for bodhisattva mahāsattvas. Why is that? It is because the entire bodhisattva piṭaka is taught in it. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas gain unimpeded eloquence through this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience and attain the four attractive qualities.

“Noble sons, when the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama taught the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra, the earth shook, and a great light shone in the world. That great light illuminated countless buddha realms in the ten directions, and all uneven land appeared to be as flat as the palm of the hand. All the bodhisattva mahāsattvas gathered there saw the bhagavat buddhas who were in countless buddha realms in the ten directions.

“Countless bodhisattva mahāsattvas came from countless buddha realms in the ten directions to the Candanā realm to honor and pay homage to the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama and to hear this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience.

“Noble sons, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama addressed the bodhisattvas, saying, ‘Noble sons, I perceive that the bodhisattvas who have one lifetime remaining will spend these ten intermediate eons with their minds at rest in cessation. During these ten intermediate eons, the other bodhisattva mahāsattvas will listen to this bodhisattva piṭaka, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, from the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra. They will listen to the Dharma for ten intermediate eons, trusting the countless bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in countless buddha realms in the ten directions. That complete trust will generate good roots, and they will make offerings to the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama through various kinds of bodhisattva miracles.’

“The bodhisattvas asked the Bhagavat, ‘Bhadanta Bhagavat, after these ten intermediate eons have passed, will the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra turn the unsurpassable Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma?’

“Candrottama said to them, ‘Noble sons, it will be so, it will be so. When these ten intermediate eons have passed, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra will attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Following the night that he attains the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, he will turn the unsurpassable Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma. For ten intermediate eons he will teach the bodhisattvas the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas will listen to that Dharma and will generate good roots through hearing it. After the bodhisattva Gaganamudra has attained the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, he will turn the irreversible supreme wheel, the Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma, and he will establish many hundreds of millions of trillions of bodhisattvas in irreversibility. For ten intermediate eons those bodhisattvas will listen to him teaching this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. When they have heard that Dharma, they will have only one remaining lifetime. The bodhisattvas who have listened for an eon will at that time enter the tenth bhūmi and have irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. At that time, they will have the ultimate attainment of this dhāraṇī.’

“After the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama had spoken those words to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, he manifested the various miracles that are the domain of the buddhas. He showed the nārāyaṇa samādhi to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra and then transformed his body into diamond and showed him the array of light samādhi.

“Then for ten intermediate eons, he turned the wheel of the Dharma for the bodhisattvas, teaching them the Dharma of this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. He revealed and made clear the adorning signs and indications of the buddhas in all the buddha realms. He taught the samādhi called circle of vajras. He taught the Dharma to the bodhisattvas by perfectly turning the wheel of the Dharma on the seat of enlightenment. He taught them the garland of wheels samādhi. He turned the wheel of the Dharma for many hundreds of thousands of tens of millions of thousands of millions of beings and through the wheel of the Dharma established them in irreversibility.

“Knowing this, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra and an innumerable saṅgha of bodhisattvas made offerings to the Bhagavat. Then they each entered their own kūṭāgāra and remained there through the night when the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama passed into parinirvāṇa, into the state of nirvāṇa without any remaining aggregates. When that night was over, the bodhisattvas made offerings to the Bhagavat’s body, and then each entered their own kūṭāgāra. The other bodhisattvas all returned to their own buddha realms. The bodhisattvas who had but one life remaining stayed in the samādhi of cessation for ten intermediate eons.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra taught the Dharma for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, and those bodhisattva mahāsattvas generated good roots during those ten intermediate eons. In the night, he attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood and the next day he turned the wheel of the Dharma and manifested great miracles. He established many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings in the highest, most complete enlightenment. Also when he taught the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, eight hundred thousand trillion bodhisattvas attained the forbearance that comes from realizing the birthlessness of phenomena; 920,000,000 beings were established in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment; 72,000,000,000 bodhisattvas obtained this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience; and countless devas and humans developed the motivation to attain complete enlightenment.”

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhadanta Bhagavat, which qualities must bodhisattva mahāsattvas possess in order to obtain this dhāraṇī?”

“Noble son,” replied the Bhagavat, “bodhisattva mahāsattvas will obtain this dhāraṇī if they possess four qualities. What are these four? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain within four noble traditions. What are these four? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain in this first noble tradition: the bodhisattva mahāsattvas should be pleased and satisfied with any kind of robes. They praise being content with any kind of robes; they do not act inappropriately for the sake of robes; they are not saddened if they have not acquired clothing; and if they obtain clothing, they wear it without desire, without clinging, without longing, without becoming fettered, without becoming infatuated, and without covetousness. They acquire it without covetousness. They wear it while seeing the defects of saṃsāra and with the knowledge of going forth into homelessness.

“As it is in the noble tradition for robes, so it is for alms, and it is the same noble tradition for beds and seats. The fourth noble tradition is that the bodhisattva mahāsattvas are pleased and satisfied with any kind of necessities and any medicine; they praise being satisfied with any kind of necessities and any medicine; they do not act inappropriately for the sake of necessities or for the sake of medicines; they are not saddened if they have not acquired necessities and have not acquired medicines; and if they obtain necessities and obtain medicines they utilize them without desire, without clinging, without longing, without becoming fettered, without becoming infatuated, and without covetousness. They acquire them without covetousness. They utilize them while seeing the defects of saṃsāra and with the knowledge of going forth into homelessness. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain in these four noble traditions. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess those four qualities will obtain this dhāraṇī and meditate on it.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas will also obtain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience if they possess five other qualities. What are these five? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain in possession of correct conduct; they are restrained by the prātimokṣa vows; they have perfect rules of conduct and range of conduct; they see the danger in the tiniest particle of blameworthy actions; they adopt and train in the precepts; and when they see others who are devoid of correct conduct, they cause them to possess a perfectly correct conduct, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that first quality.

“Also, when the bodhisattva mahāsattvas make beings who are attached to a wrong view abandon that wrong view, they cause them to possess a correct view, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that second quality.

“Also, when the bodhisattva mahāsattvas make beings who are attached to wrong conduct abandon their wrong conduct, they cause them to possess perfect conduct, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that third quality.

“Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas cause beings who have a defective aspiration to possess a perfect aspiration, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that fourth quality.

“Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas make those who are following the Śrāvakayāna and the Pratyekabuddhayāna realize the highest, most complete enlightenment, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that fifth quality.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess those five qualities will obtain this dhāraṇī.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas will also obtain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience if they possess six other qualities. What are these six?

(1) “The bodhisattva mahāsattvas themselves are learned, possess learning, and accumulate learning, and thereby their articulate teaching of the Dharma, of celibacy, is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous in the end; it has good meaning, has good words, is unalloyed, is complete, is pure, and is immaculate. They learn and possess many such Dharma teachings, recite them, mentally examine them, and understand them through contemplating them. They, who are thus very learned, make others with little learning very learned, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. They are endowed with that first quality.

(2) “Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas are without envy and miserliness, and they make those beings overpowered by envy and miserliness become free of envy and have perfect generosity, and they train them, guide them, and establish them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas possess that second quality.

(3) “Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas do not harm beings; (4) they free beings from fear, freeing from calamities those beings afflicted by various calamities; (5) they are not fakes, not just talk, not frauds, and not deceivers; and (6) they frequently dwell in emptiness. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess those six qualities will obtain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have those qualities should perform this Dravidian mantra, either in brief or in full, three times each day for seven years. They should bow down the five points of their body to the ground, maintain mindfulness of the body, and while dwelling in emptiness recite the Dravidian mantra. Then, when they stand up, they should be mindful of the bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in the surrounding worlds in the ten directions. After seven years of continuous mindfulness of the buddhas, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas will attain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained this dhāraṇī will see, with the eye of wisdom, all the bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, remain, and also manifest miracles within buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River in the ten directions, in that way attaining the noble eye of wisdom. They will also see the bhagavat buddhas smiling. They will attain 84,000 dhāraṇī entranceways. They will also attain 72,000 samādhi entranceways. They will also attain 60,000 Dharma entranceways.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are established in this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will attain great kindness, and they will attain great compassion. Even if the bodhisattvas who obtain this dhāraṇī have committed the five actions with immediate results at death, that karma will be diminished in the next lifetime and will be totally eliminated in three lifetimes, and they will enter the tenth bhūmi. If the bodhisattvas have not committed the five actions with immediate results at death, all their other karma will be completely diminished, in their next life they will enter the tenth bhūmi, they will soon attain the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, and they will attain the wisdom of an omniscient one.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The White Lotus of Compassion

Chapter 1 Turning the Wheel of the Dharma

[B1] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time: the Bhagavat was residing at Rājagṛha, on Vulture Peak Mountain, accompanied by a great saṅgha of 62,000 bhikṣus who, with the exception of one individual‍—which is to say, Venerable Ānanda‍—were all arhats whose outflows had ceased, who were without kleśas, who were self-controlled, who had liberated minds, who had completely liberated wisdom, who were noble beings, who were great elephants, who had done what had to be done, who had accomplished what had to be accomplished, who had put down their burden, who had reached their goals, who had ended the fetters to existence, who had liberated their minds through true knowledge, and who had attained all the perfect, highest, most complete powers of the mind.

Also present were eighty million irreversible bodhisattva mahāsattvas, such as Maitreya, who were established in retention, acceptance, samādhi, and emptiness.

Also present was Brahmā, the lord of Sahā, with many hundreds of thousands of Brahmā-realm devas.

Also present was Para­nirmitavaśavartin with eighty million Para­nirmitavaśavartin devas.

Also present was Sunirmita with seventy million Nirmāṇarata devas.

Also present was Saṃtuṣita with sixty million Saṃtuṣita devas.

Also present was Suyāma with 70,200,000 Yāma devas.

Also present was Śakra, lord of the devas, with eighty million Trāyastriṃśa devas.

Also present was the mahārāja Vaiśravaṇa with a hundred thousand yakṣas.

Also present was the mahārāja Virūpākṣa with a hundred thousand nāgas.

Also present was the mahārāja Virūḍhaka with a hundred thousand kumbhāṇḍas.

Also present was the mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra with a hundred thousand gandharvas.

Also present were a thousand nāga kings, such as the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda.

They and others had all entered the Mahāyāna, practiced the six perfections, and perceived, understood, and comprehended the Dharma of the four errors. They were all gathered around and they looked upon the one before them who teaches the Dharma in order that the four noble truths will be realized, and so that bodhisattva mahāsattvas will attain the various samādhis, the level of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas will be transcended, and through samādhi the highest, most complete enlightenment will be attained.

At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin, the bodhisattva Varuṇa, the bodhisattva Siṃhamati, the bodhisattva Vairocanamati, and ten thousand other bodhisattvas rose from their seats together, removed their robes from one shoulder, knelt on their right knees, bowed with their hands placed together, and, facing southeast and looking in that direction with great joy and delight, said these words: “Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksam­buddha Padmottara, you attained complete buddhahood and soon after manifested great miraculous powers, caused the good karma of many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings to ripen, and established them in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. That is a marvel! We pay homage to you! We pay homage to you!”

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, knelt on his right knee, placed his hands together, bowed in the direction of the Bhagavat, and inquired of the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, why did the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin, the bodhisattva Varuṇa, the bodhisattva Siṃhamati, the bodhisattva Vairocanamati, and ten thousand other bodhisattvas rise from their seats together, remove their robes from one shoulder, kneel on their right knees, bow with their hands placed together, and, facing southeast and looking in that direction with great joy and delight, say these words: ‘Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksam­buddha Padmottara, you attained complete buddhahood and soon after manifested great miraculous powers, caused the good karma of many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings to ripen, and established them in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. That is a marvel! We pay homage to you! We pay homage to you!’?

“How long was the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara on the path? How long has it been since he attained the highest, most complete enlightenment, becoming a complete buddha? What is the name of the realm in which the Tathāgata Padmottara resides? In what way is that realm adorned by an array of qualities? For what reason did the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara perform that kind of great miracle? What is the reason why some bodhisattvas can see the bhagavat buddhas who reside in other innumerable realms in the ten directions, and can see the miracles of those buddha bhagavats, while we cannot see them?”

The bodhisattva Ratnavairocana said those words, and then the Bhagavat addressed him in return: “Noble son, excellent! Excellent! Noble son, it is excellent that you have made this request. In order to ripen the good karma of many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings, you have asked about the Tathāgata Padmottara’s manifestation of the miracle of attaining enlightenment and the qualities of his buddha realm. You have asked this because of the virtue of your confidence. Noble son, listen carefully and pay attention, for I will explain it to you.”

“Bhagavat, I will do so,” said the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana. As he listened to the Bhagavat, the Bhagavat recounted to the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana the following description.

“Noble son, in the southeast, beyond buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in a hundred thousand million trillion Ganges Rivers, there is a realm by the name of Padmā, which is adorned with a variety of good qualities, scattered with a variety of flowers, pervaded by a variety of fragrances, adorned with precious trees, and filled with precious lotuses. Its ground is made of blue beryl. It is filled with bodhisattvas and pervaded by the sound of the Dharma. The ground made of beryl is as soft and pleasant to the touch as down. A foot stepping on it sinks to the depth of four finger-widths, and when the foot is raised, the ground rises back up four finger-widths. Varieties of lotuses cover the ground.

“The trees there are made of the seven jewels and are seven yojanas in height. They are hung with divine orange cloth, and they emit beautiful, divine music. On those trees there are a variety of birds that sing the beautiful words of the powers, strengths, and factors of enlightenment. When the leaves of those trees touch each other, they create music of the five tempos, which surpasses that of the deva realms. Each of those trees has a pervasive fragrance, which surpasses that of the deva realms and spreads over a hundred thousand yojanas, and each of those trees is hung with divine adornments.

“In between those trees are kūṭāgāras made of the seven jewels, which are each five hundred yojanas high and a hundred yojanas wide. Around all these kūṭāgāras, in each of the four directions, there is an ornamental arch. Between these ornamental arches and the kūṭāgāras, there are pools that are eighty-eight yojanas long and fifty yojanas wide. On the four sides of those pools there are steps made of the seven jewels. Those ponds are covered with blue lotuses and red lotuses. Each flower is one yojana across. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas are born from the pericarps of those flowers. They appear on the pericarps of those lotuses in the first watch of the night. They spend the night sitting cross-legged, experiencing the joy and bliss of liberation. When the night turns to dawn, there come cool, fragrant, gentle breezes, the touch of which is delightful, and which cause the closed flowers to open and the bodhisattvas to emerge from their meditation. Leaving behind the joy and bliss of liberation, they come down from the pericarps and enter the kūṭāgāras, where they sit cross-legged on seats made of the seven jewels and listen to the Dharma.

“Surrounding the trees and kūṭāgāras are mountains made of Jambu River gold. They are each twenty yojanas high and three yojanas wide. Between those mountains, many hundreds of thousands of moonstones, sunstones, sapphires, and jyotīrasas are visible. When the light of the Buddha Padmottara strikes the mountains and jewels, the light of that buddha and the light of the jewels becomes a continuous great radiance throughout the Padmā realm. The light of a sun or moon is unknown, but when the lotuses close and the birdsong diminishes, that is called night, and the opposite is day.

“On top of the mountains are kūṭāgāras of blue beryl, which are sixty yojanas high and twenty yojanas wide. In each of the four directions from the kūṭāgāras there are ornamental archways made of the seven jewels. Within the kūṭāgāras, there are thrones made of the seven jewels, upon which bodhisattvas in their last lifetime sit and listen to the Dharma.

“Noble son, in the Padmā realm there is the excellent presence of a Bodhi tree called Indra, which is three thousand yojanas high with a trunk five hundred yojanas wide. Its branches, leaves, and petals are a thousand yojanas wide.

“At the foot of this Bodhi tree there is a silver lotus stalk, which is five hundred yojanas high. It has a hundred thousand million gold petals, five yojanas in height. All the pericarps have emerald stamens, and the pericarps, which are made of the seven jewels, are ten yojanas high and seven yojanas wide. It is upon this that the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara attained the highest, most complete enlightenment, becoming a complete buddha.

“Encircling that buddha’s lotus seat are other lotuses, upon which sit bodhisattvas who see the miracles of the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara.”

The bodhisattva Ratnavairocana then asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, what kind of miracles did the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara manifest?”

The Bhagavat replied to the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana, “Noble son, in the last watch of the night, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara attained the highest, most complete enlightenment, becoming a complete buddha, and at dawn he performed a miracle. He transformed himself to the height of the Brahmā realm and his uṣṇīṣa radiated a hundred thousand million trillion light rays. Those light rays illuminated the upper region’s realms, which are as numerous as the particles in a buddha realm. At that time, the bodhisattvas who dwelt in the upper regions looked downward. They did not perceive Sumeru or the Cakravāḍa, Mahācakravāḍa, or Kāla mountain ranges. In those worlds, the bodhisattvas who had received prophecy, who had attained samādhi, who had attained retention, who had attained acceptance, and who had completely transcended the levels of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were in their final lifetime, were illuminated, placed their palms together in reverence, and saw the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara’s body, which was perfectly adorned by the thirty-two signs and eighty excellent features of a great being.

“They also saw the assembly of bodhisattvas and the array of good qualities of that buddha realm, the world known as Padmā. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas became perfectly joyous and happy when they saw that. Countless bodhisattvas, from realms as numerous as the particles in a buddha realm, through their miraculous powers left their buddha realms and came to the Padmā realm in order to make offerings to, pay homage to, and honor the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara.

“Noble son, the Tathāgata Padmottara, while sitting, standing, and walking, extended his tongue from his mouth and covered that entire world of four continents with his tongue. Then the bodhisattvas who were in meditation arose from their samādhi and applied themselves to making offerings to the Tathāgata and the entire assembly.

“Noble son, when the Tathāgata Padmottara ceased manifesting the miraculous power of his tongue, he emitted six thousand trillion light rays from each pore of his entire body. This vast radiance reached realms in all the ten directions as numerous as the particles in a buddha realm. There were bodhisattva mahāsattvas in those realms who received prophecies and attained samādhi. Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas, through their miraculous powers, departed from their own buddha realms and came to the Padmā realm in order to see, pay homage to, and honor the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara.

“Noble son, when the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara concluded his miraculous manifestations, in order to benefit many beings, for the sake of the happiness of many beings, from compassion for the world, in order to bring benefit and happiness to devas and humans, and in order to perfectly complete the purpose of the Mahāyāna, he turned the righteous wheel of the Dharma called the Irreversible Wheel for the entire assembly of bodhisattvas.”

That concludes “Turning the Wheel of the Dharma,” which is the first chapter of the Mahāyāna sūtra titled The White Lotus of Compassion.

Chapter 2 The Dhāraṇī Entranceway

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhadanta Bhagavat, how does one distinguish day and night in the Padmā realm? What kinds of sounds are heard there? What kind of mental states do the bodhisattvas there have? What kind of dwelling do they dwell in?”

“Noble son,” answered the Bhagavat, “the Padmā realm is continuously illuminated by the Buddha’s light. The time there that is known as night is when the flowers close, the songs of the birds diminish, and the Bhagavat and the bodhisattvas enjoy meditation and experience liberation’s joy and bliss. The time that is known as day is when the flowers are opened by a breeze, the birds sing beautifully, a rain of flowers falls, and supremely fragrant, pleasant, gentle breezes, the touch of which is delightful, blow in the four directions. The Bhagavat arises from his samādhi, the bodhisattvas arise from their samādhis, and the Bhagavat Padmottara teaches the bodhisattva mahāsattvas the bodhisattva piṭaka, which transcends completely what is spoken of to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

“Noble son, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas are never separated from the word Buddha, the word Dharma, or the word Saṅgha. They are never separated from the word fearlessness, the word nonformation, the word nonbecoming, the words no cessation, the word pacified, the words very pacified, the words truly pacified, the words great kindness, the words great compassion, the words unoriginated phenomena, the words attaining the level of consecration, or the words buddhas and bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas continually hear words such as these.

“Noble son, moreover, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the Padmā world are all endowed with the thirty-two signs of a great being, have hundred-yojana-wide auras, and until enlightenment will have no downfalls.

“All those bodhisattvas have loving minds, affectionate minds, unpolluted minds, tamed minds, patient minds, settled minds, clear minds, imperturbable minds, pure minds, virtuous minds, Dharma-loving minds, minds that pacify the kleśas in all beings, minds as vast as the earth, minds that do not enjoy worldly conversation, minds that enjoy transcendent conversation, minds that strive for all virtuous qualities, minds that are sincerely, continuously dedicated, minds that have complete peace with regard to illness, aging, and death, minds that have incinerated all kleśas, minds that have pacified all involvements, and minds that are not proud of all their qualities.

“They possess the power of intention, the power of engagement, the power of motive, the power of prayer, the power of rising above the worthless, the power of comprehension, the power of good roots, the power of samādhi, the power of learning, the power of giving, the power of correct conduct, the power of patience, the power of diligence, the power of meditation, the power of wisdom, the power of śamatha, the power of vipaśyanā, the power of clairvoyance, the power of mindfulness, the power of enlightenment, the power of courage, the power of destroying all māras, the power of overcoming all the might of the māras, the power of defeating all promulgators of false doctrines through the Dharma, and the power of overcoming all kleśas.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the Padmā world have served many hundreds of thousands of buddhas and thus have planted good roots.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the buddha realm of the Padmā world consume meditation as food, Dharma as food, and inhaled aromas as food, just like the deities in the Brahmā paradise. Food eaten through the mouth is unknown there.

“Even the word nonvirtue does not exist there at all. Even the word female does not exist there at all; there isn’t even that term. Even the word suffering does not exist there at all. Even the words virtue and nonvirtue do not exist there at all.

“And in the same way the words kleśa, attachment, darkness, bad smell, mental fatigue, and physical fatigue, and the words hells, animal birth, and Yama’s world do not exist there. The words unfortunate rebirths do not exist there.

“There are no thorns, dark places, stones, or pebbles; there is no fire, no moon, no sun, no stars, and no great oceans; and there are no Sumeru or Cakravāḍa mountains, no in-between worlds, no Kāla mountains, no Mīḍhapāṣāṇa, and no Pāṃśu mountains. There aren’t the words clouds or rain, or the word storm; the words unfortunate existences don’t exist at all.

“Moreover, the Padmā realm is always illuminated by the vast radiance of the light from the Buddha, the light from the bodhisattvas, the light from merit, and the light from jewels.

“There are the birds that are called saphala, each of which, with their own pleasing and gentle song, sings of the powers, the strengths, and the aspects of enlightenment.”

Then the bodhisattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhagavat, how vast is the Padmā realm? How long after his swift attainment of the enlightenment of buddhahood will Padmottara reside, live, and remain there, teaching the Dharma? When he has passed into parinirvāṇa, how long will his Dharma remain? How long will those bodhisattvas who have been born and will be born in the buddha realm of the Padmā world remain there? Are those bodhisattvas deprived of seeing the Buddha, hearing the Dharma, and serving the Saṅgha, or not? What was the name of the Padmā realm previously? How long after the setting of the sun of the previous jina did the Tathāgata Padmottara attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood? Why is it that some see the manifestations of buddhas, the miracles of buddhas, and the bhagavat buddhas performing miracles in other buddha realms in the ten directions, while others do not?”

“Noble son,” answered the Bhagavat, “it is like this: Sumeru, the king of mountains, is 168,000 yojanas high and 84,000 yojanas wide. If a diligent, powerful man came to Sumeru, the king of mountains, and with the power of his samādhi broke it into pieces the size of mustard seeds, then those pieces would be uncountable. No one but a being with omniscient wisdom could count those pieces of Sumeru that are the size of mustard seeds. That number of those pieces is the number of how many four-continent worlds there are.

“It is like this: just as the world of Sukhāvatī is completely filled with bodhisattvas, in the same way the buddha realm Padmā is completely filled with bodhisattvas.

“Noble son, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara will have a lifespan of thirty intermediate eons, during which he will reside, live, and remain there, teaching the Dharma.

“Noble son, after the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara has passed into parinirvāṇa, the sacred Dharma will remain for ten intermediate eons. The lifespan of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have been born and will be born in the Padmā realm is forty intermediate eons.

“Noble son, previously the Padmā realm was called Candanā. It was not completely pure, nor filled with pure beings, as the present Padmā world is.

“Noble son, in the Candanā world there dwelt the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tames beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the bhagavat buddha named Candrottama. He taught the Dharma for thirty intermediate eons. When the time came for him to pass into parinirvāṇa, some bodhisattvas, through the power of their prayers, departed to other buddha realms. The bodhisattvas who remained thought, ‘The tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama will pass into parinirvāṇa in the middle watch of this night. After the Bhagavat has passed into parinirvāṇa, his sacred Dharma will remain for ten intermediate eons. After it has come to an end, who will attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood?’

“At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra, because of his prayers in the past, received this prophecy from the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama: ‘Noble son, when I have passed into parinirvāṇa, the Dharma will remain for ten intermediate eons, and then my Dharma will come to an end in the middle period of the night. In the last period of that night, you will attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. You will become the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha, the one with wisdom and virtuous conduct, and so on, the bhagavat buddha named Padmottara.’

“At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas came to the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama. When they had come before the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama, through the power of samādhi, with manifold bodhisattva miracles, all those bodhisattvas made offerings to the Tathāgata Candrottama, circumambulated him three times, and then said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhadanta Bhagavat, we will remain, with our minds in a state of cessation, for those ten intermediate eons.’

“Then, noble son, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra, ‘You must acquire, noble son, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. All the past tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddhas have taught it to the bodhisattvas they have consecrated to be their regents. Also, the present bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in the worlds in the ten directions teach it to the bodhisattvas whom they consecrate to be their regents. Also, those who will be buddhas in the future will teach it to the bodhisattvas whom they consecrate to be their regents. Therefore, you too should acquire the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. It is thus:

jalijalini mahājalini phutke butke sammade mahāsammade devāṃ aṭi caṭi ṭake ṭharaṭhakke amimakasi hilicilitili ruruke mahāruruke jaye durjaye jayamati śānte śāntanirghoṣaṇi amūle ale amūlaparichinne mārasainya vitrāsane mukte mukta­pari­śuddhe abhīte bhayamocane bhāradroharaṇā dānta vidyāvidyā varuttame nigrahaṃ paravādināṃ dharma­vādināmanu­grahaṃ ārakṣā dharma­vādināṃ caturṇāṃ smṛtyupa­sthānānām adhimukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

buddha­kāśaye amama nimama avevi arthe arthani stīraṇe lokādhimukte sandadha paribhāvane caturṇāmāryavaṃśānāṃ adhimukti­pada­prakāśanapadā |

bhāṣīthe bhāṣaṇe dhāre dhārayati gupte śubhe śubhaprade tatphale agraphale ’niṣphale nilaha samukta amukta nirmukte atravita vimuktavati vilaphala ayukta iviti diviti ratitula tulamaṃ ahiṃsāma ititāva atvānatvāna sarvaloka anaka livindha abhūsare hatamatte veśāgravate aphala kaphala trayāṇām ārakṣitānāṃ adhimuktipadamidaṃ |

jaḍataḥ ani­haravavatavyo idaṃ phalaṃ niyoma­phalaṃ samudānāya vibhuṣa paśya sāmantra anumanto akumanto chedāvane mantrastā daśabala vigrahasthā isusthita sunikhama tīkṣṇamati āloko atitṛṣṇā adimati pratyutpanna­buddha­pūrva­prahāre caturṇāṃ samyakprahāṇānāṃ adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

anye manye mane mamane vire virate śame śamitā viśānte mukte nirakṣame same samasame kṣaye akṣaye ajiti śānte samiṣṭhe dhāraṇī ālokāvabhāse ratna­vrate raśmyavate jñāna­vate meruvate kṣayanidarśane loka­pradīpani­darśane caturṇāṃ prati­saṃvidāmadhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

cakṣa ābhāsanidarśane jñānā­lokanidarśanaṃ ca prabhāsane sarvendriya bhūmātikrante sarvasarve vamāṃ sarve prāthavā kṣayaṃ kare gokāha vadane lokānudarśana vibhū caturṇāṃ ṛddhipādānām adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idam |

acale buddhe dṛdhapracale sattve gṛhna siddhi kaṃpati nisiddha smahiddhe parekasire some caṇḍe datve acale acale apare vicivale nipare pracacale prasare anayan prabhyāse kaṃkame prabhāvini same nijase grakrame nayute indriyāṇāṃ balānām adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

puṣpe supuṣpe druma­pari­hāre abhayarucire cekaratke akṣayamastu ninile mamale pañcaśiśire lokasya vijñāne naya­saṃgṛhīte ca yukte succendena saptānāṃ bodhyaṅgānāṃ adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

cakravajre maitra samāpade krānte kete karuṇa rudīkṣayi prītirūpe kṣamasaṃpanne arake varate kharo khare amūle mūle sādhane caturṇāṃ vaiśāradyānām adhi­mukti­pada­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

vartte cakre cakradhare varacakre vare prare hile hile dhare ārūpāvate huhure yathā jibhaṃga niṃbare yathāgne yathāparaṃ cariniśe yathā bhayaririśi satyanirhāra jaracavila vīryanirhāra cure mārganirhāra samādhinirhāra prajñānirhāra vimuktinirhāra vimuktijñānadarśananirhāra nakṣatranirhāra candra­nirhāra sūrya­nirhāra padāśca­turuttara­tathāgatena adbhutaṃ niradbhutaṃ saṃbuddhaṃ abuddha ihabuddhaṃ tatra­buddhaṃ nihaṃgamapare alaha dalaha paṇḍare paṇḍare tatrāntalu māṃgagharaṇi pūṭani saṃpūṭani gata­praṃgamanuniruva nāśani nāśabandhani cicchini cicchidra mayova hidiṃgamā vare mare hanane bharaṃ bhare bhinde bhire bhire ruṣare śaraṇe darane pravartte varaṇāḍaye vidranvumā varakhumā brahma­cāriṇa indravani dhidhirāyani maheśvaralalani mamasume alamini ekākṣaraci vaṃcani carasti ābhicaṇḍāla sūre sarvasurā āvarasurā punakanitāṃ paṇḍitāṃ āyinakaṇḍi jabhāme gandhare atra runimakare bhirohiṇī siddhamatte vilokamate buddhādhiṣṭhite dhāraṇīmukhe daśānāṃ balānām adhi­mukti­prakāśanapadam­idaṃ |

As soon as the Bhagavat recited the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, that great billion-world universe shook intensely in six ways: it shook, shook strongly, and shook intensely; it shuddered, shuddered intensely, and shuddered fiercely; it quivered, quivered intensely, and quivered fiercely; it trembled, trembled intensely, and trembled fiercely; it quaked, quaked intensely, and quaked fiercely; it bent upward, bent downward, and bent deeply downward. And a light appeared so that the worlds in the ten directions, which are as numerous as the grains of sand in countless Ganges Rivers, were filled with vast light. At that time, the Sumeru, Cakravāḍa, and Mahācakravāḍa mountains were not to be seen. The countless worlds in the ten directions appeared to be as flat as the palm of one’s hand.

Also, through the power of the Tathāgata, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who resided in countless worlds in the ten directions, who had attained samādhi, dhāraṇī, and acceptance, vanished from their own realms and arrived in the presence of the Bhagavat on Vulture Peak Mountain. They bowed their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet and, through various manifold bodhisattva miracles, made offerings to the Bhagavat. They then seated themselves there in order to hear this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience.

Also, countless devas, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, kumbhāṇḍas, and piśācas came to Vulture Peak Mountain to the presence of the Bhagavat, bowed their heads to the Bhagavat’s feet, and sat to one side in order to hear this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. All the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were gathered there saw the Padmā buddha realm and the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Padmottara encircled by an assembly of bodhisattvas. As soon as the Bhagavat had recited this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, bodhisattva mahāsattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in seventy-two Ganges Rivers obtained this dhāraṇī.

The bodhisattvas who had obtained the dhāraṇī saw the bhagavat buddhas who dwelt in countless worlds in the ten directions and saw the array of the qualities of those buddha realms. They were amazed, and, through the power of samādhi and bodhisattva miracles, made offerings to the Buddha and then were seated.

The Bhagavat said to them, “Noble sons, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who meditate upon the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will attain 84,000 dhāraṇī entranceways; they will attain 72,000 further dhāraṇī entranceways; and they will attain 60,000 samādhi entranceways.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained this dhāraṇī entranceway will attain great kindness and great compassion. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas contemplate the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment and attain omniscience solely in order to obtain this samādhi. It contains the entirety of all the Buddha’s teachings. All the bhagavat buddhas, through having understood this dhāraṇī in its essence, teach the Dharma to beings and do not pass into parinirvāṇa too soon.

“Noble sons, see how the power of this dhāraṇī, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, caused the great earth to shake and a great light to shine, a light that spread a vast radiance throughout endless, infinite buddha realms, and how that light caused endless, infinite bodhisattvas to come from endless, infinite buddha realms in order to hear the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. [B2]

“The endless, infinite devas of the desire realm and form realm, and the nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, humans, and nonhumans within this Sahā universe who listen to the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, as soon as they have obtained the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, will be irreversible in their progress to complete enlightenment.

“Those who write it out will always see the Buddha, listen to the Dharma, and serve the Saṅgha until complete parinirvāṇa. The bodhisattvas who chant the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will eliminate without remainder their primary karma, and in the next life they will ascend to the first bhūmi.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who meditate on the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will completely eliminate even the five actions with immediate results at death if they have committed and accumulated them, and in the next life they will ascend to the first bhūmi. If they have not committed the actions with immediate results at death, then in that lifetime they will completely eliminate all other karma and in the next life will ascend to the first bhūmi.

“Even if someone does not meditate on this dhāraṇī or chant this dhāraṇī, but only listens to it and binds a turban onto the Dharma reciter, then the bhagavat buddhas residing, living, and remaining in other realms, who are as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River, will declare ‘excellent!’ and those bhagavat buddhas will prophesy his attainment of the highest, most complete enlightenment. Not long after, that bodhisattva will be consecrated as their regent, and he will be only one lifetime away from attaining the highest, most complete enlightenment. In the same way, those who make an offering of incense to the Dharma reciter will before long obtain the incense of the highest, most complete enlightenment. If they offer a flower to the Dharma reciter, they will obtain the unsurpassable flowers of wisdom. If they offer cooked rice, food, and drink to the Dharma reciter, they will attain the unsurpassable nourishment of the tathāgatas. If the bodhisattvas clothe the Dharma reciter, they will attain the unsurpassable complexion of a tathāgata. If they adorn the Dharma reciter with jewels, they will obtain before long the jewels of the Dharma of the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment.

“Noble sons, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience has this kind of great benefit for bodhisattva mahāsattvas. Why is that? It is because the entire bodhisattva piṭaka is taught in it. Bodhisattva mahāsattvas gain unimpeded eloquence through this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience and attain the four attractive qualities.

“Noble sons, when the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama taught the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra, the earth shook, and a great light shone in the world. That great light illuminated countless buddha realms in the ten directions, and all uneven land appeared to be as flat as the palm of the hand. All the bodhisattva mahāsattvas gathered there saw the bhagavat buddhas who were in countless buddha realms in the ten directions.

“Countless bodhisattva mahāsattvas came from countless buddha realms in the ten directions to the Candanā realm to honor and pay homage to the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama and to hear this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience.

“Noble sons, the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama addressed the bodhisattvas, saying, ‘Noble sons, I perceive that the bodhisattvas who have one lifetime remaining will spend these ten intermediate eons with their minds at rest in cessation. During these ten intermediate eons, the other bodhisattva mahāsattvas will listen to this bodhisattva piṭaka, the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, from the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra. They will listen to the Dharma for ten intermediate eons, trusting the countless bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in countless buddha realms in the ten directions. That complete trust will generate good roots, and they will make offerings to the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama through various kinds of bodhisattva miracles.’

“The bodhisattvas asked the Bhagavat, ‘Bhadanta Bhagavat, after these ten intermediate eons have passed, will the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra turn the unsurpassable Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma?’

“Candrottama said to them, ‘Noble sons, it will be so, it will be so. When these ten intermediate eons have passed, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra will attain the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Following the night that he attains the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, he will turn the unsurpassable Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma. For ten intermediate eons he will teach the bodhisattvas the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas will listen to that Dharma and will generate good roots through hearing it. After the bodhisattva Gaganamudra has attained the complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, he will turn the irreversible supreme wheel, the Dharma wheel that possesses the Dharma, and he will establish many hundreds of millions of trillions of bodhisattvas in irreversibility. For ten intermediate eons those bodhisattvas will listen to him teaching this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. When they have heard that Dharma, they will have only one remaining lifetime. The bodhisattvas who have listened for an eon will at that time enter the tenth bhūmi and have irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment. At that time, they will have the ultimate attainment of this dhāraṇī.’

“After the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama had spoken those words to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, he manifested the various miracles that are the domain of the buddhas. He showed the nārāyaṇa samādhi to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra and then transformed his body into diamond and showed him the array of light samādhi.

“Then for ten intermediate eons, he turned the wheel of the Dharma for the bodhisattvas, teaching them the Dharma of this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. He revealed and made clear the adorning signs and indications of the buddhas in all the buddha realms. He taught the samādhi called circle of vajras. He taught the Dharma to the bodhisattvas by perfectly turning the wheel of the Dharma on the seat of enlightenment. He taught them the garland of wheels samādhi. He turned the wheel of the Dharma for many hundreds of thousands of tens of millions of thousands of millions of beings and through the wheel of the Dharma established them in irreversibility.

“Knowing this, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra and an innumerable saṅgha of bodhisattvas made offerings to the Bhagavat. Then they each entered their own kūṭāgāra and remained there through the night when the tathāgata arhat samyaksam­buddha Candrottama passed into parinirvāṇa, into the state of nirvāṇa without any remaining aggregates. When that night was over, the bodhisattvas made offerings to the Bhagavat’s body, and then each entered their own kūṭāgāra. The other bodhisattvas all returned to their own buddha realms. The bodhisattvas who had but one life remaining stayed in the samādhi of cessation for ten intermediate eons.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattva Gaganamudra taught the Dharma for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas, and those bodhisattva mahāsattvas generated good roots during those ten intermediate eons. In the night, he attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood and the next day he turned the wheel of the Dharma and manifested great miracles. He established many hundreds of thousands of millions of trillions of beings in the highest, most complete enlightenment. Also when he taught the dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience, eight hundred thousand trillion bodhisattvas attained the forbearance that comes from realizing the birthlessness of phenomena; 920,000,000 beings were established in irreversible progress toward the highest, most complete enlightenment; 72,000,000,000 bodhisattvas obtained this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience; and countless devas and humans developed the motivation to attain complete enlightenment.”

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Ratnavairocana asked the Bhagavat, “Bhadanta Bhagavat, which qualities must bodhisattva mahāsattvas possess in order to obtain this dhāraṇī?”

“Noble son,” replied the Bhagavat, “bodhisattva mahāsattvas will obtain this dhāraṇī if they possess four qualities. What are these four? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain within four noble traditions. What are these four? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain in this first noble tradition: the bodhisattva mahāsattvas should be pleased and satisfied with any kind of robes. They praise being content with any kind of robes; they do not act inappropriately for the sake of robes; they are not saddened if they have not acquired clothing; and if they obtain clothing, they wear it without desire, without clinging, without longing, without becoming fettered, without becoming infatuated, and without covetousness. They acquire it without covetousness. They wear it while seeing the defects of saṃsāra and with the knowledge of going forth into homelessness.

“As it is in the noble tradition for robes, so it is for alms, and it is the same noble tradition for beds and seats. The fourth noble tradition is that the bodhisattva mahāsattvas are pleased and satisfied with any kind of necessities and any medicine; they praise being satisfied with any kind of necessities and any medicine; they do not act inappropriately for the sake of necessities or for the sake of medicines; they are not saddened if they have not acquired necessities and have not acquired medicines; and if they obtain necessities and obtain medicines they utilize them without desire, without clinging, without longing, without becoming fettered, without becoming infatuated, and without covetousness. They acquire them without covetousness. They utilize them while seeing the defects of saṃsāra and with the knowledge of going forth into homelessness. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain in these four noble traditions. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess those four qualities will obtain this dhāraṇī and meditate on it.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas will also obtain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience if they possess five other qualities. What are these five? The bodhisattva mahāsattvas remain in possession of correct conduct; they are restrained by the prātimokṣa vows; they have perfect rules of conduct and range of conduct; they see the danger in the tiniest particle of blameworthy actions; they adopt and train in the precepts; and when they see others who are devoid of correct conduct, they cause them to possess a perfectly correct conduct, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that first quality.

“Also, when the bodhisattva mahāsattvas make beings who are attached to a wrong view abandon that wrong view, they cause them to possess a correct view, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that second quality.

“Also, when the bodhisattva mahāsattvas make beings who are attached to wrong conduct abandon their wrong conduct, they cause them to possess perfect conduct, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that third quality.

“Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas cause beings who have a defective aspiration to possess a perfect aspiration, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that fourth quality.

“Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas make those who are following the Śrāvakayāna and the Pratyekabuddhayāna realize the highest, most complete enlightenment, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas are endowed with that fifth quality.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess those five qualities will obtain this dhāraṇī.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas will also obtain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience if they possess six other qualities. What are these six?

(1) “The bodhisattva mahāsattvas themselves are learned, possess learning, and accumulate learning, and thereby their articulate teaching of the Dharma, of celibacy, is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous in the end; it has good meaning, has good words, is unalloyed, is complete, is pure, and is immaculate. They learn and possess many such Dharma teachings, recite them, mentally examine them, and understand them through contemplating them. They, who are thus very learned, make others with little learning very learned, training them, guiding them, and establishing them in that. They are endowed with that first quality.

(2) “Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas are without envy and miserliness, and they make those beings overpowered by envy and miserliness become free of envy and have perfect generosity, and they train them, guide them, and establish them in that. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas possess that second quality.

(3) “Also, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas do not harm beings; (4) they free beings from fear, freeing from calamities those beings afflicted by various calamities; (5) they are not fakes, not just talk, not frauds, and not deceivers; and (6) they frequently dwell in emptiness. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who possess those six qualities will obtain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have those qualities should perform this Dravidian mantra, either in brief or in full, three times each day for seven years. They should bow down the five points of their body to the ground, maintain mindfulness of the body, and while dwelling in emptiness recite the Dravidian mantra. Then, when they stand up, they should be mindful of the bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, and remain in the surrounding worlds in the ten directions. After seven years of continuous mindfulness of the buddhas, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas will attain this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience. The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained this dhāraṇī will see, with the eye of wisdom, all the bhagavat buddhas who reside, live, remain, and also manifest miracles within buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges River in the ten directions, in that way attaining the noble eye of wisdom. They will also see the bhagavat buddhas smiling. They will attain 84,000 dhāraṇī entranceways. They will also attain 72,000 samādhi entranceways. They will also attain 60,000 Dharma entranceways.

“The bodhisattva mahāsattvas who are established in this dhāraṇī entranceway that is the form of omniscience will attain great kindness, and they will attain great compassion. Even if the bodhisattvas who obtain this dhāraṇī have committed the five actions with immediate results at death, that karma will be diminished in the next lifetime and will be totally eliminated in three lifetimes, and they will enter the tenth bhūmi. If the bodhisattvas have not committed the five actions with immediate results at death, all their other karma will be completely diminished, in their next life they will enter the tenth bhūmi, they will soon attain the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, and they will attain the wisdom of an omniscient one.