Chapter XX: special attention is drawn to a certain long-suffering monk (2)

So Buddha declares: These people
Have not reached real extinction;
Because these people have not yet
Gained the Supreme Way,
I am unwilling to declare
That they have attained extinction.
I am the King of the Law,
Absolute in regard to the Law,
For comforting all creatures
I appear in the world.

Śariputra! This,
My final Seal of the Law,
Because of my desire to benefit
All the world, is now announced;
Wherever you may wander,
Do not carelessly proclaim it.
If there be hearers who joyfully
Receive it with deep obeisance.
You may know those people
Are Avinivartaniyah.
If there be any who receive
This Sutra-Law in faith,
These people must already
Have seen Buddhas of past times,
Revered and worshipped them
And listened to this Law.
If there be any who are able
To believe in your preaching,
They must formerly have seen me,
And also have seen you,
And these bhikshu-monks,
As well as these bodhisattvas.

This Law-Flower Sutra
Is addressed to the truly wise;
Men shallow of knowledge hearing it,
Go astray not understanding.
All the Sravakas,
And Pratyekabuddhas,
Cannot by their powers
Attain unto this Sutra.
Śariputra!
Even you, into this Sutra
Enter only by faith,
Much more must the other Sravakas.
The other Sravakas,
By believing the Buddha’s words,
Obediently follow this Sutra,
Not by wisdom they have of their own.”

The terrible consequences of contemning the Mahayana, as offered by
The Lotus Sutra, are shown thus:

“Again, Śariputra!
To the haughty and indifferent
And those with self-centred views,
Do not preach this Sutra.
To common shallow people,
Deeply attached to the five desires,
Who hear but cannot apprehend,
Do not preach it to them.
If such people do not believe in,
But vilify this Sutra,
They cut themselves off from all
The Buddha-Seed in the world;
Or if, sullenly frowning,
They are harbourers of doubts,
Listen to my declaration on the
Recompense of their sin:
‘Whether during the Buddha’s lifetime,
Or after his extinction,
If there be any who slander
A Sutra such as this,
Who, seeing those who read, recite,
Write or hold this Sutra,
Despise, scorn, hate, or envy them
And cherish tenacious grudge;
To the ill reward of such,
Listen now again;
After their lifetime’s end,
They will enter the Avici-hell,
For a complete kalpa;
Reborn at each kalpa’s end,
They thus go on revolving
Unto innumerable kalpas;
When they come out of hell,
They will degrade into animals,
Such as dogs or jackals,
With lean-cheeked forms,
Blue-black with scabs and sores,
The sport of men;
Moreover by men
Hated and scorned,
Ever suffering hunger and thirst,
Bones and flesh withered up.
Alive, beaten with thorns,
Dead, with shards and stones;
By cutting themselves off from the Buddha-seed,
They receive such recompense.

Perhaps they become camels,
Or are born amongst asses,
Always carrying burdens,
Beaten and driven with sticks,
Thinking only of water and grass,
Knowing nothing else;
For slandering this Sutra,
Such is their punishment.
Some who become jackals,
Enter into a village,
Their bodies scabbed with sores,
Without even one whole eye,
By all the village boys
They are beaten and stoned,
Suffering bitter pains,
At times even to death.
When they have thus died,
Each receives a snake’s body,
Of shape as long as
Five hundred yojanas;
Deaf and stupid, without feet,
They wriggle about on their bellies,
By many kinds of insects
Stung and devoured,
Day and night in misery
Without cessation;
Because of slandering this Sutra,
Such is their punishment.

Should they become human beings,
Their natural powers are dull;
Dwarfed, ugly, palsied, and lame,
Blind, deaf, and humpbacked;
Whatever they say,
No one believes;
Their breath is vile,
They are demon-possessed,
They are needy and menial,
Ordered about by others.
Often ill and emaciated,
Having none on whom to rely;
Even those on whom they depend
Take no notice of them;
If they should get anything,
It is speedily forgotten;
If they practise means of healing
And follow the usual treatment,
Other ailments will be added,
Or, their patients will die;
If they themselves are ill,
None will save and cure them;
Though they take the best medicine,
They only grow worse.
Though it is others who run riot,
Pillaging and plundering,
For such crimes as these
On them falls perverse retribution.

Such sinners as these
Never see the Buddha,
The King of Sages,
Preaching the Law and transforming;
Such sinners as these
Are always born in distress;
Mad, deaf, and confused in mind,
They never hear the Law;
During kalpas innumerable
As the sands of Ganges,
In life they are deaf and dumb,
With deficient natural powers;
They ever dwell in the hells
As their only pleasure gardens;
Or in other evil states,
As their dwelling-places;
Among asses, hogs, and dogs,
Are the places to which they go;
Because of slandering this Sutra,
Such is their punishment.
If they become human beings,
They are deaf, blind, and dumb,
Poor, needy, and feeble,
For their adornment
Dropsy and scurf,
Scab, sore, and abscess,
All such ills as these
Are their apparel.
Their bodies are foetid abodes,
Filthy and unclean;
Deeply absorbed in themselves,
They swell with anger,
Carnal passions inflame them,
No better are they than beasts;
Because of slandering this Sutra,
Such is their punishment.’

I say to you, Śariputra!
Those who slander this Sutra,
To tell the tale of their evils,
A whole kalpa would not suffice.
For this cause and reason
I especially say to you:
‘Among unwise people,
Do not preach this Sutra’.”

Following this is a long account of those to whom The Lotus may be
preached; that is, to those who have understanding, are true seekers
of Buddhahood, unselfish, have left all, are reverent, upright,
patient, compassionate, and in general the sincere humble seeker,
who refuses all substitutes, such as other sutras, books, and
philosophies.

“I say to you, Śariputra,
Were I to detail all the kinds
Of seekers of the Buddhahood
I could not finish in a kalpa.
Such people as these are able
To believe and to discern.
Preach then to such as these
The Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra.”

IV

From among the throng on the stage of the Spiritual Vulture Peak,
four of the oldest disciples of Śakyamuni are now seen to approach
the Master. They come to say that, having fulfilled all the course
previously laid down by him, they considered they had reached the
stage of Nirvana; old and worn out they had not realized the
possibility of a still higher bodhisattva state with its supernal
joys. Now, hearing it so wonderfully portrayed, despite their
advanced years they are filled with delight and longing.

At the prospect of Perfect Enlightenment they rejoice, and ask
permission to make their meaning clear in a parable. This may be
styled the Buddhist parable of the Prodigal Son, though it might
even more correctly be called the parable of the Seeking Father. In
it appears another defence of the Buddha’s tactical method of
teaching.

_The Prodigal Son and the Seeking Father._

“It is like a youth who, on attaining manhood, leaves his father and runs away. For long he dwells in some other country, ten, twenty, or fifty years. The older he grows, the more needy he becomes. Roaming about in all directions to seek clothing and food, he gradually wanders along till he unexpectedly approaches his native country. From the first the father searched for his son but in vain, and meanwhile has settled in a certain city. His home becomes very rich; his goods and treasures are incalculable; gold, silver, lapis lazuli, corals, amber, crystal, and other gems so increase that his treasuries overflow; many youths and slaves has he, retainers and attendants, and countless elephants, horses, carriages, animals to ride, and kine and sheep. His revenues and investments spread to other countries, and his traders and customers are many in the extreme.

“At this time, the poor son, wandering through village after village, and passing through countries and cities, at last reaches the city where his father has settled. Always has the father been thinking of his son, yet, though he has been parted from him over fifty years, he has never spoken of the matter to any one, only pondering over it within himself and cherishing regret in his heart, as he reflects: ‘Old and worn, I own much wealth; gold, silver, and jewels, granaries and treasuries overflowing; but I have no son. Some day my end will come and my wealth be scattered and lost, for there is no one to whom I can leave it.’ Thus does he often think of his son, and earnestly repeats this reflection: ‘If I could only get back my son and commit my wealth to him, how contented and happy should I be, with never a further anxiety!’

“World-honoured One! Meanwhile the poor son, hired for wages here and there, unexpectedly arrives at his father’s house. Standing by the gate, he sees from afar his father seated on a lion-couch, his feet on a jewelled footstool, revered and surrounded by brahmanas, kshatriyas, and citizens, and with strings of pearls, worth thousands and myriads, adorning his body; attendants and young slaves with white chowries wait upon him right and left; he is covered by a rich canopy from which hang streamers of flowers; perfume is sprinkled on the earth, all kinds of famous flowers are scattered around, and precious things are placed in rows for his acceptance or rejection. Such is his glory, and the honour of his dignity. The poor son, seeing his father possessed of such great power, is seized with fear, regretting that he has come to this place, and secretly reflects thus: ‘This must be a king, or some one of royal rank; it is no place for me to obtain anything for the hire of my labour. I had better go to some poor hamlet, where there is a place for letting out my labour, and food and clothing are easier to get. If I tarry here long, I may suffer oppression and forced service.’

“Having reflected thus, he hastens away. Meanwhile, the rich elder on his lion-seat has recognized his son at first sight, and with great joy in his heart has also reflected: ‘Now I have some one to whom my treasuries of wealth are to be made over. Always have I been thinking of this my son, with no means of seeing him; but suddenly he himself has come and my longing is satisfied. Though worn with years, I yearn for him as of old.’

“Instantly he dispatches his attendants to pursue him quickly and fetch him back. Thereupon the messengers hasten forth to seize him. The poor son, surprised and scared, loudly cries his complaint: ‘I have committed no offence against you; why should I be arrested?’ The messengers all the more hasten to lay hold of him and compel him to go back. Thereupon, the poor son, thinking within himself that though he is innocent yet he will be imprisoned, and that now he will surely die, is all the more terrified, faints away and falls prostrate on the ground. The father, seeing this from afar, sends word to the messengers: ‘I have no need for this man. Do not bring him by force. Sprinkle cold water on his face to restore him to consciousness and do not speak to him any further.’ Wherefore? The father, knowing that his son’s disposition is inferior, knowing that his own lordly position has caused distress to his son, yet convinced that he is his son, tactfully does not say to others: ‘This is my son.’

A messenger says to the son: ‘I now set you free; go wherever you will.’ The poor son is delighted, thus obtaining the unexpected. He rises from the ground and goes to a poor hamlet in search of food and clothing. Then the elder, desiring to attract his son, sets up a device. Secretly he sends two men, doleful and shabby in appearance, saying—‘You go and visit that place and gently say to the poor man—“There is a place for you to work here; you will be given double wages.” If the poor man agrees, bring him back and give him work. If he asks what work you wish him to do, then you may say to him—“We will hire you for scavenging, and we both also will work along with you”.’ Then the two messengers go in search of the poor son and, having found him, place before him the above proposal. Thereupon the poor son, having received his wages beforehand, joins with them in removing a dirt-heap.

His father, beholding the son, is struck with compassion for, and wonder at, him. Another day he sees at a distance, through a window, his son’s figure, gaunt, lean, and doleful, filthy and unclean with dirt and dust; thereupon he takes off his strings of jewels, his soft attire, and ornaments, and puts on a coarse, torn, and dirty garment, smears his body with dust, takes a dust-hod in his right hand, and with an appearance fear-inspiring says to the labourers: ‘Get on with your work, don’t be lazy.’ By such a device he gets near to his son, to whom he afterwards says: ‘Ay, my man, you stay and work here, do not go again elsewhere; I will increase your wages; give whatever you need, bowls, utensils, rice, wheat-flour, salt, vinegar and so on; have no hesitation; besides there is an old and worn-out servant whom you shall be given if you need him. Be at ease in your mind; I am, as it were, your father; do not be worried again. Wherefore? I am old and advanced in years, but you are young and vigorous; all the time you have been working, you have never been deceitful, lazy, angry or grumbling; I have never seen you, like the other labourers, with such vices as these. From this time forth you shall be as my own begotten son.’

“Thereupon the elder gives him a new name and calls him a son. The poor son, though he rejoices at this happening, still thinks of himself as a humble hireling. For this reason, during twenty years he continues to be employed in scavenging. After this period, there grows mutual confidence between them, and he goes in and out and is at his ease, though his abode is still the original place.

“World-honoured One! Then the elder becomes ill and, knowing that he will die before long, says to the poor son: ‘Now I possess abundance of gold, silver, and precious things, and my granaries and treasuries are full to overflowing. The quantities of these things, and the amounts which should be received and given, I want you to understand in detail. Such is my mind, and you must agree to this my wish. Wherefore? Because, now, I and you are of the same mind. Be increasingly careful so that there be no waste.’

“The poor son accepts his instruction and commands, and becomes acquainted with all the goods, gold, silver, and precious things, as well as all the granaries and treasuries, but has no idea of expecting to inherit so much as a meal, while his abode is still the original place and he is yet unable to abandon his sense of inferiority.

“After a short time has again passed, the father, knowing that his son’s ideas have gradually been enlarged, his aspirations developed, and that he despises his previous state of mind, on seeing that his own end is approaching, commands his son to come, and gathers together his relatives, and the kings, ministers, kshatriyas, and citizens. When they are all assembled, he thereupon addresses them saying: ‘Now, gentlemen, this is my son, begotten by me. It is over fifty years since, from a certain city, he left me and ran away to endure loneliness and misery. His former name was so-and-so and my name was so-and-so. At that time in that city I sought him sorrowfully. Suddenly in this place I met and regained him. This is really my son and I am really his father. Now all the wealth which I possess entirely belongs to my son, and all my previous disbursements and receipts are known by this son.’

“World-honoured One! When the poor son heard these words of his father, great was his joy at such unexpected news, and thus he thought: ‘Without any mind for, or effort on my part, these treasures now come of themselves to me.’

“World-honoured One! The very rich elder is the Tathagata, and we are all as the Buddha’s sons. The Tathagata has always declared that we are his sons. World-honoured One! Because of the three sufferings, in the midst of births-and-deaths we have borne all kinds of torments, being deluded and ignorant and enjoying our attachment to trifles. To-day the World-honoured One has caused us to ponder over and remove the dirt of all diverting discussions of inferior things. In these we have hitherto been diligent to make progress and have got, as it were, a day’s pay for our effort to reach Nirvana. Obtaining this, we greatly rejoiced and were contented, saying to ourselves: ‘For our diligence and progress in the Buddha-law what we have received is ample.’ But the World-honoured One, knowing beforehand that our minds were attached to low desires and took delight in inferior things, let us go our own way, and did not discriminate for us, saying: ‘You shall yet have possession of the treasury of Tathagata-knowledge.’ The World-honoured One, in his tactfulness, told of the Tathagata-wisdom; but we, though following the Buddha and receiving a day’s wage of Nirvana, deemed this a sufficient gain, never having a mind to seek after the Great-Vehicle. We, also, have declared and expounded the Tathagata-wisdom to bodhisattvas, but in regard to this Great-Vehicle we have never had a longing for it. Wherefore? The Buddha, knowing that our minds delighted in inferior things, by his tactfulness taught according to our capacity, but still we did not perceive that we were really Buddha-sons.

“Now we have just realized that the World-honoured One does not grudge even the Buddha-wisdom. Wherefore? From of old we are really sons of Buddha, but have only taken pleasure in minor matters; if we had had a mind to take pleasure in the Great, the Buddha would have preached the Great Vehicle Law to us. At length, in this Sutra, he preaches only the One-Vehicle; and though formerly, in the presence of bodhisattvas, he spoke disparagingly of sravakas who were pleased with minor matters, yet the Buddha had in reality been instructing them in the Great-Vehicle. Therefore we say that though we had no mind to hope or expect it, yet now the Great Treasure of the King of the Law has of itself come to us, and such things as Buddha-sons should obtain, we have all obtained.”

The lengthy version in verse, while faithful to the ideas of the
prose section, is interesting for the further detail it gives. For
instance, the description of the father’s wealth:

“Very rich is his house,
Abundance of silver and gold,
Moonstones and agates,
Pearls and lapis lazuli,
Elephants, horses, oxen, and sheep,
Palanquins, litters, carriages,
Husbandmen, young slaves,
And a multitude of people;
His revenues and investments
Spread even to other countries;
His traders and his customers
Are everywhere to be found;
Thousands, myriads, kotis of people
Surround and honour him;
Constantly by the king
He is held in affection;
The ministers and noble families
Honour him most highly;
For all these reasons
His guests are many;
Such is the abundance of his wealth,
And the greatness of his power.

But his years are wearing away
And he mourns the more his son;
Morning and night he ponders:
‘The time of my death is approaching;
My foolish son has left me
For over fifty years;
The things in my storehouses—
What shall I do with them?’

At that time the poor son
Was seeking food and clothing
From city on to city.
From country on to country,
Sometimes getting something,
Sometimes finding nothing;
Famished, weak and gaunt,
Covered with scab and itch,
Gradually he passes along
To the city where dwells his father.
Hired for wages he roams,
At last reaching his father’s house.
At that very hour the elder,
Within his gate, has set up
A great costly canopy,
And sits on a lion-seat,
Surrounded by his attendants,
Every one caring for him,
Some are counting up
Gold, silver, and precious things;
Incoming and outgoing goods,
Noting and recording bonds.

The poor son, seeing his father
So noble, honoured and splendid,
Thinks: ‘This must be a king
Or one of royal rank.’
Alarmed and wondering, he says:
‘Why have I come here?’
Again he thinks to himself,
‘If I tarry here long,
I may suffer oppression
And be driven to forced labour.’
Having pondered thus,
He hurries away in haste
To seek some poorer place,
That he may hire his labour.

At that very time the elder,
Seated on the lion-seat,
Seeing his son from afar,
Secretly recognizes him,
And instantly orders servants
To pursue and fetch him back.
The poor son cries in alarm,
Faints and falls on the ground:
‘Ah! These men have caught me;
I shall certainly be killed;
Why did food and clothing,
Cause me to come here?’

The elder, knowing that his son.
Being foolish and inferior,
Will not believe in his word,
Nor believe he is his father,
With tactful method then
Again dispatches others,
One-eyed, squat, and common,
And unimposing, bidding them:
‘Go and tell him saying,
‘You be hired with us
To remove dirt and rubbish
And you shall have double wages.’
The poor son hearing this
Is glad, and comes with them,
For the purpose of moving dirt
And also cleansing outhouses.

The elder, through a lattice,
Constantly sees his son,
And thinks of him as simple
And pleased with humble things.
Thereupon the elder,
Donning a tattered garment,
Taking along a dirt-hod,
Goes to where his son is;
By this device he gets near him,
Bidding him be diligent:
‘I have decided to raise your wages,
And give you oil for your feet,
And plenty of food and drink,
And also thick warm mats.’
With sharp words he thus chides:
‘Get you on with the work.’
Again he speaks gently:
‘You are as it were my son.’
The elder, being wise,
Gradually has him go in and out,
And after twenty years,
Employs him as his steward,
Showing him his gold and silver,
His pearls and his crystal,
And the income and outgo of things,
All these he makes him know.”

The scene opens, as already shown, with the approach to the Buddha
of the elders, who tell the parable given above and now close, in
the verse section, as follows:

“We all, during a long night-time,
Neither coveted nor were allied
To the true Buddha-wisdom,
Nor had aspiration to it.
For we, in regard to the Law
Thought we had reached finality.
We, for a long night-time,
Keeping the law of the Void,
Escaped from the triple world’s
Harassing distresses,
And dwelt in the last bodily stage
Of Nirvana, where form only remains.
Taught by the Buddha we thought
We had attained, without doubt, the Way,
And that we had thereby
Repaid the Buddha’s grace.
. . . . .
But in the law of bodhisattva
We never had wish nor pleasure.
Our Leader saw and let us be,
For he looked into our minds,
And at first stirred not our zeal
By telling of the true Gain.
Just as the rich elder,
Knowing his son’s lower bent,
By his own tactfulness,
Moulds and subdues his mind,
And, only after that, gives him
The whole of his riches.
So is it with the Buddha
In the display of his rarities;
Knowing those pleased with trifles,
Yet by his tactfulness
He subdues their minds,
And teaches them the greater wisdom.
To-day we have obtained
What we never had before;
What we previously never looked for
We have unforeseen obtained,
Just as that poor son
Obtained inestimable treasures.

World-honoured One! Now we
Have got the Way and the Fruit,
And, in the faultless Law,
Attained to clear vision.
For long time have we kept
The Buddha’s pure commands,
To-day for the first time
We obtain its fruit and reward.
In the Law of the Law-King,
Having long practised arya deeds,
Now we attain the faultless,
Peerless great Fruit.
Now at last we are
Really hearers of the Sound,
Who take the news of Buddhahood
And make all creatures hear.
Now at last we are
Really Arahats,
Who, in all the worlds of
Gods, men, maras, and brahmans,
Universally by them
Are worthy of worship.

The World-honoured One, in great grace,
With rare and precious things,
Compassionates, instructs
And confers benefits on us;
Through countless kotis of kalpas,
Who could ever repay him?
Service of hands and feet,
Homage all prostrate,
Every kind of offering,
Are all unable to repay.
If one bore him on one’s head,
Or carried him on one’s shoulders,
Through kalpas as the sands of Ganges,
Revering him with the whole mind;
Or with the best of food,
Countless costly garments,
And all kinds of bed-things;
Or every sort of medicament;
Or, with Ox-head sandal-wood
And all kinds of jewels,
Erect stupas and monasteries,
Or carpet the ground with costly robes;
With such things as these,
To pay him homage
Through kalpas as sands of Ganges,
One still could not repay.
Buddhas, with their rare,
Infinite and boundless,
Inconceivably great
Powers transcendent,
Faultless and effortless,
Kings of the Law,
Are able, for inferior minds,
In this matter to be patient,
And, for common folk attached to externals,
To preach as may befit them.
Buddhas, in the Law,
Attain to supreme power,
Know all living beings,
With their desires and pleasures,
And their aspirations,
So, according to their capacity,
By innumerable parables,
To them they preach the Law.
According as all the living
Have in past lives planted good roots,
The Buddhas, discerning the mature
From the immature,
And taking account of each,
Discriminating and understanding,
As may be most befitting
In the One Vehicle preach the Three.”

V

The Buddha now praises the four elders for their discernment, but
adds that the Tathagata has numberless other qualities, which could
not be told if enumerated for infinite kotis of kalpas.

“Know, Kaśyapa! The Tathagata is the King of the Laws (i.e. the King of all things). Whatever he says is entirely free from falsity. He explains all laws (or things) by wise tactfulness. The laws preached by him have Perfect Enlightenment as their aim. The Tathagata sees and knows what is the goal of all laws, and also knows what all living beings in their inmost hearts are doing, penetrating them without hindrance. Moreover, in regard to all laws, having the utmost understanding of them, he reveals to the living the wisdom of Perfect Enlightenment.

“Kaśyapa! Suppose, in a Three-Thousand-Great-Thousandfold-World (or chiliocosm), there are growing, on the mountains, along the rivers and streams, in the valleys and on the lands, plants, trees, thickets, forests, and medicinal herbs, of various and numerous kinds, with names and forms all different. A dense cloud spreads over and everywhere covers the whole Three-Thousand-Great-Thousandfold-World, and pours down its rain equally at the same time. Its moisture universally fertilizes the plants, trees, thickets, forests and medicinal herbs, with their tiny roots, tiny stalks, tiny twigs, tiny leaves; their medium roots, medium stalks, medium twigs, medium leaves; their big roots, big stalks, big twigs, and big leaves; every tree, big or little, according to its superior, middle or lower capacity, receives its share. From the rain of the one cloud, each according to its species acquires its growth and the profusion of its flowers and fruit. Though produced in the same soil and moistened by the same rain, yet these plants and trees are all different.

“Know, Kaśyapa! The Tathagata is also like this; He appears in the world like the rising of a great cloud, with a great sound universally extending over the world of gods, men, and asuras, just as that great cloud everywhere covers the Three-Thousand-Great-Thousandfold-Region. In the great assembly he chants forth these words: ‘I am the Tathagata, the Worshipful, the All Wise, of Perfectly Enlightened Conduct, the Well-Departed, the Understander of the World, the Peerless Leader, the Controller, the Teacher of gods and men, the Buddha, the World-honoured One. Those who have not yet been saved I cause to be saved; those who have not yet been set free to be set free; those who have not yet been comforted to be comforted; those who have not yet obtained nirvana to obtain nirvana. I know the present world and the world to come, as they really are. I am the All-knowing, the All-seeing, the Knower of the Way, the Opener of the Way, the Preacher of the Way. Come to me, all ye gods, men, and asuras, to hear the Law.’ Then, numberless thousands, myriads, kotis of classes of living beings come to the Buddha to hear the Law. Thereupon the Tathagata, observing the natural powers of these beings, keen or dull, zealous or indifferent, according to their capacity preaches to them the Law in varying and unstinted ways, causing them to rejoice and joyfully to obtain much profit. All those living beings, on hearing this Law, are comforted in the present life and afterwards will be born in happy states, made joyful by the Truth, and will also hear the Law. Having heard the Law, they are freed from hindrances and, according to their capacity in the laws, they gradually enter the Way.

“Just as that great cloud, raining on all the plants, trees, thickets, forests, and medicinal herbs, and according to the nature of their seed perfectly fertilizes them, so that each grows and develops, in like manner the Law preached by the Tathagata is of one form and one flavour, that is to say, Deliverance, Abandonment, Extinction, and finally the attainment of Perfect Knowledge. If there be living beings who hear the Law of the Tathagata and keep, read, recite and practise it as preached, their achievements will not give them self-knowledge. Wherefore? Because there is only the Tathagata who knows the Seed, the Form, the Embodiment, and the Nature of all these living beings, what things they are reflecting upon, what things they are thinking, what things practising, how reflecting, how thinking, how practising, by what method reflecting, by what method thinking, by what method practising, and by what laws attaining to what laws. There is only the Tathagata who in reality sees, clearly and without hindrance, the varying stages in which all living beings are. It is like those plants, trees, thickets, forests, medicinal herbs, and others which do not know their own natures, superior, middle, or inferior. The Tathagata knows this unitary essential Law, that is to say, Deliverance, Abandonment, Extinction, final Nirvana of eternal rest, ending in return to the Void. The Buddha, knowing this and observing the disposition of all living beings, carefully leads them on. For this reason He does not immediately declare to them the complete and perfect wisdom. Kaśyapa! All of you! A most rare thing it is that you should be able to know the Law preached by the Tathagata as he sees fit, and be able to believe and to receive it. Wherefore? Because the Law preached by Buddhas, the World-honoured Ones, as they see fit, is difficult to discern and difficult to know.”

The following are selections from the section in verse:

“Know, Kaśyapa!
It is like unto a great cloud
Rising above the world,
Covering all things everywhere,
A gracious cloud full of moisture;
Lightning-flames flash and dazzle,
Voice of thunder vibrates afar,
Bringing joy and ease to all.
The sun’s rays are veiled,
And the earth is cooled;
The cloud lowers and spreads
As if it might be caught and gathered;
Its rain everywhere equally
Descends on all sides,
Streaming and pouring unstinted,
Permeating the land.
On mountains, by rivers, in valleys,
In hidden recesses, there grow
The plants, trees, and herbs;
Trees, both great and small,
The shoots of the ripening grain,
Grape vine and sugar-cane.
Fertilized are these by the rain
And abundantly enriched;
The dry ground is soaked,
Herbs and trees flourish together.
From the one water which
Issued from that cloud,
Plants, trees, thickets, forests,
According to need receive moisture.
All the various trees,
Lofty, medium, low,
Each according to its size,
Grows and develops
Roots, stalks, branches, leaves,
Blossoms and fruits in their brilliant colours;
Wherever the one rain reaches,
All become fresh and glossy.
According as their bodies, forms
And natures are great or small,
So the enriching (rain),
Though it is one and the same,
Yet makes each of them flourish.
In like manner also the Buddha
Appears here in the World,
Like unto a great cloud
Universally covering all things;
And having appeared in the world,
He, for the sake of the living,
Discriminates and proclaims
The truth in regard to all laws.
The Great Holy World-honoured One,
Among the gods and men
And among the other beings,
Proclaims abroad this word:
‘I am the Tathagata,
The Most Honoured among men;
I appear in the world
Like unto this great cloud,
To pour enrichment on all
Parched living beings,
To free them from their misery
To attain the joy of peace,
Joy of the present world,
And joy of Nirvana.
Gods, men, and every one!
Hearken well with your mind,
Come you here to me,
Behold the Peerless Honoured One!
I am the World-honoured,
Who cannot be equalled.
To give rest to every creature,
I appear in the world,
And, to the hosts of the living,
Preach the pure Law, sweet as dew;
The one and only Law
Of deliverance and Nirvana.
With one transcendent voice
I proclaim this truth,
Ever taking the Great-Vehicle
As my subject.
Upon all I ever look
Everywhere impartially,
Without distinction of persons,
Or mind of love or hate.
I have no predilections
Nor any limitations;
Ever to all beings
I preach the Law equally;
As I preach to one person,
So I preach to all.
Ever I proclaim the Law,
Engaged in naught else;
Going, coming, sitting, standing,
Never am I weary of
Pouring it copious on the world,
Like the all-enriching rain.
On honoured and humble, high and low,
Law-keepers, and law-breakers,
Those of perfect character,
And those of imperfect,
Orthodox and heterodox,
Quick witted and dull witted,
Equally I rain the Law-rain
Unwearyingly’.”

VI

Turning to the great audience, the Buddha predicts for Maha-Kaśyapa
and the other three elders their future as Buddhas in worlds to
come, and extends his prediction to other disciples.

Maha-Kaśyapa will be the Buddha Radiance, whose realm will be
Radiant Virtue, and his kalpa Magnificent.

“His domain will be beautiful, free from dirt, shards, thorns and
uncleanness; its land will be level and straight with no uneven
places, neither hollows nor mounds; its ground will be lapis lazuli;
it will have rows of jewel-trees, golden cords to set bounds to the
ways, be strewn with precious flowers, and purity will reign
everywhere.” Its bodhisattvas will be innumerable. “No Mara-deeds
will be there, for, though Mara and Mara’s people dwell in that
land, they will care for its Buddha-law.”

The elder Subhuti will be the Buddha Name-and-Form, in the domain
Jewel-land, with crystal for its ground; his aeon will be
Jewel-kalpa.

The elder Maha-Katyayana will be the Buddha Golden Light, his domain
will have crystal for ground, but his kalpa and domains are
described without name.

The fourth elder Maha-Maudgalyayana will be the Buddha Sandalwood
Fragrance, in the domain Gladsome Mind, with crystal for ground, and
his kalpa will be Joyful.

Each section is, as usual, done into verse, but there is nothing of
outstanding interest or value. The chief feature worthy of note is,
that the author makes all four of the leading disciples of Śakyamuni
announce their rejection of the hinayana doctrines, in favour of
mahayana teaching. They proclaim their realization, which they
certainly never had in their lifetime, that the Buddha’s earlier
teaching was temporary, awaiting the greater revelation presented in
this Sutra.

VII

The Buddha now addresses the body of his disciples, telling them
that once upon a time there was a Buddha named
Universal-Surpassing-Wisdom. An immeasurable time has passed since
his Nirvana, and the Buddha tries to impress on his hearers the
meaning of timelessness in the following manner:

“Suppose the earth element in a Three-Thousand-Great-Thousandfold-World were by some one ground into ink, and he were to pass through a thousand realms in an eastern direction, and then let fall one drop as large as a grain of dust; again, passing through another thousand realms, once more he let fall one drop; suppose he thus proceeds until he has finished the ink made of the earth-element—what is your opinion? All these realms—is it possible for mathematicians, or their disciples, to find their end or confines so as to know their number?”

“No, World-honoured One!”

“Bhikshus! Suppose all those realms which that man has passed, where he has dropped a drop and where he has not, were ground to dust, and suppose one grain of the dust be a kalpa—the time since that Buddha became extinct till now still exceeds those numbers by innumerable, infinite, hundreds, thousands, myriads, kotis of asamkhyeya kalpas. By the power of my Buddha-wisdom, I observe that distant time as if it were only to-day.”

The whole story is too long for insertion here. In brief, the
Buddha, Universal-Surpassing-Wisdom, after routing the army of Mara,
common to Buddha-realms, sat cross-legged, motionless in mind and
body, for ten minor kalpas, but still did not attain to Perfect
Enlightenment.

“Then the gods of Indra’s heavens spread for that Buddha a lion-throne, a yojana high, under a bodhi-tree, so that the Buddha might on this throne attain Perfect Enlightenment. No sooner was he seated on it, than the Brahma heavenly kings rained down celestial flowers over an area of a hundred yojanas. A fragrant wind from time to time arose, sweeping away the flowers as they withered and raining fresh ones.”

Other wonders are described until, at the end of ten minor kalpas,
the great Buddha-law of Perfect Enlightenment is revealed. His
sixteen sons, born while he was a prince before he left home to
become a monk, also his father, with his hundred ministers and
myriads of people, all drew near to the Throne of Enlightenment,
doing homage to its occupant. They besought him to roll the Wheel of
the Law and proclaim the Truth.

At the moment when this Buddha attained Perfect Enlightenment the
whole universe was shaken, a light shone in regions where light had
never shown before, and wherever light was known its shining was
doubled in intensity.

The Brahma-kings astonished cry:

“In all our palaces
Ne’er has been such shining:
What may be its cause?
Let us investigate.
Has a great good god been born,
Or a Buddha appeared in the world,
That this great brilliance
Illuminates the universe?”

Thereupon the Brahma-kings of the East in five hundred myriad kotis
of realms, with all their palace train, each follower bearing a
great bag, full of celestial flowers, set forth to investigate the
sign. They found the Buddha surrounded by vast expectant throngs,
and immediately joined them, strewing their flowers before his feet
till they rose high as Mount Sumeru, and each offering to him his
magnificent palace. In like manner there appeared, in turn, the
Brahma-kings of each of the other regions, making similar offerings.
This is told in plenitude of detail, covering many pages of prose
and verse. The four quarters, together with the zenith and nadir,
are each portrayed in similar style, with sufficient variation to
avoid mere verbal repetition.

The light that shone through all the worlds was the Light of Truth
dawning on the awakening Buddha. It was the Radiance of Perfect
Enlightenment, of which the Mahayana is the conveyer. The
Brahma-kings chant:

“Kalpas untold from of yore
Have passed empty without a Buddha;
A World-honoured One not appearing,
Darkness has everywhere reigned;
The three evil states were thriving,
Flourishing were the demons,
While the heavenly host dwindled
And perished in evil estate,
Not hearing the Law from a Buddha.
. . . . .
The Buddha, the eye of the world,
Now after long ages appears;
Through pity for the living
In the world he is revealed,
Surpassing in Perfect Enlightenment
. . . . .
All our palaces, made beauteous
With this supernal Light,
We offer to the World-Honoured.
. . . . .
World-Honoured! roll the Law-wheel!
Beat the drum of the dew-sweet Law,
Save the suffering living
Reveal the Nirvana-Way!”

Then the Buddha Universal-Surpassing-Wisdom is represented as
following the tactical method of Buddhas, that of preaching first
the four noble truths concerning Pain and its cure, i.e. the fact
and nature of suffering; the assembling (or, focussing) of
suffering; the possibility of the extinction of suffering; the way
of its extinction. This he followed with the Law of the Twelve
Causes of reincarnation and their annihilation. Such is, of course,
the preparatory or hinayana method; yet, as the result of it, the
sixteen princes and myriads of others “were freed from faults, all
obtaining the profound, mystic meditations, the Three Clear (Views)
and the Six Transcendent (Faculties) and thus accomplished the Eight
Emancipations”. Likewise, at a second, a third, and a fourth time of
preaching the Law, “beings as sands of the Ganges were freed from
faults.”

The sixteen royal sons became monks, served myriads of Buddhas, and
then besought the Buddha, their father, to preach the Law of Perfect
Enlightenment! The vast host added their appeal, and “after two
myriad kalpas had passed, in the midst of the four groups he
preached this Mahayana Sutra named ‘The Lotus Flower of the
Wonderful Law’.” “For eight thousand kalpas he continued preaching
this Sutra without cessation. When he had finished, he then entered
a quiet room and remained in meditation during eighty-four thousand
kalpas.” During this period his sixteen sons preached everywhere the
Sutra of the Wonderful Law-Flower, saving incalculable numbers of
beings.

After eighty-four thousand kalpas had passed, the Buddha, Great
Universal Master of Wisdom, arose from his trance-like meditation,
ascended the Law-throne, and addressed the vast assembly, calling on
them to pay homage to his sixteen sons because they had universally
preached the Lotus Sutra.

.....

Śakyamuni, having told this story of the former Buddha, now declared
that the sixteen sons, who became Buddhas, possessed their
Buddha-realms in the eight directions. Two of them were in the
eastern region, two in the south-eastern, and so on. Their titles
are given. The fifteenth and sixteenth were in the north-eastern
region, one of them being named “Destroyer of Fear in all the
world”, the other was Śakyamuni himself, who has now at last reached
the stage of Perfect Enlightenment in this world.

He tells the disciples, that they have all been his disciples in
former states of existence. “All those beings, innumerable as the
sands of Ganges, whom I converted at that time, are you yourselves,
and you will be my disciples in future worlds after my extinction.”
“In other realms I shall still be Buddha though under different
names.” The meaning seems to be that the One Buddha appears in
countless worlds, One yet infinite in number. Each personal
incarnation of the Buddhas, each embodiment, so to speak, has its
own characteristic, but there is only One Buddha in and through all
these various manifestations. It is, of course, not clear from this
chapter alone that the One Buddha is personal, and not an
abstraction like Wisdom, but the general interpretation favours one
personal Buddha, whom Dr. Timothy Richard has not hesitated to call
God.

“Monks!” says the Buddha, “If a Tathagata himself knows that the time of his Nirvana has arrived, and that his assembly is purified, is firm in faith and discernment, penetrated with the Law of the Void, and profound in meditation, then he gathers together his bodhisattvas to preach this Sutra to them. In the world there is no second vehicle for attaining to extinction; there is only the One Buddha-Vehicle for such attainment. Know, bhikshus! The tact of the Tathagata penetrates deeply into the natures of all living beings, and knows that they are bent on the enjoyment of trifling things and deeply attached to human desires. It is for the sake of these he preaches Nirvana.”

_The Magic City_

“Suppose, there is a fearful region, five hundred yojanas in extent, through which lies a perilous and difficult road, far from the abodes of men. Suppose there is a large company wishing to pass along that road to the Place of Jewels, and they have a guide, wise and astute, who knows well the perilous road, where it is open and where closed, and who leads the company that wish to cross this arduous region. Suppose on the way the company he leads become weary and lagging and say to the leader: ‘We are utterly exhausted, and moreover afraid, and cannot go any farther; the road before us stretches far; let us turn back.’ The leader, a man of much tact, reflects thus: ‘These people are to be pitied. How can they give up such great treasure and seek to turn back?’ Reflecting thus, by a device, in the midst of the perilous road, he magically raises a city over three hundred yojanas in extent, and says to the company: ‘Do not fear, and do not turn back. Here is this great city in which you may stay and follow your own desires. If you enter this city, you will speedily be at ease; and if you then are able to go forward to the Place of Jewels, you may proceed.’

“Thereupon the exhausted company are greatly rejoiced in mind, and praise their unexampled fortune: ‘Now indeed we shall escape this evil way and speedily be at ease.’ Then the company proceed into the magic city, imagining they have arrived at their destination and are settled in comfort. When the leader perceives that the company are rested and are no longer fatigued, he makes the magic city disappear, and says to the company: ‘Come along, all of you, the Place of Jewels is at hand. I only created this past large city for you to rest a while.’

“Bhikshus! So is it with the Tathagata. At present he is your great Leader, acquainted with the distresses, the evils, the perils and the long-continued processes of mortality, from which you must be rid and removed. If living beings only hear of One Buddha-Vehicle, they will not desire to see the Buddha, nor wish to draw nigh to him, but think thus—‘the Buddha-Way is long and far; only after undergoing long and bitter toil, can the end be reached’. The Buddha, knowing how feeble and low are their minds, by his tact, while they are on the way, preaches the two stages of Nirvana, in order to give them rest. If those beings remain in these secondary stages, then the Tathagata proceeds to tell them: ‘You have not yet accomplished your task. The place where you are dwelling is near to the Buddha-Wisdom. Take note and ponder that the Nirvana to which you have attained is not the real one!’ It is only the Tathagata’s device which distinguishes and speaks of the One Buddha-Vehicle as Three. He is just like that leader who, in order to give rest to his company, magically makes a great city and after they are rested informs them saying: ‘The Place of Jewels is near at hand; this city is not real, but only my magic production’.”

The verse section of the Magic City is as follows:

“It is like to a perilous way,
Cut off, full of venomous beasts,
Without either water or grass,
A region of terror to men.
A throng, countless thousands, myriads,
Wish to traverse this perilous way,
Far and long indeed is the road,
Through five hundred yojanas.
Then there appears a leader,
Strong of sense and wise,
Clear-headed, resolute,
Who in peril saves from danger.
Exhausted and worn, these people
Cry to the leader, saying:
‘Weary and worn are we,
Let us turn back from here.’
The leader reflects within:
‘To be pitied are these poor folk!
How can they wish to turn back
And miss so great a treasure?’
Instant a device occurs—
‘Let me use supernatural power
And make a great magic city,
With houses splendid adorned,
Surrounded with gardens and groves
Streamlets and bathing pools,
Massive gates and towers,
Full both of men and women.’
Making this transformation,
He pacifies them, saying: ‘Fear not!
Enter all of you into this city,
Let each enjoy himself at will.’
When those people had entered the city,
Their hearts were full of joy,
They only thought of rest and ease,
And considered they had been saved.
When the leader knew they were rested,
He assembled and spoke to them saying:
‘All of you now press forward!
This was but an illusory city.
Seeing you were worn out
And wishing to turn back midway,
I, therefore, by a device,
Temporarily made this city.
Do you diligently now advance
Together to the Place of Jewels.’
I, too, in equal manner,
Am the Leader of all the living.
Seeing the seekers of the Way,
Midway becoming wearied,
Unable to cross the perilous ways
Of mortality and delusion.
So I, by expedient methods,
For their ease preached Nirvana, saying:
‘Your sufferings now are ended;
All your toil is finished!’
When I knew you had reached Nirvana
And all had become Arhats,
Then I gathered you together
And preached to you the real Law.
Buddhas in their tactfulness,
Separately preach the Three Vehicles;
Though there is but the One Buddha-Vehicle;
Only as resting-places are Two preached.
Now I preach to you the truth;
What you have reached is not the extinction.
To obtain perfect Buddha-knowledge,
Exert yourselves with utmost zeal!
Prove the Perfect Knowledge,
The Ten Powers of the Buddha-Laws,
Perfect the Thirty-two Signs—
Then that is the real extinction.
The Buddhas, the onward Leaders,
Call the resting-place Nirvana,
But, perceiving their people rested,
They lead on to Buddha-Wisdom.”

VIII

Leaving his seat, the disciple Purna now prostrates himself before
the Buddha, then rises and gazes transfixed upon his honoured
countenance. Thereupon the Buddha praises Purna as the greatest of
his preachers, not only in this world, but in many previous
existences under many Buddhas. He foretells that when he has
accomplished his course he will become the Buddha
Radiance-of-the-Law, whose land will consist of “the seven precious
things”, “its ground level as the palm of the hand, free from hills
and valleys, runnels and ditches”. In its sky, “men and gods will
meet and behold each other. There will be no evil ways, and no
womankind, for all living beings will be born by transformation and
have no carnal passion. They will attain to great transcendent
powers; their bodies will emit rays of light; they will fly anywhere
at will”. Their food will be Joy-in-the-Law, and
Gladness-in-Meditation. His domain will be Excellent-Purity and his
kalpa Jewel-Radiance.

In the verse section occur the following lines:

“Bhikshus! Attentively listen to me!
The Way my Buddha-son has walked,
Through studying well expediency,
Surpasses all conception far.
Knowing all beings enjoy mere trifles
And are afraid of the greater wisdom,
The Bodhisattvas, therefore, become
Sravakas or Pratyekabuddhas.
By numberless expedient methods
All kinds of beings they then convert,
Saying: ‘We are only Sravakas,
Far removed from Buddhahood.’
Innumerable beings they thus release,
Each completing his varied course;
Even the lax and low-disposed
Become Buddhas by gradual stage.
Hiding their Bodhisattva-deeds,
Externally they are as Sravakas;
With few desires, disliking mortal life,
They truly purify their Buddha-land,
Appearing possessed of human passions
And seeming to hold heretical views.
Thus do my disciples
Tactfully save all beings.
If I fully explained
Their varied transformations,
Beings who heard of them
Would be perplexed and puzzled.
. . . . .
Their meat is joy in the Law
And pleasure in meditation,
With never a thought of other;
No womankind will be there,
Nor any evil ways.
My disciple Bhikshu Purna,
His merits all complete,
Shall gain this pure land
Where the wise and the sage abound.
Such are the measureless things
I have now but briefly hinted.”

After this the Buddha predicts the future of five hundred other
disciples, each of whom, when he has served sixty-two thousand kotis
of Buddhas, will themselves, one after another, become Buddhas, each
of whom will be called Universal-Light. These five hundred disciples,

“ecstatic with joy, instantly rise from their seats, go before the Buddha, make obeisance at his feet, repent of their errors, and rebuke themselves, saying: ‘World-honoured One! We have constantly been thinking we had attained to final Nirvana. Now we know that we were just as the foolish ones. Wherefore? Because we ought to have obtained the Tathagata-wisdom, and yet were content with the inferior knowledge.