221CHAPTER 12
At that time the Buddha addressed the bodhisattvas, the heavenly and human beings, and the four kinds of believers, saying: “Immeasurable kalpas in the past, I sought the Lotus Sutra without ever flagging. During those many kalpas, I constantly appeared as the ruler of a kingdom who made a vow to seek unsurpassed enlightenment. His mind never wavered or turned aside, and in his desire to fulfill the six paramitas he diligently distributed alms, never stinting in heart, whether the gift was elephants or horses, the seven rare articles, countries, cities, wives, children, maidservants, menservants, or his own head, eyes, marrow and brain, his own flesh and limbs. He did not begrudge even his own being and life. At that period the human life span was immeasurably long. But for the sake of the Law this king abandoned his kingdom and throne, delegated the government to the crown prince, sounded drums and sent out proclamations, seeking the Law in four directions and saying, ‘Who can expound the great vehicle for me? To the end of my life I will be his provider and servant!’
“At that time there was a seer who came to the king and said, ‘I have the great vehicle text called the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law. If you will never disobey me, I will expound it for you.’
“When the king heard these words of the seer, he danced for joy. At once he accompanied the seer, providing him with 222whatever he needed, picking fruit, drawing water, gathering firewood, setting out meals, even offering his own body as a couch and seat, never stinting in body or mind. He served the seer in this manner for a thousand years, all for the sake of the Law, working diligently, acting as a provider and seeing to it that the seer lacked for nothing.”
At that time the world-honored one, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:
I recall those departed kalpas of the past
when in order to seek the great Law,
though I was the ruler of a worldly kingdom,
I was not greedy to satisfy the five desires
but instead struck the bell, crying in four quarters,
“Who possesses the great Law?
If he will explain and preach it for me
I will be his slave and servant!”
At that time there was a seer named Asita
who came and announced to this great king,
“I have a subtle and wonderful Law,
rarely known in this world.
If you will undertake religious practice
I will expound it for you.”
When the king heard the seer’s words
his heart was filled with great joy.
Immediately he accompanied the seer,
providing him with whatever he needed,
gathering firewood, fruit, and wild rice,
presenting them at appropriate times with respect and reverence.
Because the wonderful Law was in his thoughts
he never flagged in body or mind.
For the sake of living beings everywhere
he diligently sought the great Law,
taking no heed for himself
or for the gratification of the five desires.
Therefore the ruler of a great kingdom
223through diligent seeking was able to acquire this Law
and eventually to attain buddhahood,
as I will now explain to you.
The Buddha said to the monks: “The king at that time was I myself, and the seer was the man who is now Devadatta. All because Devadatta was a good friend to me, I was able to become fully endowed with the six paramitas, with pity, compassion, joy, and impartiality, with the thirty-two features, the eighty characteristics, the purple-tinged golden color, the ten powers, the four kinds of fearlessness, the four methods of winning people, the eighteen unshared properties, and the transcendental powers and the power of the way. The fact that I have attained impartial and correct enlightenment and can save living beings on a broad scale is all due to Devadatta, who was a good friend.”
Then the Buddha said to the four kinds of believers: “Devadatta, after immeasurable kalpas have passed, will attain buddhahood. He will be called Heavenly King Thus Come One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct, well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of people, teacher of heavenly and human beings, buddha, world-honored one. His world will be called Heavenly Way, and at that time Heavenly King Buddha will abide in the world for twenty medium kalpas, broadly preaching the wonderful Law for the sake of living beings. Living beings numerous as Ganges sands will attain the fruit of arhatship. Immeasurable numbers of living beings will conceive the desire to become cause-awakened ones, living beings numerous as Ganges sands will conceive a desire for the unsurpassed way, will gain the truth of birthlessness, and will never regress. After Heavenly King Buddha enters parinirvana, his Correct Law will endure in the world for twenty medium kalpas. The relics from his whole body will be housed in a tower built of the seven treasures, sixty yojanas in height and forty yojanas in width and depth. All the heavenly and human beings will take assorted flowers, powdered incense, incense for burning, paste incense, clothing, necklaces, 224streamers and banners, jeweled canopies, music and songs of praise and offer them with obeisance to the wonderful seven-jeweled tower. Immeasurable numbers of living beings will attain the fruits of arhatship, numberless living beings will become enlightened as pratyekabuddhas, and unimaginable numbers of living beings will conceive a desire for enlightenment and will reach the level of no regression.”
The Buddha said to the monks: “In future ages if there are good men or good women who on hearing the “Devadatta” chapter of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law believe and revere it with pure hearts and harbor no doubts or perplexities, they will never fall into the realms of hell, hungry spirits, or animals, but will be born in the presence of the buddhas of the ten directions, and in the place where they are born they will constantly hear this sutra. If they are born among human or heavenly beings, they will enjoy exceedingly wonderful delights, and if they are born in the presence of the buddhas, they will be born by transformation from lotus flowers.”
At that time there was a bodhisattva who was among the followers of Many Treasures World-Honored One from the lower region and whose name was Wisdom Accumulated. He said to Many Treasures Buddha, “Shall we return to our homeland?”
Shakyamuni Buddha said to Wisdom Accumulated, “Good man, wait a little while. There is a bodhisattva named Manjushri here whom you should see. Debate and discuss the wonderful Law with him, and then you may return to your homeland.”
At that time Manjushri was seated on a thousand-petaled lotus blossom big as a carriage wheel, and the bodhisattvas who had come with him were also seated on jeweled lotus blossoms. Manjushri had emerged in a natural manner from the palace of the dragon king Sagara in the great ocean and was suspended in the air. Proceeding to Holy Eagle Peak, he descended from the lotus blossom and, having entered the presence of the buddhas, bowed his head and paid obeisance before the feet of the two world-honored ones. When he had concluded these gestures of respect, he went to where Wisdom Accumulated was and exchanged greetings with him, and then retired and sat at one side.
225Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated questioned Manjushri, saying, “When you went to the palace of the dragon king, how many living beings did you convert?”
Manjushri replied, “The number is immeasurable, incapable of calculation. The mouth cannot express it, the mind cannot fathom it. Wait a moment and there will be proof.”
Before he had finished speaking, countless bodhisattvas seated on jeweled lotus blossoms emerged from the ocean and proceeded to Holy Eagle Peak, where they remained suspended in the air. These bodhisattvas had all been converted and saved by Manjushri. They had carried out all the bodhisattva practices and all discussed and expounded the six paramitas with one another. Those who had originally been voice-hearers expounded the practices of the voice-hearer when they were in the air, but now all were practicing the great vehicle principle of emptiness.
Manjushri said to Wisdom Accumulated, “The work of teaching and converting carried out in the ocean was as you can see.”
At that time Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated recited these verses of praise:
Of great wisdom and virtue, brave and stalwart,
you have converted and saved immeasurable beings.
Now those in this great assembly,
as well as I myself, have all seen them.
You expound the principle of the true aspect,
open up the Law of the single vehicle,
broadly guiding the many beings,
causing them quickly to attain enlightenment.
Manjushri said, “When I was in the ocean I constantly expounded the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law alone.”
Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated questioned Manjushri, saying, “This sutra is very profound, subtle, and wonderful, a treasure among sutras, a rarity in the world. Are there perhaps any living beings who, by earnestly and diligently practicing this sutra, have been able to attain buddhahood quickly?”
226Manjushri replied, “There is the daughter of the dragon king Sagara, who has just turned eight. Her wisdom has keen roots and she is good at understanding the activities and deeds of the sense organs of living beings. She has mastered the dharanis, has been able to accept and embrace all the storehouse of profound secrets preached by the buddhas, has entered deep into meditation, thoroughly grasped the doctrines, and in the space of an instant conceived the desire for enlightenment and reached the level of no regression. Her eloquence knows no hindrance, and she thinks of living beings with compassion as though they were her own children. She is fully endowed with blessings, and when it comes to conceiving in mind and expounding by mouth, she is subtle, wonderful, comprehensive, and great. Kind, compassionate, benevolent, yielding, she is gentle and refined in will, and has ably attained enlightenment.”
Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated said, “When I observe Shakyamuni Thus Come One, I see that for immeasurable kalpas he carried out harsh and difficult practices, accumulating merit, piling up virtue, seeking the way of the bodhisattva without ever resting. I observe that throughout the major world system, there is not a single spot tiny as a mustard seed where this bodhisattva failed to sacrifice body and life for the sake of living beings. Only after he had done that was he able to complete the way of enlightenment. I cannot believe that this girl in the space of an instant could actually achieve correct enlightenment.”
Before his words had come to an end, the dragon king’s daughter suddenly appeared before the Buddha, bowed her head in obeisance, and then retired to one side, reciting these verses of praise:
He profoundly understands the signs of guilt and good fortune
and illuminates the ten directions everywhere.
His subtle, wonderful, pure Dharma body
is endowed with the thirty-two features;
the eighty characteristics
adorn his Dharma body.
227Heavenly and human beings gaze up in awe,
dragons too all pay honor and respect;
among all living beings,
none who do not hold him in reverence.
And having heard his teachings, I have attained enlightenment—
the Buddha alone can bear witness to this.
I unfold the doctrines of the great vehicle
to rescue living beings from suffering.
At that time Shariputra said to the dragon girl, “You suppose that in this short time you have been able to attain the unsurpassed way. But this is difficult to believe. Why? Because a woman’s body is soiled and defiled, not a vessel for the Law. How could you attain the unsurpassed enlightenment? The road to buddhahood is long and far-stretching. Only after one has spent immeasurable kalpas pursuing austerities, accumulating deeds, practicing all kinds of paramitas, can one finally achieve success. Moreover, a woman is subject to the five obstacles. First, she cannot become a Brahma heavenly king. Second, she cannot become a king Shakra. Third, she cannot become a devil king. Fourth, she cannot become a wheel-turning sage king. Fifth, she cannot become a buddha. How then could a woman like you be able to attain buddhahood so quickly?”
At that time the dragon girl had a precious jewel worth as much as the major world system, which she presented to the Buddha. The Buddha immediately accepted it. The dragon girl said to Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated and to the venerable one, Shariputra, “I presented the precious jewel and the world-honored one accepted it—was that not quickly done?”
They replied, “Very quickly!”
The girl said, “Employ your supernatural powers and watch me attain buddhahood. It will be even quicker than that!”
At that time the members of the assembly all saw the dragon girl in the space of an instant change into a man and carry out all the practices of a bodhisattva, immediately proceeding to the Spotless World of the south, taking a seat on a jeweled lotus, 228and attaining impartial and correct enlightenment. With the thirty-two features and the eighty characteristics, he expounded the wonderful Law for all living beings everywhere in the ten directions.
At that time in the saha world the bodhisattvas and voice-hearers, the gods, dragons, and others of the eight kinds of guardians, the human and nonhuman beings, all from a distance saw the dragon girl become a buddha and preach the Law to all the human and heavenly beings in the assembly at that time. Their hearts were filled with great joy and all from a distance paid reverent obeisance. Immeasurable living beings, hearing the Law, understood it and were able to reach the level of no regression. Immeasurable living beings received prophecies that they would gain the way. The Spotless World quaked and trembled in six different ways. Three thousand living beings of the saha world remained on the level of no regression. Three thousand living beings conceived a desire for enlightenment and received prophecies of enlightenment. Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulated, Shariputra, and all the other members of the assembly silently believed and accepted these things.
Back to Top
