佛说大乘无量寿庄严经 英文版返回词条

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Buddha Speaks Mahayana Eternal Life Sublime Sutra


(Also known as:)
THE LARGER SUKHAVATIVYUHA SUTRA
(or)
The Sutra on the Buddha of Eternal Life


(Tripitaka No. 363)

Translated during the Song Dynasty by FadYin

Translated from the Sanskrit by F. Max Mueller
edited by Richard St. Clair

---

THE LARGER SUKHAVATI-VYUHA.

DESCRIPTION OF SUKHAVATI, THE LAND OF BLISS.

Om.

Adoration to the Three Treasures!

Om.

Adoration to all the glorious Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!

Adorationto all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Aryas, Sravakas, and Pratyekabuddhas,past, present, and to come, who dwell in the unlimited and endless worldsystems of the ten quarters!

Adoration to Amitabha!

Adoration to him whose soul is endowed with incomprehensible virtues!

Adoration to Amitabha, to the Jina, to thee, O Sage!

I go to Sukhavati through thy compassion also;

To Sukhavati, with its groves, resplendent with gold,

The delightful, adorned with the sons of Sugata,--

I go to it, which is full of many jewels and treasures;

And the refuge of thee, the famous and wise.

---

# 1. Thus it was heard by me. At one time the Bhagavan dwelt inRajagriha, on the mountain Gridhrakuta, with a large assembly ofBhikkhus, with thirty-two thousands of Bhikkhus, all arhats, free fromfrailties and cares, who had performed their religious duties, whosethoughts had been thoroughly freed through perfect knowledge, withinquiring thoughts, who had broken the fetters of existence, who hadobtained their desires, who had conquered, who had achieved the highestself restraint, whose thoughts and whose knowledge were unfettered,great heroes, possessed of the six kinds of knowledge, self-controlled,meditating on the eight kinds of salvation, possessed of the powers,wise in wisdom, elders, great disciples, that is, Ajnatakaundinya,Asvajit, Vashpa, Mahanaman, Bhadrajit, Yasodeva, Vimala, Subahu, PurnaMaitrayaniputra, Uruvilva-kasyapa, Nadi-kasyapa, Gaya-kasyapa,Kumara-kasyapa, Maha-kasyapa, Shariputra, Mahamaudgalyayana,Mahakaushthilya, Mahakaphila, Mahakunda, Aniruddha, Nandika, Kampila,Subhuti, Revata, Khadiravanika, Vakula, Svagata, Amogharaja, Parayanika,Patka, Kullapatka, Nanda, Rahula, and the blessed Ananda--with theseand with other elders, and great disciples, who were wise in wisdom,with the exception of one person who had still to be advanced on thepath of the disciples, that is, the blessed Ananda--and with manynoble-minded Bodhisattvas, led by Maitreya.

#2. Then the blessedAnanda, having risen from his seat, having put his cloak on oneshoulder, and knelt on the earth with his right knee, making obeisancewith folded hands in the direction of the Bhagavan, spoke thus to theBhagavan: 'Thy organs of sense, O Bhagavan, are serene, the color of thyskin is clear, the color of thy face bright and yellowish. As an autumncloud is pale, clear, bright and yellowish, thus the organs of sense ofthe Bhagavan are serene, the color of his face is clear, the color ofhis skin bright and yellowish. And as, O Bhagavan, a piece of goldcoming from the Jambu river, having been thrown into a furnace by aclever smith or by his apprentice, and well fashioned, when thrown on apale cloth, looks extremely clear, bright and yellowish, thus the organsof sense of the Bhagavan are serene, the color of his face is clear,and the color of his skin bright and yellowish. Moreover, I do not know,O Bhagavan, that I have ever seen the organs of sense of the Tathagataso serene, the color of his face so clear and the color of his skin sobright and yellowish before now. This thought occurs to me, O Bhagavan:probably, the Tathagata dwells to-day in the state of a Buddha, probablythe Tathagata dwells to-day in the state of a Jina, in the state ofomniscience, in the state of a Mahanaga; and he contemplates the holyand fully enlightened Tathagatas of the past, future, and present.'

Afterthese words, the Bhagavan thus spoke to the blessed Ananda: 'Well said!well said! Ananda. Did the gods suggest this matter to you? or theblessed Buddhas? Or do you know this through the philosophical knowledgewhich you possess?'

After these words the blessed Ananda spokethus to the Bhagavan: 'The gods, O Bhagavan, do not suggest this matterto me, nor the blessed Buddhas, but this thought occurs to me by my ownphilosophy alone, that is, that probably the Tathagata dwells to-day inthe state of a Buddha, probably the Tathagata dwells to-day in the stateof a Jina, in the state of omniscience, in the state of a Mahanaga; orhe contemplates the venerable Buddhas of the past, future, and present.'

After these words the Bhagavan spoke thus to the blessedAnanda: 'Well said! well said! Ananda; excellent indeed is yourquestion, good your philosophy, and beautiful your understanding! You, OAnanda, have arrived for the benefit and happiness of many people, outof compassion for the world, for the sake of the great body of men, forthe benefit and happiness of gods and men, as you think it right to askthe Tathagata this matter: Thus, indeed, Ananda, might pile upintellectual knowledge under immeasurable and innumerable blessed, holy,and fully enlightened Tathagatas, and yet the knowledge of theTathagata would not be exceeded thereby. And why? Because, O Ananda, onewho possesses the knowledge of a Tathagata possesses an intellectualknowledge of causes that cannot be exceeded.

'If the Tathagatawished O Ananda, he could live for a whole kalpa on one alms-gift, orfor a hundred kalpas, or for a thousand kalpas, or for a hundredthousand kalpas, to a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas, nay,he could live beyond, and yet the organs of nature of the Tathagatawould not perish, the color of his face would not be altered, nor wouldthe color of his skin be injured. And why? Because, O Ananda, theTathagata has so fully obtained the perfections which arise fromSamadhi.

'The appearance of fully enlightened Buddhas is verydifficult to be obtained in this world, O Ananda. As the appearance ofAudumbara-flowers is very difficult to be obtained in this world; thus, OAnanda, the appearance of Tathagatas who desire welfare, wish for whatis beneficial, are compassionate, and have arrived at the highestcompassion, is very difficult to be obtained. But, O Ananda, it is owingto the grace of the Tathagata himself that you think that the Tathagatashould be asked this question, so that there may arise in this worldbeings who can be teachers of all the world, for the sake ofnoble-minded Bodhisattvas. Therefore, O Ananda, listen, and take it welland rightly to heart! I shall tell you.'

'Yes, O Bhagavan,' so did the blessed Ananda answer the Bhagavan.

#3. The Bhagavan then spoke to Ananda: 'At the time, O Ananda, which waslong ago in the past, in an innumerable and more than innumerable,enormous, immeasurable, and incomprehensible kalpa before now--at thattime, and at that moment, there arose in the world a holy and fullyenlightened Tathagata called Dipankara. Following after Dipankara, OAnanda, there was a Tathagata Pratapavat, and after him, Prabhakara,Kandanagandha, Sumerukalpa, Kandana, Vimalanana, Anupalipta,Vimalaprabha, Nagabhibhu, Suryodana, Giririjaghosha, Merukuta,Suvarnaprabha, Gyotishprabha, Vaiduryanirbhasa, Brahmaghosha,Kandabhibho, 19. Turyaghosha, Muktakusumapratimanditaprabha, Srikuta,Sagaravarabuddhivikriditabhijna, Varaprabha, Mahagandhajanirbhasa,Vyapagatakhilamalapratighosha, Surakuta, Rananjaha,Mahagunadharabuddhipraptibhijna, Chandrasuryajihmikarana,Uttaptavaiduryanirbhasa, Chittadharabuddhisankusumitabhyudgata,Pushpavativanarajasankusumitabhijna, Pushpakara, Udakakandra,Avidyandhakaravidhvamsanakara, Lokendra, Muktakkhatrapravatasadrisa,Tishya, Dharmamativinanditaraja, Simhasigarakutavinanditaraja,Sagaramerukandra, Brahmasvaranadabhinandita, Kusumasambhava, Praptasena,Kandrabhanu, Merukuta, Chandraprabha, Vimalanetra, Girirajaghoshesvara,Kusumaprabha, Kusumavrishtyabhiprakirna, Ratnakandra,Padmabimbyupasobhita, Chandanagandha, Ratnabhibhasa, Nimi, Mahivyuha,Vyapagatakhiladosha, Brahmaghosha, Saptaratnabhivrishta, Mahijunadhara,Mahatamalapatrakandanakardama, Kusumabhijna, Ajnavidhvamsana, Kesarin,Muktakkhatra, Suvarnagarbha, Vaiduryagarbha, Mahaketu, Dharmaketu,Ratnaketu, Ratnasri, Lokendra, Narendra, Karunika, Lokasundara,Brahmaketu, Dharmamati, Simha, and Simhamati.

'After Simhamati, aholy and fully enlightened Tathagata arose in the world, Lokesvararajaby name, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a Sugata, knowing the world,without a superior, charioteer of men whose passions have to be tamed,teacher of gods and men, a Buddha, a Bhagavan. And again during the timeof the preaching of this holy and fully enlightened TathagataLokesvararaja, O Ananda, there was a Bhikkhu, Dharmakara by name, richlyendowed with memory, with understanding, prudence, and wisdom, richlyendowed with vigor, and of noble character.

# 4. 'Then, OAnanda, that Bhikkhu Dharmakara, having risen from his seat, having puthis cloak on one shoulder, and knelt on the earth with his right knee,stretching forth his folded hands to where the Bhagavan TathagataLokesvararaja was, and, after worshipping the Bhagavan, he, at that verytime, praised him in his presence with these Gathas:

"O thou ofimmeasurable light, whose knowledge is endless and incomparable; notany other light can shine here where thou art! The rays of the moon ofSiva and of the jewel of the sun, were not bright here in the wholeworld, (1)

"The form also is infinite in the best of beings;thus also the voice of Buddha is of infinite sound; his virtue likewise,with meditation, knowledge, strength; like unto thee there is no one inthis world. (2)

"The Dharma is deep, wide, and subtle; the bestof Buddhas is incomprehensible, like the ocean; therefore there is nofurther exaltation of the teacher; having left all faults, he is gone tothe other shore. (3)

"Then the best of Buddhas, of endlesslight, lights up all regions, he the king of kings; and I, having becomeBuddha, and a master of the Dharma, may I deliver mankind from old ageand death! (4)

"And I, on the strength of generosity,equanimity, virtue, forbearance, power, meditation and absorption,undertake here the first and best duties, and shall become a Buddha, thesavior of all beings. (5)

"And I, seeking for the knowledge ofthe best of the Blessed Ones, shall always worship many hundredthousands of kotis of Buddhas, endless like the sand of the Ganges, theincomparable lords. (6)

"Whatever worlds there are, similar innumber to the sand of the Ganges, and the endless countries which existbesides, there everywhere I shall send out light, because I haveattained such power. (7)

"My land is to be noble, the first andthe best; the Bodhi-tree excellent in this world. There is incomparablehappiness arising from Nirvana, and this also I shall explain as vain.(8)

"Beings come hither from the ten quarters; having arrivedthere they quickly show my happiness. May Buddha there teach me thetruth, I form a desire full of true strength and vigor. (9)

"I,knowing the worlds of the ten quarters, possessed of absoluteknowledge--they also always proclaim my thought! May I, gone to Avichihell, always abide there, but I shall never cease to practise the powerof prayer! " (10)

# 5. 'Then, O Ananda, that Bhikkhu Dharmakara,having praised the Bhagavan, the Tathagata Lokesvararaja, in hispresence, with those Gathas, spoke thus: "O Bhagavan, I wish to know thehighest perfect knowledge. Again and again I raise and incline mythoughts towards the highest perfect knowledge. May therefore theBhagavan, as a teacher, thus teach me the Dharma, that I may quicklyknow the highest perfect knowledge. May I become in the world aTathagata, equal to the unequalled. And may the Bhagavan proclaim thosesigns by which I may comprehend the perfection of all good qualities of aBuddha country."

'After this, O Ananda, the BhagavanLokesvararaja, the Tathagata, thus spoke to that Bhikkhu: "Do you byyourself, O Bhikkhu, know the perfection of all excellences and goodqualities of a Buddha country ?

' He said: "O Bhagavan, I couldnot do this, but the Bhagavan alone. Explain the perfection of theexcellences and all the good qualities of Buddha countries of the otherTathagatas, after hearing which we may fulfil every one of their signs."

'Then, O Ananda, the Tathagata Lokesvararaja, holy and fullyenlightened, knowing the good disposition of that Bhikkhu, taught for afull koti of years the perfection of all the excellences and goodqualities of Buddha countries belonging to eighty-one hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of Buddhas, together with the signs, indication, anddescription, desiring welfare, wishing for benefits, compassionate, fullof compassion, so that there might never be an end of Buddha countries,having conceived great pity for all beings. The measure of life of thatTathagata was full forty kalpas.

# 6. 'Then, O Ananda, thatBhikkhu Dharmakara, taking the perfections of all the excellences andgood qualities of those Buddha countries, of those eighty-one hundredthousand nayutas of kotis of Buddhas, and concentrating them all on oneBuddha country, worshipped with his head the feet of the BhagavanLokesvararaja, the Tathagata, turned respectfully round him to theright, and walked away from the presence of this Bhagavan. Andafterwards, for the space of five kalpas, he thus concentrated theperfection of all the excellences and good qualities of the Buddhacountries, such as had never been known before in the ten quarters ofthe whole world, more excellent, and more perfect than any, and composedthe most excellent prayer.

# 7. 'Thus, O Ananda, that Bhikkhuconcentrated in his mind a perfection of a Buddha country eighty-onetimes more immeasurable, noble, and excellent than the perfection of theeighty-one hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddha countries thathad been told him by the Bhagavan Lokesvararaja, the Tathagata. Andthen, proceeding to where the Tathagata was, he worshipped the feet ofthe Bhagavan with his head, and said: "O Bhagavan, the perfection of allthe excellences and good qualities of the Buddha countries has beenconcentrated by me."

'After this, O Ananda, the TathagataLokesvararaja thus spoke to the Bhikkhu: "Preach then, O Bhikkhu; theTathagata allows it. Now is the proper time, O Bhikshu. Delight theassembly, produce joy, let the lion's voice be heard, so that now andhereafter, noble-minded Bodhisattvas, hearing it, may comprehend thedifferent subjects of the prayers for the perfection of the goodqualities of a Buddha country."

'Then, O Ananda, that BhikkhuDharmakara thus spoke at that time to the Bhagavan: "May the Bhagavanthus listen to me, to what my own prayers are, and how, after I shallhave obtained the highest perfect knowledge, my own Buddha country willthen be endowed with all inconceivable excellences and good qualities.

#8. 1. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddha country of mine there should beeither hell, animals, the realm of departed spirits, or the body offighting spirits, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

2."O Bhagavan, if in that Buddha country of mine the beings who are bornthere should die and fall into hell, the animal realm, the realm ofdeparted spirits, or into the body of fighting spirits, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

3. "O Bhagavan, if in thatBuddha country of mine the beings who are born there should not all beof one color, that is, a golden color, then may I not obtain the hignestperfect knowledge.

4. "O Bhagavan, If in that Buddha country ofmine there should be perceived any difference between gods and men,except when people count and tell, saying: 'These are gods and men, butonly in ordinary and imperfect parlance,' then may I not obtain thehighest perfect knowledge.

5. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddhacountry of mine the beings who are born there should not be possessed ofthe highest perfections of miraculous power and self-control, so thatthey could at least in the shortest moment of one thought step over ahundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddha countries, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

6. "O Bhagavan, if in thatBuddha country of mine the beings who are born there should not all bepossessed of the recollection of their former births, so as at least toremember a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas, then may I notthe highest perfect knowledge.

7. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddhacountry of mine the beings who are born there should not all acquirethe divine eye, so as at least to be able to see a hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of worlds, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

8. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddha country of mine thebeings who are born there should not all acquire the divine ear, so asat least to be able to hear at the same time the good Dharma from ahundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddha countries, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

9. "O Bhagavan, if in thatBuddha country of mine the beings who are born there should not all beskilled in the knowledge of the thoughts of other people, so as at leastto be able to know the deeds and thoughts of beings belonging to ahundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddha countries, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

10. "O Bhagavan, if inthat Buddha country of mine the beings who are born there should formany idea of property, even with regard to their own body, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

11. "O Bhagavan, if inthat Buddha country of mine the beings who are born there should not allbe firmly established, that is, in absolute truth, till they havereached Mahaparinirvana, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

12. "O Bhagavan, if any being should be able to countthe pupils belonging to me after I have obtained the highest perfectknowledge in that Buddha country of mine, even if all beings who arecontained in those three millions of spheres of worlds, after havingbecome Pratyekabuddhas, should be counting for a hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of kalpas, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

13. "O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained thehighest perfect knowledge, my light should be liable to be measured inthis Buddha country of mine, even by the measure of a hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of Buddha countries, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

14 "O Bhagavan, if the measure of the life ofthe beings in that Buddha country of mine, after I have obtained thehighest perfect knowledge, should be liable to be measured, exceptingalways by their own power of prayer, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

15. "O Bhagavan, if the measure of my lifeafter I have obtained Bodhi should be limited, even by numbering ahundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas, then may I not obtain thehighest perfect knowledge.

16. "O Bhagavan, if, for the beingsin this Buddha country of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, even thename of sin should exist, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

17. "O Bhagavan, if immeasurable and innumerableblessed Buddhas in immeasurable Buddha countries do not glorify my name,after I have obtained Bodhi; if they do not preach my fame and proclaimmy praise, and utter it together, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

18. "O Bhagavan, if those beings who havedirected their thought towards the highest perfect knowledge in otherworlds, and who, after having heard my name, when I have obtained Bodhi ,have meditated on me with serene thoughts; if at the moment of theirdeath, after having approached them, surrounded by an assembly ofBhikkhus, I should not stand before them, worshipped by them, that is,so that their thoughts should not be troubled, then may I not obtain thehighest perfect knowledge.

19. "O Bhagavan, if those beings whoin immeasurable and innumerable Buddha countries, after they have heardmy name, when I shall have obtained Bodhi, should direct their thoughtto be born in that Buddha country of mine, and should for that purposebring their stock of merit to maturity, if these should not be born inthat Buddha country, even those who have only ten times repeated thethought of that Buddha country, barring always those beings who havecommitted the five deadly sins, and who have caused an obstruction andabuse of the good Law, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

20. "O Bhagavan, if those beings who have been bornin that Buddha country of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, should notall be bound to one birth only, before reaching the highest perfectknowledge, barring always the special prayers of those very noble-mindedBodhisattvas who have put on the whole armor (of the Dharma), whounderstand the welfare of all beings, who are devoted, to all beings,who work for the attainment of Nirvana of all beings, who wish toperform the duty of a Bodhisattva in all worlds, who wish to serve allBuddhas, and to bring beings, in number like grains of sand of the riverGanges, to the highest perfect knowledge, and who besides are turnedtowards the higher practice and perfect in the practice ofSamantabhadra's discipline, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

21. "O Bhagavan, if the Bodhisattvas who are born inthat Buddha country of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, should not allbe able, after having gone to other Buddha countries, after their onemorning-meal, to worship many hundreds of Buddhas, many thousands ofBuddhas, many hundred thousands of Buddhas, many kotis of Buddhas, andso forth, till up to many hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddhas,with objects which give every kind of pleasure, and this through thegrace of the Buddha, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

22. "O Bhagavan, if those Bodhisattvas in that Buddhacountry of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, should wish their stockof merit to grow in the following shapes, that is, either in gold, insilver, in jewels, in pearls, in beryls, in shells, in stones, incorals, in crystal, in amber, in red pearls, in diamond, and so forth,or in any one of the other jewels; or in all kinds of perfumes, inflowers, in garlands, anointment, in incense-powder, in cloaks, inumbrellas, in flags, in banners, or in lamps; or in all kinds ofdancing, singing, and music; and if such gifts should not appear forthem, from being produced as soon as thought of, then may I not obtainthe highest perfect knowledge.

23. "O Bhagavan, if those beingswho are born in that Buddha country of mine, after I have obtainedBodhi, should not all recite the story of the Dharma which isaccompanied by omniscience, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

24. "O Bhagavan, if the Bodhisattvas in that Buddhacountry of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, should think thus: May we,remaining in this world, honor revere, esteem, and worship the blessedBuddhas in immeasurable and innumerable Buddha countries, that is, withcloaks, alms-bowls, beds, stools, refreshments, medicines, utensils,with flowers, incense, lamps, perfumes, garlands, ointment, powder,cloaks, umbrellas, flags, banners, with different kinds of dancingsinging, and music, and with showers of jewels, and if the blessedBuddhas should not accept them, when they are produced as soon asthought of, that is, from compassion, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

25. "O Bhagavan, if the Bodhisattvas who areborn in that Buddha country of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, shouldnot all be in possession of strength of body as strong as the diamondof Narayana, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

26."O Bhagavan, if any being in that Buddha country of mine, after I haveobtained Bodhi, should learn the limit of the beauty of its ornament,even if he be possessed of the divine eye, and should know its variousbeauty, saying: 'That Buddha country possesses so much beauty and somuch magnificence,' then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

27. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddha country of mine, after Ihave obtained Bodhi, a Bodhisattva possessed even of a very small stockof merit, should not perceive the Bodhi-tree of noble beauty, at least ahundred yojanas in height, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

28. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddha country of mine,after I have obtained Bodhi, either teaching or learning should have tobe made by any being, and they should not all be in possession of theperfect knowledge, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

29."O Bhagavan, if that Buddha country of mine, after I have obtainedBodhi, should not be so brilliant, that in it could be seen on all sidesimmeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable, immense Buddhacountries, as a round face is seen in a highly burnished round mirror,then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

30. "OBhagavan, if in that Buddha country of mine, after I have obtainedBodhi, there should not be a hundred thousand of vases full of differentsweet perfumes, made of all kinds of jewels, always smoking withincense, fit for the worship of Bodhisattvas and Tathagatas, rising intothe sky beyond gods, men, and all things, then may I not obtain thehighest perfect knowledge.

31. "O Bhagavan, if in that Buddhacountry of mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, there should not beshowers of sweet jewel-flowers, always pouring down, and if there shouldnot be sweet-sounding music-clouds, always playing, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

32. "O Bhagavan, if thebeings belonging to me, after I have obtained Bodhi, who are visible bytheir splendor, in immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable,incomparable worlds, should not all be filled with pleasure, far beyondgods and men, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

33."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, the noble-mindedBodhisattvas in immeasurable, inconceivable, incomparable, immenseBuddha countries on all sides, after having heard my name, should not bedelivered from birth, through the merit arising from that hearing, andshould not be strong in the knowledge of dharanis, until they haveobtained the very throne of Bodhi, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

34. "O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtainedBodhi, women in immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable,immense Buddha countries on all sides, after having heard my name,should allow carelessness to arise, should not turn their thoughtstowards Bodhi, should, when they are free from birth, not despise theirfemale nature; and if they, being born again, should assume a secondfemale nature, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

35."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, the Bodhisattvas who inimmeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable, immense Buddhacountries round about in the ten quarters having heard my name, andhaving fallen down, shall worship me with prostrate reverence, shouldnot, when performing the duty of Bodhisattvas, be honored by the worldand by the gods, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

36."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, the work of dyeing,sewing, drying, washing ot his cloaks should have to be performed by anyBodhisattva, and they should not perceive themselves, as quick asthought, covered by newly-produced excellent cloaks, granted to them bythe Tathagata, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

37."O Bhagavan, if the beings who are born at the same time in that Buddhacountry, after I have obtained Bodhi, should not obtain such happinessas that of the holy Bhikkhu who is free from pain and has obtained thethird meditation, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

38."O Bhagavan, if those Bodhisattvas who are born in that Buddha countryof mine, after I have obtained Bodhi, should not produce from differentjewel-trees such a mass of excellent ornaments in that Buddha country,as they should wish for, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

39. "O Bhagavan, if the Bodhisattvas who are born inother Buddha countries, when they have heard my name, after I shall haveobtained Bodhi, should suffer any diminution in the strength of theirsenses, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

40."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, the Bodhisattvas, fromhearing my name in a place of a different Buddha country, should notobtain the Samadhi in which the Bodhisattvas will see immeasurable,innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable, immense, blessed Buddhas onemoment after another; and if that Samadhi of theirs should come to anend meanwhile, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

41."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, beings, having heard myname in Buddha countries different from this, should not, through thestock of merit which follows on that hearing, obtain birth in a noblefamily, till they arrive at Bodhi, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

42. "O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtainedBodhi, the Bodhisattvas who live in other Buddha countries, afterhearing my name, till they have reached Bodhi by the stock of meritwhich follows on that hearing, should not all obtain a combination oftheir stock of merit with the joy and gladness of their Bodhisattvalife, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

43."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, the Bodhisattvas, as soonas they have heard my name, in other worlds, should not obtain theSamadhi called Samantanugata, in which Bodhisattvas honor one momentafter another immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable,immense, blessed Buddhas, and if that Samadhi of theirs should come toan end before they have reached the throne of Bodhi, then may I notobtain the highest perfect knowledge.

44. "O Bhagavan, if thebeings who are born in that Buddha country of mine, after I haveobtained Bodhi, should not hear, as quick as thought, such a teaching ofthe Dharma as they wish to hear, then may I not obtain the highestperfect knowledge.

45 "O Bhagavan, if, after I ave obtainedBodhi, the Bodhisattvas in this and other Buddha countries, as soon asthey have heard my name, should ever turn back from the highest perfectknowledge, then may I not obtain the highest perfect knowledge.

46."O Bhagavan, if, after I have obtained Bodhi, and have become aBuddha-teacher, the Bodhisattvas who hear my name in Buddha countries,and obtain the first, the second, and the third degrees of endurance, assoon as they have heard my name, should turn away again from Buddha,the Dharma, and the Sangha, then may I not obtain the highest perfectknowledge.

#9. 'And again, O Ananda, when he had spoken suchprayers, that Bhikkhu Dharmakara, at that time, through the grace ofBuddha spoke these verses:

1. "If, when I have obtained Bodhi,there should not be for me an excellent Pranidhana of such a character,then, O Prince, O Best of beings, may I not be endowed with the tenpowers, incomparable, worthy of offerings.

2. "If there shouldnot be for me such a country, endowed with many and various mighty anddivine endowments, I should gladly go to hell, suffering pain, and notbe a King of treasures.

3. "If, when I have approached the Bodhithrone, my name should not quickly reach the ten quarters, the broadand many endless Buddha countries, may I not be a lord of the world,endowed with power.

4. "If indeed I should delight in theenjoyments of love, being deprived of zeal, understanding and prudence,even after having reached the incomparable and blessed Bodhi, may I notbe a teacher in the world, endowed with power.

5. "The lord ofvast light, incomparable and infinite, has illuminated all Buddhacountries in all the quarters, he has quieted passions, all sins anderrors, he has quieted the fire in the walk of hell.

6. "Aftermaking his broad eye lustrous, after driving away the darkness from allmen, after removing all untimely misfortunes, he led hither those whodwell in heaven and who shine with endless light.

7. "Thesplendor of sun and moon does not shine in heaven, nor the fierysplendor of the maze of jewels of the gods; the Lord overcomes allsplendor, he, the bright one, who has performed his former discipline.

8."He is the best of men, the treasure of all who suffer; there is no onelike him in all the quarters. Having completed a hundred thousand goodworks, he, in his assembly, raised the lion-voice of Buddha.

9."After having worshipped former self-existing Jinas, after havingperformed immeasurable kotis of vows and penances, he became in this,his best of spiritual existences, the best of beings, possessed of thefull power of prayers.

10. "As the Bhagavan, the Lord, who isposessed of unlimited light of knowledge, knows the three kinds ofknowledge in the world, may I also be worthy of equal offerings, thebest of sages, the leader of men.

11. "If, O Lord, this myprayer succeeds, after I have obtained Bodhi, may this sphere of athousand worlds tremble, and may a shower of flowers descend on thehosts of gods."

12. 'Then the earth trembled, flowers wereshowered down, hundreds of instruments resounded in the sky, powder ofheavenly sweet sandal-wood was scattered, and there was a voice saying:"Thou wilt be a Buddha in the world."

#10. 'That BhikkhuDharmakara, the nobleminded Bodhisattva, O Ananda, was possessed of thisperfection of prayers. And a few Bodhisattvas only, O Ananda, arepossessed of such a perfection of prayers. There is on this earth anappearance of a few only of such prayers. Of a few, however, existencecannot be denied.

'Then again, O Ananda, this Bhikkhu Dharmakarahaving recited these prayers before the Bhagavan Lokesvararaja, theTathagata, and before the world including gods, Mara, and Brahman, andbefore people consisting of Sramanas and Brahmanas with gods, men, andfighting spirits, was established in the attainment of the true promise.And proclaiming this purity of the Buddha country, this greatness andexcellency of the Buddha country, and performing the duty of aBodhisattva, he never conceived the remotest thoughts of lust,malevolence, and cruelty, during a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis ofyears, immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable,measureless, immense, inexpressible; and he never conceived the idea oflust, malevolence, and cruelty, nay, he never conceived the idea ofform, sound, smell, taste, and touch. He was gentle, charming indeed,and compassionate; pleasant to live with, agreeable, amiable, content,of few wishes, satisfied, retired, not evil, not foolish, notsuspicious, not crooked, not wicked, not deceitful, tender, kindlyspeaking, always zealous, docile in searching after the pure Dharma. Andfor the good of all beings, he recited the great prayer, showingrespect to friends, teachers, masters, the Sangha, the Dharma, andBuddha, always girded for the performance of the duties of theBodhisattva, righteous, gentle, not deceitful, not flattering, virtuous,a leader for the sake of rousing others to perform all good laws,producing by his activity the ideas of emptiness, causelessness, andpurposelessness, and he was well guarded in his speech.

'Then,performing the duties of a Bodhisattva, after having given up allspeaking which, when spoken, serves to injure one's self or others orboth, he employed only such speech as served the pleasure and benefit ofhimself, others, or both. And he was so wise that, when entering intocapitals, kingdoms, countries, towns, cities, and villages, he wasalways perfectly restrained with regard to all objects of sense.Performing himself the duties of the Bodhisattva without interruption,he walked himself in the highest perfection of liberality, and he alsoroused others to walk in the same. And himself walking in the highestperfections of knowledge, meditation, strength, patience, and virtue, heroused others also to walk in the same. And he has collected so large astock of merit that, wherever he is born, there arise for him manyhundreds of thousands of nayutas of kotis of treasures from out theearth.

'By him, while he was thus performing the duties of aBodhisattva, immeasurable and innumerable hundreds of thousands ofnayutas of kotis of beings were established in perfect enlightenment, ofwhom it is not easy to know the limit by means of speech. So manyimmeasurable and innumerable holy Buddhas were honored, revered,esteemed, and worshipped, and enabled to touch whatever causes pleasure,such as cloaks, alms-bowls, couches, seats, refreshments, medicines,and other furniture. It is not easy to know the limit by pointing it outin words, as to how many beings were established by him in the noblefamilies of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, ministers, householders, andmerchants. In the same manner they were established in the sovereigntyof Jambudvipa, and they were established in the character ofChakravartins, Lokapalas, Sakras, Suyamas, Sutushitas,Sunirmitas,Vasavartins, Devaragas, and Mahabrahmans. So manyimmeasurable and innumerable Buddhas were honored, revered, esteemed,and worshipped and requested to turn the wheel of the Dharma, of whom itis not easy to know the limit by means of words.

'And hecollected such virtue, that out of his mouth, while performing theduties of a Bodhisattva, during immeasurable, innumerable,inconceivable, incomparable, immense, measureless, inexpressible kotisof kalpas, there breathed a sweet and more than heavenly smell ofsandal-wood. From all the pores of his hair there arose the smell oflotus, and he was pleasing to everybody, gracious and beautiful, endowedwith the fulness of the best bright color. As his body was adorned withall the good signs and marks, there arose from the pores and from thepalms of his hands all sorts of precious ornaments in the shape of allkinds of cloaks and vestments, in the shape of all kinds of flowers,incense, scents, garlands, ointments, umbrellas, flags, and banners, andin the shape of all kinds of instrumental music. And there appearedalso, streaming forth from the palms of his hands, all kinds of viandsand drink, food, hard and soft, and sweetmeats, and all kinds ofenjoyments and pleasures. Thus then that Bhikshu Dharmakara, O Ananda,had obtained the command of all necessaries, after performing the dutiesof a Bodhisattva.'

#11. After this, the blessed Ananda thusspoke to the Bhagavan: "O Bhagavan, has that Bhikkhu Dharmakara, thenoble-minded Bodhisattva, after having obtained the highest perfectknowledge, passed away, having entered Nirvana, or has he not yet beenenlightened, or is he now living and enlightened, and does he dwell now,remain, support himself, and teach the Dharma?'

The Bhagavansaid: 'Not indeed, O Ananda, has that Tathagata passed away, nor has henot yet come, but the Tathagata, the holy, after having obtained thehighest perfect knowledge, dwells now, remains, supports himself, andteaches the Dharma, in the western quarter, in the Buddha country,distant from this world by a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddhacountries, in the world which is called Sukhavati, being calledAmitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fully enlightened. He is surrounded byinnumerable Bodhisattvas, and worshipped by endless Sravakas, and inpossession of the endless perfection of his Buddha country.

#12.'And his light is immeasurable, so that it is not easy to know thelimit of its measure, saying, he stands illuminating so many hundreds ofBuddha countries, so many thousands of Buddha countries, so manyhundred thousands of Buddha countries, so many kotis of Buddhacountries, so many hundred kotis of Buddha countries, so many thousandkotis of Buddha countries, so many hundred thousands of kotis of Buddhacountries, so many hundred thousands of nayutas of kotis of Buddhacountries. But indeed, O Ananda, to put it briefly, a hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of Buddha countries, equal to the sands of the riverGanges, are always lighted up, in the eastern quarter, by the light ofthat Bhagavan Amitabha. Thus on every side in the southern, western,northern quarter, in the zenith and nadir, in every one of thesequarters, there are a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddhacountries, like the sands of the river Ganges, always lighted up by thelight of that Bhagavan Amitabha, excepting the Buddhas, the Bhagavans,who, through the practice of their former prayers, have lighted up theworld by their own light, which is a fathom in length, or by their lightwhich is one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, orfifty yojanas in length, or a hundred or thousand or hundred thousandyojanas in length, until their brightness reaches many hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of yojanas in length. There is not, O Ananda, any caseof likeness, by which the extent of the light of that Tathagata Amitabhacould be understood. Hence, O Ananda, for that reason that Tathagata iscalled Amitabha, possessed of infinite light, possessed of infinitesplendor,possessed of infinite brilliancy, whose light is neverfinished, whose light is not conditioned, whose light proceeds fromflames of light, whose light is that of heavenly jewels, whose light hasthe color of unimpeded rays, possessed of beautiful light, possessed oflovely light, possessed of delightful light, possessed of attractivelight, possessed of pleasant light, possessed of light that cannot bestopped, possessed of extremely powerful light, possessed ofincomparable light, possessed of light greater than that of the lords ofmen, nay, the lords of the three worlds, possessed of light which bendsthe full moon and the sun, possessed of light which bends all theconquered gods, Mahesvara, the Suddhavasas, Brahman, Sakra, and theLokapalas.

'This splendor of the Arya is pure, great, producingbodily pleasure, happiness of mind, producing happiness, delight, andjoy for men and not-men, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, Garudas, Gandharvas,Yakshas, Nagas, Asuras, and Devas; and producing the pleasure of beingsof good disposition.

'And in this manner, O Ananda, theTathagata might speak for a whole kalpa on the work of the TathagataAmitabha, beginning with his light, and yet he would not be able toreach the end of the virtues of that light of that Tathagata, neitherwould there be any failure of the self-confidence in the Tathagatahimself. And why? Because, O Ananda, both these things are immeasurable,innumerable, inconceivable, and endless, that is, first, the greatnessof the excellence of the light of that Tathagata Amitabha, the Bhagavan,and secondly, the unsurpassed light of the knowledge possessed bymyself.

#13. 'And, O Ananda, the assembly of the hearers of thatTathagata Amitabha is immeasurable, so that it is not easy to learn itsmeasure, so as to be able to say, there are so many kotis of thehearers, so many hundreds, thousands, hundred-thousands, kankaras,vimbaras, nayutas, ayutas, akshobhyas, vivahas, srotas, ogas, so manyperiods, called immeasurable, innumerable, countless, incomparable,inconceivable. Now, for instance, O Ananda, the Bhikshu Maudgalyayanahaving obtained miraculous power, might, if he wished, count in one dayand night, how many kinds of stars there are in the universal world.Then, let there be a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of such men,endowed with miraculous powers, and let them do nothing else but countthe first company only of the hearers of the Tathagata Amitabha, during ahundred thousand nayutas of kotis of years, and yet by them thuscounting even the hundredth part would not be counted, even thethousandth, even the hundred thousandth nay, not even so far as theminutest part, or likeness, or approach towards it would have beencounted.

'Thus for instance, O Ananda, a man might throw outfrom the great ocean, which is not to be measured across by less thaneighty-four thousand yojanas, one single drop of water by the sharp endof hair, which is divided a hundred times. What do you think then,Ananda, which would be greater, one drop of water which has been thrownup by the sharp pointed hair divided a hundred times, or the mass ofwater left in the great ocean?'

Ananda said: 'Even a thousandyojanas, O Bhagavan, would be a small portion of the great ocean, howmuch more then one drop of water thrown out by the sharp pointed hairdivided a hundred times!'

Bhagavan said : 'As that one drop ofwater, so small in proportion, was the first company of the hearers. Andlet there be reckoning made by those Bhikkhus, who are likeMaudgalyayana, counting for a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis ofyears, and yet, as to the mass of water left in the great ocean, itwould even then have to be considered as not counted. How much more withregard to the second, third, and the rest of the companies of thehearers! Therefore the mass of hearers of the Bhagavan is endless andboundless, and receives the name of "immeasurable and innumerable."

#14.'And, O Ananda, the length of the life of that Bhagavan Amitabha, theTathagata, is immeasurable, so that it is not easy to know its length,so as to be able to say that it comprises so many hundreds of kalpas, somany thousands of kalpas, so many hundred thousands of kalpas, so manykotis of kalpas, so many hundreds of kotis of kalpas, so many thousandsof kotis of kalpas, so many hundred thousands of kotis of kalpas, somany hundred thousands of nayutas of kotis of kalpas. Therefore, OAnanda, the limit of the measure of the life of that Bhagavan isimmeasurable indeed. Therefore that Tathagata is called Amitayus.

'Andas, O Ananda, the rule of making known the reckoning of kalpas existshere in this world, ten kalpas have passed now since Bhagavan Amitayus,the Tathagata, arose and awoke to the highest perfect knowledge.

#15.'And, O Ananda, the world called Sukhavati belonging to that BhagavanAmitabha is prosperous, rich, good to live in, fertile, lovely, andfilled with many gods and men. Then, O Ananda, in that world there areneither hells, nor the animals nor the realm of departed spirits, norbodies of fighting spirits, nor untimely births. And there do not appearin this world such gems as are known in the world Sukhavati.

#16.'Now, O Ananda, that world Sukhavati is fragrant with severalsweet-smelling scents, rich in manifold flowers and fruits. adorned withgem trees, and frequented by tribes of manifold sweet-voiced birds,which have been made by the Tathagata on purpose. And, O Ananda, thosegem trees are of several colors, of many colors, and of many hundredthousand colors. There are gem trees there of golden-color, and made ofgold. There are those of silver-color, and made of silver. There arethose of beryl-color, and made of beryl. There are those ofcrystal-color, and made of crystal. There are those of coral-color, andmade of coral. There are those of red pearl-color, and made of redpearls. There are those of diamond-color, and made of diamonds.

'Thereare some trees of two gems, that is, gold and silver. There are some ofthree gems, that is, gold, silver, and beryl. There are some of fourgems, that is, gold, silver, beryl, and crystal. There are some of fivegems, that is, gold, silver, beryl, crystal, and coral. There are someof six gems, that is, gold, silver, beryl, crystal, coral, and redpearls. There are some of seven gems, that is, gold, silver, beryl,crystal, coral, red pearls, and diamonds as the seventh.

'Andthere, O Ananda, of the trees made of gold, the flowers, leaves, smallbranches, branches, trunks, and roots are made of gold, and the fruitsare made of silver. Of trees made of silver, the flowers, leaves, smallbranches, branches, trunks, and roots are made of silver only, and thefruits are made of beryl. Of trees made of beryl, the flowers, leaves,small branches, branches, trunks, and roots are made of beryl, and thefruits are made of crystal. Of trees made of crystal, the flowers,leaves, small branches, branches, trunks, and roots are made of crystalonly, and the fruits are made of coral. Of trees made of coral, theflowers, leaves, small branches, branches, trunks, and roots are made ofcoral only, and the fruits are made of red pearls. Of trees made of redpearls, the flowers, leaves, small branches, branches, trunks, androots are made of red pearls only, and the fruits are made of diamonds.Of trees made of diamonds, the flowers, leaves, small branches,branches, trunks, and roots are made of diamonds only, and the fruitsare made of gold.

'Of some trees, O Ananda, the roots are madeof gold, the trunks of silver, the branches of beryl, the small branchesof crystal, the leaves of coral, the flowers of red pearls, and thefruits of diamonds. Of some trees, O Ananda, the roots are made ofsilver, the trunks of beryl, the branches of crystal, the small branchesof coral, the leaves of red pearls, the flowers of diamonds, and thefruits of gold. Of some trees, O Ananda, the roots are made of beryl,the trunks of crystal, the branches of coral, the small branches of redpearls, the leaves of diamonds, the flowers of gold, and the fruits ofsilver. Of some trees, O Ananda, the roots are made of crystal, thetrunks of coral, the branches of red pearls, the small branches ofdiamonds, the leaves of gold, the flowers of silver, and the fruits ofberyl. Of some trees, O Ananda, the roots are made of coral, the trunksof red pearls, the branches of diamonds, the small branches of gold, theleaves of silver, the flowers of beryl, and the fruits of crystal. Ofsome trees, O Ananda, the roots are made of red pearls, the trunks ofdiamonds, the branches of gold, the small branches of silver, the leavesof beryl, the flowers of crystal, and the fruits of coral. Of sometrees, O Ananda, the roots are made of diamonds, the trunks of gold, thebranches of silver, the small branches of beryl, the leaves of crystal,the flowers of coral, and the fruits of red pearls. Of some trees, OAnanda, the roots are made of the seven gems, the trunks of the sevengems, the branches of the seven gems, the small branches of the sevengems, the leaves of the seven gems, the flowers of the seven gems, andthe fruits of the seven gems. And, O Ananda, the roots, trunks,branches, small branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits of all those treesare pleasant to touch, and fragrant. And, when those trees are moved bythe wind, a sweet and delightful sound proceeds from them, nevertiring, and never disagreeable to hear. That Buddha country, O Ananda,is always on every side surrounded by such trees made of the seven gems,by masses of Kadali trees, and rows of palm-trees made of the sevengems, and entirely surrounded with golden nets, and wholly covered withlotus flowers, made of all kinds of gems.

'There are lotusflowers there, half a yojana in circumference. There are others, oneyojana in circumference; and others, two, three, four, or five yojanasin circumference; nay, there are some, as much as ten yojanas incircumference. And from each gem-lotus there proceed thirty-six hundredthousand kotis of rays of light. And from each ray of light thereproceed thirty-six hundred thousand kotis of Buddhas, with bodies ofgolden color, possessed of the thirty-two marks of great men, who go andteach the Dharma to beings in the immeasurable and innumerable worldsin the eastern quarter. Thus also in the southern, western, and northernquarters, above and below, in the cardinal and intermediate points,they go their way to the immeasurable and innumerable worlds and teachthe Dharma to beings in the whole world.

#17. 'And again, OAnanda, there are no black mountains anywhere in that Buddha country,nor anywhere jewel mountains, nor anywhere Sumerus, kings of mountains,nor anywhere Chakravadas, great Chakravadas, kings of mountains. Andthat Buddha country is level on every side, lovely, like the palm of thehand, with districts full of jewels and treasures of every kind.'

Afterthis, the blessed Ananda spoke thus to the Bhagavan: 'But in that case,O Bhagavan, where do the gods consisting of the companies of the fourMaharajas who dwell on the side of the Sumeru, and where do theTriyastrimsa gods who dwell on the top of the Sumeru, find their place?'

Bhagavan said: 'What do you think, O Ananda, where do theseother beings find their place, who in this world dwell above the king ofmountains, Sumeru, namely, the Yamadevas, Tushitas, Nirmanaratis,Paranirmitavasavartins, Brahmakayikas, Brahmapurohitas, Mahabrahmans, asfar as the Akanishthas?'

Ananda replied: 'O Bhagavan the result of works and the outcome of works are inconceivable.'

Bhagavansaid: 'Here, you see, the result of works and the outcome of works areinconceivable. But to the blessed Buddhas the position of Buddhas is notinconceivable, while to thee the holy and miraculous power of virtuousbeings, whose stock of merit has become ripened, seems inconceivable.'

Anandasaid: 'I had no doubt on this, no difference of opinion, or hesitation;on the contrary, I ask only the Tathagata about this matter in order todestroy the doubts, the differences of opinion, and the hesitations offuture beings.'

Bhagavan said: 'All right, Ananda, this is what you ought to do.

#18.' In that world Sukhavati, O Ananda, there flow different kinds ofrivers; there are great rivers there, one yojana in breadth; there arerivers up to twenty, thirty, forty, fifty yojanas in breadth, and up totwelve yojanas in depth. All these rivers are delightful, carrying waterof different sweet odor, carrying bunches of flowers adorned withvarious gems, resounding with sweet voices. And, O Ananda, thereproceeds from an instrument which consists of hundred thousand kotis ofparts, which embodies heavenly music and is played by clever people, thesame delightful sound which proceeds from those great rivers, the soundwhich is deep, unknown, incomprehensible, clear, pleasant to the ear,touching the heart, beloved, sweet, delightful, never tiring, neverdisagreeable, pleasant to hear, as if it always said, "Non-eternal,peaceful, unreal." Such a sound comes to be heard by these beings.

'Andagain, O Ananda, the borders of those great rivers on both sides arefilled with jewel trees of various scents, from which bunches offlowers, leaves, and branches of all kinds hang down. And if the beings,who are on the borders of those rivers, wish to enjoy sport full ofheavenly delights, the water rises to the ankle only after they havestepped into the rivers, if they wish it to be so; or if they wish it,the water rises to their knees, to their hips, to their sides, and totheir ears. And heavenly pleasures arise. Again, if the beings then wishthe water to be cold, it is cold; if they wish it to be hot, it is hot;if they wish it to be hot and cold, it is hot and cold, according totheir pleasure.

'And those great rivers flow along, full ofwater scented with the best perfumes of the Uragasara sandal-wood, ofTagaras, dark, fragrant sandal-wood trees, Agarus, and heavenlyTamalapattras; covered with flowers of the white waterlilies, andheavenly Utpalas, Padmas, Kumudas, and Pundarikas; full of delightfulsounds of peacocks, sparrows, kunalas, cuckoos, sarikas, parrots, ducks,geese, herons, cranes, swans and others; with small islands inhabitedby flocks of birds, created by the Tathagata; adorned with fields, fullof metals; with fords on which it is easy to drink, free from mud, andcovered with gold dust. And when these beings there desire, thinkingwhat kind of wishes should be fulfilled for them, then exactly suchwishes are fulfilled for them according to the Dharma.

'And, OAnanda, the sound which rises from that water is delightful, and thewhole Buddha country is aroused by it. And if beings, who stand on theborders of the river, wish that the sound should not come within theirear-shot, then it does not come within their ear-shot, even if they arepossessed of the heavenly ear. And whatever sound a man wishes to hear,exactly that delightful sound he hears, as for instance, the sound"Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, the perfections, the stages, the powers,perfections, freedom from attachment, consciousness; emptiness,unconditioned, free from desire, not made, not born, without origin, notbeing, and cessation; peace; great love, great pity, great rejoicing,and great forgiveness; resignation to consequences which have not yetarisen, and attainment of the royal stage.

'And having heardthese sounds, everybody feels the highest delight and pleasureaccompanied by retirement, passionlessness, quiet, cessation, law, and astock of merit leading to the perfect knowledge.

'And O Ananda,there is nowhere in that Sukhavati world any sound of sin, obstacle,misfortune, distress, and destruction; there is nowhere any sound ofpain, even the sound of perceiving what is neither pain nor pleasure isnot there, O Ananda, how much less the sound of pain. For that reason, OAnanda, that world is called Sukhavati, in brief, but not in full. For,O Ananda, the whole kalpa would come to an end, while the differentcauses of the pleasure of the world Sukhavati are being praised, andeven then the end of those causes of happiness could not be reached.

#19.'And again, O Ananda, the beings, who have been and will be born inthat world Sukhavati, will be endowed with such color, strength, vigor,height and breadth, dominion, accumulation of virtue; with suchenjoyments of dress, ornaments, gardens, palaces, and pavilions; andsuch enjoyments of touch, taste, smell, and sound; in fac, with allenjoyments and pleasures, exactly like the Paranirmitavasavartin gods.

'Andagain, O Ananda, in that world Sukhavati, beings do not take foodconsisting of gross materials of gravy or molasses; but whatever foodthey desire, such food they perceive, as if it were taken, and becomedelighted in body and mind. Yet they need not put it into their mouth.

'Andif, after they are satisfied, they wish different kinds of perfumes,then with these very heavenly kinds of perfumes the whole Buddha countryis scented. And whosoever wishes to perceive there such perfume, everyperfume of every scent of the Gandharvaraja does always reach his nose.

'Andin the same manner, if they desire musical instruments, banners, flags,umbrellas, cloaks, powders, ointments, garlands, and scents, then thewhole Buddha country shines with such things. If they desire cloaks ofdifferent colors and many hundred thousand colors, then with these verybest cloaks the whole Buddha country shines. And the people feelthemselves covered with them.

'And if they desire suchornaments, as for instance, head-ornaments, ear-ornaments,neck-ornaments, hand and foot ornaments, namely, diadems, earrings,bracelets, armlets, necklaces, chains, earjewels, seals, gold strings,girdles, gold nets, pearl nets, jewel nets, nets of bells made of goldand jewels, then they see that Buddha country shining with suchornaments adorned with many hundred thousand jewels, that are fastenedto ornament-trees. And they perceive themselves to be adorned with theseornaments.

'And if they desire a palace, with colors andemblems of such and such height and width, adorned with hundred thousandgates made with different jewels, covered with different heavenlyflowers, full of couches strewn with beautiful cushions, then exactlysuch a palace appears before them. And in these delightful palaces theydwell, play, sport, walk about, being honored, and surrounded by seventimes seven thousands of Apsarases.

#20. 'And in that world,there is no difference between gods and men, except when they are spokenof in ordinary and imperfect parlance as gods and men. And, O Ananda,as a low man and powerless man, before the face of the mighty king, isneither bright, nor warm, nor brilliant, nor is he self-confident andradiant, thus Sakra, king of the Devas, if before the face of theParanirmitavasavartin gods, is neither bright, nor warm, nor brilliant,namely, with regard to his gardens, palaces, dresses, ornaments, hisdominion, his perfection, his miraculous power, or his supremacy, hiscomprehension of the Dharma, and his full enjoyment of the Dharma. And, OAnanda, as the Paranirmitavasavartin gods are there, thus men must beconsidered in the world Sukhavati.

#21. 'And again, O Ananda, inthat world Sukhavati, when the time of forenoon has come, the winds aregreatly agitated and blowing everywhere in the four quarters. And theyshake and drive many beautiful, graceful, and many-colored stalks of thegem trees, which are perfumed with sweet heavenly scents, so that manyhundred beautiful flowers of delightful scent fall down on the greatearth, which is all full of jewels. And with these flowers that Buddhacountry is adorned on every side seven fathoms deep. As a clever manmight spread out a flower-bed on the earth and make it even with bothhis hands, beautiful and charming, even thus with those flowers ofvarious scents and colors that Buddha country is shining on every sideseven fathoms deep. And these many flowers are soft, pleasant to touch,if one may use a comparison, like Kakilindika. If one puts one's foot onthem, they sink down four inches; if one raises one's foot, they riseagain four inches. When the time of the forenoon has gone again, thoseflowers vanish without leaving anything behind. Then that Buddha countryis again clean, pleasant, beautiful, and without fading flowers. Thewinds blow again everywhere in the four quarters, and scatter down freshflowers as before. And as it is in the forenoon, so it is at noon, attwilight, in the first, middle, and last watch of the night. And thebeings, if touched by those winds which blow perfume with variousscents, are as full of happiness as a Bhikkhu who has obtained Nirvana.

#22.'And in that Buddha country, O Ananda, no mention is ever made of thenames of fire, sun, moon, planets, constellations, and stars, or ofblinding darkness. There is no mention even of day and night, except inthe conversation of the Tathagata. Nor is there any idea of predialproperty belonging to monasteries.

#23. 'And again, O Ananda, inthat world Sukhavati at the proper time clouds full of heavenlyperfumed water pour down heavenly flowers of all colors; heavenly sevenjewels, heavenly sandalwood-powder, and heavenly umbrellas, flags, andbanners are poured down. And in the sky, the heavenly flowers of allcolors, and heavenly canopies are held, likewise heavenly excellentumbrellas and all kinds of ornaments, heavenly musical instruments areplayed, and heavenly Apsarases dance.

#24. 'And again, O Ananda,in that Buddha country whatever beings have been born, and are beingborn, and will be born, are always constant in absolute truth, till theyhave reached Nirvana. And why is that? Because there is no room ormention there of the other two divisions, such as beings not constant orconstant in falsehood.

'On this wise, O Ananda, that world isbriefly called Sukhavati, not at full length. Even a kalpa, O Ananda,would come to an end, while the causes of happiness which exist in thatworld Sukhavati are being praised, and yet it would be impossible toreach the end of them.'

25. Then the Bhagavan at that time spoke the following verses:

'Thus, O Ananda, the world Sukhavati is endowed with immeasurable good qualities and excellences.

#26.'And again, O Ananda, in the ten quarters, and in each of them, in allthe Buddha countries equal in number to the sand of the Ganges, theblessed Buddhas equal in number to the sand of the Ganges, glorify thename of the blessed Amitabha, the Tathagata, they preach his fame, theyproclaim his glory, they extol his virtue. And why? Because all beingswho hear the name of the blessed Amitabha, and having heard it, raisetheir thought with joyful longing, even for once only, will not turnaway again from the highest perfect knowledge.

#27. 'And beforethe eyes of those beings, O Ananda, who again and again think of theTathagata reverently and who make the great and unmeasured stock of goodworks grow, turning their thought towards Bodhi, and who pray to beborn in that world, Amitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fully enlightened,when the time of their death has approached, will appear, surrounded bymany companies of Bhikkhus and honored by them. And then these beings,having seen the Bhagavan, their thoughts filled with joy, will, whenthey have died, be born in that world of Sukhavati. And if, O Ananda,any son or daughter of a good family should wish, "How then may I seethat Tathagata Amitabha visibly?" then he must raise his thought on tothe highest perfect knowledge, he must direct his thought withperseverance and excessive desire towards that Buddha country, anddirect the stock of his good works towards being born there.

#28. ' But before the eyes of those who do not care much about theTathagata Amitabha, and who do not vigorously increase the great andunmeasured stock of their good works, the Tathagata Amitabha, holy andfully enlightened, will appear, at the time of death, with the companyof Bhikkhus, in breadth and height and form and beauty, very like theformer, and very like the real Tathagata, but only created by thought.And they, through their meditation that dwells on perceiving the sightof the Tathagata, and with unfailing memory, will, when they have died,be born in the same Buddha country.

#29. 'And again, O Ananda,those beings who meditate on the Tathagata by giving him ten thoughts,and who will direct their desire towards that Buddha country, and whowill feel satisfaction when the profound doctrines are being preached,and who will not fall off, nor despair, nor fail, but will meditate onthat Tathagata, if it were by one thought only, and will direct theirdesire toward that Buddha country, they also will see the TathagataAmitabha, while they are in a dream, they will be born in the worldSukhavati, and will never turn away from the highest perfect knowledge.

#30.'And, O Ananda, after thus seeing the cause and effect, the Tathagatasof the ten quarters, in immeasurable and innumerable worlds, glorify thename of the Tathagata Amitabha, preach his fame, and proclaim hispraise. And again, O Ananda, in that Buddha country, Bodhisattvas equalin number to the sand of the Ganges approach, from the ten quarters, andin each quarter towards that Tathagata Amitabha, in order to see him,to bow before him, to worship him, to consult him, and likewise in orderto see that company of Bodhisattvas, and the different kinds ofperfection in the multitude of ornaments and excellences belonging tothat Buddha country.'

#31. Then at that time, the Bhagavan, in order to illustrate this matter in fuller measure, recited these verses:

1.'As there are Buddha countries equal to the sand of the river Ganges inthe eastern quarter, whence all the Bodhisattvas come to worship theBuddha, the lord Amitayu;

2. 'And they having taken many bunchesof flowers of different colors, sweetly-scented and delightful, showerthem down on the best leader of men, on Amitayu, worshipped by gods andmen;

3. 'In the same manner there are as many Buddha countriesin the southern, western, and northern quarters, whence they come withthe Bodhisattvas to worship the Buddha, the lord Amitayus.

4.'And they having taken many handfulls of scents of different colors,sweetly scented and delightful, shower them down on the best leader ofmen, on Amitayus, worshipped by gods and men.

5. 'These manyBodhisattvas having worshipped and revered the feet of Amitaprabha, andhaving walked round him respectfully, speak thus: "Oh, the country ofBuddha shines wonderfully! "

6. 'And they cover him again withhandfulls of flowers, with thoughts jubilant, with incomparable joy, andproclaim their wish before that lord: "May our country also be such asthis."

7. 'And what was thrown there as handfuls of flowersarose in the form of an umbrella extending over a hundred yojanas, andthe beautiful country shines and is well adorned, and flowers cover thewhole body of Buddha.

8. 'These Bodhisattvas having thus honoredhim, how do they act? Delighted they pronounce this speech: "Gains bythose people are well gained, by whom the name of the best man has beenheard.

9. '"By us also all the gain has been well gained,because we have come to this Buddha country. See this dream-likecountry, how beautiful it is, which was made by the teacher during ahundred thousand kalpas.

10. '"Look, the Buddha possessed of amass of the best virtues shines, surrounded by Bodhisattvas. Endless ishis splendor, and endless the light, and endless the life, and endlessthe assembly."

11. 'And the lord Amitayus makes a smile ofthirty-six nayutas of kotis of rays, which rays having issued from thecircle of his mouth light up the thousand kotis of Buddha countries.

12.'And all these rays having returned there again settle on the head ofthe lord; gods and men perceive the delight, because they have seenthere this light of him.

13. 'There rises the Buddha-son,glorious, he indeed the mighty Avalokitesvara, and says: "What is thereason there, O Bhagavan, what is the cause, that thou smilest, O lordof the world ?

14. '"Explain this, for thou knowest the sense,and art full of kind compassion, the deliverer of many living beings.All beings will be filled with joyful thoughts, when they have thusheard this excellent and delightful speech.

15. '"And theBodhisattvas who have come from many worlds to Sukhavati in order to seethe Buddha, having heard it and having perceived the great joy, willquickly inspect this country.

16. '"And beings, come to thisnoble country, (quickly) obtain miraculous power, divine eye and divineear, they remember their former births, and know the highest wisdom."

17.'Then Buddha Amitayus preaches: "This prayer was mine formerly, so thatbeings having in any way whatever heard my name should for ever go tomy country.

18. '"And this my excellent prayer has beenfulfilled, and beings having quickly come here from many worlds into mypresence, never return from here, not even for one birth."

19.'If a Bodhisattva wishes here that his country should be such as this,and that he also should deliver many beings, through his name, throughhis preaching, and through his sight,

20. 'Let him quickly andwith speed go to the world Sukhavati, and having gone near Amitaprabha,let him worship a thousand kotis of Buddhas.

21. 'Havingworshipped many kotis of Buddhas, and having gone to many countries bymeans of their miraculous power, and having performed adoration in thepresence of the Sugatas, they will go to Sukhavati with devotion.

#32.'And again, O Ananda, there is a Bodhi-tree belonging to Amitayus, theTathagata, holy and fully enlightened. That Bodhi-tree is ten hundredyojanas in height, having petals, leaves, and branches spread over eighthundred yojanas, having a circumference near the base of the root offive hundred yojanas, always in leaf, always in flower, always in fruit,of different colors, of many hundred thousand colors, of differentleaves, of different flowers, of different fruits, adorned with manybeautiful ornaments, shining with precious jewels, bright like the moon,beautified with precious jewels such as are fastened on Sakra's head,strewn with Kintamani jewels, well adorned with the best jewels of thesea, more than heavenly, hung with golden strings, adorned with hundredsof gold chains, jewel-garlands, necklaces, bracelets, strings of redpearls and blue pearls, Simhalata, girdles, bunches, strings of jewels,and all kinds of jewels, covered with nets of bells, nets of all kindsof jewels, nets of pearls, and nets of gold, adorned with the emblems ofthe dolphin, the Svastika, the Nandyavarta, and the moon, adorned withnets of jewels and of bells, and with ornaments of gold and of all kindsof jewels, in fact adorned according to the desires of beings whatevertheir wishes may be.

'And again, O Ananda, the sound and noiseof that Bodhi-tree, when it is moved by the wind, reaches immeasurableworlds. And, O Ananda, for those beings whose hearing that Bodhi-treereaches, no disease of the ear is to be feared until they reach Bodhi.And for those immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable,measureless, immense, and inexpressible beings, whose sight thatBodhi-tree reaches, no disease of the eye is to be feared until theyreach Bodhi. And again, O Ananda, for those beings who smell the scentof that Bodhi-tree, no disease of the nose is to be feared until theyreach Bodhi. For those beings who taste the fruits of that Bodhi-tree,no disease of the tongue is to be feared until they reach Bodhi. Forthose beings who are lighted up by the light of that Bodhi-tree, nodisease of the body is to be feared until they reach Bodhi. And again, OAnanda, for those beings who meditate on that Bodhi-tree according tothe Dharma, henceforward until they reach the Bodhi, no perplexity oftheir thought is to be feared. And all those beings, through the seeingof that Bodhi-tree, never turn away, namely, from the highest perfectknowledge. And they obtain three kinds of resignation, namely,Ghoshanuga, resignation to natural consequences, and (resignation toconsequences which have not yet arisen, through the power of the formerprayers of that same Tathagata Amitayus, through the service rendered bythem to the former Jinas, and through the performance of the formerprayers, to be well accomplished, and to be well conceived, withoutfailure or without flaw.

#33. 'And again, O Aranda, thoseBodhisattvas who have been born, are being born, or will be born there,are all bound to one birth only, and will thence indeed obtain thehighest perfect knowledge; barring always the power of prayers, as inthe case of those Bodhisattvas who are preaching with the voice oflions, who are girded with the noble armor of the Dharma, and who aredevoted to the work of helping all people to attain Paranirvana.

#34.'And again, O Ananda, in that Buddha country, those who are Sravakasare possessed of the light of a fathom, and those who are Bodhisattvasare possessed of the light of a hundred thousand kotis of yojanas;barring always the two Bodhisattvas, by whose light that world iseverywhere shining with eternal splendor.'

Then the blessed Ananda said this to the Bhagavan: 'What are the names, O Bhagavan, of those two noble-minded Bodhisattvas?

TheBhagavan said: 'One of them, O Ananda, is the noble-minded BodhisattvaAvalokitesvara, and the second is Mahasthamaprapta by name. And, OAnanda, these two were born there, having left this Buddha countryhere'.

#35. 'And, O Ananda, those Bodhisattvas who have beenborn in that Buddha country are all endowed with the thirty-two marks ofa great man, possessed of perfect members, skilled in meditation andwisdom, clever in all kinds of wisdom, having sharp organs, havingwell-restrained organs, having organs of sense capable of thoroughknowledge, not mean, possessed of the five kinds of strength, ofpatience under censure, and of endless and boundless good qualities.

#36.'And again, O Ananda, all those Bodhisattvas who have been born in thatBuddha country are not deprived of the sight of Buddha, nor liable tofall down to the evil states, until they reach the Bodhi. Henceforwardthey all will never be forgetful of their former births; barring alwaysthose who are devoted to their former place, during the disturbances ofthe kalpas, and while the five kinds of corruption prevail, when thereis the appearance of blessed Buddhas in the world, as for instance, thatof me at present.

#37. 'And again, O Ananda, all theBodhisattvas who have been bom in that Buddha country, having goneduring one morning meal to the other world, worship many hundredthousand nayutas of kotis of Buddhas, as many as they like, through thefavor of Buddha. They consider in many ways that they should worshipBuddhas with such and such flowers, incense, lamps, scents, garlands,ointments, powder, cloaks, umbrellas, flags, banners, ensigns, music,concerts, and musical instruments; and, as soon as they have consideredthis, there arise also on their hands exactly such materials for everykind of worship. And while performing worship for those blessed Buddhaswith those materials, beginning with flowers and ending with musicalinstruments, they lay up for themselves much immeasurable andinnumerable merit. Again, if they wish that such handfuls of flowersshould be produced on their hands, then such handfuls of heavenlyflowers, of different colors, of many colors, of different scents, areproduced on their hands as soon as thought of. They shower again andagain such handfulls of flowers upon those blessed Buddhas. And the verysmallest handfull of flowers, being thrown on high, appears above inthe sky as an umbrella of flowers ten yojanas in circumference. And whenthe second has been thrown after it, the first does not fall down onthe earth. There are handfuls of flowers there, which having been thrownup, appear in the sky as umbrellas of flowers twenty yojanas incircumference.

'There appear in the sky some flower-umbrellas,thirty, forty, or fifty yojanas in circumference, as far as a hundredthousand yojanas in circumference. Those Bodhisattvas there who perceivethe noble pleasure and joy, and obtain the noble strength of thought,having caused a great and immeasurable and innumerable stock of goodworks to ripen, and having worshipped many hundred thousand nayutas ofkotis of Buddhas, turn again to the world Sukhavati in one morning,through the favor of practising the former prayers of the same TathagataAmitayus, owing to the hearing of the Dharma formerly given, owing tothe stock of good works produced under former Jinas, owing to theperfect completion in the success of former prayers, owing to thewell-ordered state of mind.

#38. 'And again, O Ananda, all thosebeings who have been born in that Buddha country recite the story ofthe Dharma, which is accompanied by omniscience. And for the beings inthat Buddha country there exists no idea of property whatever. And allthose going and walking through that Buddha country feel neitherpleasure nor pain; stepping forward they have no desire, and with desirethey do not step forward. They give no thought to any beings. Andagain, O Ananda, for those beings who have been born in that worldSukhavati, there is no idea of others, no idea of self, no idea ofinequality, no strife, no dispute, no opposition. Full of equanimity, ofbenevolent thought, of tender thought, of affectionate thought, ofuseful thought, of serene thought, of firm thought, of unbiassedthought, of undisturbed thought, of unagitated thought, of thought fixedon the practice of discipline and transcendent wisdom, having enteredon knowledge which is a firm support to all thoughts, equal to the oceanin wisdom, equal to the mountain Meru in knowledge, rich in many goodqualities, delighting in the music of the Bodhyangas, devoted to themusic of Buddha, they discard the eye of flesh, and assume the heavenlyeye.

'And having approached the eye of wisdom, having reachedthe eye of the Dharma, producing the eye of Buddha, showing it, lightingit, and fully exhibiting it, they attain perfect wisdom. And being benton the equilibrium of the three elements, having subdued and calmedtheir thoughts endowed with a perception of the causes of all things,clever in explanation of causes, endowed with the power of explainingthe Dharma or things such as they really are, clever in taking andrefusing, clever in leading and not leading, clever in resting, they,being regardless of worldly stories, derive true pleasures from storiestranscending the world. They are clever in examining all things,familiar with the knowledge of the cessation of the working of allthings, perceiving even what cannot be seen, caring for nothing,attached to nothing, without cares, without pain, free without clingingto anything, free from impurity, of blameless behavior, not clinging toanything, intent on the deep or profound laws, they do not sink,elevated to the entrance into the knowledge of Buddha difficult tocomprehend, having obtained the path of one vehicles, free from doubt,beyond the reach of questionings, knowing the thoughts of others, freefrom self-confidence.

'Being elevated in knowledge, they arelike Mount Sumeru; being imperturbable in thought, they are like theocean; they surpass the light of the sun and moon, by the light ofwisdom, and by the whiteness, brilliancy, purity, and beauty of theirknowledge; by their light and splendor, they are like the color ofmolten gold; by their patiently bearing the good and evil deeds of allbeings, they are like the earth; by their cleaning and carrying off thetaint of all sins, they are like water; by their burning the evil ofpride in anything, they are like the king of fire ; by not clinging toanything, they are like the wind; by pervading all things and yet notcaring for anything, they are like the ether; by not being tainted bythe whole world, they are like lotuses; by their shouting forth theDharma, they are like the great cloud at the rainy season; by showeringdown the whole ocean of the Dharma, they are like the great rain; byoverpowering great troops, they are like bulls; by the highest restraintof their thoughts, they are like great elephants; by being welltrained, they are like noble horses; by their fearlessness, confidence,and heroism, they are like the lion, the king of beasts; by affordingprotection to all beings, they are like the fig-tree, the king of trees;by not being shaken by any calumniators, they are like the Sumeru, theking of mountains; by their feeling of unlimited love, they are like thesky; by their precedence, owing to their command of the Dharma, andtheir stock of all merit, they are like the great Brahman; by their notdwelling in what they have accumulated, they are like birds; by theirscattering all calumniators, they are like Garuda, king of birds; bytheir not being averse to our obtaining difficult things, they are likethe Udumbara flowers; calm like elephants, because their senses areneither crooked nor shaken; clever in decision, full of the sweet flavorof patience; without envy, because they do not hanker after thehappiness of others; wise, because in their search after the Dharma,never tired of discussions on the Dharma; like the precious beryl,through their value; like jewel-mines, by their sacred knowledge;sweet-sounding by the noise of the great drum of the Dharma, strikingthe great kettledrum of the Dharma, blowing the great trumpet-shell ofthe Dharma, raising the great banner of the Dharma, lighting the torchof the Dharma, looking for wisdom, not foolish, faultless, passionless,pure, refined, not greedy, fond of distributing, generous, open-handed,fond of distributing gifts, not stingy in giving instruction and food,not attached, without fear, without desires, wise, patient, energetic,bashful, orderly, fearless, full of knowledge, happy, Pleasant to livewith, obliging, enlightening the world, free from sorrow, free fromtaint, having left off the winking of the eye, possessing lightlyacquired knowledge, strong in reasoning, strong in prayer, not crooked,not perverse; then, having accumulated a hundred thousand nayutas ofkotis of lakshas of virtue, delivered from the thorns of pride, freefrom illusion, hatred, and passion; pure, devoted to what is pure,famous by the Jina-power, learned in the world, elevated by theirpurified knowledge, sons of the Jina, endowed with the vigor of thought,heroes, firm, unselfish, free from faults, unequalled, free from anger,collected, noble, heroes, bashful, energetic, possessed of memory,understanding, and prudence; sending forth the weapons of knowledge,possessed of purity, shining, free from faults and taints, endowed withmemory, resting on serene knowledge. And such, O Ananda, are the beingsin that Buddha country, stated briefly. But if the Tathagatas shoulddescribe them fully, even in a length of life that should last for ahundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas, yet the end of the virtuesof those good people would not be reached, and yet there would be nofailure of the self-confidence of the Tathagata. And why? Because, OAnanda, both are indeed inconceivable and incomparable, that is, first,the virtues of those Bodhisattvas, and secondly, the unsurpassed lightof knowledge of the Tathagata.

#39. 'And now, O Ananda, standup, facing westward, and having taken a handful of flowers, fall down.This is the quarter where that Bhagavan Amitabha, the Tathagata, holyand fully enlightened, dwells, remains, supports himself, and teachesthe Dharma, whose spotless and pure name, famed in every quarter of thewhole world with its ten quarters, the blessed Buddhas, equal to thegrains of the sand of the river Ganges, speaking and answering again andagain without stopping, extol, praise, and eulogize.'

Afterthis, the blessed Ananda said this to the Bhagavan : 'I wish, OBhagavan, to see that Amitabha, Amitaprabha, Amitayus, the Tathagata,holy and fully enlightened, and those noble-minded Bodhisattvas, who arepossessed of a stock of merit amassed under many hundred thousandnayutas of kotis of Buddhas.'

At that moment this speech wasspoken by the blessed Ananda, and immediately that Amitabha, theTathagata, holy and fully enlightened, let such a ray of light go out ofthe palm of his own hand, that even the most distant Buddha country wasshining with the great splendor. And again at that time, whatever blackmountains, or jewel-mountains, or Merus, great Merus, Mukilindas, greatMukilindas, Chakravadas, great Chakravadas, or erections, or pillars,trees, woods, gardens, palaces, belonging to the gods and men, existeverywhere in hundred thousand kotis of Buddha countries; all these werepervaded and overcome by the light of that Tathagata.

And as aman, followed by another at a distance of a fathom only, would see theother man, when the sun has risen, exactly in the same manner theBhikkhus, Bhikkhunis, Upasakas, Upasikas, gods, Nagas, Yakshas,Rakshasas, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, men andnot-men, in this Buddha country, saw at that time that Amitabha, theTathagata, holy and fully enlightened, like the Sumeru, the king ofmountains, elevated above all countries, surpassing all quarters,shining, warming, glittering, blazing; and they saw that great mass ofBodhisattvas, and that company of Bhikshus, that is, by the grace ofBuddha, from the pureness of that light.

And as this great earthmight be, when all covered with water, so that no trees, no mountains,no islands, no grasses, bushes, herbs, large trees, no rivers, chasms,water-falls, would be seen, but only the one great earth which had allbecome an ocean, in exactly the same manner there is neither mark norsign whatever to be seen in that Buddha country, except Sravakas,spreading their light over a fathom, and those Bodhisattvas, spreadingtheir light over a hundred thousand kotis of yojanas.

And thatBhagavan Amitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fully enlightened,overshadowing that mass of Sravakas and that mass of Bodhisattvas, isseen, illuminating all quarters. Again at that time all thoseBodhisattvas, Srivakas, gods and men in that world Sukhavati, saw thisworld Saha and Shakyamuni, the Tathagata, holy and fully enlightened,surrounded by a holy company of Bhikshus, teaching the Dharma.

#40.Then, the Bhagavan addressed the nobleminded Bodhisattva Ajita, andsaid: 'Do you see, O Ajita, the perfection of the array of ornaments andgood qualities in that Buddha country; and above in the sky places withcharming parks, charming gardens, charming rivers and lotus lakes,scattered with many precious Padmas, Utpalas, Kumudas, and Pundarikas;and below, from the earth to the abode of the Akanishthas, the surfaceof the sky, covered with flowers, ornamented with wreaths of flowers,shining on the rows of many precious columns, frequented by flocks ofall kinds of birds created by the Tathagata?'

The Bodhisattva Ajita said: 'I see, O Bhagavan.'

TheBhagavan said: 'Do you see again, O Ajita, those flocks of immortalbirds, making the whole Buddha country resound with the voice of Buddha,so that those Bodhisattvas are never without meditating on Buddha?'

Ajita said: 'I see, O Bhagavan.'

TheBhagavan said: 'Do you see again, O Ajita, those beings, who haveascended to the palaces which extend over a hundred thousand yojanas inthe sky, walking about respectfully?'

Ajita said: 'I see, O Bhagavan.'

TheBhagavan said: 'What do you think, O Ajita, is there any differencebetween the gods called Paranirmitavasavartins, and men in the worldSukhavati?'

Ajita said: 'I do not, O Bhagavan, perceive even onedifference, so far as the men in that world of Sukhavati are endowedwith great supernatural powers.'

The Bhagavan said: 'Do you seeagain, O Ajita, those men dwelling within the calyx of excellentlotus-flowers in that world Sukhavati?'

He said: 'As gods calledTrayastrimsas or Yamas, having entered into palaces of fifty or hundredor five hundred yojanas in extent, are playing, sporting, walkingabout, exactly in the same manner I see, O Bhagavan, these men dwellingwithin the calyx of excellent lotus-flowers in the world Sukhavati.

#41.'Again there are, O Bhagavan, beings who, being born miraculously,appear sitting cross-legged in the lotus-flowers. What is there, OBhagavan, the cause, what the reason, that some dwell within the calyx,while others, being born miraculously, appear sitting cross-legged inthe lotus-flowers?'

The Bhagavan said: 'Those Bodhisattvas, OAjita, who, living in other Buddha countries, entertain doubt aboutbeing born in the world Sukhavati, and with that thought amass a stockof merit, for them there is the dwelling within the calyx. Those, on thecontrary, who are filled with faith, and being free from doubt, amass astock of merit in order to be born in the world Sukhavati, andconceive, believe, and trust in the perfect knowledge of the blessedBuddhas, they, being born miraculously, appear sitting cross-legged inthe flowers of the lotus. And those noble-minded Bodhisattvas, O Ajita,who, living in other Buddha countries, raise their thought in order tosee Amitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fully enlightened, who neverentertain a doubt, believe in the perfect knowledge of Buddha and intheir own stock of merit, for them, being born miraculously, andappearing cross-legged, there is in one minute, such a body as that ofother beings who have been born there long before. See, O Ajita, theexcellent, immeasurable, unfailing, unlimited wisdom, that namely fortheir own benefit they are deprived during five hundred years of seeingBuddhas, seeing Bodhisattvas, hearing the Dharma, speaking about theDharma with others, and thus collecting a stock of merit; they areindeed deprived of the successful attainment of every stock of merit,and that, through their forming ideas tainted with doubt.

'And, OAjita, there might be a dungeon belonging to an anointed Kshatriyaking, inlaid entirely with gold and beryl, in which cushions, garlands,wreaths and strings are fixed, having canopies of different colors andkind, covered with silk cushions, scattered over with various flowersand blossoms, scented with excellent scents, adorned with arches,courts, windows, pinnacles, fire-places, and terraces, covered with netsof bells of the seven kinds of gems, having four angles, four pillars,four doors, four stairs; and the son of that king having been throwninto the dungeon for some misdeed is there, bound with a chain made ofthe Jambunada gold. And suppose there is a couch prepared for him,covered with many woollen cloths, spread over with cotton and feathercushions, having Kalinga coverings, and carpets, together withcoverlids, red on both sides, beautiful and charming. There he might bethen either sitting or resting. And there might be brought to him muchfood and drink, of various kinds, pure and well prepared. What do youthink, O Ajita, would the enjoyment be great for that prince?'

Ajita said: 'Yes, it would be great, O Bhagavan.'

TheBhagavan said: 'What do you think, O Ajita, would he even taste itthere, and notice it, or would he feel any satisfaction from it?'

Hesaid: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavan; but on the contrary, when he had beenled away by the king and thrown into the dungeon, he would only wish fordeliverance from there. He would seek for the nobles, princes,ministers, women, elders (rich merchants), householders, and lords ofcastles, who might deliver him from that dungeon. Moreover, O Bhagavan,there is no pleasure for that prince in that dungeon, nor is heliberated, until the king shows him favor.'

The Bhagavan said:'Thus, O Ajita, it is with those Bodhisattvas who, having fallen intodoubt, amass a stock of merit, but doubt the knowledge of Buddha. Theyare born in that world Sukhavati, through the hearing of Buddha's name,and through the serenity of thought only; they do not, however, appearsitting cross-legged in the flowers of the lotus, being bornmiraculously, but dwell only in the calyx of the lotus-flowers. Moreoverfor them there exist ideas of palaces and gardens. There is nodischarge, there is no phlegm or mucus, there is nothing disagreeable tothe mind. But they are deprived of seeing Buddhas, hearing the Dharma,seeing Bodhisattvas, speaking about and ascertaining the Dharma,gathering any new stock of merit, and practicing the Dharma, during fivehundred years. Moreover they do not rejoice there or perceivesatisfaction. But they wish to remove one another, and then they stepout behind. And it is not known whether their exit takes place above,below, or across.

'See, O Ajita, there might be worshippings ofmany hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of Buddhas during those fivehundred years, and also many, immense, innumerable, immeasurable stocksof merit to be amassed. But all this they destroy by the fault of doubt.See, O Ajita, to how great an injury the doubt of the Bodhisattvasleads. Therefore now, O Ajita, after the Bodhisattvas without doubtinghave quickly raised their thoughts towards Bodhi, in order to obtainpower of conferring happiness for the benefit of all creatures, theirstock of merit should be turned towards their being born in the worldSukhavati, where the blessed Amitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fullyenlightened, dwells.'

#42. After these words, the BodhisattvaAjita thus spoke to the Bhagavan: 'O Bhagavan, will the Bodhisattvas,who have gone away from this Buddha country, or from the side of otherblessed Buddhas, be born in the world Sukhavati?'

The Bhagavansaid: 'Indeed, O Ajita, seventy-two nayutas of kotis of Bodhisattvas aregone away from this Buddha country, who will be born in the worldSukhavati; Bodhisattvas, who will never return, thanks to the stock ofmerit, which they have accumulated under many hundred thousand nayutasof kotis of Buddhas. What then shall be said of those with smallerstocks of merit?

1. Eighteen hundred nayutas of kotis ofBodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of theTathagata Dushprasaha.

2. There lives in the Eastern quarter theTathagata named Ratnakara. From his place ninety kotis of Bodhisattvaswill be born in the world Sukhavati.

3. Twenty-two kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Jyotishprabha.

4. Twenty-five kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Amitaprabha.

5. Sixty kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Lokapradipa.

6. Sixty-four kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Nagabhibhu.

7. Twenty-five kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Virajaprabha.

8. Sixteen kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Simha.

9. Eighteen thousand Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Simha.

10. Eighty-one nayutas of kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Srikuta.

11. Ten nayutas of kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Narendraraja.

12. Twelve thousand Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Balabhijna.

13.Twenty-five kotis of Bodhisattvas, who have obtained strength, havinggone to one place in one week of eight days, and having turned to theWest during ninety hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas, will beborn in the world Sukhavati from the place of the TathagataPushpadhvaga.

14. Twelve kotis of Bodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati from the place of the Tathagata Jvalanadhipati.

15.From the place of the Tathagata Vaisaradyaprapta, sixty-nine kotis ofBodhisattvas will be born in the world Sukhavati, in order to see theTathagata Amitabha, to bow before him, to worship him, to ask questionsof him, and to consult him.

'For this reason, O Ajita, I mightproclaim during a full nayuta of kotis of kalpas the names of thoseTathagatas, from whom the Bodhisattvas proceed in order to see thatTathagata Amitabha in the world Sukhavati, to bow before him, and toworship him, and yet the end could not be reached.

#43. 'See, OAjita, what easy gains are gained by those beings who will hear the nameof the Tathagata Amitabha, holy and fully enlightened. Nor will thosebeings be of little faith, who will obtain at least one joyful thoughtof that Tathagata and of this treatise of the Dharma. Therefore now, OAjita, I invite you, and command you to proclaim this treatise of theDharma, before the world together with the gods. Having plunged into thevast universe full of fire, no one ought to turn back, if he has butonce conceived the thought of going across. And why? Because kotis ofBodhisattvas indeed, O Ajita, return from the highest perfect knowledge,on account of not hearing such treatises of the Dharma as this.Therefore, from a wish for this treatise of the Dharma, a great effortshould be made to hear, learn, and remember it, and to study it for thesake of fully grasping it and widely making it known. A good copy of itshould be kept, after it has been copied in a book, if only during onenight and day, or even during the time necessary for milking a cow.

'Thename of Master should be given to a teacher who desires to conductquickly innumerable beings to the state of never returning from thehighest perfect knowledge, namely, in order that they may see the Buddhacountry of that blessed Amitabha, the Tathagata, and to acquire theexcellent perfection of the array of good qualities peculiar to his ownBuddha country.

'And, O Ajita, such beings will have easilygained their gains who, having amassed a stock of merit, havingperformed service under former Jinas, and having been guided by Buddhas,shall hear in future, until the destruction of the good Dharma,such-like excellent treatises of the Dharma, treatises which arepraised, eulogized, and approved of by all Buddhas, and convey quicklythe great knowledge of omniscience. And those also who, when they haveheard it, shall obtain excellent delight and pleasure, and will learn,retain, recite and grasp, and wisely preach it to others, and bedelighted by its study, or, having copied it at least, will worship it,will certainly produce much good work, so that it is difficult to countit.

'Thus indeed, O Ajita, I have done what a Tathagata ought todo. It is now for you to devote yourself to it without any doubt. Donot doubt the perfect and unfailing knowledge of Buddha. Do not enterinto the dungeon made of gems built up in every way. For indeed, thebirth of a Buddha, O Ajita, is difficult to be met with, so is theinstruction in the Dharma, and also a timely birth. O Ajita, the way togain the perfection of all stocks of merit has been proclaimed by me. Donow exert yourselves and move forward. O Ajita, I grant indeed a greatfavor to this treatise of the Dharma. Be valiant so that the laws ofBuddhas may not perish or disappear. Do not break the command of theTathagata.'

#44. Then at that time, the Bhagavan spoke these verses :

1.'Such hearings of me will not be for people who have not done good; butthose who are heroes and perfect, they will hear this speech.

2.'And those by whom the Lord of the world, the enlightened and thelight-giver, has been seen, and the law been heard reverentially, willobtain the highest joy.

3. 'Low people of slothful minds cannotfind any delight in the laws of Buddha; those who have worshipped in theBuddha countries learn the service of the Lords of the three worlds.

4.'As a blind man in darkness does not know the way, and much less canshow it, so also he who is only a Sravaka in the knowledge of Buddha;how then should beings who are ignorant!

5. 'The Buddha onlyknows the virtues of a Buddha; but not gods, Nagas, Asuras, Yakshas, andSravakas; even for Anekabuddhas there is no such way, as when theknowledge of a Buddha is being manifested.

6. 'If all beings hadattained bliss, knowing the highest meaning in pure wisdom, they wouldnot in kotis of kalpas or even in a longer time tell all the virtues ofone Buddha.

7. 'Thereupon they would attain Nirvana, preachingfor many kotis of kalpas, and yet the measure of the knowledge of aBuddha would not be reached, for such is the wonderfulness of theknowledge of the Jinas.

8. 'Therefore a learned man of anintelligent race who believes my words, after having perceived all pathsof the knowledge of the Jinas, should utter speech, saying, "Buddha iswise."

9. 'Now and then a man is found, now and then a Buddhaappears, knowledge of the object of faith is acquired after a long time;therefore one should strive to acquire the knowledge of the object offaith.'

#45. And while this treatise of the Dharma was beingdelivered, twelve kotis of nayutas of beings obtained the pure andspotless eye of the Dharma with regard to Dharmas. Twenty-four hundredthousand nayutas of kotis of beings obtained the Anagamin reward. Eighthundred Bhikshus had their thoughts delivered from faults so as to clingno more to anything. Twenty-five kotis of Bodhisattvas obtainedresignation to things to come. And by forty hundred thousand nayutas ofkotis of the human and divine race, thoughts such as had never risenbefore were turned toward the highest perfect knowledge, and theirstocks of merit were made to grow toward their being born in the worldSukhavati, from a desire to see the Tathagata, the blessed Amitabha. Andall of them having been born there, will in proper order be born inother worlds, as Tathagatas, called Manjusvara (sweet-voiced). Andeighty kotis of nayutas having acquired resignation under the TathagataDipankara, never turning back again from the highest perfect knowledge,rendered perfect by the Tathagata Amitayus, practising the duties offormer Bodhisattvas, will carry out, after they are born in the worldSukhavati, the duties enjoined in the former prayers.

#46. Atthat time this universe, the three millions of worlds, trembled in sixways. And various miracles were seen. On earth everything was perfect,and human and divine instruments were played, and the shout of joy washeard as far as the world of the Akanishthas.

#47. Thus spokethe Bhagavan enraptured, and the noble-minded Bodhisattva Ajita, and theblessed Ananda, the whole Assembly, and the world, with gods, men,spirits, mighty birds, and fairies, applauded the speech of theBhagavan. The praise of the beauty of the excellences of Sukhavati, thecountry of the blessed Amitabha, the Tathagata, the entry of theBodhisattva on the stage of never returning, the story of Amitabha, theMahayanasutra of the Description of Sukhavati is finished.