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The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows
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Chapter 1: Miracles In The Palace Of The Trayastrimsas Heaven
Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was abiding in Trayastrimsas
Heaven
in order to expound the Dharma to his mother. At that time, all
the
Buddhas and great Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, an inexpressible
number,
hailing from countless worlds in the ten directions, came and
assembled
there. They praised the fact that Buddha Sakyamuni, in evil times
with
their five kinds of defilement, was still able to manifest
his
inconceivable power of great wisdom and miracles in order to
regulate
and tame stubborn beings so that they could come to know suffering
and
take delight in the Dharma. Each of them sent his attendant to
greet
the World Honored One.
At that time, the Tathagata smiled and emitted hundreds, thousands,
and
myriads of millions of great bright clouds-namely, the great
bright
clouds of perfection, the great bright clouds of mercy and
compassion,
the great bright clouds of wisdom, the great bright clouds of
Prajna,
the great bright clouds of Samadhi, the great bright clouds
of
Srivatsa, the great bright clouds of blissful virtues, the great
bright
clouds of meritorious virtues, the great bright clouds of refuge
and
the great bright clouds of praise.
Having emitted such indescribably bright clouds, he also produced
all
kinds of subtle and wonderful voices-namely, the voices of the
Dana-
Paramita, the Sila-Paramita, the Ksanti-Paramita, the
Virya-Paramita,
the Dhyana-Paramita, the Prajna-Paramita, the voices of Mercy
and
Compassion, of Rejoicing and Abandonment, of Deliverance, of
Non-
Outflow, of Wisdom, of Great Wisdom, of Lion's Roar, of Great
Lion's
Roar, of Cloud Thunder and of Great Cloud Thunder.
After he had produced such indescribable, indescribable
voices,
countless millions of devas, nagas, demons and deities from the
Saha
World and other realms also came and assembled in Trayastrimsas
Palace.
The devas from the Four Celestial Kings' Heavens arrived.
From
Trayastrimsas, Suyama, Tusita, Nirmanarati,
Paranirmitavasavarti,
Brahmakayika, Brahmapurohita, Mahabrahma (Great Pure Heaven),
Parittabhas (Little-Light Heaven), Apramanabha (Infinite-Light
Heaven),
Abhasvara (Light-Sound Heaven), Parittasubhas (Little-Purity
Heaven),
Apramanasubhas (Infinite-Purity Heaven), Subhakirtsna
(Universal-Pure
Heaven), Punyaprasavas (Bliss-Birth Heaven), Anabhraka
(Cloudless
Heaven), Brhatphala (Broad-Fruition Heaven), Asanjnisattva
(No-Thought
Heaven), Aurha (No-Trouble Heaven), Atapa (No-Heat Heaven),
Sudarsana
(Good-to- See Heaven), Sudrsa (Well-Appearing Heaven), Akanistha
(Form
-Acme Heaven), and the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatana
(Neither-Thinking-Nor
-Not-Thinking Heaven)-all the multitudes of devas, from the
heavens,
together with the multitudes of nagas, demons and deities assembled
in
the Trayastrimsas Palace.
There also came from different lands in other quarters and from
the
Saha World such deities as those of the seas, of the rivers, of
the
forests, of the mountains, of the earth, of the streams and lakes,
of
the crops, of the day, of the night, of the airspace, of the sky,
of
food and of vegetation. All assembled there.
There also came from different lands in other quarters and from
the
Saha World such great demon kings as the Evil-Eye Demon King,
the
Suckle-Blood Demon King, the Consume-Spirit Demon King, the
Devour-Ova
Demon King, the Give-Disease Demon King, the Welfare Demon King and
the
Great-Love-Respect Demon King, and they all assembled there.
At that time, Buddha Sakyamuni said to the Dharma Prince
Bodhisattva-
Mahasattva Manjusri, "Look at all these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
devas,
nagas, pretas and deities, from this world and from other worlds,
from
this land and from other lands, now arriving here to gather
in
Tryastrimsas. Do you have any idea how many there are?"
Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, I
could
not tell how many there are even if I tried for one thousand kalpas
to
use my miraculous power to determine the number."
The Buddha said to Manjusri, "I, too, cannot complete the counting
even
with the vision of my Buddha eyes. Altogether they constitute
those
beings already delivered, those not yet delivered, those still to
be
delivered and also those representing work already accomplished and
yet
to be accomplished by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva throughout infinite,
long
kalpas."
Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, since,
in
the past, I have long cultivated good roots and have achieved
Unobstructed Wisdom, I ought to be able to believe and accept
your
words on hearing what you have just said. However, the beings of
the
lesser vehicles, devas, nagas and the rest of the eight categories,
as
well as sentient beings of future generations, will certainly
cherish
doubts even if they hear Tathagata's sincere words. Even if
they
accepted your words temporarily, there would inevitably and
unavoidably
be some scandalizing and slandering of your views. I only hope
that
you, O World Honored One, will speak extensively about those
deeds
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha performed during his causal
states
and what vows he took so that he was able to accomplish such
inconceivable things."
The Buddha said to Manjusri, "Let us take the
Tri-sahasra-maha-sahasra
-loka-dhatu of the three great chiliocosms (universes); from this
let
us take one piece of each and all of the different kinds of
vegetation
-including grass, trees, bushes, rice, hemp, bamboo and reeds-and
one
part of every kind of mountain, rock and dust-mote. Then let
us
consider each piece and part to be a separate Ganges River.
Then,
again, take one grain of the sand in all those inconceivably
great
number of Ganges Rivers as one chiliocosm, and afterwards take
each
mote of dust within each chiliocosm as one kalpa. Finally, consider
all
the dust grains accumulated in each of these kalpas to be,
themselves,
converted to kalpas. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha has endured one
thousand
times longer than this vast length of time since he realized the
ten
grades of accomplishment, not to mention the length of time
Bodhisattva
Ksitigarbha spent in the sainthood of Hearer and
Pratyeka-Buddhahood. O
Manjusri, this Bodhisattva's majestic, solemn vows are,
indeed,
inconceivable!
"If, in the future, a good man or good woman should hear the name
of
this Bodhisattva and should praise or worship him or invoke his
name or
donate offerings to him as well as paint, sculpt or mold his image,
he
or she will be reborn in the thirty-three heavens for one hundred
turns
and will never again fall onto the evil paths of existence.
"O Manjusri, this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha in the past, prior to
an
inexpressible, inexpressible number of kalpas, assumed the form of
and
took birth as the son of a rich man. At that time, there was a
Buddha
bearing the title of
LION'S-EXCITEMENT-MYRIAD-DEED-ALL-ACCOMPLISHED
TATHAGATA. When the elder's son saw the Buddha's excellent form
adorned
with thousands of blessings, he inquired of the Buddha what deeds
he
had performed and what vows he had taken to achieve his
present
excellent form, so that he himself might be able to acquire such
a
form.
"Then the LION'S-EXCITEMENT-MYRIAD-DEED-ALL-ACCOMPLISHED TATHAGATA
told
the elder's son, "If you want to realize this entity, you must
deliver
all suffering sentient beings for vast ages."
"O Manjusri, then the elder's son consequently took his vow,
saying, `I
now vow that I will provide, throughout incalculable numbers of
kalpas
in the future, for the sake of all sinful, suffering beings on the
six
paths of existence, extensive expediencies to cause them all to
be
delivered and liberated before I myself realize Buddhahood.'
"He took such a great vow in front of that Buddha, and even now,
after
hundreds, thousands, myriads, millions, and even inconceivable
numbers
of kalpas, he is still a Bodhisattva.
"Moreover, there was in the past, an inconceivable number of
kalpas
ago, a Buddha bearing the title of
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-
SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA. The life-span of that Buddha was
four
hundred thousand million asamkhyeka kalpas.
"During the semblance dharma period there was a brahman girl,
who,
having profound and deep blessing due to deeds in her past lives,
was
admired and respected by the people, and guarded by devas in
her
walking, standing, sitting and lying down. However, her
mother
practiced wicked ways and often slighted the Three Jewels. At
that
time, this holy girl tried many expediencies to persuade her mother
to
adopt correct views, but her mother was not thoroughly convinced.
Soon
thereafter, the mother passed away, and her pudgala (soul) fell
into
the Uninterrupted Hell (Avici). The Brahman girl knew that her
mother,
not believing in the laws of causation, would inevitably be reborn
into
an evil existence according to her karma; so she sold her house
and
bought vast amounts of incense and flowers and other offerings to
be
generously donated to the stupas and temples of the Buddha of that
era.
She saw in a temple the image of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-
SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA carved and painted in august forms
and
with perfect dignity. Then the Brahman girl paid obeisance to
the
sacred image, showing extra reverence. She held deep in her heart
the
following thought: `The Buddha is the Great Enlightened One,
possessing
all kinds of wisdom. If he were in this world, he would be able to
tell
me of my mother's whereabouts after her death.' Then the Brahman
girl
wept for quite a long time while she gazed admiringly at the
Tathagata.
"Suddenly she heard some voice from midair, saying, `O weeping
girl, do
not be too sorrowful, for I shall now reveal to you your
mother's
whereabouts.'
"The brahman girl, with palms joined, pointed directly to the
midair,
saying, `May I know who the Sacred and Virtuous One is who relieves
my
worry? Since I lost my mother, I think about her day and night;
but
there has been no one I could ask to tell me of her
whereabouts.'
"The voice from midair responded to the girl again, saying, `I am
the
one whom you are worshipping, the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-
SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA. Seeing that you remember and cherish
your
mother much more than ordinary beings, I manifest to reveal
her
whereabouts to you.'
"The brahman girl, hearing this, prostrated herself abruptly on
the
ground, badly hurting her whole body. Her attendants raised her up
and
held her steady for quite a long time while she regained her
balance
and composure. She then addressed the midair, saying, `May the
Buddha,
in his mercy and compassion, tell me forthrightly my mother's
whereabouts, for it is possible that I may die very shortly due to
my
present physical and mental state!'
"The ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING
TATHAGATA
addressed the holy girl, saying, `After having completed your
offering,
go directly home, sit reverently and contemplate my name and
title;
then you will know your mother's whereabouts.'
"Then the brahman girl concluded her worship of the Buddha and
returned
to her house. She thought about her mother very deeply and
sat
reverently and contemplated the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-
SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA.
"After one day and one night she found herself arriving at some
unknown
seashore. The water in the sea was boiling. There were many
wicked
beasts, all with iron bodies, flying over or walking upon the sea
and
running and chasing in an east-west direction. She saw that men
and
women, hundreds of thousands of myriads in number, emerged from
and
submerged again into the sea, at which time they were snatched up
and
devoured by the wicked beasts. She also saw yaksas with
different
forms-some with many hands and numerous eyes, others with many feet
and
multiple heads, and still others with teeth as sharp as
swords
protruding from their mouths-chasing and herding these suffering
people
into the claws of those wicked beasts, who snapped at and seized
them
by either their heads or their feet. Those beasts had all sorts
of
horrible forms which one dared not gaze upon too long. The
Brahman
girl, at this time, by virtue of her mindfulness of the Buddha,
was,
naturally, not frightened.
"There appeared a demon king named No Poison (Vandana), who
prostrated
himself before her and welcomed her. He addressed the holy
girl,
saying, `Well, O Bodhisattva, what causes you to come here?'
"Whereupon the Brahman girl asked the demon king, `What place is
this
here?'
"Vandana replied, `This is the sea to the west of the Great
Iron
Enclosed Mountain.'
"The holy girl asked, `I have heard that hell is in the midst of
the
Cakravada. Is it in fact so?'
"Vandana replied, `It is true that there are hells there.'
"The holy girl asked, `How or in what manner did I arrive at this
place
of hells?'
"Vandana replied, `Either by majestic or karmic power. Nobody can
come
here without one of these two.'
"The holy girl asked again, `What causes the water to rise and
boil?
And why are there so many suffering people and wicked beasts
here?'
"Vandana replied, `Those suffering people are newly deceased
beings
from Jambudvipa, who committed evil. Since for forty-nine days none
of
their heirs have performed any meritorious or virtuous act to save
and
deliver them from their suffering and since they did not create
any
virtuous causes in their lifetime, they must be committed to
the
various hells according to their karma. Naturally, they must first
pass
through this sea. Ten myriad yojanas to the east of this sea there
is
another sea, where the severity of the suffering is double what it
is
here. To the east of that sea there is still another sea, where
the
suffering is yet again double. This suffering is the result of the
evil
causes of the three kinds of karma; and these places are
known
collectively as the Karmic Sea.'
"The holy girl also asked Demon King Vandana, `Where are the
hells?'
"Vandana replied, `The grand hells are within the three karmic
seas.
They number in the hundreds of thousands. Each one is different
from
the others. There are eighteen grand ones, and there are five
hundred
secondary ones, each and all being centers of immeasurable
suffering.
There are hundreds of thousands of hells in the next category,
also,
all being places of immeasurable suffering.'
"The holy girl again addressed the great demon king, saying, `My
mother
died not very long ago. I wonder where her spirit went.'
"The demon king asked the holy girl, `What did your mother do in
her
lifetime?'
"The holy girl replied, `My mother cherished some perverted views,
and
she ridiculed the Three Jewels. Sometimes she believed for a
little
while and then would turn irreverent again. Though she died
recently, I
still do not know her whereabouts.'
"Vandana asked, `What was your mother's name?'
"The holy girl replied, `Both my mother and father were Brahmans.
My
father's name was Silo Sardrsa; my mother's name was Yueh Ti
Li.'
"Vandana joined his palms and addressed the Bodhisattva, saying,
`I
wish that you would return to your own place without worry,
remembrance
or sorrowful musing. It has been three days since the sinful woman
Yueh
Ti Li ascended to heaven. It is said that, by virtue of her
filial
offspring's donations to the stupa and temple of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-
FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA on her mother's
behalf,
not only was the mother of the Bodhisattva able to leave hell, but
also
all the sinful people in Avici Hell were able, on that day, to
receive
the blessing to be reborn with her.'
"The demon king, having said this, withdrew with palms joined.
The
Brahman girl awoke as from a dream. She realized the situation and
then
made a great vow in front of the stupa and image of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-
FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA: `May I, through
all
future kalpas, provide extensive expediencies for the deliverance
and
liberation of all sinful, suffering beings."
The Buddha then told Manjusri, "That demon king, who was named
Vandana
at that time, is now Bodhisattva Ts'ai Shou, and the Brahman girl
is
now Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha."
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The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows
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Chapter 2: The Assembly of Innumerable Transformational
Ksitigarbhas
At that time, all the separate transformational Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattvas came from all the hells in hundreds, thousands,
myriads
and millions of unthinkable, indiscussible, immeasurable,
inexpressible, countless numbers of worlds to assemble in
Trayastrimsas
Palace. By virtue of the Tathagata's miraculous power, each came
from
his realm together with those who had been liberated from karmic
paths
-thousands, myriads, millions and nayutas of sentient beings-and
all of
them held incense and flowers to be offered to the Buddha. Because
they
had been instructed and converted by Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, those
who
came there together would never retrogress from
Anuttara-Samyak-
Sambodhi. Those beings had, for vast, long kalpas, wandered
through
numerous births and deaths, suffer
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Chapter 1: Miracles In The Palace Of The Trayastrimsas Heaven
Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was abiding in Trayastrimsas
Heaven
in order to expound the Dharma to his mother. At that time, all
the
Buddhas and great Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, an inexpressible
number,
hailing from countless worlds in the ten directions, came and
assembled
there. They praised the fact that Buddha Sakyamuni, in evil times
with
their five kinds of defilement, was still able to manifest
his
inconceivable power of great wisdom and miracles in order to
regulate
and tame stubborn beings so that they could come to know suffering
and
take delight in the Dharma. Each of them sent his attendant to
greet
the World Honored One.
At that time, the Tathagata smiled and emitted hundreds, thousands,
and
myriads of millions of great bright clouds-namely, the great
bright
clouds of perfection, the great bright clouds of mercy and
compassion,
the great bright clouds of wisdom, the great bright clouds of
Prajna,
the great bright clouds of Samadhi, the great bright clouds
of
Srivatsa, the great bright clouds of blissful virtues, the great
bright
clouds of meritorious virtues, the great bright clouds of refuge
and
the great bright clouds of praise.
Having emitted such indescribably bright clouds, he also produced
all
kinds of subtle and wonderful voices-namely, the voices of the
Dana-
Paramita, the Sila-Paramita, the Ksanti-Paramita, the
Virya-Paramita,
the Dhyana-Paramita, the Prajna-Paramita, the voices of Mercy
and
Compassion, of Rejoicing and Abandonment, of Deliverance, of
Non-
Outflow, of Wisdom, of Great Wisdom, of Lion's Roar, of Great
Lion's
Roar, of Cloud Thunder and of Great Cloud Thunder.
After he had produced such indescribable, indescribable
voices,
countless millions of devas, nagas, demons and deities from the
Saha
World and other realms also came and assembled in Trayastrimsas
Palace.
The devas from the Four Celestial Kings' Heavens arrived.
From
Trayastrimsas, Suyama, Tusita, Nirmanarati,
Paranirmitavasavarti,
Brahmakayika, Brahmapurohita, Mahabrahma (Great Pure Heaven),
Parittabhas (Little-Light Heaven), Apramanabha (Infinite-Light
Heaven),
Abhasvara (Light-Sound Heaven), Parittasubhas (Little-Purity
Heaven),
Apramanasubhas (Infinite-Purity Heaven), Subhakirtsna
(Universal-Pure
Heaven), Punyaprasavas (Bliss-Birth Heaven), Anabhraka
(Cloudless
Heaven), Brhatphala (Broad-Fruition Heaven), Asanjnisattva
(No-Thought
Heaven), Aurha (No-Trouble Heaven), Atapa (No-Heat Heaven),
Sudarsana
(Good-to- See Heaven), Sudrsa (Well-Appearing Heaven), Akanistha
(Form
-Acme Heaven), and the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatana
(Neither-Thinking-Nor
-Not-Thinking Heaven)-all the multitudes of devas, from the
heavens,
together with the multitudes of nagas, demons and deities assembled
in
the Trayastrimsas Palace.
There also came from different lands in other quarters and from
the
Saha World such deities as those of the seas, of the rivers, of
the
forests, of the mountains, of the earth, of the streams and lakes,
of
the crops, of the day, of the night, of the airspace, of the sky,
of
food and of vegetation. All assembled there.
There also came from different lands in other quarters and from
the
Saha World such great demon kings as the Evil-Eye Demon King,
the
Suckle-Blood Demon King, the Consume-Spirit Demon King, the
Devour-Ova
Demon King, the Give-Disease Demon King, the Welfare Demon King and
the
Great-Love-Respect Demon King, and they all assembled there.
At that time, Buddha Sakyamuni said to the Dharma Prince
Bodhisattva-
Mahasattva Manjusri, "Look at all these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
devas,
nagas, pretas and deities, from this world and from other worlds,
from
this land and from other lands, now arriving here to gather
in
Tryastrimsas. Do you have any idea how many there are?"
Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, I
could
not tell how many there are even if I tried for one thousand kalpas
to
use my miraculous power to determine the number."
The Buddha said to Manjusri, "I, too, cannot complete the counting
even
with the vision of my Buddha eyes. Altogether they constitute
those
beings already delivered, those not yet delivered, those still to
be
delivered and also those representing work already accomplished and
yet
to be accomplished by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva throughout infinite,
long
kalpas."
Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, since,
in
the past, I have long cultivated good roots and have achieved
Unobstructed Wisdom, I ought to be able to believe and accept
your
words on hearing what you have just said. However, the beings of
the
lesser vehicles, devas, nagas and the rest of the eight categories,
as
well as sentient beings of future generations, will certainly
cherish
doubts even if they hear Tathagata's sincere words. Even if
they
accepted your words temporarily, there would inevitably and
unavoidably
be some scandalizing and slandering of your views. I only hope
that
you, O World Honored One, will speak extensively about those
deeds
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha performed during his causal
states
and what vows he took so that he was able to accomplish such
inconceivable things."
The Buddha said to Manjusri, "Let us take the
Tri-sahasra-maha-sahasra
-loka-dhatu of the three great chiliocosms (universes); from this
let
us take one piece of each and all of the different kinds of
vegetation
-including grass, trees, bushes, rice, hemp, bamboo and reeds-and
one
part of every kind of mountain, rock and dust-mote. Then let
us
consider each piece and part to be a separate Ganges River.
Then,
again, take one grain of the sand in all those inconceivably
great
number of Ganges Rivers as one chiliocosm, and afterwards take
each
mote of dust within each chiliocosm as one kalpa. Finally, consider
all
the dust grains accumulated in each of these kalpas to be,
themselves,
converted to kalpas. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha has endured one
thousand
times longer than this vast length of time since he realized the
ten
grades of accomplishment, not to mention the length of time
Bodhisattva
Ksitigarbha spent in the sainthood of Hearer and
Pratyeka-Buddhahood. O
Manjusri, this Bodhisattva's majestic, solemn vows are,
indeed,
inconceivable!
"If, in the future, a good man or good woman should hear the name
of
this Bodhisattva and should praise or worship him or invoke his
name or
donate offerings to him as well as paint, sculpt or mold his image,
he
or she will be reborn in the thirty-three heavens for one hundred
turns
and will never again fall onto the evil paths of existence.
"O Manjusri, this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha in the past, prior to
an
inexpressible, inexpressible number of kalpas, assumed the form of
and
took birth as the son of a rich man. At that time, there was a
Buddha
bearing the title of
LION'S-EXCITEMENT-MYRIAD-DEED-ALL-ACCOMPLISHED
TATHAGATA. When the elder's son saw the Buddha's excellent form
adorned
with thousands of blessings, he inquired of the Buddha what deeds
he
had performed and what vows he had taken to achieve his
present
excellent form, so that he himself might be able to acquire such
a
form.
"Then the LION'S-EXCITEMENT-MYRIAD-DEED-ALL-ACCOMPLISHED TATHAGATA
told
the elder's son, "If you want to realize this entity, you must
deliver
all suffering sentient beings for vast ages."
"O Manjusri, then the elder's son consequently took his vow,
saying, `I
now vow that I will provide, throughout incalculable numbers of
kalpas
in the future, for the sake of all sinful, suffering beings on the
six
paths of existence, extensive expediencies to cause them all to
be
delivered and liberated before I myself realize Buddhahood.'
"He took such a great vow in front of that Buddha, and even now,
after
hundreds, thousands, myriads, millions, and even inconceivable
numbers
of kalpas, he is still a Bodhisattva.
"Moreover, there was in the past, an inconceivable number of
kalpas
ago, a Buddha bearing the title of
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-
SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA. The life-span of that Buddha was
four
hundred thousand million asamkhyeka kalpas.
"During the semblance dharma period there was a brahman girl,
who,
having profound and deep blessing due to deeds in her past lives,
was
admired and respected by the people, and guarded by devas in
her
walking, standing, sitting and lying down. However, her
mother
practiced wicked ways and often slighted the Three Jewels. At
that
time, this holy girl tried many expediencies to persuade her mother
to
adopt correct views, but her mother was not thoroughly convinced.
Soon
thereafter, the mother passed away, and her pudgala (soul) fell
into
the Uninterrupted Hell (Avici). The Brahman girl knew that her
mother,
not believing in the laws of causation, would inevitably be reborn
into
an evil existence according to her karma; so she sold her house
and
bought vast amounts of incense and flowers and other offerings to
be
generously donated to the stupas and temples of the Buddha of that
era.
She saw in a temple the image of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-
SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA carved and painted in august forms
and
with perfect dignity. Then the Brahman girl paid obeisance to
the
sacred image, showing extra reverence. She held deep in her heart
the
following thought: `The Buddha is the Great Enlightened One,
possessing
all kinds of wisdom. If he were in this world, he would be able to
tell
me of my mother's whereabouts after her death.' Then the Brahman
girl
wept for quite a long time while she gazed admiringly at the
Tathagata.
"Suddenly she heard some voice from midair, saying, `O weeping
girl, do
not be too sorrowful, for I shall now reveal to you your
mother's
whereabouts.'
"The brahman girl, with palms joined, pointed directly to the
midair,
saying, `May I know who the Sacred and Virtuous One is who relieves
my
worry? Since I lost my mother, I think about her day and night;
but
there has been no one I could ask to tell me of her
whereabouts.'
"The voice from midair responded to the girl again, saying, `I am
the
one whom you are worshipping, the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-
SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA. Seeing that you remember and cherish
your
mother much more than ordinary beings, I manifest to reveal
her
whereabouts to you.'
"The brahman girl, hearing this, prostrated herself abruptly on
the
ground, badly hurting her whole body. Her attendants raised her up
and
held her steady for quite a long time while she regained her
balance
and composure. She then addressed the midair, saying, `May the
Buddha,
in his mercy and compassion, tell me forthrightly my mother's
whereabouts, for it is possible that I may die very shortly due to
my
present physical and mental state!'
"The ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING
TATHAGATA
addressed the holy girl, saying, `After having completed your
offering,
go directly home, sit reverently and contemplate my name and
title;
then you will know your mother's whereabouts.'
"Then the brahman girl concluded her worship of the Buddha and
returned
to her house. She thought about her mother very deeply and
sat
reverently and contemplated the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-
SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA.
"After one day and one night she found herself arriving at some
unknown
seashore. The water in the sea was boiling. There were many
wicked
beasts, all with iron bodies, flying over or walking upon the sea
and
running and chasing in an east-west direction. She saw that men
and
women, hundreds of thousands of myriads in number, emerged from
and
submerged again into the sea, at which time they were snatched up
and
devoured by the wicked beasts. She also saw yaksas with
different
forms-some with many hands and numerous eyes, others with many feet
and
multiple heads, and still others with teeth as sharp as
swords
protruding from their mouths-chasing and herding these suffering
people
into the claws of those wicked beasts, who snapped at and seized
them
by either their heads or their feet. Those beasts had all sorts
of
horrible forms which one dared not gaze upon too long. The
Brahman
girl, at this time, by virtue of her mindfulness of the Buddha,
was,
naturally, not frightened.
"There appeared a demon king named No Poison (Vandana), who
prostrated
himself before her and welcomed her. He addressed the holy
girl,
saying, `Well, O Bodhisattva, what causes you to come here?'
"Whereupon the Brahman girl asked the demon king, `What place is
this
here?'
"Vandana replied, `This is the sea to the west of the Great
Iron
Enclosed Mountain.'
"The holy girl asked, `I have heard that hell is in the midst of
the
Cakravada. Is it in fact so?'
"Vandana replied, `It is true that there are hells there.'
"The holy girl asked, `How or in what manner did I arrive at this
place
of hells?'
"Vandana replied, `Either by majestic or karmic power. Nobody can
come
here without one of these two.'
"The holy girl asked again, `What causes the water to rise and
boil?
And why are there so many suffering people and wicked beasts
here?'
"Vandana replied, `Those suffering people are newly deceased
beings
from Jambudvipa, who committed evil. Since for forty-nine days none
of
their heirs have performed any meritorious or virtuous act to save
and
deliver them from their suffering and since they did not create
any
virtuous causes in their lifetime, they must be committed to
the
various hells according to their karma. Naturally, they must first
pass
through this sea. Ten myriad yojanas to the east of this sea there
is
another sea, where the severity of the suffering is double what it
is
here. To the east of that sea there is still another sea, where
the
suffering is yet again double. This suffering is the result of the
evil
causes of the three kinds of karma; and these places are
known
collectively as the Karmic Sea.'
"The holy girl also asked Demon King Vandana, `Where are the
hells?'
"Vandana replied, `The grand hells are within the three karmic
seas.
They number in the hundreds of thousands. Each one is different
from
the others. There are eighteen grand ones, and there are five
hundred
secondary ones, each and all being centers of immeasurable
suffering.
There are hundreds of thousands of hells in the next category,
also,
all being places of immeasurable suffering.'
"The holy girl again addressed the great demon king, saying, `My
mother
died not very long ago. I wonder where her spirit went.'
"The demon king asked the holy girl, `What did your mother do in
her
lifetime?'
"The holy girl replied, `My mother cherished some perverted views,
and
she ridiculed the Three Jewels. Sometimes she believed for a
little
while and then would turn irreverent again. Though she died
recently, I
still do not know her whereabouts.'
"Vandana asked, `What was your mother's name?'
"The holy girl replied, `Both my mother and father were Brahmans.
My
father's name was Silo Sardrsa; my mother's name was Yueh Ti
Li.'
"Vandana joined his palms and addressed the Bodhisattva, saying,
`I
wish that you would return to your own place without worry,
remembrance
or sorrowful musing. It has been three days since the sinful woman
Yueh
Ti Li ascended to heaven. It is said that, by virtue of her
filial
offspring's donations to the stupa and temple of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-
FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA on her mother's
behalf,
not only was the mother of the Bodhisattva able to leave hell, but
also
all the sinful people in Avici Hell were able, on that day, to
receive
the blessing to be reborn with her.'
"The demon king, having said this, withdrew with palms joined.
The
Brahman girl awoke as from a dream. She realized the situation and
then
made a great vow in front of the stupa and image of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-
FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA: `May I, through
all
future kalpas, provide extensive expediencies for the deliverance
and
liberation of all sinful, suffering beings."
The Buddha then told Manjusri, "That demon king, who was named
Vandana
at that time, is now Bodhisattva Ts'ai Shou, and the Brahman girl
is
now Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha."
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The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows
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Chapter 2: The Assembly of Innumerable Transformational
Ksitigarbhas
At that time, all the separate transformational Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattvas came from all the hells in hundreds, thousands,
myriads
and millions of unthinkable, indiscussible, immeasurable,
inexpressible, countless numbers of worlds to assemble in
Trayastrimsas
Palace. By virtue of the Tathagata's miraculous power, each came
from
his realm together with those who had been liberated from karmic
paths
-thousands, myriads, millions and nayutas of sentient beings-and
all of
them held incense and flowers to be offered to the Buddha. Because
they
had been instructed and converted by Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, those
who
came there together would never retrogress from
Anuttara-Samyak-
Sambodhi. Those beings had, for vast, long kalpas, wandered
through
numerous births and deaths, suffer
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