Toh 78 — The Questions of Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita

F.261.b Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas. F.262.a

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing at Vulture Peak Mountain in Rājagṛha together with a great assembly of one thousand two hundred fifty monks and many thousands of bodhisattvas. Included in the assembly at that time was a bodhisattva great being, a Licchavi prince from the city of Vaiśālī named Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita. The bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, and knelt with his right knee on the ground. With joined palms, he bowed toward the Blessed One and inquired, “If the Blessed One would grant me the opportunity to request instruction, I would like to ask a question of the honored, blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha.”

The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, “Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, do ask the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha whatever you wish. Then I will address your questions and set your mind at ease.”

The bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, are there presently blessed buddhas residing alive and well in other world systems whose names, when remembered, cause noble sons and daughters F.262.b to swiftly and fully awaken to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood?”

“Very good, Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita,” the Blessed One responded to the bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, “very good! Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, your motivation for asking this question of the Thus-Gone One is to benefit and bring happiness to many beings now and in the future. You have asked this question out of love for the world and to benefit, help, and bring happiness to bodhisattvas, gods, and humans. Very good, Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita! Therefore, Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, listen well and pay attention. I will explain it to you.”

“Blessed One, I shall do that!” said the bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, and he listened as the Blessed One had instructed.

The Blessed One said, “Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the east of here is a world system known as Arrayed with the Qualities of All Phenomena. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Array of Immense Precious Qualities Like the King of Splendor currently resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Gathering of Complete Abundance. There, the lifespan of sentient beings is immeasurable. That blessed one’s full retinue of bodhisattvas is also innumerable. When faithful noble sons and daughters remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Array of Immense Precious Qualities Like the King of Splendor, F.263.a sixty thousand eons of wandering in cyclic existence are negated.

“From their next lives onward, they will attain the dhāraṇī called unhindered teaching. They will be provided with the eloquence of^[1] the blessed buddhas in a hundred million buddhafields. When they teach the Dharma, they will have no trepidation. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the south of here is a world system known as Arrayed with Precious Qualities. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of Splendor Arrayed with the Glory of Precious Qualities currently resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Flourishing Qualities. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of Splendor Arrayed with the Glory of Precious Qualities will, immediately in their next lives, attain the absorption known as the sun disk’s universal illumination. They will also attain an array of the immeasurable qualities of the buddhafields. Immediately in their next lives they will attain the thirty-two marks of a great being. They will be born into the buddhafield of their aspiration prayers. Since for them only a single rebirth remains, they will fully awaken to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood. They will also achieve unceasing eloquence. Regarding this, it is said: F.263.b

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the west of here is a world system known as Free of All Misery and Darkness. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Array of Eloquence in All Teachings currently resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Beautiful Śākya. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Array of Eloquence in All Teachings will not meet their deaths because of a blade. Furthermore, they will not meet their deaths because of poison, water, or fire, and they will have a miraculous rebirth. Immediately in their next lives they will attain the dhāraṇī called one hundred powers. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the north of here is a world system known as Free of Darkness and Gloom. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Intelligence Arrayed with Immeasurable Eloquence currently resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Holding Great Renown. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Intelligence Arrayed with Immeasurable Eloquence F.264.a will please tens of billions of buddhas. They will attain the dhāraṇī called following everywhere, as well as the dhāraṇī known as inexhaustible casket, and will subsequently fully awaken to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood. They will not be born into the three lower realms. They will liberate all beings in the lower realms of whichever buddhafields they are born into as they engage in the conduct of bodhisattvas. They will never regress in their progress toward unexcelled and perfect buddhahood. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the southeast of here is a world system known as Very Beautiful Array. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of the Sound of a Thousand Thunderclaps currently resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Emergence of Qualities. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of the Sound of a Thousand Thunderclaps will, immediately in their next lives, attain the fourfold fearlessness, the four bases of miraculous powers, and great love, as well as great compassion. They will attain the eighteen unique qualities of the buddhas. They will attain the array of qualities just as they are in the buddhafield of the Thus-Gone One Amitāyus. Following a female birth, F.264.b they will be born into the body of a man. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the southwest of here is a world system known as Immeasurable Array. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Supremely Golden Light resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Creation of All Qualities. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Glorious Supremely Golden Light please ninety million blessed buddhas just by hearing that name. They will attain the absorption known as elevating all beings to greatness. Why is it called elevating all beings to greatness? When a noble son or daughter rests in this absorption, subsequently teaches the Dharma, and attains the nature of that absorption while teaching the Dharma, it brings happiness to all beings within the world systems of a great trichiliocosm. For example, this is just like how all beings in the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Manojña attain happiness together, and how all the beings in the lower realms there are freed, and how after being freed from the lower realms they attain the bodies of gods and humans and are certain to attain unexcelled and perfect buddhahood. F.265.a Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the northwest of here is a world system known as Free of Evil Deeds. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of Splendor with Many Glorious Appearances resides, alive and well. That eon is known as Flourishing of Householders. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha King of Splendor with Many Glorious Appearances will, immediately in their next lives, attain the dhāraṇī called array of immeasurable eloquence. With little effort, they will come to possess the array of qualities of the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Amitāyus. They will hear the discourses of eight hundred million buddhas and remember them. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, to the northeast of here is a world system known as Transcending All Misery. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha He Who Attained Awakening after Countless Millions of Eons resides, alive and well. That eon F.265.b is known as Array of Eloquence. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha He Who Attained Awakening after Countless Millions of Eons will, immediately in their next lives, attain the excellent eloquence of speech endowed with the sixty qualities, and they will attain the development of roots of virtue before eight hundred million buddhas. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, above here is a world system known as Splendor Arrayed with Immeasurable Qualities. There the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Array of Light Constantly Proclaiming Pure Gold and Space abides, alive and well. That eon is known as Attaining the Immeasurable. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Array of Light Constantly Proclaiming Pure Gold and Space purify an immeasurable aggregate of discipline. They also purify an immeasurable aggregate of absorption, an immeasurable aggregate of insight, an immeasurable aggregate of liberation, and an immeasurable aggregate of liberated wisdom vision. They will also progress through the levels. They will attain speech that is worthy of being accepted. F.266.a They will attain excellent eloquence free from hesitation. They will swiftly and fully awaken to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood. They will understand the symbols of letters and sounds. They will attain lofty castes and exalted lineages. They will attain the five superknowledges. They will remember their former lives. They will attain the eighteen unique qualities of the buddhas. Regarding this, it is said:

“Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, below here is a world system known as Delighting in Inseparability. There, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Splendorous Light Manifesting in the Manner of All Phenomena abides, alive and well. That eon is known as Gathering of Wisdom. The faithful noble sons and daughters who remember the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Splendorous Light Manifesting in the Manner of All Phenomena will, immediately in their next lives, attain the dhāraṇī called accomplishing buddhahood. With just one rebirth remaining, they will fully awaken to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood. They will hear the Dharma teachings of ninety million buddhas, and, upon hearing them, they will remember them all. Regarding this, it is said:

Then the bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, as well as the bodhisattva great being Eloquent Voice Endowed with All Precious Qualities, attained dhāraṇī. Eighty million bodhisattvas attained the level of progressing irreversibly toward unexcelled and perfect awakening, and thirty thousand gods and humans aroused the mind set upon unexcelled and perfect awakening.^[3]

After the Blessed One said those words, the bodhisattva great being Guṇaratnasaṅkusumita, the entire assembly, and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the Buddha’s words.