Toh 177 — Mañjuśrī’s Teaching
Mañjuśrīnirdeśa
Translated by the Kīrtimukha Translation Group under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
The Noble Great Vehicle Sūtra
Mañjuśrī’s Teaching
F.240.a Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas![1]
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a great congregation of 1,250 monks and five thousand bodhisattvas.
At that time, the Blessed One was teaching the Dharma surrounded and venerated by an audience of many hundreds of thousands. Youthful Mañjuśrī then hoisted a jeweled parasol measuring ten yojanas in circumference and held it directly over the Blessed One’s head.
Present in the retinue, along with his entourage, was a god from the house of Santuṣita called Susīma,[2] whose progress toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening had become irreversible. He now rose from his seat, approached the place where Youthful Mañjuśrī was, and addressed him: “Mañjuśrī, aren’t you satisfied with your offering to the Blessed One?”
Mañjuśrī asked in return, “Divine being, tell me, is the great ocean ever satisfied by having water poured into it?”
“Mañjuśrī, no, it is not,” replied the god.
Mañjuśrī said, “Divine being, likewise, the wisdom of omniscience is as profound, immeasurable, and boundless[3] as the great ocean. Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who wish to search for that wisdom should never[4] be content in their desire to make offerings to the Tathāgata.”
The god then asked, “Mañjuśrī, with what purpose in mind should offerings be made to the Tathāgata?” F.240.b
Mañjuśrī replied, “Divine being, offerings should be made to the Tathāgata with four purposes in mind. What are those four? They are (1) the purpose of the mind of awakening,[5] (2) the purpose of liberating all sentient beings, (3) the purpose that the lineage of the Three Jewels will continue uninterrupted, and (4) the purpose of purifying all buddha realms.[6] Divine being, it is with these four purposes in mind that offerings should be made to the Tathāgata.”
When Mañjuśrī had spoken, the god Susīma, the monks, nuns,[7] bodhisattvas, and the entire retinue, along with the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised the words of Youthful Mañjuśrī.[8]
This concludes the noble Great Vehicle sūtra, “Mañjuśrī’s Teaching.”Colophon
This was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptor Surendrabodhi and the chief editor and translator Bandé Yeshé Dé.
Notes
Homage absent in Sanskrit.
backThe Sanskrit gives his name as Sukhīna, which is not a recognizable name; however, the Tibetan mtshams bzangs (“Susīma”) appears in other sūtras as a god and disciple of the Buddha.
backSanskrit adds “extraordinary” (asādhāraṇa).
backD, H, and Y: gzhar yang (“never”); C, K, N, and U: gzhan yang (“furthermore they should not be content in their desire to make offerings to the Tathāgata”).
backToh 252: “the purpose of omniscience” (thams cad mkhyen pa nyid la dmigs pa).
backToh 252: “the purpose of attaining the array of qualities of the buddhafield” (sangs rgyas kyi zhing gi yon tan bkod pa yongs su gzung ba la dmigs pa).
backThe nuns (bhikṣuṇī) are absent in S, Go., and Sanskrit.
backSanskrit adds bhagavato, “the Blessed One,” together with Mañjuśrī.
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