Toh 192 — The Prophecy of Kṣemavatī

Kṣemavatīvyākaraṇa

Translated by the Subhashita Translation Group under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Prophecy of Kṣemavatī

F.243.b Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in Rājagṛha on Vulture Peak together with a large monastic congregation of twenty thousand monks and many bodhisattva great beings including Maitreya and Mañjuśrī. F.244.a At dawn, the Blessed One donned his robes, picked up his alms bowl, and, together with the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, went to the city of Rājagṛha for alms. As they progressed through their rounds in the city of Rājagṛha, they neared the palace of King Bimbisāra. From atop the royal residence, King Bimbisāra’s queen, Kṣemavatī, could see the Blessed One approaching from a distance. Filled with joy at the sight of the Blessed One, Kṣemavatī descended from the palace and laid out ornate cushions made of white silk for the Blessed One and the bodhisattva great being Maitreya. The Blessed One and the bodhisattva great being Maitreya seated themselves on the seats that had been prepared for them, and Kṣemavatī, bedecked in all her jewelry, bowed her head at their feet. So that she might hear teachings on the Dharma, she sat before the Blessed One with great respect and reverence for him.

The Blessed One saw Queen Kṣemavatī bedecked in all her jewelry and, although he knew the answer, addressed her in order to benefit all beings. He asked, “Kṣemavatī, what is the name of the tree that bears the kind of brilliant, dazzling, shining fruit that adorns your body?”

Queen Kṣemavatī answered the Blessed One with the following verses:

“The great being has asked,

‘What is the name of the tree

That bears the fruit you wear?’

Even though, great hero, you already know. F.244.b

“It is called the tree arisen from the merit

Generated in the past.

Guide, these fruits I now enjoy

Are from a tree such as that.

“This very same fruit tree

Belongs to disciples of the Buddha.

Those who wish to obtain the wisdom of a buddha

Sit before it in order to awaken.

“Watered with generosity and discipline,

This fruit tree has been well tended.

And when it fully blossoms,

It will bear sublime fruits.

“With the powers of patience and diligence,

I have carefully tended this fruit tree,

And when it blossoms,

It will bear flawless fruits.

“This tree is beautiful to behold,

Covered with flowers of concentration and insight.

Guide, all that I enjoy

Is the fruit of that tree.

“Just like trees

Rooted in the mountains

Have outstretched limbs and leaves

That they spread far and wide without moving,

“In that way I carefully tended

This excellent broad fruit tree in the past

By seeking the essence of buddhahood

With the aim of benefiting all beings.

“Guide,^[1] this tree of merit

Will have many more fruits besides.

I will experience more

Than the mere flowers.

“I will attain the fruits of that tree—

Supreme awakening,

The unsurpassed awakening of a buddha.

When I leave this lowly station of womanhood behind,

“I will be reborn as a man

Who is sublime among all beings,

Has perfected all qualities,

And is all-knowing and all-seeing.

“I will liberate those beings

Who are oppressed by suffering,

And become a compassionate refuge

For the denizens of the world.”

The Blessed One responded, “Kṣemavatī, F.245.a you have acted to bring benefit and happiness to many people and have compassion for the world. You have acted for the sake of the vast assembly of beings, for the happiness and benefit of gods and humans alike. Excellent, excellent indeed!”

“Blessed One,” Queen Kṣemavatī replied, “the Blessed One has the thirty-two major and eighty minor bodily marks of a great being, the ten powers of the thus-gone ones, the four fearlessnesses, the four special modes of knowledge, the eighteen unique qualities of a buddha, great loving-kindness, great compassion, great joy, and great equanimity. Where do all of your qualities come from? And, furthermore, where do the unfathomable, inconceivable, immeasurable, ineffable, incalculable qualities of the Buddha come from?”

The Blessed One answered Queen Kṣemavatī with these verses:

“Desiring the wisdom of the buddhas

In order to benefit all beings,

I too, in the past, have done nothing

But carefully tend such a tree.

“I gathered generosity, discipline, patience,

And likewise diligence and concentration.

For a long time, I applied myself

To absorption and insight.

“Beings have biased minds,

Yet my mind is impartial

Without needing to be cultivated.

Thus I discovered buddhahood itself.

“With an impartial mind

That equalizes

Beauty and ugliness, friend and foe,

I grew the tree of merit.

“As a result, this broad tree

Gained many excellent qualities.

I attained the state of a universal monarch

And the level of Śakra. F.245.b

“I surpassed the many-formed Maheśvara,

And even Brahmā himself.

I realized the characteristics

Of the inconceivable features of buddhahood.”

After hearing of the qualities of the Blessed One, Queen Kṣemavatī praised the Blessed One’s well-spoken teaching and rejoiced, offering these verses:

“Just as the supreme human, the excellent one,

With his endless ocean of qualities,

Trained his conduct in the past,

So will I train.

“As you have perfected all qualities,

I train to emulate your qualities.

Abandoning the suffering of existence,

I too will become like that.

“I fully dedicate

All the generosity I cultivate

In all my subsequent lives

To the attainment of unparalleled wisdom.

“I fully dedicate

All the discipline I maintain

In this life and any other

To the attainment of the wisdom of the buddhas.

“I dedicate

All the patience, diligence, absorption,

Insight, and virtue I cultivate

To be of benefit to the Buddha’s teachings.

“All the virtuous deeds I accrue

Through body, speech, and mind

I dedicate to awakening,

For the sake of the wisdom and qualities of the buddhas.

“May I leave this woman’s body behind

And take the supreme form of a man.

Upon attaining the body of a man,

May I become the most sublime of beings.

“Once that has come to pass, I will turn

The unsurpassed wheel of the well-gone ones.

I will free the masses of beings

Who are trapped in the prison of saṃsāra.”

The Blessed One then offered his approval to Queen Kṣemavatī with this verse:

“Those words were well spoken,

Your mind is well disciplined,

And you have subdued Māra well! F.246.a

You will awaken to perfect buddhahood!”

Queen Kṣemavatī was joyful, elated, and jubilant. Filled with joy and delight, she offered the Blessed One and the bodhisattva great being Maitreya plenty of food and drink until they were satisfied. After the Blessed One put away his bowl and washed his hands, he gave Queen Kṣemavatī extensive Dharma teachings, encouraged her to uphold them, inspired her, delighted her, and then made this prophecy:

“In the future, Kṣemavatī, many eons from now, you will become a thus-gone, worthy, perfected buddha, a teacher for gods and humans. You will be a blessed buddha known as Guṇaratnaśrī, and your buddha field will be supremely pure. It will be free of the suffering of descending to lower rebirths and the lower realms. It will be an abode of beautiful, pleasant, and supremely pure bodhisattvas. Such will be your buddha field.”

As this teaching was given, many thousands of laywomen developed the intent to reach unexcelled, perfect awakening. Thousands of beings and many gods and humans obtained the light of the Dharma.

When the Blessed One had finished speaking, Queen Kṣemavatī, her retinue, and the entire world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas all rejoiced and praised what the Buddha had taught.

This concludes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Prophecy of Kṣemavatī.”

Notes

Reading ’dren pa from Y, J, K, C, H, S in place of ’dren pa’i.
back

Предыдущая сутта Следующая сутта