Toh 503 — The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone Ones

F.248.bB1 Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was wandering through the provinces and came to Vaiśālī. There in Vaiśālī, at the base of the musical tree,^[1] he was accompanied by a great saṅgha of eight thousand monks and thirty-six thousand bodhisattvas, including the bodhisattva great being Avalokiteśvara, the bodhisattva great being Mahāmati, the bodhisattva great being Maitreya, the bodhisattva great being Pratibhākūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Amoghavikrāmin, the bodhisattva great being Sudarśana, the bodhisattva great being Sarvata­mondha­kāravidha­mana­mati, the bodhisattva great being Well-Intentioned Thought, the bodhisattva great being Merukūṭa, the bodhisattva great being Gadgadasvara, the bodhisattva great being King Who Holds Great Meru’s Peak, and the bodhisattva great being Vajrapāṇi. He was surrounded and accompanied by all manner of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kings, ministers, brahmins, kṣatriyas, and householders. F.249.a

The Blessed One was giving a Dharma teaching that was virtuous at the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous at the end, excellent in meaning, and beautiful in expression. His Dharma talk satisfied beings, made them perfectly happy, and established them in the awakening of a buddha.

Then the bodhisattva great being and Dharma prince Mañjuśrī rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One with his palms together, and made this request to the Blessed One:

“Blessed One, since many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, ascetics, brahmins, kings, ministers, householders, human, and nonhuman beings have gathered and are present to hear the Dharma, may the Blessed One have mercy on us. Please teach the names of those thus-gone ones who, simply by hearing them, cause all beings to no longer regress on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, who purify and utterly exhaust all their misdeeds and karmic obscurations, and that cause them to no longer be crushed by Māra, the wicked one. Please teach the detailed account of the previous aspirations they made and describe the abodes of their buddhafields with their arrays of good qualities.

“Blessed One, since there is nothing that the thus-gone ones do not see, hear, or know, they comprehend as many billions of eons as there are grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river just like the events of today or tomorrow. Since that is the case, and since you explain and correctly teach how these thus-gone ones first generated the mind of awakening, what their previous aspirations were, and what the arrays of good qualities are in the buddhafields related to these thus-gone ones are, F.249.b Blessed One, in order to support all beings in the future during the final five hundred years when the counterfeit holy Dharma has appeared, will the Blessed One please explain the great skillful means of the thus-gone ones and give a detailed account of their previous aspirations?”

With a voice as melodious as the cuckoo’s song, the blessed Thus-Gone One complimented Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, saying, “Very good, Mañjuśrī, very good. Mañjuśrī, you are a compassionate being. Mañjuśrī, it is good that the boundless compassion you have generated has led you to make this request to benefit all beings, and so that those gods and humans who are veiled by the various karmic obscurations, whose bodies are tormented by various illnesses, and who are oppressed by various types of mental anguish and suffering might be benefited, helped, and comforted. Mañjuśrī, the Thus-Gone One’s blessing has engendered this eloquent request of yours. So listen well and keep in mind what I say, Mañjuśrī, and I shall explain.”

“Yes, Blessed One,” replied Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta.

“Mañjuśrī,” the Blessed One said, “to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja lives in the world Unconquered, accompanied by billions of bodhisattva attendants. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma.

“Mañjuśrī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja is utterly pure. F.250.a It measures many hundreds of thousands of leagues across. It is flat like the palm of one’s hand. There are no lower realms of rebirth or cries of suffering. There is no such thing as the female gender. There are no thorny plants and no steep cliffs. There are no mountains, boulders, rocks, or pebbles. The ground is soft and pleasing to the touch. It has a divine fragrance, and its divine jeweled trees are decorated with flowers and fruit. It is adorned with a jeweled lion throne. The bodhisattvas there have attained the stage of nonregression. It is beautified by pools ornamented with gold from the Jambū river, gems, and pearls. Mañjuśrī, all the bodhisattvas in that world take a miraculous birth in which they emerge from a lotus made of the seven precious substances. Thus, a faithful son or daughter of good family should aspire to be born in that buddhafield.

“Mañjuśrī, from the moment that the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja first generated the mind of awakening and while he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, he continually proclaimed the following eight great aspirations:

“His first great aspiration was, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings whose bodies are tormented by various illnesses and who are oppressed by fevers, kṛtyas, kākhordas, vetālas, and other terrors to have all their illnesses pacified when they bear my name in mind and recite my name seven times. May they be free from fevers and the demonic influences of wicked beings for as long as it takes them to attain awakening, and may all these things be pacified.’ F.250.b

“For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are blind, deaf, mentally ill, leprous, and affected by acute illness to have fully functional sense faculties for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and recite my name seven times. May all their suffering and illnesses cease.’

“For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are veiled by desire, hatred, and delusion—who commit the five inexpiable acts, abound in improper behavior, forsake the holy Dharma, commit various sinful and nonvirtuous actions, and then proceed to the three lower realms and the hell realms where they are born in the Great Hell and experience intense pain—to purify and exhaust all their obscurations brought on by actions such as the five inexpiable acts and the like when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times. May they not be reborn in the hell realms and in the lower realms for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they experience the divine happiness of the god realms and the happiness of the human realm.’

“For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are impoverished and who do not have food, drink, clothes, money, grain, bedding, incense, garlands, ornaments, and belongings F.251.a to have an abundance of riches, clothes, money, grain, bedding, incense, garlands, ornaments, and belongings for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’

“For his fifth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power free any beings who are bound, beaten, or tortured, and whose bodies are tormented by various types of weapons from all manner of bondage and beatings for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’

“For his sixth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are vulnerable, whose bodies are burned by a blazing fire, who encounter lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, and poisonous snakes, whose lives are endangered, who are rendered defenseless by terror, and who weep and wail, to have any fire that might burn their bodies extinguished. May it render those lions, tigers, bears, hyenas, and poisonous snakes benevolent, and may it lead those beings to live in peaceful places without fear for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’^[2]

“For his seventh great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who fight quarrel, F.251.b argue, and dispute with one another and who are terrified and anxious, to cease all fighting, quarreling, arguing, and disputing one another and be loving toward one another for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’

“For his eighth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power comfort any beings who have embarked on a sea voyage, boarded a ship, and traveled out of sight of land, who value their lives, who have ended up in the middle of a great river or an ocean, and who weep and wail as they cross great rivers, and may they have nothing to fear as they complete their journeys for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name seven times.’

“Mañjuśrī, those are the eight great aspirations that were proclaimed by the blessed Thus-Gone One Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja. That is why, Mañjuśrī, even in one hundred years, no one but the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddhas and the bodhisattvas dwelling on the ten levels—not even the hearers and solitary buddhas—could describe the aspirations, powerful states of absorption, actions to ripen beings, bodhisattva conduct, worship and service to the thus-gone ones, emanations, purification of buddhafields, and bodhisattva attendants that the blessed Thus-Gone One Supari­kīrtita­nāma­dheyaśrī­rāja has brought forth ever since he first generated the mind of awakening. F.252.a

“Mañjuśrī, that is why faithful sons and daughters of good family, kings, ministers, and householders who pursue good qualities should bear the name of that thus-gone one in mind and recite it in order to be free from all manner of hatred and afflictions. If they are devout and make offerings to that thus-gone one, all their misdeeds, all their karmic obscurations, and all their illnesses will be completely pacified. All their hopes will be fulfilled, and they will not regress on the path to the awakening of a buddha.

“Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in seven Gaṅgā rivers, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja, who is adorned with a precious jewel, a moon, and a lotus,^[3] lives in the world Abounding in Jewels. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma, teaching only the instructions of the Great Vehicle to bodhisattvas.

“Mañjuśrī, long ago, when that thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddha was practicing bodhisattva conduct, he made the following eight great aspirations:

“For his first great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, when beings bear in mind and mentally recite my name, may my power cause any who delight in agricultural work and commerce, who deviate from virtuous qualities due to their many distractions, who lose their focus on the mind of awakening, who do not attain freedom from the sufferings of cyclic existence, and who each experience their own particular saṃsāric sufferings—growing old, getting sick, dying, experiencing mental anguish, wailing, F.252.b suffering, and being unhappy and disturbed—to obtain an abundance of clothing, food, drink, wealth, property, money, grain, riches, and gold, as soon as they wish for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May these virtuous qualities allow them to prosper. May their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening. May they be liberated from all the suffering of the three lower rebirths and the hell realms.’

“For that blessed one’s second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings in this great trichiliocosm that are born from an egg, born from a womb, born from heat and moisture, or miraculously born, whose bodies are tormented by cold, heat, hunger, and thirst and afflicted by pain, to hear my name. When they recollect and recite my name, may they purify the karmic obscurations from their previous lives. May that be their final rebirth. May they be free from all manner of painful rebirth for as long as it takes to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they experience the joy of a god in the god realms.’

“For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any women in this great trichiliocosm whose bodies are full of all sorts of miserable afflictions, F.253.a who dislike the condition of being a woman, and who suffer pain when they give birth, to hear my name. When they recollect and recite my name, may they bring an end to all these agonies and all their suffering. May that be their final rebirth. May they be reborn as men for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’

“For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who are threatened by death, enemies, and the wilderness; whose parents, sisters, friends, and kin each also experience mental anguish; and whose bodies are pierced by the thorn of suffering and mental anguish, to hear my name. When they hear and recite my name, may all threats related to death, enemies, and the wilderness be pacified, and may they be free from mental anguish and suffering for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’

“For his fifth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who wander in the thick darkness of night engaged in various tasks who are tormented by various types of evil spirits and who cry out in fear, to no longer experience any such darkness for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name. May all the evil spirits become benevolent, and may they redirect their efforts toward various forms of worship and service.’ F.253.b

“For his sixth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who have inferior aspirations and who are of little intelligence, have dull memories, and have lost all recollection of the virtuous qualities, powers, aspects of awakening, absorptions, and methods of retention, as well as of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, to actualize the absorptions, mindfulnesses, powers, aspects of awakening, and methods of retention for as long as it takes them to attain awakening when they bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name. May they pursue great insight.’

“For his seventh great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, when beings bear my name in mind and mentally recite my name, may my power cause any who have inferior aspirations, who develop interest in the vehicle of hearers and solitary buddhas and remain in one of those vehicles, and who thus turn their backs on unsurpassed and perfect awakening, to not regress on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they turn their backs on the vehicles of the hearers and solitary buddhas, and may their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening.’

“For his eighth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, when Jambudvīpa is set ablaze at the dissolution of the great eon and is engulfed in ravenous flames, may my power cause any beings who weep, experience mental anguish, F.254.a and experience the suffering caused by their previous nonvirtuous actions, and who have no refuge or protector, to be free from all suffering and mental anguish. May they be cooled,^[4] and when they pass away, may they take miraculous rebirth in my buddhafield upon a lion throne in the center of a lotus by bearing my name in mind and mentally reciting my name.’

“Mañjuśrī, those are the eight great aspirations that the Blessed One made long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct. Mañjuśrī, the buddhafield of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja, who is adorned with a precious jewel, a moon, and a lotus, is even, wide, spacious, and flat like the palm of a hand. It is ornamented with divinely scented trees. It has a pure and flawless fragrance and is adorned with divinely scented flowers. The music of celestial instruments and melodious songs fills the air. It is adorned with webs of tinkling bells made of divine jewels and decorated with a divine jeweled lion throne. It is ornamented with divine jeweled pools. The ground is soft and smooth, and there are no mountains, stones, pebbles, or thorns. There is no such thing as the female gender. There are no derivative afflictions, and everyone is at the level of a nonregressing bodhisattva. All the bodhisattvas there are miraculously born on a lion throne in the center of a lotus, and their bodies are all perfectly adorned with divine jeweled clothing and ornaments. In that buddhafield, all clothing, food, drink, bedding, fragrances, flowers, and garlands, all the pleasures of a bodhisattva, all the necessities of a living being, and F.254.b all the wealth consisting of divine jewels appear as soon as they think of them. That is why that world is called Abounding in Jewels.

“Mañjuśrī, that is why faithful sons and daughters of good family as well as kings and princes should focus on the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Kuśala­tejonir­ghoṣa­rāja, who is adorned with a precious jewel, a moon, and a lotus, three times each day and three times each night. They should bear it in mind with the highest devotion and have faith in it. They should commission a statue of that thus-gone one and make offerings to it with flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, music, and oil lamps. They should maintain the eightfold precepts and purify themselves for seven days. Then they should sit in a spot that has been purified, pronounce the aspiration to be born in that buddhafield, and generate an attitude of love and compassion toward all beings.

“If they do this, the Thus-Gone One will turn their attention toward them and the bodhisattva great beings will think of them. All their misdeeds and all their karmic obscurations will be purified. Their thoughts will never stray from the mind of awakening, and desire, hatred, and delusion will vanish. They will have long lives and be free from illness. Anything upon which they set their intention will come to pass, and all fighting, quarreling, arguing, and disputes will cease. When they pass away, all their misdeeds will have been eliminated, and they will take miraculous rebirth in that buddhafield upon a lion throne in the center of a lotus. As soon as they are born, they will manifest the absorptions and methods of retention. Mañjuśrī, such are the many good qualities that incur to one who retains the name of that blessed thus-gone one. F.255.a

“Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in five Gaṅgā rivers the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi lives in the world Heaped with Jewels and Full of Perfume. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma accompanied by billions of bodhisattva attendants.

“Mañjuśrī, long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, that blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddha proclaimed the following four great aspirations:

“For his first great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who commit murder, who perform various nonvirtuous acts of killing, who kill various types of living beings, and who, because they have killed, will have short lifespans, many illnesses, and suffer untimely deaths by drowning, poison, weaponry, fire, and various diseases hear my name. By retaining it and making offerings, may they purify those karmic obscurations, may they have long lives and be free of illness, and may anyone who might have suffered an untimely death not suffer an untimely death.’

“For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have committed various misdeeds and nonvirtuous actions, who have been born in poor households because they stole another person’s wealth, who are destitute, whose bodies are tormented by hunger and thirst, and who experience suffering hear my name. By retaining it, may all their misdeeds be purified F.255.b for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they be powerful and prosperous, and may they lack nothing.’

“For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who harbor thoughts of harming one another and who kill and fight one another hear my name and thereby come to love one another like parents love a child^[5] for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening.’

“For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, after hearing my name, may my power cause any beings who are veiled by desire, hatred, and delusion—who have faulty ethics and commit misdeeds, violate the trainings of the thus-gone ones, fall into the three lower realms, and proceed to the hell realms—to have all their karmic obscurations purified for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they be free from the derivative afflictions, and may they maintain perfect discipline. May they maintain their vows in body, speech, and mind, and may their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening.’ Those, Mañjuśrī, are the four aspirations that the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi proclaimed long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct.

“Mañjuśrī, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, F.256.a perfect Buddha Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi’s buddhafield is a place where the ground contains various precious fragrances and has the sweet smell of snake’s delight sandalwood. It is even, spacious, wide, and beautified by fragrant snake’s delight sandalwood trees hung with divine jewels, decorative pearl garlands, and precious jewels. There are pools made of divine, precious gems and that are filled with perfumed water. The trees are festooned and adorned with silk streamers, and precious threads form webs between them. There are no derivative afflictions and no suffering or unhappiness. There is no such thing as the female gender. The sound of music, instruments, and songs of bodhisattvas are heard without anyone playing them. The melody of nature devoid of substance and the melody of the teachings of the Great Vehicle resound from those instruments, and anyone who hears this no longer regresses on the path to the awakening of a buddha. Mañjuśrī, such are the skillful means of that blessed one’s previous aspirations and the fantastic array of good qualities of his buddhafield.

“The power of the aspirations that the blessed thus-gone Suvarṇa­bhadra­vimala­ratna­prabhā­savrata­siddhi made before becoming a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening led him to sit at the foot of the Bodhi tree and see that all beings are veiled by desire, hatred, and delusion. He saw that all beings have bodies tormented by various diseases, that they are harmed by death, enemies, and the wilderness, and that they are on the way to becoming hell beings whose lifespans last an entire eon. So, for their benefit and to set them on the path to the awakening of a buddha, he taught the following dhāraṇī mantra verses that eliminate all karmic obscurations: F.256.b

“tadyathā siddhe siddhe susiddhe mocani mokṣaṇi mukte vimukte amale vimale māṅgalye hiranya­garbhe ratna­garbhe sarvārthasādhani para­mārthasādhani manase mahā­manase adbhute atyadbhute vītabhaye suvarṇe^[6] brahmaghoṣe brahmādhyuṣite sarvārtheṣu^[7] aparājite sarva­trāpratihate catuḥṣaṣṭhi­bhūtakoṭi­bhāṣite namaḥ sarva­tathāgatānāṃ ­svāhā.”

When the Blessed One spoke this dhāraṇī mantra, the entire gathering of bodhisattvas, Śakra, Brahmā, and all the guardians of the world praised the Blessed One saying, “Wonderful! Blessed One, it is wonderful that you have proclaimed this dhāraṇī mantra verse to show love to all beings, to clear away all their misdeeds, pacify all their illnesses, and fulfill all their hopes.”

“My friends,” the Blessed One replied, “If any son or daughter of good family or any king, prince, or male or female layperson who seeks such good qualities retains these dhāraṇī verses, recites them, masters them, cultivates faith in them, reflects on an attitude of compassion toward all beings three times each day and three times each night, makes a pure offering with flowers, incense, and perfume, and acts according to the eightfold path of noble beings, all their misdeeds including the five inexpiable acts and the rest will be purified. When they pass away, they will be born in that world, where they will take miraculous birth upon a lion throne in the middle of a lotus. All their illnesses and all manner of threats related to death, enemies, and the wilderness will be pacified. F.257.a When they die, the Thus-Gone One will turn their attention toward them, and all their hopes and wishes will be fulfilled.

“Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in seven Gaṅgā rivers, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī lives in the world Without Anguish. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma. Mañjuśrī, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī’s buddhafield is even like the palm of one’s hand, wide, and spacious. There is no mental anguish and there are no lower realms or cries of suffering. There is no such thing as the female gender. The ground is soft and very smooth. The scent of divine perfume fills the air, and it is beautified by trees made of divine precious jewels. There are divine pools made of gold from the Jambū river that are filled with perfumed water. The trees are made of the seven precious substances and covered with flowers and fruit. This buddhafield is filled with divine music and the sound of instruments. In short, Mañjuśrī, it is just like the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Amitābha’s buddhafield Sukhāvatī. Mañjuśrī, such is the array of good qualities of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī’s buddhafield.

“Mañjuśrī, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī proclaimed the following four great aspirations long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct:

“For his first great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are anguished, who suffer, F.257.b who are unhappy, and who experience a great deal of conflict and various kinds of suffering hear my name. After they hear and think about my name, may my power quell all of their mental anguish, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict. May none of them ever experience the suffering of being separated from what they hold dear, and may they have long lives.’

“For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause the light that radiates from my body to shine on any beings who commit various misdeeds and nonvirtuous actions and who are thus reborn in the great hells, or in the Great Avīci Hell where they are shrouded in thick darkness. May the light touch those hell beings and purify all their misdeeds as soon as they see it. May they be liberated from the sufferings of the great hells, and may it bring an end to all their pain. May they experience the joy of the divine and human realms for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening.’

“For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have committed misdeeds and nonvirtuous actions in a previous life, who were born into a poor household of low standing because they stole another person’s property, and who thus do not have clothing, food, drink, bedding, or jewelry, those who suffer from both cold and heat, those whose bodies are tormented by hunger and thirst, and those who have poor complexions hear and recite my name. As a result, may they possess clothing, food, drink, and bedding for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening, F.258.a and may their bodies take on beautiful, divine complexions.’

“For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are tormented and have their vital energy stolen by yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, and piśācas and thus suffer from the various types of suffering related to illness hear my name. May my power cause all the yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, and piśācas who steal beings’ vital energy to be pacified and benevolent toward those people for as long as it takes them to become perfect buddhas who have manifested unsurpassed and perfect awakening. May they be liberated from the various types of suffering related to illness.’ Mañjuśrī, those are the four great aspirations that this blessed one proclaimed.

“Mañjuśrī, those who hear the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Aśokottamaśrī should recite it three times each day and three times each night and cultivate benevolence toward all beings. All the karmic obscurations of those who make offerings to that thus-gone one will be purified. They will be free from mental anguish, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict. They will always be healthy, they will have long lives, and they will be free from all manner of illnesses. They will never fall into lower rebirths for as long as it takes them to attain awakening, and they will remember their former rebirths. They will take miraculous rebirth in that thus-gone one’s buddhafield on a lion throne bedecked with the seven precious substances in the middle of a lotus, and all the gods will protect them. Mañjuśrī, such are the many good qualities related to reciting the name of that thus-gone one.

“Mañjuśrī, that blessed one’s F.258.b buddhafield possesses such an abundant array of good qualities and his previous bodhisattva aspirations were so vast that except for the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddhas, no one, not even the hearers and solitary buddhas, can express them.

“Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in eight Gaṅgā rivers, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa lives in the world Victory Banner of the Dharma. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma. Mañjuśrī, the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa’s buddhafield is utterly pure. It is even, stainless, luminous, and like blue sapphire. The outer walls, fences, windows, archways, latticework, and turrets are made of crystal. The ground is adorned with trees made of divine jewels and covered with golden threads in a checkered pattern. All the jeweled trees are decorated and draped with lattices of tinkling bells and beautified with divine silk tassels, divine flowers, and perfumes. There are pools made of the seven precious substances and filled with perfumed water. When the lattices of tinkling bells stir and shake in the breeze, their pleasant, divine melody brings joy to all beings. The Dharma sound of the nature devoid of substance fills the air, and the Dharma sound of the Great Vehicle resounds from the music of divine instruments. The beings who hear this sound of the Dharma become free from desire, hatred, and delusion and attain the absorption called not forgetting the mind of awakening. F.259.a Mañjuśrī, in that world there are no lower realms, no cries of suffering, and no derivative afflictions, and there is no such thing as the female gender.

“That Blessed One proclaimed the following four great aspirations long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct:

“For his first great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are born into a house that maintains wrong views, who have no faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and who are far from focusing on the mind of awakening hear my name. By my power, may their karmic obscurations be eliminated, and may they adopt the correct view for as long as it takes them to attain awakening. May they possess unbreakable faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, and may they never regress from focusing on the mind of awakening.’

“For his second great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who have been born in border countries where they have not heard the terms Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, who engage in unwholesome actions because of the nonvirtuous company they keep, and who fall into the three lower realms after they pass away and lose all their virtuous qualities to hear my name. When they do, may the sound of the Dharma fill the air like clouds of Dharma or crashing waves. Upon hearing this, may all the karma of their previous lives be eliminated, and may their thoughts never stray from the mind of awakening for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’

“For his third great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my power cause any beings who lack clothing, jewelry, F.259.b perfumes, garlands, ointments, bedding, and medicine, who suffer because of what they lack, and who perform misdeeds to have clothing, jewelry, perfumes, garlands, ointments, bedding, medicines, material possessions, and wealth as soon as they think about them, and may they lack nothing. May none of them lack anything in any way whatsoever for as long as it takes them to attain liberation.’

“For his fourth great aspiration he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have become a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who quarrel, fight, argue, and dispute with one another due to the ripening of their karma from a previous life, who are trained to harm and kill one another, and who strike one another with blades, arrows, and clubs hear my name and keep it in mind. By my power, when they mentally recite my name, may the arrows, blades, clubs and the like be repelled and turned back. May all their enemies become friends, and may no one lose their life. May they be content with their own material possessions, wealth, and power for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’ Mañjuśrī, such were the four great aspirations that the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa made long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct.

“Mañjuśrī, all who hear the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa, bear it in mind, cultivate faith in it, and make offerings with utter devotion will purify all their misdeeds. F.260.a They will not regress on the path to the awakening of a buddha, in all their future lifetimes they will remember their past lives, and their thoughts will never stray from the mind of awakening. They will meet with the thus-gone ones in all their rebirths, and they will always be healthy and live long lives. When they pass away, they will be born in that world, and they will never again fall to the lower realms. Wherever they are born, they will possess clothing, jewelry, perfumes, garlands, ointments, bedding, medicines, necessities, material possessions, and power as soon as they think of them. Mañjuśrī, such are the many good qualities associated with bearing in mind and hearing the name of the thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharmakīrtisāgaraghoṣa.

“Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in nine Gaṅgā rivers, the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharma­sāgarā­gramati­vikrīḍitā­bhijñā­rāja lives in the world Standing in an Ocean of Jewels. There he lives, resides, and teaches the Dharma.

“Mañjuśrī, long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, that blessed one proclaimed the following four great aspirations:

“For his first great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I attain awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, wherever there are beings who work the fields, sow seeds, trade in goods, fight battles, delight in arguing, and perform misdeeds, may they hear my name. By my power, may they gain an abundance of all manner of goods as soon as they think of them. May they have no ill intent and may their behavior always be virtuous.’ F.260.b

“For his second great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I attain awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have taken the path of the ten nonvirtues and will thus proceed to the hell realms hear my name. By my power, may they take the path of the ten virtues, and may they not proceed to the hell realms.’

“For his third great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have come under another person’s control, who are arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and sentenced to death, hear my name, and may my light prevent them from being bound and beaten for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’

“For the fourth great aspiration when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who have committed various types of unvirtuous misdeeds that shorten one’s lifespan hear my name at the moment of death. After hearing my name, may they take rebirth in the joyful, heavenly realms. May they experience the happiness of divine and human births for as long as it takes them to attain awakening, and may all the karma of their misdeeds be purified.’ Mañjuśrī, those are the four great aspirations that the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Dharma­sāgarā­gramati­vikrīḍitā­bhijñā­rāja F.261.a proclaimed long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct.

“Mañjuśrī, the array of good qualities of his buddhafield—the world Standing in an Ocean of Jewels—is just like that in the world Abounding in Jewels. Mañjuśrī, any son or daughter of good family who hears the names of the seven perfect buddhas, and after hearing them bears them in mind, reflects upon them after waking in the morning, cultivates faith in them, makes offerings to them with flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, music, instruments, and drums, writes them in a book and carries it, copies this Dharma discourse, commissions it to be written, reveres it, hears it from someone else, and performs offerings to those Dharma teachers using all manner of implements and articles, shall be blessed by all the buddhas and pursue the path of becoming a perfect buddha for as long as it takes to attain the awakening of a buddha.” B2^[8]

“Mañjuśrī, to the east of this buddhafield, past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in ten Gaṅgā rivers, lives the blessed Buddha Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha in the world Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa. He is a thus-gone, worthy, and perfect buddha, someone endowed with knowledge and good conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who tames people, an unsurpassed being, and a teacher of gods and humans.

“Mañjuśrī, long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct, the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha proclaimed the following twelve great aspirations: F.261.b

“For his first great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my body’s radiance illuminate innumerable, limitless, and immeasurable worlds, warm them, and make them shine. May all beings be adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great person and the eighty minor marks, just as I am.’

“For his second great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my body be like a precious blue beryl gem—pure inside and out, and radiating a stainless light. May I manifest a broad and tall body that stands firm, is ablaze with glory and splendor, and is adorned with a halo of light so bright that it outshines the sun and moon. May my light allow any beings who are born in the dark spaces between worlds, and those here in the human world who travel to various places during the dark of night, to proceed joyfully, and may they perform virtuous deeds.’

“For his third great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may my boundless wisdom and skillful means furnish immeasurable realms of beings with inexhaustible wealth, and may no one lack anything.’

“For his fourth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, F.262.a may any beings who have set out on the wrong path be set upon the path to awakening. May all those who have entered the path of the hearers and who have entered the path of the solitary buddhas be led to the Great Vehicle.’

“For his fifth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any beings who are close to me practice pure conduct. Likewise, may a limitless and boundless number of other beings hear my name, and may my power cause them to be bound by the three vows and have uncorrupted discipline. May no one engage in incorrect discipline and proceed to the lower realms.’

“For his sixth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may beings who have weak constitutions, impaired faculties, or poor complexions; who are dumb, lame, hunchbacked, or have vitiligo; who have only one eye, are blind, deaf, or mentally ill; and whose bodies are otherwise affected by illness hear my name. When they do, may all their faculties become whole and their bodies intact.’

“For his seventh great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may beings whose bodies are afflicted by various types of illnesses, who are vulnerable, who are defenseless, who lack necessities and medicines, who have no one to care for them, who are poor, and who suffer hear my name, and may all their illnesses be quelled. F.262.b May they be healthy and live free from harm for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’

“For his eighth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may any women who are afflicted by the hundreds of disadvantages of being a woman, who dislike being of the female gender, and who want to be free from the condition of being a woman, leave behind their female gender and be born as a man for as long as it takes them to attain awakening.’

“For his ninth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may I release all beings from Māra’s bonds. May I establish in the correct view those who are in opposition due to their divergent, contrasting, and disturbed views. In due order, may I teach them the conduct of a bodhisattva.’

“For his tenth great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may the power of my merit free from all manner of harm any beings who are terrified because they fear their king, and who are bound, beaten, tortured, sentenced to death, persecuted due to many false accusations, dishonored, and who are pained by bodily, verbal, or mental suffering.’

“For his eleventh great aspiration, he proclaimed, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may I provide food that is vibrant, aromatic, and savory to satiate the bodies of any beings who F.263.a are scorched by the fire of hunger and thirst, who expend great effort searching for food, and who commit sinful actions. Then, may I make them even happier with the taste of the Dharma.’

“That Thus-gone One’s twelfth great aspiration was, ‘In the future, when I have attained awakening as a perfect buddha who has realized unsurpassed and perfect awakening, may I provide those sentient beings who are naked, have no clothes, are poor, suffering, and who are miserable day and night due to cold, heat, flies, and biting insects, with clothes that suit their needs and are dyed in bright colors. May I fulfill all the wishes of beings with whatever types of jewelry, ornaments, garlands, perfumes, ointments, music, instruments, and drums they desire.’ Mañjuśrī, those are the twelve great aspirations that the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha proclaimed long ago, when he was practicing bodhisattva conduct.

“Mañjuśrī, the aspirations of the Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja and the array of good qualities of his buddhafield cannot be exhausted over the course of an eon or even more than an eon. His buddhafield is utterly pure. There are no stones, pebbles, or gravel; there are no faults related to desire; there are no cries of suffering and the lower realms; and there is no such thing as the female gender. The foundation, walls, fences, archways, latticework windows, and turrets are made of blue beryl, and the pillar capitals^[9] are made of the seven precious substances. F.263.b The array of good qualities of the world Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa is equal to that of the world Sukhāvatī.

“There are two bodhisattva great beings who are foremost among the immeasurable and innumerable bodhisattvas in that world. The first is named Sūryavairocana and the second is named Candravairocana. These two maintain the treasury of the holy Dharma of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha. Mañjuśrī, that is why a faithful son or daughter of good family should make the aspiration to be born in that buddhafield.”

The Blessed One continued to address Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta saying, “Mañjuśrī, there are ordinary beings who do not know about virtue and nonvirtue. They are overcome by greed and do not understand how generosity and the ripened result of generosity. They are childish and foolish, lacking the capacity for faith. As they strive to accumulate and maintain wealth, their minds are not disposed toward generosity and sharing. When it is time to give a gift, they become dejected as if they were cutting the flesh from their own bodies. Many of those beings do not even allow themselves to enjoy material wealth,^[10] let alone provide for their parents, wives, sons, and daughters, their male and female servants and employees, and for beggars.

“When such beings pass away, they are reborn in the hungry ghost realm or as animals. For those among them who have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha in their previous lives as humans—whether they find themselves in the world of Yama or in the animal realm—that Thus-gone One’s F.264.a name will appear there before them. Simply be recollecting it, after they eventually pass away, they will once again be born in the human realm. They will remember their former lifetimes, grow anxious out of fear of the lower realms, and no longer concern themselves with sense pleasures. They will delight in generosity, promote generosity, and give away everything that they own. Eventually, they will even give their own head, hands, feet, eyes, flesh, and blood to anyone who asks, let alone other things like accumulated wealth.

“Moreover, Mañjuśrī, there are beings who hold^[11] the precepts of the thus-gone ones, yet violate discipline and engage in wrong views. Those who maintain discipline but do not seek erudition do not understand the profound meaning of the discourses that the Thus-Gone One has taught. Those who do become erudite develop excessive pride, and because they are overcome by their pride, they act with jealousy toward others, and misuse and forsake the holy Dharma. Such foolish people who side with Māra pursue a bad path themselves and cause many billions of other beings to fall into the great abyss. Those beings are reborn amidst the horrors of hell.

“For those who have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha in a previous life as a human being, even for those who live in the hell realms, the power of the Buddha will cause the name of that thus-gone one to appear before them. Then, when they pass away, they will be reborn in the human realm. They will maintain the correct view, be diligent, and their minds will be predisposed toward virtue. They will leave home, go forth in the teaching of the Thus-Gone One, and will finally practice bodhisattva conduct. F.264.b

“Moreover, Mañjuśrī, there are beings who praise themselves and denigrate others out of jealousy. Beings who sing their own praises and denigrate others will suffer in the three lower realms for many thousands of years. After many thousands of years have passed, they will pass away and be reborn in the animal realm as cows, horses, camels, donkeys, and so forth. They will be beaten with whips and rods, their bodies will be afflicted by hunger and thirst, and they will have to carry great loads as they move along the road. Even if they do attain a human birth,^[12] they will always be born into families of low standing, be servants, and be under another person’s control.

“Those who have heard the name of the blessed, thus-gone, worthy, and perfect Buddha Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha in a previous life as a human being will be liberated from all manner of suffering due to that root of virtue. They will be intelligent, learned, bright,^[13] prudent, focused on pursuing virtue, and will always find company with a spiritual teacher. They will cut Māra’s bonds, crush the eggshell of ignorance, and dry up the river of the afflictions. They will be liberated from birth, old age, death, anguish, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and conflict.

“Mañjuśrī, there are also those beings who delight in slander and beings who instigate fights, arguments, and disputes with one another. Such contentious beings commit various types of nonvirtuous actions with their body, speech, and mind. They do not wish to benefit one another and constantly try to harm one another. F.265.a They summon a forest deity, tree deity, or mountain deity, or they summon the various spirits in the charnel grounds. They kill beings who have taken birth as animals and offer them to the yakṣas and rākṣasas who eat flesh and blood. They utter the name of their enemy or create an effigy, cast a violent spell at them, and enlist a kākhorda or vetāla to create obstacles in their life with the hope that they will destroy their enemy’s body. However, no one can create obstacles for those who have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha. Such people are loving to one another, beneficent, free from ill will, and satisfied with their own possessions.

“Moreover, Mañjuśrī, among the fourfold assembly of monks, nuns, male lay practitioners, and female lay practitioners, as well as among other faithful sons or daughters of good family who observe the eightfold precepts, there are some who maintain the precepts for one year or three months. If they develop an aspiration, saying, ‘Due to my root of virtue, may I be reborn in the west in Sukhāvatī, the world where the Thus-Gone One Amitāyus resides,’ they will hear the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha. Then, at the moment of death, the eight bodhisattvas will miraculously appear, show them the way, and they will take miraculous birth there upon brightly colored lotuses.

“Some will be born in the god realms, and after they are born there, their previous roots of virtue will never be exhausted, and they will not proceed to the lower realms. After they pass away, they will become universal emperors with dominion over the four continents in this human realm, F.265.b and they will establish many billions of beings on the path of the ten virtuous actions.

“Others will be born in great kṣatriya households, born in great brahmin households, born in great landowning households, and born in households whose treasuries and storehouses contain and abundance of riches and grain. They will have excellent physiques, be powerful, have attendants, be courageous and heroic, and have the strength of a great champion. Any woman who should hear the Thus-Gone One’s name and bear it in mind should know that it is the last time she will be of the female gender.”^[14]

At that point Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta told the Blessed One, “Blessed One, in the future I will proclaim the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha in various ways to those faithful sons and daughters of good family who hold this discourse, recite it, explain it, teach it correctly and in detail to others, copy it, commission it to be copied, write it in a book, and venerate it with flowers, incense, garlands, ointments, parasols, and victory banners. I will proclaim it so that they will even hear that buddha’s name in their dreams.

“They will wrap this discourse with cloths of the five different colors and place it in a clean area. The Four Great Kings with their retinues and billions of deities will gather wherever this discourse is located. Those who retain the name of the blessed Thus-Gone One Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha and this discourse on the detailed account of his previous aspirations will not suffer untimely deaths. No one will be able to steal their vital energy, and if it has been stolen, they will take it back.” F.266.a

The Blessed One replied, “It is so, Mañjuśrī. What you say is true. Mañjuśrī, a faithful son or daughter of good family who makes offerings to that thus-gone one should make a statue of that thus-gone one and observe the fast associated with the noble eightfold precepts for seven days and seven nights. They should eat pure food and thoroughly wash their body. They should wear fine, clean clothes. Then, in a clean area, they should scatter the petals of various flowers and perfume the area with various fragrances. They should then decorate the place with various cloths, parasols, and banners. There, they should then cultivate a stainless mind, an untainted mind, a mind free from ill intent, a benevolent mind, an impartial mind, and an equanimous mind. They should then play music, instruments, and sing songs as they circumambulate the statue of that thus-gone one.

“If they contemplate his previous aspirations and teach this discourse, all their wishes and aspirations will be fulfilled. If they aspire to a long life, they will have a long life. If they pray for wealth, they will have wealth. If they pray to become a powerful ruler, they will achieve that with little trouble. If they wish for a son, they will have a son.

“If someone has a bad dream, sees a crow or a bad omen somewhere, or dwells in a location where the one hundred inauspicious things^[15] are present and venerates the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha with the various types of offerings, then the bad dreams, bad omens, and inauspicious things will no longer appear.

“If those who face dangers from fire, dangers from water, dangers from weapons, dangers from poison, F.266.b dangers from steep cliffs, dangers from raging elephants, dangers from lions, dangers from tigers, dangers from bears, hyenas, and poisonous snakes, and dangers from snakes, scorpions, and spiders^[16] have made offerings^[17] to that thus-gone one, they will be freed from all manner of dangers. Those who face dangers from enemy armies, dangers from thieves, and dangers from bandits should also make offerings to that thus-gone one.

“Moreover, Mañjuśrī, if any faithful sons or daughters of good family who maintain taking refuge in the Three Jewels for as long as they live and have no other tutelary deity, maintain the five precepts, maintain the ten precepts, maintain the four hundred vows and precepts of a bodhisattva, are monks who have left home and maintain the two hundred and fifty precepts, or are nuns who maintain the five hundred precepts, should break any one of the precepts among the vows and precepts they have taken and are anxious and afraid of falling into the lower realms and then make offerings to the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha, they should know that they will not suffer rebirth in the three lower realms.^[18]

“If any woman giving birth who experiences intense, fierce, and unbearable suffering makes offerings to the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha, she will immediately be liberated from that suffering. The child will be born with all its limbs intact, and it will have a good physique, be handsome, good looking, have sharp faculties, be intelligent, healthy, and have few difficulties. Nonhuman beings will not be able to steal its vital energy.”

At that point the Blessed One asked venerable Ānanda, F.267.a “Ānanda, do you trust and believe in the good qualities of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja that I have described? Are you uncertain, or do you have any reservations or doubts about this profound buddha domain?”

“Respected Blessed One,” venerable Ānanda replied, “I am not uncertain, nor do I have any reservations or doubts about the qualities that the Thus-Gone One has described, because the thus-gone ones have no impure conduct of body, speech, and mind. Blessed One, even such miraculous and powerful beings as the sun and the moon might fall to the earth, and even Sumeru, the king of mountains, might move from its base, but the word of the buddhas is never incorrect. Yet still, respected Blessed One, there are beings who lack the capacity for faith, and when they hear about this buddha domain of the buddhas,^[19] they will wonder ‘How can such good qualities and benefits come about by merely recollecting the name of that thus-gone one?’ Because they have no faith, do not believe, and reject this, for a long time they will suffer injuries, lack medicines, be unhappy, and fall into the lower realms.”

The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, it is untenable and impossible for someone who has had the name of that thus-gone one resound in their ear to be reborn in the lower realms. Ānanda, the domain of the buddhas is difficult to believe. Ānanda, the faith and belief you have should be seen as the power of the Thus-Gone One.^[20] This is something that only bodhisattva great beings who are one birth away from awakening possess—not hearers and solitary buddhas.^[21]F.267.b

“Ānanda, attaining a human life is rare, and faith and devotion toward the Three Jewels is rare, but hearing the name of that thus-gone one is even more rare. Ānanda, the bodhisattva conduct of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabha is immeasurable, his skillful means is immeasurable, and the detailed account of his aspirations is immeasurable. If I wanted to explain that thus-gone one’s bodhisattva conduct accurately and extensively for an eon or the remainder of an eon, the eon would come to an end before I could complete that detailed account of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja’s previous aspirations.”

At that point, from among the gathering a bodhisattva great being named Trāṇamukta rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One with his palms together, and said to the Blessed One, “Respected Blessed One, in the future there will be beings whose bodies are tormented by various types of illnesses. Their limbs will atrophy due to chronic illness and their lips and throats will be parched from hunger and thirst. They will be heading for their demise surrounded by weeping friends, acquaintances, and relatives. They will see darkness in all directions and be led by Yama’s servants.

“While such a person’s body is still lying there, the consciousness will be brought before the Dharma King Yama. The god who was born with that person^[22] and who has recorded all of that person’s virtuous and nonvirtuous actions in writing will then present them to the Dharma King Yama. The Dharma King Yama will then question and interrogate the person and issue his judgment based on how many of their actions were virtuous or nonvirtuous. F.268.a

“If the friends, acquaintances, and relatives^[23] of those who are ill take refuge in the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja and perform the offering in this way to benefit them, their consciousness will turn back and make its way, just as if they had been dreaming, to the place where they had been. For some the consciousness will return on the seventh day, for some on the twenty-first, thirty-fifth, or forty-ninth day, and they will remember what happened to them. The ripening of virtuous and nonvirtuous actions will now be clear to them, and they will no longer commit unwholesome actions, even at the expense of their life. Therefore, faithful sons or daughters of good family should make offerings to that thus-gone one.”^[24]

Venerable Ānanda then asked the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta, “Son of good family, how should one perform such an offering to the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja?”

The bodhisattva Trāṇamukta replied, “Venerable Ānanda, those who want to free someone from a grave illness should observe the eightfold purification vows for seven days and seven nights to benefit the sick person. They should make as many offerings as possible to the monastic saṅgha of food, drink, and provisions, and offer service. They should focus on the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja three times each day and three times each night. They should recite this discourse forty-nine times, offer oil lamps for forty-nine days, and make seven statues. They should place seven oil lamps in front of each statue, and each of the oil lamps should be as large as a chariot wheel to ensure that the oil lamps will not go out during the forty-nine days. They should make more than forty-nine five-colored flags. F.268.b

“Respected Ānanda, if anointed kṣatriya kings face a threat of injury, disaster, and conflict that is related to an illness, their own or an enemy army, a lunar asterism, a lunar eclipse, a solar eclipse, unseasonable winds and rains, and drought, then those anointed kṣatriya kings^[25] should be benevolent toward all beings. If they release their prisoners and perform the aforementioned offering to the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja, the roots of virtue of those anointed kṣatriya kings and this detailed account of the previous aspiration prayers of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja will ensure that the country will be happy, crops will be good, the winds and rains will come on time, and there will be a successful harvest. All the beings who live in that country will be healthy and happy and will abound in supreme joy. The wicked yakṣas, rākṣasas, bhūtas, and piśācas in that country will not harm beings. No evil omens will appear, and the lifespans, complexions, energy, health, and power of those anointed kṣatriya kings will increase.”

Then venerable Ānanda asked the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta, “Son of good family, how is it that someone’s lifespan may be restored after it has been exhausted?”

“Respected Ānanda,” the bodhisattva Trāṇamukta replied, “have you not heard from the Thus-Gone One that premature death may be of nine types? It is for this reason that he has taught the use of mantras and medicines? F.269.a There are beings who contract an illness, and even though that illness is not very severe, they either lack both medicine and nurses or the doctors administer the wrong medicine. This is the first type of untimely death. The second type of untimely death is when someone is executed as a king’s punishment. The third type of untimely death is when someone is extremely careless, for nonhuman beings steal the vital energy from those who live carelessly. The fourth type of untimely death is when someone is burned by fire and dies. The fifth type of untimely death is when someone dies by drowning. The sixth type of untimely death is when someone dies upon encountering a ferocious predator such as a lion, tiger, jackal, or snake. The seventh type of untimely death is when someone falls off a mountainside into an abyss. The eighth type of untimely death is when someone is killed by poison, a kākhorda, or a vetāla. The ninth type of untimely death is when someone cannot find food and drink and dies of hunger and thirst. This is a brief account of the types of untimely death that the Thus-Gone One has taught, but there are an innumerable and incalculable number of other kinds of untimely death.”

There were twelve great yakṣa generals^[26] gathered in that assembly—the great yakṣa general Kiṃbhīra, the great yakṣa general Vajra, the great yakṣa general Mekhila, the great yakṣa general Antila, the great yakṣa general Anila, the great yakṣa general Saṇṭhila, the great yakṣa general Indala,^[27] the great yakṣa general Pāyila, the great yakṣa general Mahāla, the great yakṣa general Cidāla, the great yakṣa general Caundhula, and the great yakṣa general Vikala.F.269.b

Each great yakṣa general had seven hundred thousand yakṣa attendants, and they all told the Blessed One with a single voice, “Blessed One, due to the Buddha’s power, we have heard the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja, and we will no longer have any fear of proceeding to the lower realms. All of us together, for as long as we live, take refuge in the Buddha, we take refuge in the Dharma, and we take refuge in the Saṅgha. We will diligently work for the benefit, aid, and happiness of all beings. In particular, we will protect any being who practices this sūtra in villages, towns, provinces, and forests, and who remembers the name of the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja, makes offerings to him, and serves him. They will be under our protection, they will be under our care, they will be free from all manner of misfortunes, and we will fulfill their every wish.”

“Very good, very good,” the Blessed One said in response to the great yakṣa generals. “It is excellent that you great yakṣa generals are so grateful toward the blessed Thus-Gone Bhaiṣajya­guru­vaiḍūrya­prabharāja, and that you are so committed to recollecting him and working for the benefit of all beings.”^[28]

At this point, some of the gods in the assembly who were not very intelligent wondered, “How can beings who simply hear and bear in mind the name of those thus-gone ones, who live past as many buddhafields as there are grains of sand in the Gaṅgā river, develop such special qualities?”

The blessed Thus-Gone Śākyamuni mentally perceived those unintelligent gods’ confusion and F.270.a entered into the absorption called invoking the buddhafields of all the thus-gone ones. As soon as the Blessed One rested in that absorption, the entire trichiliocosm trembled, and a great rain of divine sandalwood powder and flowers fell. The seven thus-gone ones themselves came to this Sahā world and appeared along with the blessed Thus-Gone One Śākyamuni, seated on divine lion thrones that arose due to the roots of virtue of those thus-gone ones’ previous actions. They were surrounded by all manner of bodhisattvas, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kings, ministers, brahmins, and householders, and they taught the Dharma.

All the gods and the entire assembly were amazed and applauded the blessed Thus-Gone Śākyamuni saying, “Very good, very good!” The entire assembly made offerings directly to the thus-gone ones with flowers, incense, perfumes, garlands, ointments, ornaments, jewelry, and divine music that arose due to the merit of their own roots of virtue. They circumambulated them three times and all the beings there proclaimed an aspiration saying, “Amazing! The buddha realm of the blessed buddhas, the unique aspirations they made previously, and their skillful means can perform miracles! May all beings attain this buddha realm absorption!”

Then Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta rose from his seat, F.270.b placed his palms together, and circumambulated those thus-gone ones seven times. He then said to the thus-gone ones, “Amazing! The blessing of the thus-gone ones’ absorption, their skillful means, and their ripening of beings is inconceivable! Blessed ones, please pronounce a dhāraṇī verse that has been blessed by the thus-gone ones’ previous aspirations so that, in the future, beings with little merit will be protected and given a refuge from all manner of perilous situations—such as having a body that is tormented by various illnesses, being threatened by beings with ill intentions, planetary influences, and lunar asterisms, or by death, enemies, and the wilderness—and so that when they hold, read, copy, commission a copy, or recite it, the thus-gone ones will turn their attention toward them, they will see the thus-gone ones, and all their wishes will be fulfilled.”

The blessed buddhas said to Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, “Very good, very good. Mañjuśrī, very good! Mañjuśrī, your eloquent request, which you have made out of compassion and for the benefit of all beings, has come about through the blessing of the thus-gone ones. Listen well and pay attention, and we will explain. Mañjuśrī, there is a dhāraṇī called blue beryl radiance that produces the thus-gone ones’ power of absorption. When a son or daughter of good family with a compassionate attitude toward all beings holds^[29] this dhāraṇī, reads it, or makes offerings to it, all their wishes will be fulfilled. F.271.a The thus-gone ones will turn their attention toward them, they will see the thus-gone ones, and they will be born in buddhafields where all their karmic obscurations have been purified away.”

Mañjuśrī asked, “Blessed Ones, what is the dhāraṇī called blue beryl radiance that produces the thus-gone ones’ power of absorption?”

Then the thus-gone ones proclaimed the following dhāraṇī verse with a single melodious voice:

“tadyathā ghume ghume imi nimihi matimati saptatathāgatasamādhyadhiṣṭhite atimate pāle pāpaṃ śodhani sarvapāpaṃ nāśaya mama budhe buddhottame ume kume buddhakṣetrapariśodhani dhame nidhame meru meru meruśikhare sarvākālamṛtyunivāraṇī buddhe subuddhe buddhādhiṣṭhāna rakṣantu me sarvadevā same asame samanvāharantu me sarvabuddhabodhisattvānām śame śame praśamantu me sarva ityupadravavyādhayaḥ pūraṇi pūraṇi pāraya me sarvāśāya vaiḍūryapratibhāse sarvapāpaṃ kṣayaṃ kari svāhā.”

When they spoke this dhāraṇī there was a great light, the entire earth trembled, and miraculous signs appeared. All the beings who were assembled there made offerings of divine perfumes and incense to the thus-gone ones, spoke the words “Very good, very good!” and circumambulated them seven times.

Then the blessed buddhas said, “Any son or daughters of good family who holds^[30] this dhāraṇī, recites it, or makes offerings to it, should purify themselves. Then, in a clean area, they should adopt the noble eightfold precepts and arouse supreme compassion toward all beings. They should then make statues of the seven thus-gone ones and make offerings to the thus-gone ones with flowers, incense, oil lamps, perfumes, F.271.b garlands, music, banners, and flags, and maintain the noble eightfold precepts for seven days.

“If they then recite these dhāraṇī verses one thousand eight times, the thus-gone ones will direct their attention toward them, the bodhisattvas will think of them, and the vajra bearers will protect them. All the gods, Śakra, and all of the brahmā gods, and the Four Great Kings will protect them. All their karmic obscurations, even down to the five inexpiable acts, will be purified. They will not contract any illnesses, they will have long lives, and they will be free from all fears of dying an untimely death. Threats related to death, enemies, and the wilderness, along with all conflicts, arguments, and disputes, will be pacified. They will not come under their enemies’ control, and their every wish will be fulfilled.”

Then the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, the lord of the gods, Śakra, and the Four Great Kings bowed to the Blessed One with their hands together and said, “Blessed One, we have heard the detailed account of these thus-gone ones’ previous aspirations. Blessed One, we have actually seen these thus-gone ones and made offerings to them. Blessed One, we and our attendants will go wherever the names of these thus-gone ones and these dhāraṇī verses are practiced. When any son or daughter of good family holds them, recites them, makes offerings to them, writes them down, F.272.a and commissions them to be written down, we will be there with them. The blessing of these thus-gone ones will protect any son or daughter of good family and any king or minister who upholds the power of this discourse and writes it down.^[31] We will protect their villages, towns, and regions, and we will pacify all manner of threats related to death, enemies, and the wilderness, and all manner of illnesses. Out of our gratitude and love for the thus-gone ones and all beings, we will prevent all manner of untimely death. We will pacify all manner of quarrels, arguments, and disputes, and increase beings’ happiness,^[32] wealth, power, riches, and harvests. We will always protect them. Blessed One, a son or daughter of good family should remember that these are our oaths and vows.

“tadyathā aghu maghu taraghu mamaghu ghure hā hū he mra mra mra mra dzu dzuri dzuri svāhā.

“You should know that anyone who wears the names of the thus-gone ones and this dhāraṇī verse, reads them, writes them down, commissions them to be written down, and makes offerings to them with devotion will never go to the three lower realms. They will never regress on the path to unsurpassed and perfect awakening. They will be reborn in whatever buddhafields they wish, see the thus-gone ones, and remember their past lives. They will attain the absorptions and dhāraṇīs.”

At that point the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi asked the thus-gone ones, F.272.b “Blessed Buddhas, please grant me your permission and I shall pronounce secret dhāraṇī verses for the benefit of those sons and daughters of good family who uphold the power of this discourse.”

The blessed buddhas replied in a single voice, “Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, very well, very well. Vajrapāṇi, you have our permission. Please pronounce the secret dhāraṇī verses so that you may fulfill all your wishes and hopes to benefit those who uphold the power of this discourse.”

The bodhisattva great being Vajrapāṇi then pronounced the following secret dhāraṇī verses:

“Homage to the seven perfect buddhas. Homage to all vajra bearers. tadyathā oṃ vajre vajre mahāvajre vajrapāśadhāraṇi sama sama samanta apratihatavajre śama śama praśamantu sarvavyādhayaḥ kuru kuru sarvakarmāṇi samayam anusmara bhagavān vajrapāṇi sarvāśām me paripūraya svāhā.

“Blessed Ones, I shall fulfill every wish for anyone who bears and recites these names of the thus-gone ones, the detailed account of their previous aspirations, and this Dharma discourse. I will accomplish all their aims. If they wish to see me, they should commission this Dharma discourse to be written down, make seven statues of these thus-gone ones, and create a bodily representation of the Vajra Bearer.^[33] As they pronounce the above dhāraṇī to those thus-gone ones, they should offer perfumes, incense, oil lamps, F.273.a garlands, ornaments, songs, instruments, and drums as they circumambulate them and chant these secret dhāraṇī root verses. They should arouse a loving attitude and the intention to benefit all beings. They should maintain the noble eightfold precepts. They should wash themselves three times and change clothes three times. Then, if they recite the vidyāmantra one hundred and eight times each day from the eighth until the full moon on the fifteenth day of the next month, I will grant them a vision in their dreams, instruct them at length, and fulfill all their hopes.”

The entire retinue of bodhisattvas expressed their approval to the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, saying, “Vajrapāṇi, you have taught these secret dhāraṇī root verses well. Excellent!”

The thus-gone ones said, “Vajrapāṇi, we bless these secret dhāraṇī root verses so that they may benefit all beings, help them, and fulfill all their hopes.” Then the blessed buddhas summoned Śakra, Brahmā, and the world protectors and said, “Friends, since we have entrusted this great Dharma discourse to you, you must make sure to protect this Dharma discourse—a Dharma discourse that is the same as the thus-gone ones, that purifies all misdeeds, and that fulfills all hopes—so that later, during the final five hundred years, F.273.b it will not fall into the hands of beings with little merit, who forsake the holy Dharma, and who denigrate the noble ones, and thus quickly disappear.”

“Then venerable Ānanda rose from his seat, adjusted his upper robe on one shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, bowed to the Blessed One with his palms together, and asked, “Blessed One, what is the name of this Dharma discourse? How should it be remembered?”

The Blessed One replied, “Ānanda, this Dharma discourse should be remembered as The Detailed Account of the Previous Aspirations of the Seven Thus-Gone, Worthy, and Perfect Buddhas. It should also be remembered as The Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi’s Vow. It should also be remembered as Purifying All Karmic Obscurations and Fulfilling All Hopes. And it should also be remembered as The Vows of the Twelve Great Yakṣa Generals.”

When the Blessed One had spoken, Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, the bodhisattvas, Lord of Secrets Vajrapāṇi, the entire retinue, and the whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had said.