Toh 516, Toh 886 — The Dhāraṇī “Heap of Flowers”
Puṣpakūṭadhāraṇī
The Noble Dhāraṇī
Heap of Flowers
F.31.aF.48.aF.159.b Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing on the shores of the great Lake Anavatapta, in the mansion of the nāga king Anavatapta, F.31.bF.48.b together with a great monastic retinue of five hundred monks and a great retinue of bodhisattvas, numbering an even thousand, gathered from various world-systems. Without exception, they all possessed dhāraṇī, possessed contemplation, had one rebirth remaining, were well established on the ten levels, were consecrated with the consecration of immediately being heirs apparent, [1] had donned the great cuirass, and entertained no doubts regarding the qualities of a buddha.
At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva[2] Siṃhavikrīḍita came and took a seat in that very retinue. The bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃhavikrīḍita then rose from his seat, placed his upper garment on one shoulder, placed his right kneecap on the ground, cupped his palms in reverence toward the Blessed One, and said to the Blessed One,
“Blessed One! How much merit does a son or daughter of noble family who performs worship to a thus-gone one accrue?”
The Blessed One replied to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃhavikrīḍita, “Siṃhavikrīḍita, do not say ‘Blessed One, how much merit does a son or daughter of noble family who performs worship to a thus-gone one accrue?’ Why is that? F.160.a A thus-gone one [3] is of immeasurable morality, immeasurable contemplation, immeasurable wisdom, immeasurable liberation, and immeasurable knowledge and vision of liberation. Thus, Siṃhavikrīḍita, since a thus-gone, worthy, fully awakened, perfect buddha is endowed with immeasurable heaps of virtue, it follows that the fruition of performing worship to him is also immeasurable. F.32.aF.49.a
“It is like this, Siṃhavikrīḍita. Those who perform the worship of a thus-gone one, whether present or departed into complete nirvāṇa, will attain complete nirvāṇa through one of the three vehicles—the vehicle of śrāvakas, the vehicle of pratyekabuddhas, or the great vehicle.[4] Moreover, Siṃhavikrīḍita, the fruition of merit is the same for a person whose mind becomes cleansed upon beholding the thus-gone, worthy, fully awakened, perfect buddha, and then with a cleansed mind[5] honors, reveres, worships, and venerates him with profits, clothing, alms, bedding, medicinal herbs, implements, and various kinds of comforts, as for a person who worships a caitya containing a relic even as small as a mustard seed from a thus-gone one who has departed into complete nirvāṇa. There is no difference, no distinction whatsoever between them.[6]
“Suppose, Siṃhavikrīḍita, that a householder bodhisattva were to donate a heap of precious materials as tall as Mount Meru to śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, or thus-gone, worthy, fully awakened, perfect Buddhas, and suppose a bodhisattva who has gone forth were to donate a single coin[7] and then generate the aspiration for unsurpassed perfect awakening. The former roots of merit would not amount to even a hundredth of the latter—not a thousandth, F.160.b not a hundred-thousandth. It would not even count as any part, any number worthy of consideration, simile, or approximation of any kind. It would not even be close; it would not even compare.
“Suppose, Siṃhavikrīḍita, that a person were to honor a thus-gone, worthy, fully awakened, perfect Buddha with various comforts for a year,F.32.bF.49.b a century, or even a millennium. And suppose that a person who has fully adopted the resolve of awakening were, with the intent of worshiping a thus-gone one, to offer a single flower,[8] pour out a handful of water, apply a drop of fragrant pigment, remove withered flowers, or offer some unguent, incense, flowers, perfume, garlands, music, or a parasol, bell, hanging cloth, banner, flag, piece of cloth, or a lamp at a caitya of a thus-gone one who has departed into complete nirvāṇa, and after having made this offering were to say with a rejoicing heart at every step forward, ‘Homage to that Blessed Buddha.’ It is simply impossible, Siṃhavikrīḍita, that these people would fall into unfavorable rebirths for an eon, or a hundred eons, a thousand eons, or one-hundred thousand eons. Have no distrust, no doubts, and no uncertainty about this.[9]
“Siṃhavikrīḍita, there is a dhāraṇī named Heap of Flowers that I will teach for the profit of many beings, for the happiness of many beings, to take pity on many people, for the benefit, profit, and happiness of a great many beings, gods and humans. Siṃhavikrīḍita, whoever holds this dhāraṇī, Heap of Flowers, upholds it, recites it, memorizes it, masters it, or extensively explains it to others will invariably remember former births, F.161.a will not fall into unfavorable rebirths, and will obtain ease. They will never be separated from the Three Jewels, will never be separated from the thus-gone ones, will never be separated from the act of calling the Buddha to mind, will never be separated from bodhisattvas, F.50.a will never be separated from the resolve for awakening, will never be deficient in faculties, [10] will never take birth in lower castes, will be endowed with profound fortunes of various talents, and will be able to behold the blessed buddhas of the innumerable world systems in the ten directions.
tadyathā | dhāraṇi dhāraṇi muniprabhāsvare siddhe caṇḍe nāmaci niheri arogavati buddhamatidhairye oṁkare tegagarate tejovate vipulabuddhe dharmāvabhāse akṣayakalpe kalpavati amṛtakalpe hutāśane tejovati niryasaṃhīte tejogravātiṣṭhinadraye tiṣṭhinadraye buddhi svāhā ||
“Siṃhavikrīḍita, those who have fully learned and mastered the title, letters, and words of this dhāraṇī, Heap of Flowers, should call the Buddha to mind on the eight to fifteenth days of the waxing fortnight in either the last month of spring, the first month of summer, or the last month of autumn. They should contemplate the Thus-Gone One three times a day and three times at night while concentrating one-pointedly, and worship the Blessed One with offerings of incense, flowers, lamps, and fragrance. Such persons will behold fifteen blessed buddhas teaching the Dharma while seated on a lion throne in the calyx of a lotus. They will obtain dhāraṇīs and have good memory, dexterity of mind, quick understanding, intelligence, and will remember all their births until they reach complete nirvāṇa. Such persons will become proficient in all traditional learning, F.161.b all treatises, all crafts, and all pursuits. All kinds of contemplations will be established in their mind, [11] except for the four truths of the noble ones. Why is that? Because those dharmas pertain to the uncontaminated.” F.33.bF.50.b
When the Blessed One finished speaking, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Siṃhavikrīḍita, the bodhisattvas, and the monks, together with a host of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were gladdened and praised the speech of the Blessed One.
The Dhāraṇī “Heap of Flowers” is complete.Notes
We have not been able to trace the Sanskrit equivalent for this expression. Perhaps the idea is that all these bodhisattvas would become buddhas in their next incarnation, each in one of the many universes.
backThis is translated by Tibetans as “great being,” but it is equally possible if not more likely that originally it was a bahuvrīhi compound meaning “of great courage.”
backThe testimony of the Dunhuang fragment ends here.
backWe find the Tibetan text unsatisfactory here; as the text stands, the passage would mean: “through the vehicle of śrāvakas, or the vehicle of pratyekabuddhas, or the great vehicle, or one of the three vehicles.” In light of the Sanskrit and the logic of the passage we have emended ’am to ste; in this way, the enumeration of the three vehicles serves as an explanation of “three vehicles.” Note that Prajñākaramati’s quotation (see note below) lacks the enumeration of the three; this is either an omission on the commentator’s part or a sign that the apposition was once a gloss which made it into the main text.
backThe Tibetan reads “with a faithful mind” (dad pa’i sems kyis). However, in light of the previous sentence and the testimony of the Sanskrit (prasannacittaḥ), we have emended the reading to “with a cleansed mind” (dang ba’i sems kyis). This emendation is confirmed by the Phukdrak manuscript.
backThis passage is quoted with reference in Nāgārjuna’s Sūtrasamuccaya (Sanskrit not available; Toh 3934, 181.b–182.a) and Prajñākaramati’s Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā (La Vallée Poussin 1901–14, p. 424): ye kecit siṃhavikrīḍita tathāgatasya pūjāṃ kariṣyanti tiṣṭhato vā parinirvṛtasya vā, sarve te triyānād ekatareṇa yānena parinirvāsyanti | yaś ca khalu siṃhavikrīḍita tathāgatam arhantaṃ samyaksaṃbuddhaṃ dṛṣṭvā cittaṃ prasādayet, prasannacittaḥ satkuryāt, gurukuryāt, mānayet, pūjayet, upacaret, lābhena cīvarapiṇḍapātaśayanāsanaglānapratyayabhaiṣajyapariṣkāraiḥ sarvasukhopadhānair upatiṣṭhet, yaś ca parinirvṛtasya tathāgatasya sarṣapaphalamātradhātau śarīrapūjāṃ kuryāt, samo vipākaḥ pratikāṅkṣitavyaḥ | tathā pūjāyai nāsti viśeṣo nānākaraṇaṃ ca .
backThe word for coin here is kārṣāpaṇa (kAr+SA pa Na), of which copper, silver and gold mints existed (for a broader discussion of coinage in the period, see Maity 1970, pp. 213–29). The logic of the passage requires us to posit that the less valuable copper coin is meant.
backHere we have preferred the reading of the Sanskrit testimony (see note below); the Tibetan has “some flowers.”
backThis passage is quoted with reference in Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya (Bendall 1902, p. 173); we give the text here with some reformatting and silent corrections: yaś ca khalu punaḥ siṃhavikrīḍita tathāgataṃ saṃmukhaṃ varṣaṃ vā varṣasahasraṃ vā varṣaśatasahasraṃ vā sarvasukhopadhānair upatiṣṭhet, yaś ca parinirvṛtasya tathāgatasya caitye bodhicittasaṃgṛhīta ekapuṣpam āropayet tathāgatapūjāyai jalāñjaliṃ copanāmayej jalena vā siñcayed īṣikāpadaṃ vā dadyān nirmālyaṃ cāpanayed upalepanapradānaṃ vā puṣpapradānaṃ vā dīpapradānaṃ vā kuryād āttamanāḥ ekakramavyatihāraṃ vātikramya vācaṃ bhāṣeta | namas tasmai buddhāya bhagavata iti mā te ’tra siṃhavikrīḍita kāṅkṣā vā vimatir vā vicikitsā vā yad asau kalpaṃ vā kalpaśataṃ vā kalpasahasraṃ vā durgativinipātaṃ gacchen nedaṃ sthānaṃ vidyate. For an English translation, see Bendall and Rouse 1922, pp. 169–70, and Goodman 2016, p. 171. The quotation was taken over from here in Prajñākaramati’s Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā (La Vallée Poussin 1901–14, pp. 424–5); the differences are very minor.
backReferring to the organs of perception and the organs of action.
backHere we have adopted the reading of the Stok Palace Kangyur, de’i sems la gnas par ’gyur te, instead of the Degé reading, de’i sems las rnam par dag par ’gyur te. This somewhat obscure sentence shows great fluctuation in the Chinese translations as well.
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