The Lotus Sutra
Chapter One - The Introduction
Text, Part Two

Wanting to expand on this, Maitreya spoke in verse, asking:

"Manjusri,
Why does a great ray of light shine everywhere
From the white whorl of hair
Between the brows of our guide and teacher?
Why does it rain mandarava
And manjushaka blossoms
With the fragrant breeze of sandal
Pleasing the hearts of the assembly?
Because of these things
The ground is everywhere adorned and purified.
This world stirs and trembles six different ways
The four groups of the assembly all rejoice
Elated in both body and mind
Experiencing that never before seen."


"With a bright ray of light from between His brows
He illuminates eighteen thousand lands in the east.
Everywhere they are like the color of gold
From the Avici Hell up to the Peak of Existence.
In all these worlds there are living beings of the six paths
All destined to face Life & Death.
I see all their karmas and conditions of life,
Both the good & the evil
And I see their rewards,
Both pleasant and unpleasant."

"And I see the Buddhas,
The Noble Masters and Lions,
Teaching the most subtle and wonderful Sutra.
Their voices are pure,
Raising a sound that is soft and gentle,
Teaching Bodhisattvas by the millions.
The noble sound is deep and wondrous,
Making people wish to listen.
The Buddhas teach of the True Dharma
Each of them in their own special world.
With various kinds of reasoning
With limitless kinds of illustrations,
They clarify the reality of enlightenment.
Opening it up, they awaken living beings."

"When people face suffering,
Tired, old, sick and dying,
There is the teaching of Nirvana
The way to extinguish suffering."

"When people who are blessed,
Having already served the Buddhas,
Determine to seek higher truth,
They are taught of spiritual awakening to causality & conditions."

"When the children of the Buddha
Cultivate different kinds of practices
Seeking the supreme spiritual insight,
They are taught of the path of purity."

"Manjusri
I have been in this world
I have seen and heard things such as these
And a myriad others as well.
There are so many of them
I must briefly speak of them."

"I see other lands with Bodhisattvas
As many as there are sands of the Ganges.
They seek the path of enlightenment
Using different kinds of ways."

"For some there is the practice of giving.
Gold, silver & carnelian,
Pearls & Cintamani gems,
Mother-of-pearl, agate & diamonds,
And other rare treasures,
Male and female servants,
Bejeweled chariots and palanquins,
All joyfully given away.
Turning them all over to the path of enlightenment,
They vow to attain this vehicle
Praised by the Buddhas,
Supreme in the threefold realm.
There are some Bodhisattvas
Offering bejeweled carriages drawn by four-horse teams
Adorned with railings and covered with blossoms.
And I have seen Bodhisattvas
Giving away their lives,
Their flesh, their hands and feet,
Their wives and children,
Seeking the supreme path.
And I have seen Bodhisattvas
Gladly wishing to give their eyes, their heads,
Their bodies and their lives,
Seeking the wisdom of the Buddhas."

"I see kings
Going to visit the Buddha,
Asking of the supreme path,
Gladly giving up their lands,
Their palaces, their subjects and servants,
Shaving their heads and beards &
Donning the clothes of the Dharma."

"I see Bodhisattvas becoming Bhiksus,
Living in the silence of solitude,
Enjoying quiet meditation &
Content in chanting the Sutra."

"I see Bodhisattvas
Brave, valiant and diligent,
Entering deep into the mountains &
Deliberating on the path of enlightenment."

"I see those free from sensory desire,
Ever in the sphere of emptiness,
Deeply cultivating meditation,
Attaining the five spiritual penetrations.
And I see Bodhisattvas,
With palms joined in peaceful meditation,
Praising the Kings of the Dharma
With thousands upon thousands of verses."

"And I see Bodhisattvas,
With deep wisdom and firm determination,
Able to question the Buddhas,
Listening, accepting and embracing.
And I see the Buddha’s children,
With perfect concentration and insight,
Using immeasurable illustrations,
Explaining the Dharma to the assembly,
Happy to teach the Dharma,
Influence Bodhisattvas,
Refute the hosts of devils &
Beat the drum of the Dharma."

"And I see the Bodhisattvas,
Profoundly serene and still,
Revered by gods and dragons,
But not rejoicing in this.
And I see the Bodhisattvas
Issuing forth the light in the forests
Saving those suffering in hell &
Making them enter into the path of enlightenment."

"And I see the Buddha’s children
Never going to sleep,
Walking throughout the forest
Diligently seeking the path of enlightenment."

"And I see them embracing the precepts
Their dignity and manner flawless
Pure like a precious gem
By seeking the path of enlightenment."

"And I see the Buddha’s children
Abiding in the power of endurance
Able to completely endure
The insults and injuries of the arrogant
By seeking the path of enlightenment."

"And I see the Bodhisattvas
Free from frivolity and nonsense,
Free of foolish companions,
Intimate with people of wisdom,
With a single mind free of distraction,
Collecting their thoughts
In the mountains and forests for eons
By seeking the path of enlightenment."

"And I see the Bodhisattvas
With rare delicacies of food and drink,
With hundreds of elixirs and medicines
Offered to the Buddha and Sangha.
With the finest clothes and robes
Worth thousands, tens of thousands, some priceless,
Offered to the Buddha and Sangha.
With a myriad kinds of dwellings
Made with sandal and jewels
Wonderfully furnished
Offered to the Buddha and Sangha.
With pristine gardens and groves
Abounding in blossoms and fruits,
Flowing springs and pools
Offered to the Buddha and Sangha.
Making offerings such as these,
Each wondrous but different,
Joyfully and without regret,
They seek the supreme path."

"And I see the Bodhisattvas
Teaching countless living beings
The serenity and extinction of the Dharma
With various kinds of doctrines.
And I see the Bodhisattvas
Teaching the nature of things spiritual
Being without duality like empty space.
And I see the Buddha’s children
Having minds without attachments
With this wonderful insight
They seek the supreme path."


"Manjusri,
There will also be Bodhisattvas
After the extinction of the Buddha
Offering service to His relics.
And I see the Buddha’s children
Creating towers and temples,
Countless as the sands of the Ganges,
Adorning the country and land.
Treasure towers, wonderfully high,
Five thousand yojanas tall,
Their breadth proportionately broad,
Two thousand yojanas wide.
Towers and temples with thousands of streaming banners,
Curtains laced with jewels
Precious bells chiming in harmony.
The gods, dragons and spirits,
Both human and not human
Ever offering service
With fragrance, blossoms and music.
Manjusri,
The Buddha’s children adorn these towers and temples
Offering service to the relics.
The country and land naturally become
Most wonderful and fine
Like the king of heavenly trees
With blossoms in full bloom."

"The Buddha issued forth a single ray of light
The assembled host and I
Saw these wonderful lands
With all their special wonders.
With the rare spiritual power
And the wisdom of the Buddhas,
He issues forth a single pure ray of light
Illuminating limitless countries.
We who have seen this
Experience that never before known.
Manjusri, son of the Buddhas,
Please resolve our doubts."

"The four groups look up in reverence and hope
To you as well as to me.
Why does the world honored one emit such a light?
When the son of the Buddha answers,
Resolve our doubts and make us rejoice.
For what abundance of benefits
Does He issue forth such a light?
The Buddha sits at the Bodhimandala
Realizing the Wonderful Dharma.
Does he desire to teach of this?
Will he make a prophecy?
He has shown us the land of enlightenment,
Pure and adorned with a host of treasures
We see that the Buddhas are there.
This cannot be unimportant.
Manjusri, you must know,
The four groups, the dragons and the spirits,
All look up to you.
Please explain what this means."


 

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