The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma

化諸菩薩，破魔兵眾，而擊法鼓。

transforming bodhisattvas, breaking the hosts of Mara, and beating the Dharma drum.

又見菩薩，寂然宴默，天龍恭敬，

I also see bodhisattvas, silent and still, revered by devas and nagas,

不以為喜。又見菩薩，處林放光，

yet not taking joy in it. I also see bodhisattvas dwelling in forests and emitting light,

濟地獄苦，令入佛道。又見佛子，

rescuing beings from the suffering of hell and leading them into the Buddha's path. I also see children of the Buddha

未甞睡眠，經行林中，懃求佛道。

who have never slept, walking in meditation in the forest, diligently seeking the Buddha's path.

又見具戒，威儀無缺，淨如寶珠，

I also see those complete in precepts, their deportment without flaw, pure as a precious pearl,

以求佛道。又見佛子，住忍辱力，

seeking the Buddha's path. I also see children of the Buddha who abide in the power of patience,

增上慢人，惡罵捶打，皆悉能忍，

and when arrogant people curse and beat them, they can endure it all,

以求佛道。又見菩薩，離諸戲笑，

seeking the Buddha's path. I also see bodhisattvas who have given up playful laughter

及痴眷屬，親近智者，一心除亂，

and foolish companions, who draw near the wise, with one mind clearing away confusion,

攝念山林，億千萬歲，以求佛道。

collecting their thoughts in the mountains and forests for billions of years, seeking the Buddha's path.

或見菩薩，餚饍飲食、百種湯藥，

Or I see bodhisattvas giving delicacies, food and drink, and a hundred kinds of medicinal soups,

施佛及僧。名衣上服，價直千萬，

to the Buddha and the Sangha. Famous robes and fine garments, worth thousands and tens of thousands,

或無價衣，施佛及僧。千萬億種，

or priceless robes, given to the Buddha and the Sangha. Tens of millions of billions of kinds,

栴檀寶舍、眾妙臥具，施佛及僧。

sandalwood jeweled houses and many wondrous bedding, given to the Buddha and the Sangha.

清淨園林，華菓茂盛，流泉浴池，

Pure gardens and groves, with luxuriant flowers and fruit, flowing springs and bathing pools,

施佛及僧。如是等施，種種微妙，

given to the Buddha and the Sangha. Such gifts, of all kinds of subtlety,

歡喜無厭，求無上道。或有菩薩，

given joyfully without weariness, seeking the unsurpassed Way. Some bodhisattvas

說寂滅法，種種教詔，無數眾生。

preach the Dharma of quiescence, teaching and instructing countless beings.

或見菩薩，觀諸法性，無有二相，

Or I see bodhisattvas observing the nature of all dharmas, which has no dual aspect,

猶如虛空。又見佛子，心無所著，

like empty space. I also see children of the Buddha whose minds have no attachment,

以此妙慧、求無上道。文殊師利！

who with this wondrous wisdom seek the unsurpassed Way. Manjushri!

又有菩薩，佛滅度後，供養舍利。

There are also bodhisattvas who, after the Buddha's extinction, make offerings to his relics.

又見佛子，造諸塔廟，無數恆沙，

I also see children of the Buddha building stupas and shrines, in countless numbers like the sands of the Ganges,

嚴飾國界，寶塔高妙，五千由旬，

adorning the land, jeweled stupas lofty and wondrous, five thousand yojanas high,

縱廣正等，二千由旬。一一塔廟，

with length and breadth equal, two thousand yojanas. Each of the stupas and shrines

各千幢幡，珠交露幔，寶鈴和鳴。

has a thousand banners and pennants, curtains of pearls like dew, and jeweled bells ringing in harmony.

諸天龍神、人及非人，香華伎樂，

The heavens, nagas, spirits, humans and non-humans always make offerings of incense, flowers

常以供養。文殊師利！諸佛子等，

and music. Manjushri! The children of the Buddha

為供舍利，嚴飾塔廟，國界自然，

adorn stupas and shrines to make offerings to relics, and the land naturally becomes

殊特妙好，如天樹王，其華開敷。

extraordinarily wondrous and fine, like the king of heavenly trees when its flowers open.

佛放一光，我及眾會，見此國界，

The Buddha emitted a single ray of light, and I and the assembly saw these lands

種種殊妙。諸佛神力、智慧希有，

in all their wondrous diversity. The Buddhas' spiritual power and wisdom are rare;

放一淨光，照無量國。我等見此，

emitting one pure light, they illuminate immeasurable lands. We see this

得未曾有。佛子文殊！願決眾疑。

and gain what we never had. Manjushri, child of the Buddha! I beg you to resolve the assembly's doubts.

四眾欣仰，瞻仁及我。世尊何故，

The four assemblies look up in joy, gazing at you and at me. Why does the World-Honored One

放斯光明？佛子時答，決疑令喜。

emit this light? Child of the Buddha, answer at once and resolve our doubts, bringing joy.

何所饒益，演斯光明？佛坐道場，

What benefit is intended by displaying this light? Is it the wondrous Dharma

所得妙法，為欲說此？為當授記？

the Buddha attained when seated at the place of the Way that he wants to preach? Or is it to give a prediction?

示諸佛土，眾寶嚴淨，及見諸佛，

He shows the Buddha-lands adorned and purified with many jewels, and we see the Buddhas;

此非小緣。文殊當知，四眾龍神，

this is not a small matter. Manjushri, you should know that the four assemblies, nagas and spirits

瞻察仁者，為說何等。」

are watching you, the Benevolent One, to see what you will say."

爾時文殊師利語彌勒菩薩摩訶薩及諸大士：「善男子等！如我惟忖，今佛世尊欲說大法，雨大法雨，吹大法螺，擊大法鼓，演大法義。諸善男子！我於過去諸佛，曾見此瑞，放斯光已，即說大法。是故當知，今佛現光，亦復如是，欲令眾生，鹹得聞知一切世間難信之法，故現斯瑞。

Then Manjushri said to Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Maitreya and the other great beings: "Good men! As I reckon it, the Buddha, the World-Honored One, now wishes to preach the great Dharma, to rain the great Dharma rain, to blow the great Dharma conch, to beat the great Dharma drum, and to expound the meaning of the great Dharma. Good men! In the past, with Buddhas of former times, I saw such an auspicious sign; after they emitted this light, they preached the great Dharma. So you should know that the Buddha now displays light for the same reason: he wants all beings to hear and know the Dharma that is hard to believe in all the world, and so shows this auspicious sign.

「諸善男子！如過去無量無邊不可思議阿僧祇劫，爾時有佛，號日月燈明如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊，演說正法，初善中善後善，其義深遠，其語巧妙，純一無雜，具足清白梵行之相。為求聲聞者說應四諦法，度生老病死，究竟涅槃；為求辟支佛者說應十二因緣法；為諸菩薩說應六波羅蜜，令得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，成一切種智。

(Manjushri continued:) "Good men! In the past, immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable asamkhyeya kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Men, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One, who expounded the true Dharma, good in the beginning, good in the middle and good in the end, with profound meaning and skillful words, purely one and unmixed, complete in the pure and white conduct of Brahma. For those seeking to be sravakas, he preached the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths, which liberates from birth, old age, sickness and death and leads to ultimate nirvana; for those seeking to be pratyekabuddhas, he preached the Dharma of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination; for the bodhisattvas he preached the Six Paramitas (meaning "gone to the other shore," crossing from the shore of birth and death to the shore of liberation), enabling them to attain unsurpassed right and perfect awakening and to accomplish omniscience.

「次復有佛亦名日月燈明，次復有佛亦名日月燈明，如是二萬佛，皆同一字，號日月燈明，又同一姓，姓頗羅墮。彌勒當知，初佛後佛，皆同一字，名日月燈明，十號具足。所可說法，初中後善。其最後佛，未出家時有八王子：一名有意，二名善意，三名無量意，四名寶意，五名增意，六名除疑意，七名嚮意，八名法意。是八王子，威德自在，各領四天下。是諸王子，聞父出家，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，悉捨王位亦隨出家，發大乘意，常修梵行，皆為法師，已於千萬佛所、殖諸善本。

(Manjushri continued:) "Next there was another Buddha also named Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness, and next another Buddha also named Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness; in this way twenty thousand Buddhas all had the same name, Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness, and also the same family name, Bharadvaja. Maitreya, you should know that the first Buddha and the last Buddha all had the same name, Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness, and were complete in the ten epithets. What they preached was good in the beginning, middle and end. The last Buddha, before he left home, had eight princes: the first named Having Intent, the second Good Intent, the third Immeasurable Intent, the fourth Jewel Intent, the fifth Increasing Intent, the sixth Removing Doubt Intent, the seventh Facing Intent, and the eighth Dharma Intent. These eight princes had majestic virtue and freedom, and each ruled over four continents. When these princes heard that their father had left home and attained unsurpassed right and perfect awakening, they all gave up their royal positions and also left home, aroused the Mahayana mind, constantly cultivated the Brahma conduct, and all became Dharma teachers, having already planted roots of goodness in the presence of tens of millions of Buddhas.

「是時日月燈明佛說大乘經，名無量義，教菩薩法，佛所護念。說是經已，即於大眾中結加趺坐，入於無量義處三昧，身心不動。是時、天雨曼陀羅華，摩訶曼陀羅華，曼殊沙華，摩訶曼殊沙華，而散佛上、及諸大眾。普佛世界，六種震動。爾時會中，比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人非人，及諸小王、轉輪聖王等，是諸大眾，得未曾有，歡喜合掌，一心觀佛。

(Manjushri continued:) "At that time the Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness Buddha preached the Mahayana sutra called Immeasurable Meanings, which teaches the Dharma of bodhisattvas and is protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas. After speaking this sutra, he sat cross-legged in the great assembly and entered the samadhi called the Place of Immeasurable Meanings, his body and mind unmoving. Then the heavens rained mandarava flowers, mahamandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers and mahamanjushaka flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and the whole great assembly. The Buddha-worlds everywhere shook in six ways. At that time, in the assembly, the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, and the minor kings and wheel-turning sage kings, this great assembly gained what they had never had before, and in joy pressed their palms together and gazed at the Buddha with one mind."

「爾時如來放眉間白毫相光，照東方萬八千佛土，靡不周遍，如今所見是諸佛土。彌勒當知，爾時會中，有二十億菩薩樂欲聽法。是諸菩薩，見此光明、普照佛土，得未曾有，欲知此光所為因緣。時有菩薩，名曰妙光，有八百弟子。是時日月燈明佛從三昧起，因妙光菩薩、說大乘經，名妙法蓮華，教菩薩法，佛所護念，六十小劫不起於座。時會聽者亦坐一處，六十小劫身心不動，聽佛所說，謂如食頃。是時眾中，無有一人若身若心而生懈惓。

(Manjushri continued:) "At that time the Tathagata emitted a ray of light from the white tuft between his brows, which shone on eighteen thousand Buddha-lands in the east, reaching everywhere, and what you now see are those Buddha-lands. Maitreya, you should know that at that time there were two billion bodhisattvas in the assembly who delighted in hearing the Dharma. Seeing this light shine universally over the Buddha-lands, they gained what they had never had and wished to know the cause of this light. At that time there was a bodhisattva named Wondrous Light, who had eight hundred disciples. Then the Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness Buddha rose from samadhi and, for the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light, preached the Mahayana sutra called the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma, which teaches the Dharma of bodhisattvas and is protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas, and for sixty minor kalpas he did not rise from his seat. Those in the assembly who listened also sat in one place for sixty minor kalpas, body and mind unmoving, listening to what the Buddha said, and felt it was no longer than the time of eating one meal. At that time, among the assembly there was not one who, in body or mind, grew weary or lazy.

「日月燈明佛於六十小劫說是經已，即於梵、魔、沙門、婆羅門、及天、人、阿修羅眾中，而宣此言：『如來於今日中夜，當入無餘涅槃。』時有菩薩，名曰德藏，日月燈明佛即授其記。告諸比丘：『是德藏菩薩，次當作佛，號曰淨身多陀阿伽度、阿羅訶、三藐三佛陀。』佛授記已，便於中夜、入無餘涅槃。佛滅度後，妙光菩薩持妙法蓮華經，滿八十小劫為人演說。日月燈明佛八子皆師妙光，妙光教化令其堅固阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。是諸王子、供養無量百千萬億佛已，皆成佛道，其最後成佛者，名曰燃燈。八百弟子中，有一人號曰求名，貪著利養，雖復讀誦眾經，而不通利，多所忘失，故號求名。是人亦以種諸善根因緣故，得值無量百千萬億諸佛，供養、恭敬，尊重、讚歎。彌勒當知，爾時妙光菩薩豈異人乎？我身是也；求名菩薩，汝身是也。今見此瑞，與本無異，是故惟忖：『今日如來當說大乘經，名妙法蓮華，教菩薩法，佛所護念。』」

(Manjushri continued:) "After the Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness Buddha had preached this sutra for sixty minor kalpas, he proclaimed in the midst of the assembly of Brahmas, Maras, shramanas, brahmins, and devas, humans and asuras: 'The Tathagata will enter nirvana without remainder tonight at midnight.' At that time there was a bodhisattva named Virtue Treasury, and the Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness Buddha gave him a prediction, telling the bhiksus: 'This Bodhisattva Virtue Treasury will become the next Buddha, named Pure Body Tathagata, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha.' When the Buddha had given the prediction, he entered nirvana without remainder at midnight. After the Buddha's extinction, the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light upheld the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma and for a full eighty minor kalpas expounded it to people. The eight sons of the Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness Buddha all took Wondrous Light as their teacher, and Wondrous Light taught and transformed them so that they became firm in unsurpassed right and perfect awakening. These princes, having made offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas, all attained the Buddha path, and the last of them to become a Buddha was named Dipamkara. Among the eight hundred disciples, there was one named Seeker of Fame, who was attached to gain and offerings; although he read and recited many sutras, he did not master them and forgot much, so he was called Seeker of Fame. This person, because of causes and conditions of planting good roots, also met immeasurable hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas and made offerings to them, revered, honored and praised them. Maitreya, you should know that the Bodhisattva Wondrous Light at that time, was he someone else? He was my own self; the Bodhisattva Seeker of Fame was your own self. Now seeing this auspicious sign, which is no different from that of old, I reckon: 'Today the Tathagata will preach the Mahayana sutra called the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma, which teaches the Dharma of bodhisattvas and is protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas.'"

爾時文殊師利於大眾中，欲重宣此義，而說偈言：

At that time Manjushri, in the midst of the great assembly, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke in verse:

「我念過去世，無量無數劫，

"I recall in the past age, immeasurable and countless kalpas ago,

有佛人中尊，號日月燈明。

there was a Buddha, honored among humans, named Sun-Moon-Lamp-Brightness.

世尊演說法，度無量眾生，

The World-Honored One expounded the Dharma, liberating immeasurable beings,

無數億菩薩，令入佛智慧。

countless billions of bodhisattvas, leading them into the Buddha's wisdom.

佛未出家時，所生八王子，

The eight princes born before the Buddha left home

見大聖出家，亦隨修梵行。

saw the great sage leave home and also followed him in cultivating the pure conduct.

時佛說大乘，經名無量義，

At that time the Buddha preached the Mahayana, the sutra called Immeasurable Meanings,

於諸大眾中，而為廣分別。

and among the great assembly extensively explained it in detail.

佛說此經已，即於法座上，

When the Buddha had spoken this sutra, then on the Dharma seat

加趺坐三昧，名無量義處。

he sat cross-legged in samadhi, called the Place of Immeasurable Meanings.

天雨曼陀華，天鼓自然鳴，

The heavens rained mandarava flowers, heavenly drums sounded of themselves,