Ascending to the Palace of the Yāma Heaven

At that time, through the Tathāgata's own awesome spiritual power, throughout every world of the ten directions, in each and every four continents' own southern continent of Jambudvīpa and atop the very summit of Mount Sumeru, everyone saw the Tathāgata seated within the great assembly. Every one of those bodhisattvas, through the Buddha's own spiritual power, expounded the Dharma, and not one of them failed to consider themselves forever in the Buddha's own presence. At that time, the World-Honored One, without ever leaving the foot of any bodhi tree or the summit of Mount Sumeru, proceeded toward the jewel-adorned palace of the Yāma heaven.

At that time, the King of the Yāma Heaven, seeing the Buddha approach from afar, at once, through his own spiritual power, conjured within his palace a lion-throne of the treasury of jeweled lotus flowers, adorned with a million tiers, interlaced with a million golden nets; a million flower-canopies, a million garland-canopies, a million fragrance-canopies, and a million jewel-canopies entirely covered it above; flower-parasols, garland-parasols, fragrance-parasols, and jewel-parasols, likewise a million each, were arrayed all around it, and a million lights shone forth to illumine it. A million kings of the Yāma heaven bowed their heads in reverence; a million Brahmā-kings leapt for joy; a million bodhisattvas extolled and praised it; a million kinds of heavenly music each played a million kinds of Dharma-sounds, continuing without interruption; a million kinds of flower-clouds, a million kinds of garland-clouds, a million kinds of clouds of adorning implements, and a million kinds of clouds of garments entirely covered it all around; a million kinds of maṇi-jewel clouds shone with radiant light. It arose from a million kinds of wholesome roots; it was guarded and sustained by a million buddhas; it was increased by a million kinds of merit; it was adorned and purified by a million kinds of profound mind and a million kinds of vow; it was brought forth by a million kinds of practice; it was established by a million kinds of dharma; it was manifested through transformation by a million kinds of spiritual power; and it forever emitted a million kinds of speech and sound, revealing every dharma.

At that time, once that heavenly king had arranged and set out the throne, he bowed toward the Buddha, the World-Honored One, folded his palms together, and, with reverence and respect, spoke to the Buddha, saying: "Welcome, World-Honored One! Welcome, Well-Gone One! Welcome, Tathāgata, Worthy One, Fully and Perfectly Awakened One! I beg only that you, out of compassion, dwell within this palace!" At that time, the Buddha accepted the invitation and at once ascended the jeweled palace; and throughout all the ten directions, it was likewise exactly so. At that time, the heavenly king himself called to mind the wholesome roots he had planted at the place of buddhas in ages past, and, relying upon the Buddha's own spiritual power, spoke a verse, saying: