Bodhisattvas from Beneath the Earth

At that time the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who had come from other lands, exceeding eight Ganges-sands in number, rose up in the midst of the great assembly, joined their palms, bowed, and said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! If you permit us, after the Buddha's own parinirvāṇa, to apply ourselves with diligence in this sahā world, upholding, reading, reciting, copying, and making offerings to this sūtra, we shall broadly teach it in this land." At that time the Buddha said to this assembly of bodhisattva-mahāsattvas: "Enough, good sons! You need not uphold this sūtra. Why is this so? Because in my own sahā world there are already bodhisattva-mahāsattvas equal to sixty thousand Ganges-sands in number, and each one of these bodhisattvas has, besides, a retinue equal to sixty thousand Ganges-sands. These are the ones able, after my own parinirvāṇa, to uphold, read, recite, and broadly teach this sūtra."

As the Buddha spoke these words, the ground of the sahā world's three-thousand-great-thousandfold lands all shook and split open, and from within it, innumerable thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattva-mahāsattvas rose up all at once. Every one of these bodhisattvas had a body the color of gold, the thirty-two marks, and immeasurable radiance, and had already been dwelling, before this, in the space beneath this very sahā world. Hearing the sound of Śākyamuni Buddha's voice, they set out from below and came forth. Each and every one of these bodhisattvas was himself a foremost leader of a great assembly, each bringing a retinue equal to sixty thousand Ganges-sands — how much more so those bringing retinues of fifty thousand, forty thousand, thirty thousand, twenty thousand, or ten thousand Ganges-sands; how much more so those bringing retinues down to a single Ganges-sands, half a Ganges-sands, a quarter, or even down to one part in a thousand myriad koṭis of nayutas; how much more so those bringing a retinue of a thousand myriad koṭis of nayutas; how much more so those bringing a retinue of a koṭi of myriads; how much more so those bringing a thousand myriad, a hundred myriad, down to a mere ten thousand; how much more so those bringing a thousand, a hundred, down to a mere ten; how much more so those bringing five, four, three, two, or a single disciple; how much more so those entirely alone, delighting in the practice of solitude. Multitudes such as these, immeasurable and boundless, could not be known by any number or any parable. Once these bodhisattvas had come forth from the earth, each one went to the jeweled stūpa hanging in the sky, to the place of Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata and Śākyamuni Buddha. Arriving there, they bowed their heads to the feet of the two World-Honored Ones, and then, going to where the Buddha sat upon the lion throne beneath each jeweled tree, likewise bowed before him, circled him three times to the right, joined their palms in reverence, and praised him with every kind of praise a bodhisattva knows, then stood to one side, gazing up at the two World-Honored Ones with joy. From the moment these bodhisattva-mahāsattvas first rose up, praising the Buddha with every kind of praise a bodhisattva knows, this length of time passed: fifty small kalpas. Throughout this time, Śākyamuni Buddha sat in silence, and the fourfold assembly, too, remained silent for these fifty small kalpas; yet by the Buddha's own majestic power, he caused the whole great assembly to feel that no more than half a day had passed. At that time the fourfold assembly, also by the Buddha's own majestic power, saw these bodhisattvas filling the empty space of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of lands.

Among this assembly of bodhisattvas were four foremost teachers: the first named Viśiṣṭacāritra, the second Anantacāritra, the third Viśuddhacāritra, and the fourth Supratiṣṭhitacāritra. These four bodhisattvas were the very foremost among the assembly, its leading teachers, and standing before the great assembly, they joined their palms together and, looking upon Śākyamuni Buddha, greeted him, saying: "World-Honored One! Are you free of illness, free of affliction, and dwelling at ease? Are those who should be brought across easily receptive to your teaching? Does none of this cause the World-Honored One weariness?" At that time the four great bodhisattvas spoke this verse: "World-Honored One at peace, free of illness, free of affliction, teaching and transforming beings without any weariness — and are these beings, too, easily received into your teaching, causing the World-Honored One no weariness?" At that time the World-Honored One said, in the midst of this great assembly of bodhisattvas: "Just so, just so! Good sons! The Tathāgata is at peace, free of illness, free of affliction; and all these beings are easily brought across, without weariness. Why is this so? These beings, life after life until now, have constantly received my own teaching, and have, besides, in the presence of buddhas of the past, made offerings and shown reverence, planting every kind of good root. These beings, the very moment they first see my body and hear what I teach, at once believe and accept it, and enter into the Tathāgata's wisdom — excepting only those who have already trained themselves in, and grown attached to, the lesser vehicle. Even such people as these, I now cause to hear this sūtra as well, and to enter into the Buddha's wisdom." At that time the great bodhisattvas spoke this verse: "Excellent, excellent, great and courageous World-Honored One! These beings are indeed easily brought across. That you should be asked of the buddhas' own most profound wisdom, and, having heard it, believe and practice it — in this we too rejoice." At that time the World-Honored One praised these foremost great bodhisattvas: "Excellent, excellent, good sons! That you should give rise to a heart of rejoicing toward the Tathāgata."

At that time Maitreya Bodhisattva, and eight thousand Ganges-sands of bodhisattvas besides, all thought to themselves: "Never before, from the past until now, have we seen or heard of a great assembly of bodhisattva-mahāsattvas such as this — rising up from the earth, standing before the World-Honored One, joining their palms, making offerings, and greeting the Tathāgata." At that time Maitreya Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, knowing what these eight thousand Ganges-sands of bodhisattvas were thinking in their hearts, and wishing besides to resolve his own doubt, joined his palms toward the Buddha and asked, in verse: "This immeasurable assembly of thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas, never before seen until now — I beg the Two-Legged Honored One to tell us where they have come from, and by what cause and condition they have gathered here. Their bodies vast, their spiritual powers great, their wisdom beyond conceiving, their resolve firm and unshaken, possessed of great strength of forbearance, a joy for beings to behold — from where have they come? […] Such a great assembly as this, were one to count them one by one, could not be known to its end even through kalpas beyond the sands of the Ganges. These bodhisattvas of great and majestic virtue, this assembly given wholly to diligence — who has taught them the Dharma, and brought them to this accomplishment? From whom did they first set forth the resolve for awakening? Whose buddha-teaching do they proclaim? Whose sūtra do they uphold and practice? Whose buddha-path do they cultivate? Bodhisattvas such as these, with spiritual powers and great wisdom, from whom the earth itself split open in every direction — all of them rising up from within it. World-Honored One, from the past until now, I have never seen such a thing as this; I beg you to tell us where they came from, and the name of their land. I have constantly traveled through every land, and never before have I seen an assembly such as this; among this whole assembly, I do not recognize even a single face — and now, suddenly, they have risen from the earth. I beg you to tell us the cause and condition of this. This present great assembly, immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koṭis in number, every one of these bodhisattvas, too, wishes to know this matter. The cause and condition, the origin and outcome, of this whole assembly of bodhisattvas — World-Honored One of immeasurable virtue, I beg only that you resolve this whole assembly's doubt."

At that time, Śākyamuni's own emanation buddhas, who had come from immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of other lands, were seated cross-legged upon lion thrones beneath jeweled trees in every one of the eight directions. Their attendants, each seeing this great assembly of bodhisattvas rising up from the earth in all four directions of the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world and standing in the sky, each said to their own buddha: "World-Honored One! This immeasurable, boundless, incalculable great assembly of bodhisattvas — from where have they come?" At that time each of these buddhas said to his own attendant: "Good sons! Wait but a moment. There is a bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Maitreya — to whom Śākyamuni Buddha has given the prediction that he shall be the next to attain buddhahood — who has asked of this very matter, and the Buddha is now about to answer him. You shall, by means of this, come to hear it for yourselves." At that time Śākyamuni Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva: "Excellent, excellent, Ajita! That you should ask the Buddha of so great a matter as this. All of you should, with a single mind, put on the armor of diligence, and give rise to firm resolve, for the Tathāgata now wishes to disclose and proclaim the wisdom of the buddhas, the power of the buddhas' own sovereign spiritual penetration, the power of the buddhas' lion's vigorous roar, and the power of the buddhas' own mighty and majestic strength." At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to proclaim this meaning once more, spoke in verse: "Be diligent, with a single mind — I am about to teach this matter; give rise to no doubt or regret, for the Buddha's wisdom is beyond conceiving. Bring forth now the power of your own faith, and stand firm within patience and goodness; what you have never heard before, you shall now hear in full. I now set your hearts at ease — hold no doubt or fear, for the Buddha speaks no word that is not true, and his wisdom cannot be measured. The foremost Dharma I have attained is profound beyond all distinction; this I shall now teach — listen, all of you, with a single mind." At that time the World-Honored One, having spoken this verse, said to Maitreya Bodhisattva: "I now proclaim this to you, before this whole great assembly. Ajita! These great bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, immeasurable and beyond number, incalculable, rising up from the earth, whom you have never seen before — it was I myself, since I attained unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening in this sahā world, who taught and guided these bodhisattvas, tamed their hearts, and caused them to bring forth the resolve for the path. Every one of these bodhisattvas has been dwelling beneath this very sahā world, in the space beneath it; in the various scriptures, they read and recite fluently, reflecting on and distinguishing their meaning, holding them rightly in mind. Ajita! These good sons do not delight in being among a crowd and having much to say; they constantly delight in quiet places, diligently exerting themselves without ever resting; nor do they dwell in dependence on gods or humans. They constantly delight in profound wisdom, free of every hindrance, and constantly delight, too, in the teachings of all buddhas, with a single mind seeking the unsurpassed wisdom with diligence." At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to proclaim this meaning once more, spoke in verse: "Ajita, you should know: these great bodhisattvas, from innumerable kalpas until now, have cultivated the buddha's own wisdom — every one of them taught and transformed by me, and caused to bring forth the great resolve for the path. These are my own children, dwelling in dependence on this world, constantly practicing the ascetic disciplines, their hearts set on quiet places, forsaking the clamor of the crowd, taking no delight in speaking at length. Such children as these study and practice my own teaching of the path, day and night constantly diligent, for the sake of seeking the buddha-path, dwelling in the sahā world, in the space beneath it. Their resolve and their strength are firm, constantly and diligently they seek wisdom, teaching every kind of wondrous Dharma, their hearts free of any fear. I, seated beneath the bodhi tree in the city of Gayā, attained the unsurpassed true awakening, and turned the wheel of the unsurpassed Dharma. Only then did I teach and transform them, causing them first to bring forth the resolve for the path — and now, every one of them dwells in the state that never turns back, and every one of them shall attain buddhahood. I now speak the truth — believe it, all of you, with a single mind: I have, from a time long, long past, taught and transformed this very assembly."

At that time Maitreya Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva, and countless bodhisattvas besides, gave rise to doubt and perplexity in their hearts, astonished at what they had never known before, and thought: "How could the World-Honored One, in so brief a span of time, have taught and transformed so immeasurable, boundless, and incalculable an assembly of great bodhisattvas, and caused them to abide in unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening?" He then said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! When the Tathāgata, as a prince, went forth from the Śākya palace, he traveled only a short way from the city of Gayā, sat at the place of awakening, and there attained unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening. From that time until now, only a little more than forty years have passed. World-Honored One, how, in so brief a span of time, could you have accomplished such great buddha-work — by the Buddha's own power, by the Buddha's own merit, teaching and transforming so immeasurable a host of great bodhisattvas, that they shall attain unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening? "World-Honored One! Even were someone to try, for a thousand myriad koṭis of kalpas, they could not exhaust this great assembly of bodhisattvas, nor reach its outer limit. These bodhisattvas, from a time long, long past, have planted every good root in the presence of immeasurable, boundless buddhas, accomplished the bodhisattva path, and constantly cultivated the pure conduct. World-Honored One, a thing such as this is hard for the world to believe. It is as if there were a man, his complexion fine and his hair still black, only twenty-five years of age, who pointed to a man of a hundred years and said: 'This is my own son' — and that man of a hundred years, too, pointed to the young man and said: 'This is my own father, who gave birth to and raised me.' Such a thing is hard to believe. The Buddha is exactly the same: it has, in truth, not been long since he attained the path, and yet this whole great assembly of bodhisattvas has already, for immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas, diligently exerted themselves for the sake of the buddha-path, skillfully entering, emerging from, and abiding within immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of samādhis, attaining great spiritual powers, long cultivating the pure conduct, well able to practice every wholesome teaching in due order, skilled in question and answer, treasures among humankind, exceedingly rare in the whole world. Yet today the World-Honored One says: 'At the moment I attained the buddha-path, I first caused them to bring forth their resolve, taught and guided them, and led them toward unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening.' It has not been long since the World-Honored One attained buddhahood, and yet he has been able to accomplish so great a work of merit as this. Though we ourselves do believe what the Buddha teaches according to what is fitting — for the Buddha's own words are never false, and what the Buddha knows he understands in full — still, bodhisattvas newly resolved upon awakening, hearing these words after the Buddha's own parinirvāṇa, may not believe or accept them, and so give rise to the causes and conditions of the offense of destroying the Dharma. We beg only, World-Honored One, that you explain this for us, removing our own doubt, so that good sons of the age to come, too, upon hearing of this matter, may not give rise to doubt of their own." At that time Maitreya Bodhisattva, wishing to proclaim this meaning once more, spoke in verse: "The Buddha, in the past, went forth from the Śākya clan, and near the city of Gayā, sat beneath the bodhi tree — and it has still not been long since then. Yet these children of the Buddha, whose number cannot be measured, have long practiced the buddha-path, abiding in the power of spiritual penetration, well trained in the bodhisattva path, unstained by any worldly thing, like a lotus flower standing in water — rising up now from the earth itself. All of them give rise to a reverent heart, standing before the World-Honored One. This matter is beyond conceiving — how can it be believed? The Buddha attained the path only a very short time ago, and yet has accomplished so much. We beg you to remove this whole assembly's doubt, and explain it exactly as it truly is. It is as if a man in the prime of youth, only twenty-five years of age, were to show to others a son of a hundred years, his hair white, his face lined with age, saying: 'This is the one I gave birth to' — and the son, too, were to call the young man his own father. A father young, and a son old — this the whole world would fail to believe. The World-Honored One is exactly the same: he attained the path only a very short time ago. Yet these bodhisattvas, their resolve firm and without any timidity, have, from immeasurable kalpas until now, practiced the bodhisattva path, skilled in answering the hardest questions, their hearts free of fear, their resolve for forbearance decided and unshakable, upright and possessed of majestic virtue, praised by the buddhas of the ten directions — well able to explain and distinguish the Dharma, taking no delight in being among the crowd, constantly favoring meditative concentration, dwelling, for the sake of seeking the buddha-path, in the space beneath the earth. We ourselves, having heard this from the Buddha, hold no doubt in this matter — yet we beg the Buddha, for the sake of the ages to come, to teach and explain it, that they too may come to understand. For if there is anyone who, hearing this sūtra, gives rise to doubt and disbelief, that person shall at once fall into an evil path. We beg you now to explain: how, in so brief a span of time, could this immeasurable host of bodhisattvas have been taught, and caused to bring forth their resolve, and made to abide in the ground that never turns back?"