The Assembly and the Six Signs

Thus have I heard: at one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa near the great city of Rājagṛha, together with a great assembly of twelve thousand monks, all of them arhats whose defilements were exhausted, who were free of further affliction, who had attained their own good, who had ended every fetter of existence, and whose minds had attained mastery. Their names were: Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya, Mahākāśyapa, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Gayā-Kāśyapa, Nadī-Kāśyapa, Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākātyāyana, Aniruddha, Kapphiṇa, Gavāṃpati, Revata, Piṇḍola-Bharadvāja, Vakkula, Mahākauṣṭhila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra, Subhūti, Ānanda, and Rāhula — great arhats such as these, known to the whole assembly. There were also two thousand more, some still in training and some beyond it. Mahāprajāpatī the nun was present with a retinue of six thousand; Yaśodharā the nun, Rāhula's mother, was present with her own retinue as well. Eighty thousand bodhisattva-mahāsattvas were present, every one of them irreversible from unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening; every one of them had attained dhāraṇī; they delighted in eloquent speech and turned the wheel of the Dharma that never turns back; they had made offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of buddhas, planted every root of merit in the presence of those buddhas, and were constantly praised by them; they cultivated their own bodies with loving-kindness and had entered well into the Buddha's wisdom; they had penetrated great wisdom and reached its far shore; their renown had spread through immeasurable worlds, and they were able to bring countless hundreds of thousands of beings across. Their names were: Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, Constant-Diligence Bodhisattva, Never-Resting Bodhisattva, Jeweled-Palm Bodhisattva, Bhaiṣajyarāja Bodhisattva, Brave-Giving Bodhisattva, Jeweled-Moon Bodhisattva, Moonlight Bodhisattva, Full-Moon Bodhisattva, Great-Strength Bodhisattva, Immeasurable-Strength Bodhisattva, Beyond-the-Three-Realms Bodhisattva, Bhadrapāla Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Ratnākara Bodhisattva, and Guide Bodhisattva — bodhisattva-mahāsattvas such as these, eighty thousand in all. At that time Śakra, lord of the devas, was present with a retinue of twenty thousand sons of the gods. There were also the god Candra, the god Sugandha, the god Ratnaprabha, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings, present with a retinue of ten thousand sons of the gods; the god Īśvara and the god Maheśvara, present with a retinue of thirty thousand sons of the gods; the Brahmā king who is lord of this sahā world — the great Brahmā Śikhin and the great Brahmā Jyotiṣprabha and others — present with a retinue of twelve thousand sons of the gods. There were eight dragon kings — Nanda, Upananda, Sāgara, Vāsuki, Takṣaka, Anavatapta, Manasvin, and Utpalaka — each present with a retinue of some hundreds of thousands. There were four kiṃnara kings, four gandharva kings, four asura kings, and four garuḍa kings, each present with a retinue of some hundreds of thousands. King Ajātaśatru, son of Vaidehī, was present with a retinue of some hundreds of thousands. Each of them bowed at the Buddha's feet and withdrew to sit to one side.

At that time the World-Honored One, surrounded by the fourfold assembly, was made offerings to, honored, revered, and praised. For the bodhisattvas he taught a Mahāyāna sūtra called the Sūtra of Immeasurable Meanings, a teaching for bodhisattvas, guarded and held in mind by the Buddha himself. When the Buddha had finished teaching this sūtra, he sat cross-legged and entered the samādhi of the Station of Immeasurable Meanings, his body and mind unmoving. At that moment a rain of māndārava flowers, great māndārava flowers, mañjūṣaka flowers, and great mañjūṣaka flowers fell from the sky, scattering over the Buddha and over the whole great assembly, and the entire buddha-world shook in six ways. At that time, within the assembly, the monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen, gods and dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, and all the lesser kings and wheel-turning kings — this whole great assembly, having gained what they had never had before, joined their palms in joy and gazed on the Buddha with one-pointed mind.

At that time the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curl of hair between his brows, illuminating eighteen thousand worlds to the east, leaving nothing unreached, down to the Avīci hell below and up to the Akaniṣṭha heaven above. Within this light, beings of the six destinies in those lands were seen in their entirety; the buddhas presently dwelling in those lands were seen as well, and the Dharma they were teaching could be heard. The monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen of those lands who had practiced and attained the path were seen too. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas were seen as well, practicing the bodhisattva path through every kind of causal circumstance, every kind of faith and understanding, and every kind of outward form. Buddhas who had entered parinirvāṇa were seen; and after those buddhas' parinirvāṇa, stūpas of the seven treasures raised over their relics were seen as well. At that time Maitreya Bodhisattva had this thought: "The World-Honored One has now manifested this sign of spiritual transformation — for what cause and condition does this portent appear? The Buddha, the World-Honored One, has now entered samādhi; this is an inconceivable thing, a rare event now manifesting. Whom should I ask? Who is able to answer?" He thought further: "Mañjuśrī, the Dharma-prince, has already drawn near to and made offerings to immeasurable buddhas of the past; he must surely have seen such rare signs before. I will ask him now." At that time the monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, and the gods, dragons, and spirits all had this same thought: "This sign of the Buddha's radiance and spiritual power — whom should we ask about it now?" At that time Maitreya Bodhisattva, wishing to resolve his own doubt, and observing as well the minds of the fourfold assembly and of the gods, dragons, and spirits gathered there, asked Mañjuśrī: "For what cause and condition does this portentous sign of spiritual power appear, this great light now cast forth, illuminating eighteen thousand lands to the east so that the adornments of those buddha-realms are seen in full?" Then, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, Maitreya Bodhisattva asked in verse: "Mañjuśrī! Why has the Guide sent forth this great light from the white curl between his brows, shining everywhere? Why has a rain of māndārava and mañjūṣaka flowers fallen, and a sandalwood-scented wind delighted every mind? For what cause has the ground become adorned and pure, and this whole world trembled in six ways? At that time the fourfold assembly all rejoiced, their bodies and minds at ease, gaining what they had never had before. The light from between his brows shone to the east, and eighteen thousand lands all turned the color of gold, from the Avīci hell below up to the peak of existence above. In all those worlds the beings of the six destinies, wherever birth and death led them, by whatever karmic cause of good or evil, receiving retribution fair or foul — all of this was seen entirely. And buddhas were seen as well, lion-lords of the sages, teaching their sūtras, subtle and wondrous, foremost of all; their voices pure, sending forth a gentle sound, teaching bodhisattvas beyond number, in a Brahmā-voice profound and wondrous, that all delighted to hear. Each in his own world taught the true Dharma through every kind of cause and condition, illuminating the Buddha's teaching with immeasurable similes, awakening beings. To one afflicted with suffering, wearied of old age, sickness, and death, he taught nirvāṇa, the utter end of every suffering. To one with merit, who had already made offerings to buddhas and set his will on the supreme Dharma, he taught the way of the solitary realizer. To a child of the Buddha who cultivated every kind of practice, seeking unsurpassed wisdom, he taught the path of purity. Mañjuśrī! Standing here, I have seen and heard all this, and a thousand million things besides — so many that I can only speak of them now in brief. I see in those lands bodhisattvas numerous as the sands of the Ganges, seeking the buddha-path through every kind of cause and condition. Some practice giving — gold, silver, coral, pearls, and maṇi gems, giant clam-shell and carnelian, diamonds and every kind of treasure, servants and carriages, bejeweled palanquins — giving them all with joy, dedicating the merit to the buddha-path, wishing to attain this vehicle, foremost in the three realms, praised by every buddha. Some bodhisattvas give jeweled chariots drawn by four horses, with railings and flowered canopies, finely adorned. I see bodhisattvas as well who give their own flesh, hands, and feet, and even their wives and children, seeking the unsurpassed path. And I see bodhisattvas who give their own heads and eyes and bodies, delighting to give them away, seeking the Buddha's wisdom. Mañjuśrī! I see kings going before the Buddha to ask about the unsurpassed path, then abandoning their pleasant lands, their palaces, ministers, and consorts, shaving their hair and beard, and putting on the Dharma robes. I see bodhisattvas as well, become monks, dwelling alone in stillness, delighting to recite the sūtras. I see bodhisattvas as well, brave and diligent, entering deep into the mountains to contemplate the buddha-path. And I see those free of desire, always dwelling in solitude, deeply cultivating meditative concentration, attaining the five spiritual powers. I see bodhisattvas as well, settled in meditation with palms joined, praising the Dharma-kings with a thousand myriad verses. I see bodhisattvas as well, deep in wisdom and firm in resolve, able to question the buddhas and, having heard, to hold every word in mind. And I see children of the Buddha, complete in concentration and wisdom, teaching the Dharma to the assembly with immeasurable similes, delighting to teach the Dharma, converting bodhisattvas, breaking the armies of Māra, and beating the Dharma-drum. I see bodhisattvas as well, still and silent in composure, honored by gods and dragons, yet unmoved to joy by it. I see bodhisattvas as well, dwelling in the forest, sending forth light, delivering beings from the sufferings of hell and bringing them into the buddha-path. And I see children of the Buddha who never sleep, walking back and forth in the forest, diligently seeking the buddha-path. I see those complete in discipline, their dignified conduct without flaw, pure as a jewel, seeking the buddha-path in this way. And I see children of the Buddha, abiding in the power of patience, who, when arrogant people abuse and strike them, are able to bear it entirely, seeking the buddha-path. I see bodhisattvas as well, who have left behind all frivolous laughter and foolish companions, drawing near instead to the wise, single-mindedly clearing away distraction, gathering their thoughts in the mountain forests for a thousand myriad years, seeking the buddha-path. I see bodhisattvas as well, giving fine food and drink, a hundred kinds of medicine, to the Buddha and the saṅgha; giving fine robes worth a thousand myriad pieces, or robes beyond price, to the Buddha and the saṅgha; giving a thousand myriad million kinds of sandalwood dwellings and every wondrous bedding to the Buddha and the saṅgha. Giving pure groves and gardens, luxuriant with flowers and fruit, flowing springs and bathing pools, to the Buddha and the saṅgha — giving of this kind, in every subtle and wondrous form, with joy that never wearies, seeking the unsurpassed path. And some bodhisattvas teach the Dharma of quiescent cessation, instructing countless beings through every kind of teaching. I see bodhisattvas as well, contemplating the nature of every phenomenon as without duality, just like empty space. And I see children of the Buddha whose minds cling to nothing, seeking the unsurpassed path with this wondrous wisdom. Mañjuśrī! There are bodhisattvas, too, who, after a buddha's parinirvāṇa, make offerings to his relics. And I see children of the Buddha building stūpas and shrines, countless as the sands of the Ganges, adorning the whole land — jeweled stūpas towering five thousand yojanas high, their breadth and length equally two thousand yojanas, each stūpa hung with a thousand banners and pennants, strung with pearls and dew-catching curtains, jeweled bells ringing in harmony. Gods, dragons, spirits, humans and non-humans constantly make offerings of incense, flowers, and music. Mañjuśrī! These children of the Buddha, in offering to the relics, adorn their stūpas and shrines until the whole land becomes, of itself, uniquely wondrous and fine, like the king of heavenly trees when its flowers open wide. The Buddha has sent forth a single ray of light, and I, together with this whole assembly, see this land in every kind of wondrous form. The spiritual power and rare wisdom of the buddhas send forth this one pure light, illuminating immeasurable lands. We, seeing this, have gained what we never had before. Mañjuśrī, child of the Buddha! I beg you to resolve the assembly's doubt. The fourfold assembly gazes up with delight, looking to you and to me. Why has the World-Honored One sent forth this light? Child of the Buddha, answer now, and resolve our doubt, bringing us joy. To what benefit does he display this light? Is it because he wishes to speak of the wondrous Dharma he attained at the seat of enlightenment? Or is it because he is about to bestow a prediction? To show us buddha-lands adorned in every treasure and pure, and to let us see the buddhas themselves — this is no small cause. Mañjuśrī, you should know: the fourfold assembly, the dragons and spirits, all look to you, waiting to hear what you will say."

At that time Mañjuśrī said to Maitreya Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva and the other great beings: "Good sons! As I consider it, the Buddha, the World-Honored One, now wishes to teach the great Dharma, to rain down the great rain of Dharma, to blow the great Dharma-conch, to beat the great Dharma-drum, and to expound the great meaning of the Dharma. Good sons! In the presence of buddhas of the past, I have seen this same sign before — once such a light was sent forth, the great Dharma was taught at once. You should therefore know that the Buddha's manifesting this light now is likewise the same: he wishes to let every being hear and understand the Dharma that is hard for the whole world to believe, and so he manifests this sign. "Good sons! In ages past, immeasurable, boundless, and inconceivable asaṃkhyeya kalpas ago, there was then a buddha named Candrasūryapradīpa Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Understanding and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Being, Tamer of Those to be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. He taught the true Dharma, good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end; its meaning was profound and far-reaching, its words skillful and wondrous, pure and unmixed, complete with the marks of a pristine and undefiled practice. To those seeking the way of the śrāvaka he taught the Dharma matching the Four Noble Truths, delivering them from birth, old age, sickness, and death, to the ultimate end in nirvāṇa; to those seeking the way of the pratyekabuddha he taught the Dharma matching the twelve links of dependent origination; and for the bodhisattvas he taught the Dharma matching the six perfections, so that they might attain unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening and accomplish the wisdom of all modes. "After him there was again a buddha likewise named Candrasūryapradīpa, and after him again a buddha likewise named Candrasūryapradīpa — in this way, twenty thousand buddhas in succession, all sharing the same name, Candrasūryapradīpa, and all of the same clan-name, Bharadvāja. Maitreya, you should know: the first buddha and the last buddha alike shared this same name, Candrasūryapradīpa, each complete with the ten epithets. The Dharma each of them taught was good in the beginning, the middle, and the end. Before the last of these buddhas had left his household, he had eight royal sons: the first named Having-Intent, the second Good-Intent, the third Immeasurable-Intent, the fourth Jeweled-Intent, the fifth Increasing-Intent, the sixth Doubt-Removing-Intent, the seventh Resonant-Intent, and the eighth Dharma-Intent. These eight princes, majestic and free in their own dominion, each ruled over one of the four continents. When these princes heard that their father had left his household and attained unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening, they all relinquished their royal positions and likewise left their households, giving rise to the intention of the Great Vehicle, constantly cultivating pure conduct, all becoming Dharma teachers, having already planted every good root in the presence of a thousand myriad buddhas. "At that time the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa taught a Mahāyāna sūtra called the Sūtra of Immeasurable Meanings, a teaching for bodhisattvas, guarded and held in mind by the Buddha himself. Having taught this sūtra, he sat cross-legged in the midst of the great assembly and entered the samādhi of the Station of Immeasurable Meanings, his body and mind unmoving. At that moment a rain of māndārava flowers, great māndārava flowers, mañjūṣaka flowers, and great mañjūṣaka flowers fell, scattering over the Buddha and over the whole great assembly, and the entire buddha-world shook in six ways. At that time, within the assembly, the monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, and all the lesser kings and wheel-turning kings — this whole great assembly, having gained what they had never had before, joined their palms in joy and gazed on the Buddha with one-pointed mind. "At that time the Tathāgata emitted a ray of light from the white curl between his brows, illuminating eighteen thousand buddha-lands to the east, leaving nothing unreached — just as the buddha-lands you now see before you. Maitreya, you should know: at that time, within the assembly, there were twenty koṭis of bodhisattvas who delighted in hearing the Dharma. These bodhisattvas, seeing this light illuminating the buddha-lands everywhere, gained what they had never had before, and wished to know the cause and condition for this light. There was then a bodhisattva named Wondrous Light, who had eight hundred disciples. At that time the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa arose from his samādhi, and, on account of Wondrous Light Bodhisattva, taught a Mahāyāna sūtra called the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a teaching for bodhisattvas, guarded and held in mind by the Buddha himself — sixty small kalpas without ever rising from his seat. And the assembly gathered there likewise sat in a single place, their bodies and minds unmoving for sixty small kalpas, listening to what the Buddha taught as though it were the space of a single meal. In all that assembly there was not a single person, in body or in mind, who grew weary. "When the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa had finished teaching this sūtra over sixty small kalpas, he then proclaimed, in the midst of Brahmā gods, Māras, śramaṇas, brahmins, gods, humans, and asuras: 'This very night, at midnight, the Tathāgata shall enter final nirvāṇa without remainder.' There was then a bodhisattva named Store of Virtue, and the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa bestowed on him a prediction, declaring to the monks: 'This bodhisattva, Store of Virtue, shall next become a buddha, named Pure Body Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened.' Having bestowed this prediction, the Buddha, at midnight, entered final nirvāṇa without remainder. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Wondrous Light Bodhisattva upheld the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sūtra and taught it to others for the full span of eighty small kalpas. All eight sons of the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa took Wondrous Light as their teacher, and Wondrous Light taught and transformed them so that they became firmly settled in unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening. These princes, having made offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of buddhas, all accomplished the buddha-path, and the last of them to become a buddha was named Dīpaṃkara. Among Wondrous Light's eight hundred disciples there was one named Seeker of Fame, who was greedy and attached to profit and support; though he read and recited the many sūtras, he could not master them, and forgot much of what he read — hence he was named Seeker of Fame. Yet this person too, through the causes and conditions of the good roots he had planted, came to encounter immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of buddhas, and made offerings to them, honoring, revering, and praising them. Maitreya, you should know: is the Wondrous Light Bodhisattva of that time truly someone else? It is I myself. And the bodhisattva Seeker of Fame — that is you yourself. Seeing this same sign now, no different from before, I consider therefore: the Tathāgata today is about to teach a Mahāyāna sūtra called the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower, a teaching for bodhisattvas, guarded and held in mind by the Buddha himself."

At that time Mañjuśrī, wishing to restate this same meaning once more before the great assembly, spoke in verse: "I recall a past age, immeasurable, countless kalpas ago, there was a buddha, most honored among men, named Candrasūryapradīpa. The World-Honored One taught the Dharma, delivering immeasurable beings, and countless koṭis of bodhisattvas he brought into the Buddha's wisdom. Before the Buddha left his household, the eight royal sons he had fathered, seeing the great sage leave his household, likewise followed him and cultivated pure conduct. Then the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle, a sūtra named Immeasurable Meanings, and in the midst of the great assembly expounded it broadly and in detail. Having taught this sūtra, the Buddha, upon the Dharma-seat, sat cross-legged in a samādhi named the Station of Immeasurable Meanings. Heavenly māndārava flowers rained down, heavenly drums sounded of themselves, and the gods, dragons, and spirits made offerings to the one most honored among men. All the buddha-lands at once trembled greatly, and the Buddha sent forth light from between his brows, manifesting these rare events. This light illuminated eighteen thousand buddha-lands to the east, showing all beings the places where the karmic retribution of birth and death unfolds. Some saw buddha-lands adorned with every treasure, colored like lapis lazuli and crystal, all by the illumination of the Buddha's light. And they saw gods and humans, dragons, spirits, yakṣas, gandharvas, and kiṃnaras, each making offerings to their own buddha. And they saw the tathāgatas, of themselves accomplishing the buddha-path, their bodies the color of a mountain of gold, upright and majestic, subtle and wondrous. Like a true golden image appearing within pure lapis lazuli, the World-Honored Ones, in the midst of their assemblies, expounded the profound meaning of the Dharma. In each and every buddha-land, the assemblies of śrāvakas were beyond number; by the Buddha's light shining upon them, all those assemblies were seen in full. Some monks were seen dwelling in the mountain forests, diligently upholding the pure precepts, as though guarding a bright jewel. And bodhisattvas were seen, practicing giving, patience, and the rest, their number like the sands of the Ganges, all by the Buddha's light shining upon them. And bodhisattvas were seen, entering deeply into meditative concentration, body and mind still and unmoving, seeking the unsurpassed path. And bodhisattvas were seen, knowing the quiescent, ceased mark of all phenomena, each in his own land teaching the Dharma, seeking the buddha-path. At that time the fourfold assembly, seeing the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa manifest this great spiritual power, all rejoiced in their hearts, and asked one another: 'For what cause does this happen?' The one honored by gods and humans, having just arisen from his samādhi, praised Wondrous Light Bodhisattva: 'You are the eye of the world, the one all take refuge in and trust, able to uphold the treasury of the Dharma; of the Dharma I have taught, you alone are able to bear witness and know it.' The World-Honored One, having praised him, brought joy to Wondrous Light, and taught this Lotus Sūtra for a full sixty small kalpas without rising from his seat. And this supreme, wondrous Dharma he taught, the Dharma Teacher Wondrous Light was able to uphold in its entirety. When the Buddha had taught this Lotus Sūtra and brought joy to the assembly, that very day he declared to the gathering of gods and humans: 'The meaning of the true mark of all phenomena I have now taught for you; tonight, at midnight, I shall enter nirvāṇa. Be diligent, single-mindedly, and free yourselves from negligence — buddhas are exceedingly hard to encounter; only once in a hundred million kalpas does one meet with them.' The Buddha's own sons, hearing that the Buddha would enter nirvāṇa, each held sorrow and distress in their hearts: how swiftly the Buddha's passing has come! The sagely lord, king of the Dharma, consoled the immeasurable assembly: 'When I have entered final nirvāṇa, you should have no grief or fear. This bodhisattva, Store of Virtue, has already penetrated the undefiled true mark; he shall next become a buddha, named Pure Body, and he too shall deliver immeasurable beings.' That night the Buddha entered nirvāṇa, as a fire dies out when its fuel is spent, and his relics were distributed, and immeasurable stūpas were raised over them. The monks and nuns, their number like the sands of the Ganges, redoubled their diligence, seeking the unsurpassed path. This Dharma Teacher Wondrous Light upheld the Buddha's treasury of the Dharma, and for eighty small kalpas proclaimed the Lotus Sūtra widely. These eight royal sons, opened and transformed by Wondrous Light, became firm in the unsurpassed path, and were destined to see countless buddhas. Having made offerings to those buddhas, they followed and practiced the great path, and one after another accomplished buddhahood, each in turn bestowing predictions on the next. The last of them, most honored among the gods, was named the Buddha Dīpaṃkara, guide and teacher of the sages, who delivered immeasurable beings. This Dharma Teacher Wondrous Light, at that time, had a disciple whose mind constantly held indolence, greedily attached to fame and profit; seeking fame and profit without satiety, he wandered often among noble households, abandoning what he had studied and recited, letting it lapse and fail to master it. For this reason he was named Seeker of Fame. Yet he too practiced many good deeds, and came to see countless buddhas; making offerings to those buddhas, he followed and practiced the great path, and, complete now in the six perfections, sees today the lion of the Śākyas. Hereafter he shall become a buddha, named Maitreya, broadly delivering beings, their number beyond measure. After that buddha's parinirvāṇa, the indolent one was you yourself; and the Dharma Teacher Wondrous Light — that is I myself, now. I saw, in the Buddha Candrasūryapradīpa's time, this same original sign of light — and by this I know that the Buddha now is about to teach the Lotus Sūtra. This present sign is like that original portent — it is the skillful means of the buddhas; the Buddha now sends forth this light to help disclose the meaning of the true mark. All of you should know this now: join your palms and wait with one-pointed mind — the Buddha is about to rain down the rain of the Dharma, satisfying all who seek the path. For all who seek the three vehicles, if any harbor doubt or regret, the Buddha shall remove and cut it off for them, until none remains at all."