The Jeweled Stūpa

At that time, before the Buddha, there appeared a stūpa of the seven treasures, five hundred yojanas high and two hundred fifty yojanas square, rising up out of the earth and standing suspended in the air, adorned with every kind of jewel. It had five thousand railings, and a thousand myriad niches and chambers, decorated with countless banners, and hung with jeweled garlands and myriads of koṭis of jeweled bells. On every side it sent forth the fragrance of tamālapattra and sandalwood, filling the entire world. Its banners and canopies were made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam-shell, carnelian, pearl, and rose quartz, the seven treasures combined, and it rose as high as the palace of the Four Heavenly Kings. The gods of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven rained down heavenly māndārava flowers, making offerings to the jeweled stūpa. The rest of the gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, thousands of myriads of koṭis of them, made offerings to the jeweled stūpa with every kind of flower, incense, garland, banner, canopy, and music, honoring, revering, and praising it. At that time a great voice issued from within the jeweled stūpa, praising: "Excellent, excellent! Śākyamuni, World-Honored One! You have, with equal and impartial great wisdom, taught a Dharma for bodhisattvas, guarded and held in mind by the Buddha himself, the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sūtra, and expounded it for the great assembly. It is so, it is so! Śākyamuni, World-Honored One! Everything you have taught is entirely true." At that time the fourfold assembly, seeing this great jeweled stūpa suspended in the air, and hearing this voice issuing from within it, were all filled with the joy of the Dharma, marveling at what they had never had before, and rose from their seats, joined their palms in reverence, and withdrew to one side. At that time there was a bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Mahāpratibhāna, who, knowing the doubt in the minds of all the gods, humans, and asuras of the whole world, said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! For what cause and condition has this jeweled stūpa risen up out of the earth, and this voice issued from within it?"

At that time the Buddha said to Mahāpratibhāna Bodhisattva: "Within this jeweled stūpa is the entire body of a tathāgata. Long ago, in the past, in an immeasurable, asaṃkhyeya number of worlds to the east, in a land named Jeweled Purity, there was a buddha named Prabhūtaratna. When that buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path, he made a great vow: 'If, after I attain buddhahood and enter parinirvāṇa, there is, in any land of the ten directions, a place where the Lotus Sūtra is being taught, my own stūpa and shrine shall, in order to listen to this sūtra, rise up and appear before that place, to bear witness to it, and to praise it, saying: "Excellent."' "That buddha, having accomplished the path, when his parinirvāṇa drew near, declared to the monks, in the midst of the great assembly of gods and humans: 'After my parinirvāṇa, whoever wishes to make offerings to my entire body should raise a single great stūpa.' By that buddha's own power of spiritual penetration and the power of his vow, in every land of the ten directions, wherever the Lotus Sūtra is taught, that jeweled stūpa of his rises up and appears before that place, his entire body within the stūpa, praising: 'Excellent, excellent!' "Mahāpratibhāna! Now this stūpa of the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, hearing the Lotus Sūtra being taught, has risen up out of the earth, praising: 'Excellent, excellent!'"

At that time Mahāpratibhāna Bodhisattva, by the Tathāgata's own spiritual power, said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! We wish to see this buddha's body." The Buddha said to Mahāpratibhāna Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva: "This Buddha Prabhūtaratna has a deep and weighty vow: 'Whenever my jeweled stūpa, in order to listen to the Lotus Sūtra, appears before some buddha, if that buddha wishes to show my body to the fourfold assembly, then that buddha's own emanation-buddhas — teaching the Dharma throughout worlds of the ten directions — must first all gather together in one place, and only then shall my body appear.' "Mahāpratibhāna! My own emanation-buddhas, now teaching the Dharma throughout worlds of the ten directions, should now gather here." Mahāpratibhāna said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! We too wish to see the World-Honored One's own emanation-buddhas, to bow before them and make offerings to them." At that time the Buddha sent forth a single ray of light from the white curl between his brows, and at once the buddhas of five hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of lands to the east, as many as the sands of the Ganges, became visible. Every one of those lands had a ground of crystal, adorned with jeweled trees and jeweled robes, filled everywhere with countless thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas, spread over with jeweled curtains, and covered above with jeweled nets. The buddhas of those lands taught the Dharma with a great and wondrous voice, and immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas could be seen, filling every land, teaching the Dharma for their assemblies. In the south, west, and north, in the four intermediate directions, and above and below, wherever the light of the white curl reached, it was just the same. At that time the buddhas of the ten directions each said to their assembled bodhisattvas: "Good sons! We should now go to the sahā world, to where the Buddha Śākyamuni is, and make offerings as well to the jeweled stūpa of the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna." At that time the sahā world at once transformed into a pure land, its ground of lapis lazuli, adorned with jeweled trees, bordered by cords of gold marking out eight roads, without any village, hamlet, town, or city, without great oceans, rivers, mountains, or forests. Great jeweled incense burned, and māndārava flowers covered the ground everywhere; jeweled nets and curtains were spread over it, hung with jeweled bells. Only this present assembly remained; every other god and human was moved and placed in another land. At that time each of the buddhas, taking one great bodhisattva as his attendant, came to the sahā world, and went, each of them, to beneath a jeweled tree. Each jeweled tree stood five hundred yojanas high, its branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit arranged in beautiful order, and beneath each jeweled tree there was a lion's seat, five yojanas high, likewise adorned with great treasures. At that time each buddha sat cross-legged upon this seat. In this way, one after another, they filled the entire trichiliocosm, and yet even so, of the buddhas emanated from Śākyamuni Buddha in only a single direction, not all had yet arrived. At that time Śākyamuni Buddha, wishing to make room for the buddhas emanated from himself, transformed, in each of the eight directions, two hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of lands more, causing them all to become pure, without hells, hungry ghosts, animals, or asuras, and moving their gods and humans and placing them in other lands. These transformed lands likewise had a ground of lapis lazuli, adorned with jeweled trees five hundred yojanas high, their branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit arranged in beautiful order, and beneath each tree a jeweled lion's seat, five yojanas high, adorned with every kind of treasure. There were, besides, no great oceans or rivers, and none of the great mountain-kings — Cakravāḍa, Mahācakravāḍa, Mucilinda, Mahāmucilinda, or Sumeru — so that the whole became a single buddha-land. Its jeweled ground was level and smooth, covered over everywhere with curtains of jeweled dew, hung with banners and canopies; great jeweled incense burned, and heavenly jeweled flowers covered the ground everywhere. Śākyamuni Buddha, in order to make room besides for buddhas yet to come and take their seats, transformed, in each of the eight directions, two hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of lands more still, causing them all to become pure, without hells, hungry ghosts, animals, or asuras, and moving their gods and humans and placing them in other lands. These transformed lands likewise had a ground of lapis lazuli, adorned with jeweled trees five hundred yojanas high, their branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit arranged in beautiful order, and beneath each tree a jeweled lion's seat, five yojanas high, likewise adorned with great treasures. There were, besides, no great oceans or rivers, and none of the great mountain-kings — Cakravāḍa, Mahācakravāḍa, Mucilinda, Mahāmucilinda, or Sumeru — so that the whole became a single buddha-land. Its jeweled ground was level and smooth, covered over everywhere with curtains of jeweled dew, hung with banners and canopies; great jeweled incense burned, and heavenly jeweled flowers covered the ground everywhere. At that time the buddhas emanated from Śākyamuni Buddha to the east, from hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of lands, as many as the sands of the Ganges, each teaching the Dharma, came and gathered here; and in this same way, one after another, the buddhas of the ten directions all came and gathered, seated in each of the eight directions. At that time, in each and every direction, four hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of lands were filled entirely with buddha-tathāgatas. At that time, each buddha, seated beneath a jeweled tree upon a lion's seat, sent his attendant to greet Śākyamuni Buddha, each bearing a double handful of jeweled flowers, and saying to him: "Good son! Go to where Śākyamuni Buddha is, on Vulture Peak, and say, on my behalf: 'Are you in good health, with little affliction, your strength and ease sufficient, and are your bodhisattvas and śrāvakas all at peace?' And scatter these jeweled flowers as an offering to the Buddha, and say further: 'Such-and-such a buddha wishes you to open this jeweled stūpa.'" Every buddha sent his messenger in just this same way.

At that time Śākyamuni Buddha, seeing that his emanated buddhas had all gathered and had each taken his seat upon a lion's throne, and hearing that every buddha wished the jeweled stūpa opened together, at once rose from his seat and stood suspended in the air. The whole fourfold assembly rose to their feet, joined their palms, and gazed at the Buddha with one mind. Then Śākyamuni Buddha, with the finger of his right hand, opened the door of the stūpa of the seven treasures, and a great sound issued forth, like the sound of a great city gate's lock being drawn back and the gate thrown open. At once the whole assembly saw the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, seated upon a lion's throne within the jeweled stūpa, his entire body unscattered, as though he had entered meditative concentration. And they heard him say: "Excellent, excellent! Śākyamuni Buddha! You have joyfully taught this Lotus Sūtra — it is in order to hear this sūtra that I have come to this place." At that time the fourfold assembly, seeing this buddha who had entered parinirvāṇa immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas ago speak these words, marveled at what they had never had before, and scattered heaps of heavenly jeweled flowers over both the Buddha Prabhūtaratna and Śākyamuni Buddha. At that time the Buddha Prabhūtaratna, within the jeweled stūpa, offered half of his own seat to Śākyamuni Buddha, saying: "Śākyamuni Buddha! Please take this seat." Śākyamuni Buddha at once entered the stūpa, and sat down on the offered half of the seat, cross-legged. At that time the great assembly, seeing the two tathāgatas seated cross-legged together upon the lion's throne within the stūpa of the seven treasures, each thought: "The Buddha's seat is high and far away — we beg only that the Tathāgata, by his spiritual power, cause us all to be raised up into the air as well." At once Śākyamuni Buddha, by his spiritual power, drew the whole great assembly up into the air, and, with a great voice, declared to the fourfold assembly: "Who is able, in this sahā world, to broadly teach the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sūtra? Now is exactly the time for it. The Tathāgata shall, before long, enter nirvāṇa, and the Buddha wishes to entrust this Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sūtra to one who will carry it onward."

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "The holy lord, the World-Honored One, though he entered parinirvāṇa long ago, still comes, within his jeweled stūpa, for the sake of the Dharma. How, then, could any of you fail to strive diligently for the Dharma's sake? This buddha's parinirvāṇa was countless kalpas ago, yet he goes everywhere to listen to the Dharma, because it is so hard to encounter. That buddha's original vow was this: after my own parinirvāṇa, wherever I may go, I shall always come to listen to the Dharma. And my own emanated buddhas, immeasurable in number, as many as the sands of the Ganges, have come as well, wishing to listen to the Dharma. And, wishing to see the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, who has entered parinirvāṇa, they have each forsaken their own wondrous lands, and their own disciples, gods, humans, dragons, and spirits, and every offering made to them, so that the Dharma might long endure, and have come to this place for that reason. In order to seat these buddhas, I have, by spiritual power, moved immeasurable multitudes elsewhere, and made these lands pure. Each of these buddhas has gone to sit beneath a jeweled tree, as though beside a pure pond adorned with lotus flowers. Beneath these jeweled trees, upon their lion's seats, the buddhas sit, their light and adornment like a great torch burning in the dark of night. Their bodies send forth a wondrous fragrance, filling the lands of the ten directions; beings, touched by this fragrance, feel a joy they cannot contain, as though a great wind were blowing through the branches of a small tree. By this skillful means, I cause the Dharma to long endure. I declare to this great assembly: 'After my parinirvāṇa, who is able to protect, uphold, read, and teach this sūtra? Let him now, before the Buddha, speak his own vow.' The Buddha Prabhūtaratna, though he entered parinirvāṇa long ago, by his own great vow, roars this lion's roar. The Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, and I myself, together with all the emanated buddhas now gathered here — you should know our shared intent in this. Children of the Buddha, whoever among you is able to protect the Dharma should now bring forth a great vow, that it may long endure. Whoever is able to protect this sūtra and its Dharma thereby makes offerings to both me and to Prabhūtaratna. This Buddha Prabhūtaratna, dwelling within his jeweled stūpa, constantly travels through the ten directions; for the sake of this sūtra, he thereby also makes offerings to all the emanated buddhas who have come here, who have adorned and illumined every world. Whoever teaches this sūtra thereby sees me, and the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, and all the emanated buddhas as well. Good sons, each of you should reflect carefully: this is a difficult thing, and you should bring forth a great vow for it. As for every other sūtra, numerous as the sands of the Ganges — even to teach all of these would not be difficult enough to compare. Were one to lift up Mount Sumeru and hurl it into countless other buddha-lands, this too would not be difficult. Were one, with a single toe, to shake a whole trichiliocosm, and hurl it far off into another land, this too would not be difficult. Were one to stand at the very summit of existence, and expound for the assembly countless other sūtras, this too would not be difficult. But if, after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, in an evil age, one is able to teach this sūtra — this alone is truly difficult. Were a person to grasp empty space in his hand, and wander about with it, this too would not be difficult. But after my parinirvāṇa, to copy and uphold this sūtra oneself, or to have another copy it — this alone is truly difficult. Were one to place the whole great earth upon a single toenail, and ascend to the Brahmā heaven with it, this too would not be difficult. But after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, in an evil age, even to read this sūtra for a moment — this alone is truly difficult. Were one, at the time of the kalpa-ending fire, to carry a bundle of dry grass into the flames and not be burned, this too would not be difficult. But after my parinirvāṇa, to uphold this sūtra and teach it to even a single person — this alone is truly difficult. Were one to uphold the eighty-four thousand teachings of the Dharma, the twelve divisions of the scriptures, and expound them for others, causing every listener to attain the six spiritual powers — even were one able to do this, it would not be difficult enough to compare. But after my parinirvāṇa, to listen to and receive this sūtra, and to ask after its meaning — this alone is truly difficult. Were a person to teach the Dharma so that thousands of myriads of koṭis, immeasurable and countless beings, as many as the sands of the Ganges, attained arhatship, complete with the six spiritual powers — even with such benefit as this, it would not be difficult enough to compare. But after my parinirvāṇa, to be able to uphold a scripture such as this one — this alone is truly difficult. For the sake of the buddha-path, in immeasurable lands, from the beginning until now, I have broadly taught every sūtra — and among them all, this sūtra is foremost. Whoever is able to uphold it thereby upholds the Buddha's own body. Good sons! After my parinirvāṇa, whoever is able to uphold, read, and recite this sūtra should now, before the Buddha, speak his own vow. This sūtra is hard to uphold; if there is one who upholds it even for a moment, I shall rejoice, and so shall every buddha. Such a person is praised by every buddha. This is true valor, this is true diligence; this is called upholding the precepts, and practicing austerities — and such a one shall swiftly attain the unsurpassed buddha-path. Whoever, in the ages to come, is able to read and uphold this sūtra is a true child of the Buddha, dwelling in a ground of pure goodness. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, whoever is able to understand its meaning is the eye of the world for gods and humans alike. In an age of fear, whoever is able to teach it even for a moment should be honored with offerings by every god and human."