The Purified Six Senses (I)

At that time the Buddha said to Constantly-Diligent Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva: "Should a good son or good daughter uphold this Lotus Sūtra, whether reading it, reciting it, explaining it, or copying it, that person shall attain eight hundred merits of the eye, twelve hundred merits of the ear, eight hundred merits of the nose, twelve hundred merits of the tongue, eight hundred merits of the body, and twelve hundred merits of the mind — and by these merits, all six faculties shall be adorned, and made entirely pure. This good son or good daughter, with the pure fleshly eye given by their own father and mother, shall see every mountain, forest, river, and sea within and beyond the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, down to the depths of Avīci hell, and up to the highest heaven of form, and shall see, too, every being within it, together with the causes and conditions of their karma, and the places where its results are born — seeing all of it, and knowing all of it."

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to proclaim this meaning once more, spoke in verse: "If, before a great assembly, with a heart free of any fear, one teaches this Lotus Sūtra — listen now to the merit this brings. That person attains eight hundred merits, an eye of the finest quality, and by this very adornment, their sight becomes entirely pure. With the eye given by their own father and mother, they see the whole three-thousandfold world, Mount Meru and the encircling iron mountains within and beyond it, and every other mountain and forest, every great sea, river, and stream, down to the depths of the Avīci hell, up to the highest heaven of form — every being within it, all of it entirely seen. Though they have not yet attained the heavenly eye, such is the power of the fleshly eye alone."

"Furthermore, Constantly-Diligent! Should a good son or good daughter uphold this sūtra, whether reading it, reciting it, explaining it, or copying it, they shall attain twelve hundred merits of the ear. With this pure ear, they shall hear, throughout the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, down to the depths of Avīci hell and up to the highest heaven of form, every kind of speech and sound within and beyond it — the sound of elephants, the sound of horses, of cattle, of carts, sounds of weeping and wailing, sounds of grief and sighing, the sound of conch shells, of drums, of bells, of hand bells, sounds of laughter and speech, the voices of men and women, of boys and girls, sounds of the Dharma and sounds contrary to it, sounds of suffering and of pleasure, the voices of ordinary people and of the noble, sounds pleasing and displeasing, the sounds of gods, of nāgas, of yakṣas, of gandharvas, of asuras, of garuḍas, of kiṃnaras, of mahoragas, the sound of fire, of water, of wind, the sounds of hell, of animals, of hungry ghosts, the voices of monks and of nuns, of śrāvakas and of pratyekabuddhas, of bodhisattvas and of buddhas — in brief, every sound whatsoever, within and beyond the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world. Though they have not yet attained the heavenly ear, with the pure, ordinary ear given by their own father and mother, they shall hear and know every one of these, distinguishing every kind of sound in this way, without their own ear faculty ever being harmed by it."

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to proclaim this meaning once more, spoke in verse: "The ear given by one's own father and mother, pure and free of any defilement, with this ordinary ear hears every sound of the three-thousandfold world. The sound of elephants, horses, carts, and cattle, of bells, hand bells, conches, and drums, of zithers, lutes, and harps, of flutes and pipes, of fine and pure singing — hearing all this without attachment, they understand, upon hearing it, countless kinds of human voices. They hear, too, the voices of the gods, their subtle and wondrous song, and hear the voices of men and women, of boys and of girls. Amid the mountains, rivers, and steep ravines, the voice of the kalaviṅka bird, and of the jīvañjīva and every other bird — all of these sounds they hear. The countless cries of suffering in hell, every kind of torment's own sound, the hungry ghosts, pressed by hunger and thirst, crying out in search of food and drink, and the asuras, dwelling at the great ocean's edge, when they speak among themselves, sending forth a mighty sound — the teacher of the Dharma, dwelling calmly in this place, hears all these sounds from far away, yet the ear faculty itself is never harmed. In the worlds of the ten directions, birds and beasts calling out to one another — the teacher of the Dharma, in this very place, hears every one of them. In the Brahma heavens above, in the heaven of light and sound, in the heaven of universal purity, up to the very highest heaven — every word spoken there, the teacher of the Dharma, dwelling here, hears in full. Every assembly of monks, and every assembly of nuns, whether reading and reciting the scriptures, or teaching them to others — the teacher of the Dharma, dwelling here, hears them in full. There are bodhisattvas, too, reading and reciting the scriptures and their teachings, or teaching them to others, compiling and explaining their meaning — sounds such as these, too, they hear in full. Every buddha, the great and sagely honored ones, teaching and transforming beings, expounding the subtle and wondrous Dharma in every great assembly — whoever upholds this Lotus Sūtra hears all of it in full. Every sound within and beyond the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, down to the depths of the Avīci hell, up to the very highest heaven — they hear every one of these sounds, yet their ear faculty is never harmed; because their hearing is so sharp and keen, they are able to distinguish and know every one of them. Whoever upholds this Lotus Sūtra, though they have not yet attained the heavenly ear, using only the ordinary ear they were born with, already possesses merit such as this."

"Furthermore, Constantly-Diligent! Should a good son or good daughter uphold this sūtra, whether reading it, reciting it, explaining it, or copying it, they shall accomplish eight hundred merits of the nose. With this pure nose faculty, they shall smell, above and below and within and beyond the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, every kind of fragrance — the fragrance of the sumanā flower, of the jasmine flower, of the mallikā flower, of the campaka flower, of the pāṭala flower, of the red lotus, the blue lotus, and the white lotus, the fragrance of flowering trees and of fruit trees, of sandalwood, of aloeswood, of tamāla leaf, of tagara, and of a thousand myriad kinds of blended incense, whether powdered, rolled into pellets, or made into anointing paste — one who upholds this sūtra, dwelling in this very place, is able to distinguish every one of them. They shall know, further, the particular fragrance of every being — the fragrance of elephants, of horses, of cattle and sheep, of men, of women, of boys, of girls, and the fragrance of grasses, trees, and thickets — whether near or far, every one of these fragrances is smelled, and distinguished without error. One who upholds this sūtra, though dwelling here, shall also smell the fragrances of the heavens above — the fragrance of the pārijāta and kovidāra trees, and of the mandārava flower, the great mandārava flower, the mañjūṣaka flower, and the great mañjūṣaka flower, of sandalwood, of aloeswood, of every kind of powdered incense, and of every mingled flower — every fragrance that arises from the blending of such heavenly scents as these, none of it is left unsmelled or unknown. They shall smell, further, the very fragrance of the gods' own bodies — the fragrance of Śakra, lord of the gods, as he takes his pleasure amid the five desires in his own excellent palace; the fragrance that arises as he teaches the Trāyastriṃśa gods in the Hall of the Wondrous Dharma; the fragrance that arises as he wanders and takes his ease in the various gardens; and the fragrance of the bodies of every other god and goddess besides, all smelled from far away. In this way, extending upward even to the Brahma heavens, up to the very highest heaven of form, the fragrance of the gods' own bodies dwelling there is smelled as well, together with the incense the gods themselves burn. And the fragrance of śrāvakas, of pratyekabuddhas, of bodhisattvas, and of the very bodies of buddhas — all of this, too, is smelled from far away, and its location known. Yet though such fragrances as these are smelled, the nose faculty itself is never harmed or confused by them, and should one wish to distinguish them and explain them to others, the memory of them is never mistaken."

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to proclaim this meaning once more, spoke in verse: "This person's nose is pure, and throughout this whole world, whether a thing is fragrant or foul, they smell and know every kind of it. The sumanā, the jasmine, the tamāla, the sandalwood, the aloeswood and cassia fragrance, every kind of flower and fruit fragrance, and the fragrance of every being too, of men and of women — though the teacher of the Dharma dwells far away, smelling the fragrance, they know exactly where it is. Mighty wheel-turning kings, lesser wheel-turning kings and their sons, ministers and palace attendants — smelling the fragrance, they know exactly where they are. Jewels worn upon the body, and treasures buried in the earth, the wheel-turning king's own treasure-consort — smelling the fragrance, they know exactly where they are. The ornaments people wear, their robes and their necklaces, and every kind of anointing scent — smelling the fragrance, they know the very body it comes from. Whether the gods walk or sit, at play or performing spiritual transformations, whoever upholds this Lotus Sūtra, smelling the fragrance, knows it all. Every tree's flowers and fruit, and the fragrance of ghee and oil — one who upholds this sūtra, dwelling here, knows exactly where each one is. In the deep and perilous places of every mountain, where sandalwood trees stand in bloom, the beings dwelling among them — smelling the fragrance, they know them all. Amid the iron ring-mountains, the great ocean, and the beings dwelling in the earth — one who upholds this sūtra, smelling the fragrance, knows exactly where they are. Asura men and women, and all their retinues, whether fighting or at play — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. In the wilderness, in perilous and narrow places, lions, elephants, tigers, wolves, wild oxen and water buffalo — smelling the fragrance, they know exactly where they are. Should there be a woman with child, whose son or daughter is not yet determined, or one without the faculty to bear, or a nonhuman being — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. By the power of this sense of smell, they know from the very moment of conception whether the child will come to term or not, and whether the birth will be at ease and blessed. By the power of this sense of smell, they know the very thoughts of men and women, hearts stained with desire, folly, or anger, and know, too, those who cultivate what is wholesome. Every hidden treasure buried in the earth, gold, silver, and every kind of jewel, held within vessels of bronze — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Every kind of necklace, whose true worth no one else can tell — smelling the fragrance, they know its value, its origin, and its location. Every flower in the heavens above, the mandārava, the mañjūṣaka, the pārijāta tree — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. The palaces of the heavens above, in every rank, high, middling, and low, adorned with every kind of jeweled flower — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. The heavens' own gardens and groves, their finest palaces, their towers and the Hall of the Wondrous Dharma, and those who take their pleasure within them — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Whether the gods are listening to the Dharma, or indulging in the five desires, coming and going, walking, sitting, or lying down — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. The robes the goddesses wear, adorned with fine flowers and fragrance, as they wander about at play — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Extending upward in this way, even to the Brahma heavens, those entering and emerging from meditative absorption — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. The heaven of light and sound, the heaven of universal purity, up to the very highest heaven, beings there just born and just passing away — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Every assembly of monks, constantly diligent in the Dharma, whether sitting or walking, reading and reciting the scriptures, or beneath a grove of trees, single-mindedly seated in meditation — one who upholds this sūtra, smelling the fragrance, knows exactly where they are. Bodhisattvas of firm resolve, seated in meditation or reading and reciting, or teaching the Dharma to others — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Every World-Honored One, in every place, revered by all, teaching the Dharma out of pity for beings — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Beings in the Buddha's own presence, hearing the sūtra and rejoicing, practicing exactly as the Dharma teaches — smelling the fragrance, they know it all. Though they have not yet attained the outflow-free nose born of a bodhisattva's own realization, one who upholds this sūtra already gains this very mark of the nose."