The Assembly and the Jeweled Canopy

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying at Āmrapālī's Grove in Vaiśālī, together with a great assembly of eight thousand monks and thirty-two thousand bodhisattvas — all of them known and esteemed by everyone, their great wisdom and its foundational practice fully accomplished; established by the majestic power of the buddhas, they guarded the city of the Dharma and upheld the true teaching; able to roar the lion's roar, their renown reached the ten directions; unasked, they befriended and set people at ease; they continued and made the Three Jewels flourish, never letting them lapse; they subdued Māra's enmity and mastered every non-Buddhist path, already purified and forever free of every hindrance and entanglement; their minds abided constantly, unobstructed and liberated; their mindfulness, concentration, retention, and eloquence never broke off; giving, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, wisdom, and skillful means — in all of these they lacked nothing; they had attained the acquiescence to the birthlessness of phenomena, in which nothing is grasped and nothing arises; already able to follow along, they turned the wheel that never turns back; skilled in understanding the marks of every phenomenon, they knew the faculties of every being; surpassing every assembly, they had gained fearlessness, and cultivated their minds with merit and wisdom; adorned in body with the marks and signs, foremost in form, they had cast off every worldly ornament; their renown, lofty and far-reaching, rose higher than Sumeru; their deep faith, firm and unshakable, was like vajra itself; the treasure of the Dharma shone from them everywhere, and rained down sweet dew; among every kind of speech, theirs was subtle and supreme; deeply entering dependent origination, they had cut off every wrong view, and of the two extremes of being and non-being not a trace remained; they expounded the Dharma fearlessly, like the lion's roar, and what they taught resounded like thunder, beyond all measure, and already past all measure; they gathered the treasures of the Dharma like a great captain guiding a ship at sea, and had penetrated the profound and subtle meaning of every phenomenon; they knew well where every being comes from and goes to, and what moves in their minds; they had drawn near to the buddhas' own unequaled, equal wisdom, the ten powers, the fearlessnesses, and the eighteen exclusive qualities; they had shut every gate to the wretched destinies, while manifesting their own bodies within the five paths; as great kings of physicians, skilled at healing every illness, they gave the medicine that fit the disease, and brought beings to take it; their immeasurable merits were every one accomplished, their immeasurable buddha-lands every one adorned and pure; whoever saw or heard them was, without exception, benefited, and nothing they did was ever done in vain — every one of these merits was fully complete in them.

Their names were: Equal Contemplation, Unequal Contemplation, Equal-and-Unequal Contemplation, Sovereign King of Meditative Mastery, Sovereign King of the Dharma, Dharma-Marks, Light-Marks, Light-Adorned, Greatly Adorned, Ratnākara ("Jewel-Store"), Eloquence-Store, Jewel-Hand, Jewel-Seal Hand, Ever-Raised Hand, Ever-Lowered Hand, Ever Sorrowing, Root of Joy, King of Joy, Eloquent Voice, Ākāśagarbha ("Space-Treasury"), Holder of the Jeweled Torch, Jewel Valor, Jewel Vision, Indra's Net, Net of Light, Contemplation Without Object, Wisdom-Store, Jewel Supreme, Heavenly King, Māra-Destroyer, Lightning Virtue, Sovereign King, Merit-Marked Adornment, Lion's Roar, Thunder Voice, Mountain-Clash Sound, Fragrant Elephant, White Fragrant Elephant, Ever Diligent, Never Resting, Wondrous Birth, Flower Adornment, Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Brahmā's Net, Jeweled Staff, Unsurpassed, Land-Adorning, Golden Crest, Pearl Crest, Maitreya, and Mañjuśrī, Prince of the Dharma — thirty-two thousand such beings in all. There were also ten thousand Brahmā kings, Śikhin foremost among them, who came from other four-continent worlds to the Buddha's place to hear the Dharma; and twelve thousand celestial rulers, who likewise came from other four-continent worlds to sit in the assembly; together with every other deva of great majestic power, dragon spirits, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, all of whom came to sit in the assembly; and monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, who all came to sit as well. At that time the Buddha, surrounded reverently by an assembly of immeasurable hundreds of thousands, taught the Dharma for them — like Sumeru, sovereign of mountains, rising above the great ocean, he sat at ease upon a lion-seat adorned with every treasure, outshining the whole gathered assembly.

At that time there was an elder's son in the city of Vaiśālī named Ratnākara, who together with five hundred other elders' sons carried jeweled parasols of the seven treasures to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads to his feet, and each offered his parasol in homage to the Buddha. By the Buddha's majestic power, all these jeweled parasols merged into a single canopy, covering the great trichiliocosm entirely, and the whole broad expanse of this world appeared within it — moreover, every Mount Sumeru of this great trichiliocosm, every Himalaya, every Mucilinda and Mahāmucilinda mountain, every Fragrant Mountain, Jeweled Mountain, Golden Mountain, Black Mountain, Cakravāḍa and Mahācakravāḍa mountain, the great oceans, rivers, streams and springs, the sun, moon, and stars, the palaces of the devas, the palaces of the dragon-kings, and the palaces of every honored spirit — all of these appeared within the jeweled canopy; and moreover the buddhas of the ten directions, and the buddhas' teaching of the Dharma, likewise appeared within the jeweled canopy. At that time the whole assembly, beholding the Buddha's spiritual power, praised it as something never before seen! They joined their palms in homage to the Buddha, gazing up at his honored countenance without turning their eyes away for a moment.

Your eyes, pure, long and wide, like the blue lotus, your mind, pure, has gone beyond every meditative absorption; long accumulating pure karma, called immeasurable — you guide the multitude with stillness, and so I bow my head. Having seen the great sage's spiritual transformation, displaying fully the immeasurable lands of the ten directions, with the buddhas in them expounding the Dharma — all of this, every one of us has seen and heard. The Dharma-king's power in the Dharma surpasses every being; he ever gives the wealth of the Dharma to all; skilled in discerning the marks of every phenomenon, he is unmoved in the ultimate truth; already sovereign and free in every phenomenon — and so I bow my head to this Dharma-king. He teaches the Dharma as neither existent nor non-existent; because of causes and conditions, every phenomenon arises; there is no self, no maker, no one who receives — yet the karma of good and evil is never lost. At first, beneath the bodhi tree, by his power he subdued Māra, attained the sweet dew of cessation, and the way of awakening was accomplished; already without mind, without mental activity, without grasping conduct, he utterly overcame every non-Buddhist path. Three times he turned the wheel of the Dharma through the great thousand worlds; that wheel, from the very beginning, is forever pure; devas and humans attaining the path — this is the proof of it; the Three Jewels thereupon appeared in the world. By this wondrous Dharma he ferries every being across; once received, it never turns back, forever still; he delivers us from old age, sickness, and death, this great king of physicians — I should bow to this ocean of the Dharma, whose virtue has no bound. Unmoved by praise or blame, like Sumeru, he meets the good and the not-good alike with loving-kindness; his mind's conduct is equal, like empty space — who, hearing of this jewel among people, would not revere and receive him? Now I offer the World-Honored One this small canopy; within it my own three-thousand-fold world appears, the palaces where every deva, dragon, and spirit dwells, the gandharvas, and the yakṣas too. Everything that exists in this world is seen entirely; you of the ten powers, out of compassion, show this transformation; the assembly, beholding this rare thing, all praise the Buddha — now I bow my head to the honored one of the three realms. The great sage, the Dharma-king, to whom the multitude returns — with pure minds beholding the Buddha, none fail to rejoice; each one sees the World-Honored One right before them — this is a spiritual power shared with no other. The Buddha, with a single voice, expounds the Dharma, and beings, each according to their kind, each gain understanding, each one saying the World-Honored One speaks their own language — this is a spiritual power shared with no other. The Buddha, with a single voice, expounds the Dharma, and beings, each and every one, according to their own understanding, all receive it, practice it, and gain its benefit — this is a spiritual power shared with no other. The Buddha, with a single voice, expounds the Dharma, and some feel fear, and some feel joy, some give rise to weariness and renunciation, some have their doubts cut off — this is a spiritual power shared with no other. I bow my head to the one of the ten powers, of great diligence; I bow my head to the one who has attained fearlessness; I bow my head to the one who abides in the exclusive qualities; I bow my head to the great guide of all; I bow my head to the one able to sever every bond and fetter; I bow my head to the one who has already reached the other shore; I bow my head to the one able to ferry across every world; I bow my head to the one forever free of the path of birth and death. Knowing fully the marks of every being's coming and going, skilled in every phenomenon, he has attained liberation; unattached to the world, like the lotus flower, he ever skillfully enters the practice of emptiness and stillness; penetrating the marks of every phenomenon without obstruction — I bow my head to him, who like space rests on nothing at all.

When the elder's son Ratnākara had spoken this verse, he said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, these five hundred elders' sons have all given rise to the mind of unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening, and wish to hear about the purity of a buddha's land. I ask only that the World-Honored One teach the practice by which bodhisattvas purify their lands." The Buddha said: "Excellent, Ratnākara! You are able to ask the Tathāgata, on behalf of the bodhisattvas, about the practice of purifying a land. Listen carefully, listen carefully, and consider it well — I shall teach it for you." Thereupon Ratnākara and the five hundred elders' sons received this teaching and listened. The Buddha said: "Ratnākara, the very multitude of living beings is a bodhisattva's buddha-field. And why is this? A bodhisattva takes up a buddha-field according to the beings he converts; he takes up a buddha-field according to the beings he tames and subdues; he takes up a buddha-field according to whatever land will lead beings into the Buddha's wisdom; he takes up a buddha-field according to whatever land will give rise to the bodhisattva root in beings. And why is this? Because a bodhisattva takes up a pure land solely to benefit living beings. It is like a person who wishes to build a palace on an empty plot of ground — he may do so freely, without hindrance; but if he tries to build it in empty space, he will never succeed. It is just the same for a bodhisattva: he vows to take up a buddha-field for the sake of bringing beings to accomplishment. To vow to take up a buddha-field is not to build it in emptiness."

"Ratnākara, know this: a straightforward mind is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings free of flattery come to be born in his land. A deep mind is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings whose merit is fully complete come to be born in his land. The mind of awakening is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings of the Great Vehicle come to be born in his land. Giving is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings capable of giving up everything come to be born in his land. Discipline is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings who have fulfilled their vow by practicing the ten wholesome ways come to be born in his land. Patience is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings adorned with the thirty-two marks come to be born in his land. Diligence is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings who diligently cultivate every merit come to be born in his land. Meditative concentration is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings whose minds are gathered and undistracted come to be born in his land. Wisdom is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings of the rightly settled assembly come to be born in his land. The four immeasurable minds are a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings who have accomplished loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity come to be born in his land. The four means of gathering beings are a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings gathered in by liberation come to be born in his land. Skillful means is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings unobstructed in skillful means with respect to every phenomenon come to be born in his land. The thirty-seven factors of the path are a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings of the foundations of mindfulness, the right exertions, the bases of spiritual power, the faculties, the powers, the factors of awakening, and the path come to be born in his land. A mind of dedication is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, he obtains a land fully complete in every merit. Teaching the removal of the eight difficulties is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, his land has none of the three evil destinies or the eight difficulties. Keeping to one's own precepts without faulting others' lapses is a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, his land has no name for breaking the precepts at all. The ten wholesome ways are a bodhisattva's pure land — when the bodhisattva becomes a buddha, beings whose lives are not cut short, who are greatly wealthy, who practice pure conduct, whose speech is always truthful, who always speak gently, whose kin are never parted and who resolve disputes well, whose words are always beneficial, who are free of envy, free of anger, and hold right views, come to be born in his land."

"Just so, Ratnākara: as a bodhisattva follows his straightforward mind, he is able to give rise to conduct; as he follows his conduct, he attains a deep mind; as he follows his deep mind, his intention becomes tamed and subdued; as his intention is tamed and subdued, he practices as he teaches; as he practices as he teaches, he is able to dedicate his merit; as he dedicates his merit, he gains skillful means; as he gains skillful means, he brings beings to accomplishment; as he brings beings to accomplishment, his buddha-field becomes pure; as his buddha-field becomes pure, his teaching of the Dharma becomes pure; as his teaching becomes pure, his wisdom becomes pure; as his wisdom becomes pure, his mind becomes pure; as his mind becomes pure, every one of his merits becomes pure. Therefore, Ratnākara, if a bodhisattva wishes to attain a pure land, he should purify his mind; as his mind becomes pure, his buddha-field becomes pure."

At that time Śāriputra, moved by the Buddha's majestic power, thought to himself: "If it is true that when a bodhisattva's mind is pure, his buddha-field is pure, then when our World-Honored One was formerly a bodhisattva, was his mind not pure? Why then is this buddha-field so impure?" The Buddha, knowing his thought, said to him: "What do you think — are the sun and moon not pure? And yet the blind do not see them." He replied: "No, World-Honored One — this is the fault of the blind, not any flaw of the sun and moon." "Śāriputra, it is because of the sins of living beings that they do not see the adorned purity of the Tathāgata's land — it is no flaw of the Tathāgata's. Śāriputra, this land of mine is pure, but you do not see it." At that time the Brahmā king Śikhin said to Śāriputra: "Do not think this way, that this buddha's land is impure. And why? I see the land of Śākyamuni Buddha as pure, like the palace of the Paranirmita-vaśavartin heaven." Śāriputra said: "What I see of this land is hills and hollows, thorns and gravel, dirt, rock, and mountains, filled entirely with foulness." The Brahmā king Śikhin said: "It is because your mind, sir, has high and low places in it, and does not rely on the Buddha's wisdom, that you see this land as impure. Śāriputra, a bodhisattva regards all beings entirely with equality; his deep mind is pure, and relying on the Buddha's wisdom, he is able to see this buddha's land as pure." Thereupon the Buddha pressed his toe upon the ground, and at once the whole trichiliocosm appeared adorned with hundreds and thousands of every kind of treasure, like the buddha-land of Ratnavyūha, adorned entirely with immeasurable merit and treasure. The whole assembly praised it as something never seen before, and every one of them saw themselves seated upon a jeweled lotus. The Buddha said to Śāriputra: "Now do you see this buddha-land, adorned and pure?" Śāriputra said: "Yes indeed, World-Honored One! What I had never before seen, never before heard — now this buddha-land, adorned and pure, appears before me entirely." The Buddha said to Śāriputra: "This buddha-land of mine is always pure like this — it is only to bring across those of inferior capacity that I show it as a defiled and impure land. It is like the devas, who all eat from the same jeweled vessel, yet the color of the food differs according to each one's merit. Just so, Śāriputra: if a person's mind is pure, he sees this land's merit and adornment." When the Buddha manifested this land's adornment and purity, the five hundred elders' sons whom Ratnākara had brought all attained the acquiescence to the birthlessness of phenomena, and eighty-four thousand people gave rise to the mind of unsurpassed, perfect and complete awakening. The Buddha then withdrew his spiritual power, and the world returned to its former state; the thirty-two thousand devas and humans seeking the vehicle of the śrāvakas understood that every conditioned thing is impermanent, became free of dust and stain, and attained the pure Dharma-eye; and eight thousand monks, no longer grasping at any phenomenon, exhausted their defilements and their minds were liberated.