XXIV
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Soothill, William Edward and Kumārajīva
A double ray issues from Buddha’s brow and illuminates eastwards a hundred and eight myriad kotis of nayutas of Buddha worlds, as the sands of Ganges in number. Beyond these is revealed a world named Adorned-with-Pure-Radiance, whose king is King Wisdom of the Pure-Flower Constellation. Among his vast host of Bodhisattvas is one called Wonder-Sound. The symbolism is that of the thunder and the lightning. He had served numberless Buddhas and attained to innumerable samadhis, giving him insight into Causelessness, Sun-revolution, Interpretation of all Sounds, and many others whose names are given.
Wonder-Sound now begs permission to leave his far distant world and visit Śakyamuni in this world. His Buddha-King gives him permission, but warns him not to expect it to be like his own beautiful world. The world he proposes to visit is a poor, rough place, full of hills and valleys;
“full of earth, stones, mounds, and filth; the body of the Buddha is short and small, and all the bodhisattvas are small of stature, whereas your body is forty-two thousand yojanas high and my body sixty-eight hundred thousand yojanas. Your body is of the finest order, blest with hundreds, thousands, myriads of felicities, and of a wonderful brightness. Therefore on resorting there, do not look lightly on that domain, nor conceive a low opinion of the Buddha, nor of the bodhisattvas, nor of their country.
“The Bodhisattva Wonder-Sound replied to the Buddha: ‘World-honoured One! That I now go to visit the Saha-world is all due to the Tathagata’s power, the Tathagata’s magic power of travelling, and the Tathagata’s adornment of merit and wisdom.’
“Thereupon the Bodhisattva Wonder-Sound, without rising from his seat and without stirring his body, entered into samadhi. By the power of his samadhi, on the Mount Gridhrakuta, not far distant from the Law-seat, there appeared in transformation eighty-four thousand precious lotus-flowers with stalks of gold, leaves of silver, and ruby-flowers with stamens of diamonds.”
Manjuśri questions Śakyamuni as to the meaning of this auspicious sign, to which the reply is given that the great Bodhisattva Wonder-Sound has sent it to announce his intention to come and hear the Lotus Sutra, along with his train of disciples, eight-four thousand in number. Manjuśri again questions the Buddha: “World-honoured One! What roots of goodness has that Bodhisattva planted, what merits has he cultivated, that he should be able to have such transcendent power?” In answer, the Buddha Abundant Treasures signs to Wonder-Sound to come in person with his train. Thereupon Wonder-Sound sets out to pass over all the vast number of intervening domains, each of which is shaken by his passage, while lotus flowers rain everywhere, and celestial instruments send forth without hands divine music. His eyes are like broad big leaves of the blue lotus, his brow the glory of myriads of moons, his body is radiant like pure gold. He is of glowing majesty.
Arriving he alights from his seven-jewelled tower and takes a priceless necklace to offer to Śakyamuni Buddha, making obeisance at his feet and saying,
“World-honoured One! The Buddha ‘King Wisdom of the Pure-Flower-Constellation’ inquires after the World-honoured One thus: ‘Hast thou few ailments and few harassments? Art thou at ease and in comfort? Are thy four component parts in harmony? Are thy worldly affairs tolerable? Are thy creatures easy to save—not over-covetous, angry, foolish, envious, arrogant; never unfilial to parents or irreverent to their teachers? Have they perverted views, or are they of good mind and restrained in their five passions? World-honoured One! Are thy creatures able to overcome the Mara-enemies? Does the Tathagata Abundant-Treasures, so long extinct, still abide in the Stupa of the Precious Seven, and come to listen to the Law?’ King Wisdom also inquires of the Tathagata Abundant-Treasures: ‘Art thou at ease and of few harassments? Wilt thou be content to remain long?’ World-honoured One! We now would see the bodily form of the Buddha Abundant-Treasures. Be pleased, World-honoured One, to show and let us see him.”
“Then says Śakyamuni Buddha to the Buddha Abundant-Treasures: ‘This Bodhisattva Wonder-Sound desires an interview.’ Instantly the Buddha Abundant-Treasures addresses Wonder-Sound: ‘Excellent, excellent! That you have been able to come here to pay homage to Śakyamuni Buddha, to hear the Law-Flower Sutra, and to see Manjuśri and the others’.”
Śakyamuni here tells an inquiring disciple, that Wonder-Sound had formerly paid homage to the King of Cloud-thundering, and obtained great powers. He tells them that they see here but one of his manifold bodies. To preach the Lotus Sutra he appears in many forms.
“Sometimes he appears as Brahma, or appears as Sakra, or appears as Isvara, as Mahesvara, or as a deva-general, or as the deva-king Vaisravana, or as a Holy Wheel-rolling King, or as one of the ordinary kings, or as an elder, as a citizen, or a minister; or appears as a Brahman; or appears as a monk, a nun, a disciple male or female; or appears as the wife of an elder or a citizen, or as the wife of a minister, or of a Brahman, or as a youth or maiden; or appears as a god, dragon, yaksha, gandharva, asura, garuda, kinnara, mahoraga, man, or a non-human being, and so on: and preaches this Sutra. He is able to rescue whatever beings are in the hells, or hungry ghosts, animals and all in distress. Even in the inner courts of a king, transforming himself into a woman, he preaches this Sutra.”
His transformations accord with what may be expedient. To those he must save in the form of a Hinayana teacher, he appears in that form to preach the Law; to those he must save in the form of a Bodhisattva, or a Buddha, he appears in that form; even to those he must save by his extinction, he reveals himself as extinct. These mighty powers he attained through the samadhi-meditation “Revelation-of-all-powers”.
When Wonder-Sound has paid his homage to Śakyamuni and the Buddha Abundant-Treasures, he returns to his own land accompanied by his disciples, and attended with phenomena like those which announced his progress hither.
And while the chapter on the going and coming of the Bodhisattva Wonder-Sound was preached, forty-two thousand heavenly sons attained to the Assurance of No-Rebirth, and the Bodhisattva Flower-Virtue attained to the samadhi termed Law-Flower.