The lotus of the wonderful law : $b or, The lotus gospel...

On to the stage now comes perhaps the most dramatic scene in the whole pageant. Suddenly there springs up from the earth, to the midst of the sky, a Stupa or Shrine, of stupendous size and magnificence. It is made of the seven precious things, that is, gold, silver, and various precious stones. It is

“splendidly adorned with five thousand parapets, thousands, myriads of recesses, and countless banners and flags; it is hung with jewel garlands; myriads and kotis of gem-bells are suspended on it. From it comes the exquisite fragrance of rare sandal-wood, filling the whole world. The thirty-three celestial gods rain celestial flowers upon it. The vast assembly of beings, gods, human and non-human beings pay homage to it.”

“Excellent! Excellent! World-honoured Śakyamuni! Thou art able to preach to the great assembly the Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra of universal and mighty Wisdom, by which bodhisattvas are instructed and which the Buddhas themselves guard and teach. Thus it is, thus it is, World-honoured Śakyamuni! All is true that thou sayest.”

“In this Stupa is the whole body of the Tathagata. Of yore, in the past, innumerable thousands, myriads, kotis of asamkhyeya worlds away in the east, there was a domain named ‘Jewel-clear’. In that domain there was a Buddha named ‘Abundant Treasures’. When that Buddha was treading the Bodhisattva-Way, he made a great vow, saying: ‘After I become a Buddha and am extinct, if in any country in the universe there be a place where the Law-Flower Sutra is preached, let my Stupa arise and appear there, in order that I may hearken to that Sutra, bear testimony to it and extol it, saying “Excellent”.’ When that Buddha had finished his course and his extinction was approaching, in the midst of gods, men, and a great host, he instructed his bhikshus: ‘After my extinction, those who desire to worship my whole body should erect a great Stupa.’ Wherever in the worlds of the universe, the Law-Flower Sutra is preached, that Buddha, by the supernatural powers of his vow, causes his Stupa containing his whole body to spring forth and praises the Sutra saying, ‘Excellent! Excellent!’ Great Eloquence! It is because just now the Tathagata ‘Abundant Treasures’ heard the Law-Flower Sutra being preached, that his Stupa sprang up from the earth and he extolled the Sutra saying ‘Excellent! Excellent!’”

“The Buddha then addressed the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Great-Eloquence thus: ‘This Buddha, Abundant-Treasures, has a profound and grave vow: “When my Stupa appears in the presence of any Buddha that I may hear the Law-Flower Sutra, if he desires to show me to his four groups, let the Buddhas who have emanated from that Buddha, and who are preaching the Law in the worlds in all directions, together return and assemble in one place, and then will I appear in person”. So, Great-Eloquence, I must now assemble the Buddhas who have emanated from me and who are preaching the Law in the worlds in every direction.’

“Then the Buddha sent forth a ray from the white curl between his eyebrows, whereupon eastward there became visible the Buddhas in five hundred myriad kotis of nayutas of domains, as the sands of Ganges. All those domains had crystal for earth, jewel-trees and precious textures for adornment, were filled with countless thousands, myriads, kotis of Bodhisattvas, with jewelled canopies stretched above them, covered with network of jewels. All the Buddhas in those domains were preaching the laws with ravishing voices, and innumerable thousands, myriads, kotis of Bodhisattvas were also seen, filling those domains and preaching to the multitudes. So, too, was it in the southern, western, and northern quarters, in the four intermediate directions, in the zenith, and the nadir, wherever shone the ray-signal from the white curl.

“Thereupon this Saha-world instantly became pure, with lapis lazuli for earth, adorned with jewel-trees, cords made of gold marking the boundaries of its eight divisions; having no hamlets, villages, towns, cities, great seas, great rivers, mountains, streams, forests, and thickets; smoking with most precious incense; its ground strewn with mandarva-flowers, spread with precious nets and curtains, and hung with all kinds of precious bells.

“There remained only the assembled congregation, all other gods and men having been removed to other lands. Then those Buddhas, each bringing a great Bodhisattva as his attendant, arrived at the Saha-world and each went to the foot of a jewel-tree. Every jewel-tree was five hundred yojanas high, adorned in turn with boughs, leaves, blossoms, and fruit; under those jewel-trees there were lion-thrones, five yojanas high, also decorated with magnificent jewels. Then each of those Buddhas sat cross-legged on his throne.

“Thus all around him the Three-Thousand-Great-Thousandfold World was filled with Buddhas; though as yet, from even one point of the compass, the Buddhas who had emanated from Śakyamuni Buddha had not finished arriving. Then Śakyamuni Buddha, desiring to make room for the Buddhas who had emanated from himself, in each of the eight directions of space transformed two hundred myriad kotis of nayutas of domains, all of them pure, without hells, hungry spirits, animals, and asuras, and also removed their gods and men to other lands. The domains thus transformed also had lapis lazuli for earth and were ornate with jewel-trees, five hundred yojanas high, adorned in turn with boughs, leaves, blossoms, and fruits; under every tree was a jewelled lion-throne, five yojanas high, decorated with every kind of gem; and there were no great seas, nor great rivers, nor any mountains.”

“At that moment the Buddha-bodies which had emanated eastward from Śakyamuni, namely, the Buddhas who were each preaching the Law in hundreds, thousands, myriads, kotis of nayutas of eastern domains as the sands of Ganges, arrived and assembled. In like manner in turn the Buddhas from the ten directions all arrived and assembled and took their seats in the eight directions. Thereupon each direction was filled with Buddha-Tathagatas from its four hundred myriad kotis of nayutas of domains. Then the Buddhas, each under a jewel-tree, seated on a lion-throne, sent their attendants to make inquiries of Śakyamuni Buddha, each sending a double handful of jewel-flowers.

“Then Śakyamuni Buddha, beholding the Buddhas who had emanated from him assembled together, each seated on his lion-throne, and hearing that those Buddhas unitedly desired the Precious Stupa to be opened, straightway rose up from his throne, and took his place in the Sky. The four groups stood up, folded their hands, and with all their mind gazed at the Buddha. Thereupon Śakyamuni Buddha with his right fingers opened the door of the Stupa of the Precious Seven, when there went forth a great sound, like the withdrawing of the bolt on opening a great city gate. Thereupon all the congregation saw the Tathagata ‘Abundant Treasures’ sitting on the lion-throne in the Precious Stupa, with his undissipated body whole and as if he were in meditation. And they heard him say: ‘Excellent! Excellent! Śakyamuni Buddha! Speedily preach the Law-Flower Sutra. I have come hither in order to hear this Sutra.’

“Then the four groups, seeing the Buddha who had passed away and been extinct for immeasurable thousands, myriads, kotis of kalpas, speak such words as these, praised the unprecedented marvel, and strewed on the Buddha ‘Abundant Treasures’ and on Śakyamuni Buddha heaps of celestial jewel-flowers. Thereupon the Buddha ‘Abundant Treasures’ within the Precious Stupa shared half his throne with Śakyamuni Buddha, speaking thus: ‘Śakyamuni Buddha! Take this seat!’ Whereupon Śakyamuni Buddha entered into the Stupa and sitting down on that half throne folded his legs. Then the great assembly, seeing the two Tathagatas sitting cross-legged on the lion-throne in the Stupa of the Precious Seven, reflected thus: ‘The Buddhas are sitting aloft and far away. Would that the Tathagatas, by their transcendent power, might cause us together to take up our abode in the Sky!’ Immediately Śakyamuni Buddha, by his transcendent power, received all the great assembly up into the Sky, and with a great voice, universally addressed the four groups saying: ‘Who is able to declare the Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra in this Saha-world? Now indeed is the time. The Tathagata not long hence must enter Nirvana. The Buddha desires to bequeath this Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra, so that it may ever exist’.”

The dramatic and apocalyptic character of the work is no more clearly evident than in this chapter. The splendid imagery of the ancient Buddha appearing in his shrine, poised in the sky, the unbolting of the door, the invitation to Śakyamuni to sit by him, the still more striking conception of raising the whole congregation into the heavens, even from a world already purified and expanded, in which no longer was there any mountain, nor sea, nor river—all this presentation of a gorgeous vision, such as no earthly eyes could see, exhibits a Buddhism never preached by Śakyamuni while on earth. Had the Mahayanists declared this Sutra to be a revelation made by Śakyamuni after his withdrawal from earth, their position would have been less vulnerable.