The Lotus Sutra

Chapter 24: Bodhisattva Wonderful Music

Summary Overview

Section 1:       Paragraphs 1─17

1.1        At that time, Shakyamuni Buddha emitted rays of brilliant light from his topknot—the mark of a man of eminence—and also from the white tuft of hair between his eyebrows, illuminating eighty trillion nayuta of Ganges’s sands of Buddha-worlds in the east.

1.2        Beyond these worlds, there was a land known as Adorning with Pure Light. There lived a Buddha with the name Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfect in True Wisdom and Enlightenment, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Liberated, the Omniscient, the Almighty, Master Trainer, Teacher of Heavenly Gods and Humans, Buddha-Lord of the World. He was reverently surrounded by an assembly of immeasurably boundless bodhisattvas for whom he expounded the Dharma. The beam of brilliant light from the tuft of white hair between the eyebrows of Shakyamuni Buddha illuminated that entire world.

1.3        Meanwhile, a bodhisattva named Wonderful Music, who had cultivated many virtuous roots for a long time, also lived in the land of Adorning with Pure Light. He had accomplished the profound wisdom as a result of giving offerings to immeasurable hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Buddhas. The hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Ganges’s sands of great samadhis he attained were as follows: the Samadhi of Wonderful Banner Form, the Samadhi of the Dharma of Lotus, the Samadhi of Pure Virtue, the Samadhi of Sports of King Constellation, the Samadhi of No Conditions, the Samadhi of Wisdom Seal, the Samadhi of Understanding Languages of All Living Beings, the Samadhi of Magnet for All Merits, the Samadhi of Purity, the Samadhi of Divine Enjoyment, the Samadhi of Wisdom Torch, the Samadhi of Majestic King, the Samadhi of Pure Radiant Light, the Samadhi of Pure Treasury, the Samadhi of Individuality, and the Samadhi of Sun’s Revolution.

1.4        As the light emitting from Shakyamuni Buddha illuminated his body, he spoke to Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Tathagata at once: “O Lord of the World! I must travel to the Saha world to do an obeisance, form a connection, and give offerings to worship Shakyamuni Buddha, Bodhisattva Manjushri (the Prince of the Dharma), Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Courageous Giver, Bodhisattva Royal King of Constellation, Bodhisattva Superior Actions and Intention, Bodhisattva King Magnificent Glory, and Bodhisattva Medicine Superior.”

1.5        At that time, Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Buddha said to Bodhisattva Wonderful Music: “You must not view the Saha land with contempt, perceiving it as inferior. My virtuous son! The Saha world is uneven where high and low places abound. There is soil, earth, stones, and various mountains full of grime, dirt, and impurities. The body of the Buddha is miniature and so are the bodhisattvas. In contrast, your body is forty-two thousand yojana in height and mine is 6.8 million yojana. Your body has the finest presence as it has the most exceptional illumination, a reflection of your hundreds of thousands of millions of blessings. Therefore, when you travel there, do not have a low opinion of the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and the land.”

1.6        Bodhisattva Wonderful Music replied to the Buddha: “O Lord of the World! My trip now to the Saha world is entirely attributed to the power of Tathagata, a divine enjoyment of Tathagata, and an adornment of the merits and wisdom of Tathagata.” Thereafter, without rising from his seat or moving his body, Bodhisattva Wonderful Music entered into samadhi. In a place not far from the Dharma seat on Eagle Peak, he magically transformed eighty-four thousand jeweled lotus flowers through his power of samadhi. The lotus stems were made of Jambunada gold, leaves of silver, stamens of diamond, and calyxes of kimshuka jewels.

1.7        At that time, when the Dharma Prince Manjushri saw the lotus flowers, he asked the Buddha: “O Lord of the World! What is the reason for the manifestation of such an auspicious sign? There are about thousands of millions of lotus flowers whose stems are made of Jambunada gold, stamens of diamond, and calyxes of kimshuka jewels!”

1.8        Then, Shakyamuni Buddha replied to Manjushri: “This Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Wonderful Music wishes to leave the land of Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Buddha to arrive at the Saha world with his retinue of eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas. The purpose of his visit is to give offerings, form acquaintances, and pay his respect to me. He also wishes to give offerings by listening to the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.”

1.9        Manjushri continued to ask the Buddha: “O Lord of the World! What are the virtuous roots planted by this bodhisattva? What merits has he cultivated resulting in his great divine powers? Which type of samadhi has he practiced? We entreat you to reveal the name of the samadhi so that we can practice it with diligence. If we were to practice the samadhis, we will also be able to see his shape, appearance, size, dignified demeanor, and conduct. O Lord of the World! We entreat you to use your divine powers for us to view this bodhisattva!”

1.10      Shakyamuni Buddha replied to Manjushri: “Abundant Treasures Tathagata, who achieved parinirvana long ago, will be able manifest his form for you.”

1.11      At that moment, Abundant Treasures Buddha said to Bodhisattva Wonderful Music: “Come here, my virtuous son! Dharma Prince Manjushri wishes to view your body.”

1.12      Meanwhile, Bodhisattva Wonderful Music vanished from his own land together with his retinue of eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas. All of them arrived here in the Saha world. The lands he passed by trembled in six different ways, seven-jeweled lotus flowers were rained down, and hundreds of thousands of heavenly music performed celestial orchestras spontaneously.

1.13      The bodhisattva had eyes as huge and broad as the leaves of blue lotus flowers. Even if hundreds of thousands of millions of shimmering moons were to combine together, they could not surpass his immaculately glowing countenance. Pure gold in color, his body was adorned with immeasurable hundreds of thousands of merits. Illuminating resplendently, his body gloriously manifested his majestic virtues. Fully endowed with marks of perfection, he possessed a body as strong and solid as God Narayana.

1.14      Taking his seat on the seven-treasure terrace, he ascended to the sky until the distance was about the height of seven tala trees from the ground. Surrounded by a host of bodhisattvas who paid reverence to him, he traveled to Eagle Peak in the Saha world.

1.15      Upon his arrival, he descended from the seven-treasure terrace. He went to the abode of Shakyamuni Buddha, bringing with him a necklace worth hundreds of thousands in value. After paying reverence by performing a full prostration to the Buddha, he presented a necklace and spoke to the Buddha: “O Lord of the World! Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Buddha wishes to inquire about the Lord of the World.

“Have you been well with few illnesses and worries?

Is your daily life pleasant and at ease?

Has your practice been full of peace and joy?

Are the four elements in harmony and balanced?

Are secular affairs bearable?

Is it easy to save living beings?

Have they been less greedy, angry, foolish, envious, or proud?

Have they been filial toward their parents?

Have they been respecting the shramanas?

Have they not been giving in to heretical views?

Have they been able to control their five emotions?

1.16      “O Lord of the World! Are living beings able to conquer and subdue a host of evils and resentment? Has the long-departed Abundant Treasures Tathagata been listening to the Dharma in his Treasure Pagoda of the Seven Jewels? The Buddha also wishes to inquire about Abundant Treasures Tathagata. Has he been at peace and at ease with less worries? Has he been patient with his long life? O Lord of the World! I wish to view the body of Abundant Treasures Buddha. O Lord of the World! Please grant me the permission to meet him!”

1.17      Thereafter, Shakyamuni Buddha said to Abundant Treasures Buddha: “This Bodhisattva Wonderful Music wishes to meet you.”

Then Abundant Treasures Buddha addressed Wonderful Music, saying: “Excellent, excellent! You have arrived here to give offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha, listen to the Lotus Sutra, and meet Manjushri and the rest of the other bodhisattvas!”

Section 2:      Paragraphs 1─16

2.1        Meanwhile, Bodhisattva Splendid Virtue asked the Buddha: “O Lord of the World! What virtuous roots has Bodhisattva Wonderful Music planted? What merits has he cultivated resulting in the manifestation of his divine powers?”

2.2        The Buddha replied to Bodhisattva Splendid Virtue: “In the remote past, there was a Buddha called King of Thunderous Sound in the Clouds—Tathagata, Arhat, Samyak-sambuddha. His land was called Manifestation of All Worlds and his kalpa was called Sight of Joy.

2.3        “For twelve thousand years, Bodhisattva Wonderful Music performed hundreds of thousands of types of music and presented eighty-four thousand seven-treasure alms bowls as offerings to King of Thunderous Sound in the Clouds Buddha. As a result of these causes and conditions, he has now been born in the land of Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Buddha, endowed with these divine powers.

2.4        “O Splendid Virtue! Who do you think was this Bodhisattva Wonderful Music who presented musical offerings and jeweled vessels to King of Thunderous Sound in the Clouds Buddha? Is he someone unknown to you? In truth, he is none other than Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Wonderful Music who is now here with us.

2.5        “O Splendid Virtue! This Bodhisattva Wonderful Music has already made offerings and established association with immeasurable Buddhas as numerous as hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of nayuta of Ganges’s sands, thus cultivating virtuous roots for ages.

2.6        “O Splendid Virtue! You may have seen the body of Bodhisattva Wonderful Music who is now here with us. However, this bodhisattva manifests himself in an array of different bodies in order to expound the Lotus Sutra for all living beings in different places.

2.7        “Sometimes, he appears as King Brahma, sometimes as Lord Shakra, sometimes as Ishvara, sometimes as Maheshvara, sometimes as Heavenly King Vaishravana, sometimes as the Holy King of Wheel-Turning, sometimes as an ordinary king, sometimes as an elder, sometimes as a householder, sometimes as a chief minister, sometimes as a Brahman, sometimes as a monk, a nun, a lay male disciple, or a lay female disciple, sometimes as a wife of an elder or a householder, sometimes as a wife of a chief minister, sometimes as a wife of a Brahman, sometimes as a young boy or a young girl, and sometimes as a heavenly god, a dragon, a yaksha, a gandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kimnara, a mahoraga, a human, or a non-human being in order to expound the Lotus Sutra for them. Therefore, those dwelling in the realm of Hell, Hungry Spirit, or Beast and other challenging circumstances are all saved. As for those women living in the women’s quarters of royal palaces, he can transform himself into the form of a woman to expound the Lotus Sutra for them.

2.8        “O Splendid Virtue! Bodhisattva Wonderful Music is able to save and protect various living beings in the Saha world. Bodhisattva Wonderful Music transforms and manifests himself in different forms so as to expound the Lotus Sutra for all living beings in the Saha world. Yet his divine powers, his transformations, and his wisdom will never deteriorate or be undermined.

2.9        “This bodhisattva uses a galaxy of wisdom to illuminate the Saha world so as to lead all living beings to acquire correct understanding. For the rest of the other worlds as numerous as the Ganges’s sands in the ten directions, he does likewise. If the form of a shravaka is the key for deliverance, he will manifest himself as a shravaka to expound the Dharma. If the form of a pratyekabuddha is the key for deliverance, he will manifest himself as a pratyekabuddha to expound the Dharma. If the form of a bodhisattva is the key for deliverance, he will manifest himself as a bodhisattva to expound the Dharma. If the form of a Buddha is the key for deliverance, he will immediately manifest the form of a Buddha to expound the Dharma. Hence, he manifests various forms appropriate for the salvation of that particular individual. If entering parinirvana is the key for deliverance, he will manifest himself as entering parinirvana.

2.10      “O Splendid Virtue! Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Wonderful Music has accomplished great divine powers and the power of wisdom in order to perform all this.”

2.11      Thereafter, Bodhisattva Splendid Virtue asked the Buddha: “O Lord of the World! This Bodhisattva Wonderful Music has indeed planted deep roots of virtue and benevolence. O Lord of the World! Which type of samadhi does the bodhisattva practice in order to do all these transformations for the salvation of living beings?”

2.12      The Buddha replied to Bodhisattva Splendid Virtue: “My virtuous son! The samadhi is called Revelation of All Forms. Bodhisattva Wonderful Music uses this samadhi to bring benefits to immeasurable living beings.”

2.13      When the Buddha taught this chapter on Bodhisattva Wonderful Music, the retinue of eighty-four thousand who had arrived with Bodhisattva Wonderful Music received the Samadhi of Revelation of All Forms. Moreover, immeasurable bodhisattvas in this Saha world also obtained this samadhi and dharani.

2.14      After having completed the offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha and the pagoda of Abundant Treasures Buddha, Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Wonderful Music returned to his homeland. The lands he passed by trembled in six different ways, jeweled lotus flowers were rained down, and hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of songs were played as offerings to him.

2.15      Upon arriving at his homeland, together with his retinue of eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas, he proceeded to the abode of Wise King of Pure and Gorgeous Constellation Buddha and spoke to him: “O Lord of the World! I have visited the Saha world and brought an abundance of benefits to all living beings. I have met Shakyamuni Buddha, witnessed the pagoda of Abundant Treasures Buddha, and offered obeisance and offerings to worship them. I have also met Bodhisattva Manjushri (Prince of Dharma) as well as Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Gaining the Power of Earnest Diligence, Bodhisattva Courageous Giver, and the rest. The trip has also enabled eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas to receive the Samadhi of Revelation of All Forms.”

2.16      When the Buddha expounded this chapter on the visit of Bodhisattva Wonderful Music, forty-two thousand children of heavenly gods received the assurance of non-rebirth. Bodhisattva Splendid Virtue also obtained the Samadhi of the Dharma of Lotus.

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