The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows

The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows

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Chapter 1: Miracles In The Palace Of The Trayastrimsas Heaven



Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was abiding in Trayastrimsas
Heaven



in order to expound the Dharma to his mother. At that time, all
the



Buddhas and great Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, an inexpressible
number,



hailing from countless worlds in the ten directions, came and
assembled



there. They praised the fact that Buddha Sakyamuni, in evil times
with



their five kinds of defilement, was still able to manifest
his



inconceivable power of great wisdom and miracles in order to
regulate



and tame stubborn beings so that they could come to know suffering
and



take delight in the Dharma. Each of them sent his attendant to
greet



the World Honored One.



At that time, the Tathagata smiled and emitted hundreds, thousands,
and



myriads of millions of great bright clouds-namely, the great
bright



clouds of perfection, the great bright clouds of mercy and
compassion,



the great bright clouds of wisdom, the great bright clouds of
Prajna,



the great bright clouds of Samadhi, the great bright clouds
of



Srivatsa, the great bright clouds of blissful virtues, the great
bright



clouds of meritorious virtues, the great bright clouds of refuge
and



the great bright clouds of praise.



Having emitted such indescribably bright clouds, he also produced
all



kinds of subtle and wonderful voices-namely, the voices of the
Dana-



Paramita, the Sila-Paramita, the Ksanti-Paramita, the
Virya-Paramita,



the Dhyana-Paramita, the Prajna-Paramita, the voices of Mercy
and



Compassion, of Rejoicing and Abandonment, of Deliverance, of
Non-



Outflow, of Wisdom, of Great Wisdom, of Lion's Roar, of Great
Lion's



Roar, of Cloud Thunder and of Great Cloud Thunder.



After he had produced such indescribable, indescribable
voices,



countless millions of devas, nagas, demons and deities from the
Saha



World and other realms also came and assembled in Trayastrimsas
Palace.



The devas from the Four Celestial Kings' Heavens arrived.
From



Trayastrimsas, Suyama, Tusita, Nirmanarati,
Paranirmitavasavarti,



Brahmakayika, Brahmapurohita, Mahabrahma (Great Pure Heaven),



Parittabhas (Little-Light Heaven), Apramanabha (Infinite-Light
Heaven),



Abhasvara (Light-Sound Heaven), Parittasubhas (Little-Purity
Heaven),



Apramanasubhas (Infinite-Purity Heaven), Subhakirtsna
(Universal-Pure



Heaven), Punyaprasavas (Bliss-Birth Heaven), Anabhraka
(Cloudless



Heaven), Brhatphala (Broad-Fruition Heaven), Asanjnisattva
(No-Thought



Heaven), Aurha (No-Trouble Heaven), Atapa (No-Heat Heaven),
Sudarsana



(Good-to- See Heaven), Sudrsa (Well-Appearing Heaven), Akanistha
(Form



-Acme Heaven), and the Naivasamjnanasamjnayatana
(Neither-Thinking-Nor



-Not-Thinking Heaven)-all the multitudes of devas, from the
heavens,



together with the multitudes of nagas, demons and deities assembled
in



the Trayastrimsas Palace.



There also came from different lands in other quarters and from
the



Saha World such deities as those of the seas, of the rivers, of
the



forests, of the mountains, of the earth, of the streams and lakes,
of



the crops, of the day, of the night, of the airspace, of the sky,
of



food and of vegetation. All assembled there.



There also came from different lands in other quarters and from
the



Saha World such great demon kings as the Evil-Eye Demon King,
the



Suckle-Blood Demon King, the Consume-Spirit Demon King, the
Devour-Ova



Demon King, the Give-Disease Demon King, the Welfare Demon King and
the



Great-Love-Respect Demon King, and they all assembled there.



At that time, Buddha Sakyamuni said to the Dharma Prince
Bodhisattva-



Mahasattva Manjusri, "Look at all these Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
devas,



nagas, pretas and deities, from this world and from other worlds,
from



this land and from other lands, now arriving here to gather
in



Tryastrimsas. Do you have any idea how many there are?"



Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, I
could



not tell how many there are even if I tried for one thousand kalpas
to



use my miraculous power to determine the number."



The Buddha said to Manjusri, "I, too, cannot complete the counting
even



with the vision of my Buddha eyes. Altogether they constitute
those



beings already delivered, those not yet delivered, those still to
be



delivered and also those representing work already accomplished and
yet



to be accomplished by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva throughout infinite,
long



kalpas."



Manjusri addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, since,
in



the past, I have long cultivated good roots and have achieved



Unobstructed Wisdom, I ought to be able to believe and accept
your



words on hearing what you have just said. However, the beings of
the



lesser vehicles, devas, nagas and the rest of the eight categories,
as



well as sentient beings of future generations, will certainly
cherish



doubts even if they hear Tathagata's sincere words. Even if
they



accepted your words temporarily, there would inevitably and
unavoidably



be some scandalizing and slandering of your views. I only hope
that



you, O World Honored One, will speak extensively about those
deeds



Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha performed during his causal
states



and what vows he took so that he was able to accomplish such



inconceivable things."



The Buddha said to Manjusri, "Let us take the
Tri-sahasra-maha-sahasra



-loka-dhatu of the three great chiliocosms (universes); from this
let



us take one piece of each and all of the different kinds of
vegetation



-including grass, trees, bushes, rice, hemp, bamboo and reeds-and
one



part of every kind of mountain, rock and dust-mote. Then let
us



consider each piece and part to be a separate Ganges River.
Then,



again, take one grain of the sand in all those inconceivably
great



number of Ganges Rivers as one chiliocosm, and afterwards take
each



mote of dust within each chiliocosm as one kalpa. Finally, consider
all



the dust grains accumulated in each of these kalpas to be,
themselves,



converted to kalpas. Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha has endured one
thousand



times longer than this vast length of time since he realized the
ten



grades of accomplishment, not to mention the length of time
Bodhisattva



Ksitigarbha spent in the sainthood of Hearer and
Pratyeka-Buddhahood. O



Manjusri, this Bodhisattva's majestic, solemn vows are,
indeed,



inconceivable!



"If, in the future, a good man or good woman should hear the name
of



this Bodhisattva and should praise or worship him or invoke his
name or



donate offerings to him as well as paint, sculpt or mold his image,
he



or she will be reborn in the thirty-three heavens for one hundred
turns



and will never again fall onto the evil paths of existence.



"O Manjusri, this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha in the past, prior to
an



inexpressible, inexpressible number of kalpas, assumed the form of
and



took birth as the son of a rich man. At that time, there was a
Buddha



bearing the title of
LION'S-EXCITEMENT-MYRIAD-DEED-ALL-ACCOMPLISHED



TATHAGATA. When the elder's son saw the Buddha's excellent form
adorned



with thousands of blessings, he inquired of the Buddha what deeds
he



had performed and what vows he had taken to achieve his
present



excellent form, so that he himself might be able to acquire such
a



form.



"Then the LION'S-EXCITEMENT-MYRIAD-DEED-ALL-ACCOMPLISHED TATHAGATA
told



the elder's son, "If you want to realize this entity, you must
deliver



all suffering sentient beings for vast ages."



"O Manjusri, then the elder's son consequently took his vow,
saying, `I



now vow that I will provide, throughout incalculable numbers of
kalpas



in the future, for the sake of all sinful, suffering beings on the
six



paths of existence, extensive expediencies to cause them all to
be



delivered and liberated before I myself realize Buddhahood.'



"He took such a great vow in front of that Buddha, and even now,
after



hundreds, thousands, myriads, millions, and even inconceivable
numbers



of kalpas, he is still a Bodhisattva.



"Moreover, there was in the past, an inconceivable number of
kalpas



ago, a Buddha bearing the title of
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-



SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA. The life-span of that Buddha was
four



hundred thousand million asamkhyeka kalpas.



"During the semblance dharma period there was a brahman girl,
who,



having profound and deep blessing due to deeds in her past lives,
was



admired and respected by the people, and guarded by devas in
her



walking, standing, sitting and lying down. However, her
mother



practiced wicked ways and often slighted the Three Jewels. At
that



time, this holy girl tried many expediencies to persuade her mother
to



adopt correct views, but her mother was not thoroughly convinced.
Soon



thereafter, the mother passed away, and her pudgala (soul) fell
into



the Uninterrupted Hell (Avici). The Brahman girl knew that her
mother,



not believing in the laws of causation, would inevitably be reborn
into



an evil existence according to her karma; so she sold her house
and



bought vast amounts of incense and flowers and other offerings to
be



generously donated to the stupas and temples of the Buddha of that
era.



She saw in a temple the image of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-



SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA carved and painted in august forms
and



with perfect dignity. Then the Brahman girl paid obeisance to
the



sacred image, showing extra reverence. She held deep in her heart
the



following thought: `The Buddha is the Great Enlightened One,
possessing



all kinds of wisdom. If he were in this world, he would be able to
tell



me of my mother's whereabouts after her death.' Then the Brahman
girl



wept for quite a long time while she gazed admiringly at the
Tathagata.



"Suddenly she heard some voice from midair, saying, `O weeping
girl, do



not be too sorrowful, for I shall now reveal to you your
mother's



whereabouts.'



"The brahman girl, with palms joined, pointed directly to the
midair,



saying, `May I know who the Sacred and Virtuous One is who relieves
my



worry? Since I lost my mother, I think about her day and night;
but



there has been no one I could ask to tell me of her
whereabouts.'



"The voice from midair responded to the girl again, saying, `I am
the



one whom you are worshipping, the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-



SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA. Seeing that you remember and cherish
your



mother much more than ordinary beings, I manifest to reveal
her



whereabouts to you.'



"The brahman girl, hearing this, prostrated herself abruptly on
the



ground, badly hurting her whole body. Her attendants raised her up
and



held her steady for quite a long time while she regained her
balance



and composure. She then addressed the midair, saying, `May the
Buddha,



in his mercy and compassion, tell me forthrightly my mother's



whereabouts, for it is possible that I may die very shortly due to
my



present physical and mental state!'



"The ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING
TATHAGATA



addressed the holy girl, saying, `After having completed your
offering,



go directly home, sit reverently and contemplate my name and
title;



then you will know your mother's whereabouts.'



"Then the brahman girl concluded her worship of the Buddha and
returned



to her house. She thought about her mother very deeply and
sat



reverently and contemplated the
ENLIGHTENMENT-FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-



SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA.



"After one day and one night she found herself arriving at some
unknown



seashore. The water in the sea was boiling. There were many
wicked



beasts, all with iron bodies, flying over or walking upon the sea
and



running and chasing in an east-west direction. She saw that men
and



women, hundreds of thousands of myriads in number, emerged from
and



submerged again into the sea, at which time they were snatched up
and



devoured by the wicked beasts. She also saw yaksas with
different



forms-some with many hands and numerous eyes, others with many feet
and



multiple heads, and still others with teeth as sharp as
swords



protruding from their mouths-chasing and herding these suffering
people



into the claws of those wicked beasts, who snapped at and seized
them



by either their heads or their feet. Those beasts had all sorts
of



horrible forms which one dared not gaze upon too long. The
Brahman



girl, at this time, by virtue of her mindfulness of the Buddha,
was,



naturally, not frightened.



"There appeared a demon king named No Poison (Vandana), who
prostrated



himself before her and welcomed her. He addressed the holy
girl,



saying, `Well, O Bodhisattva, what causes you to come here?'



"Whereupon the Brahman girl asked the demon king, `What place is
this



here?'



"Vandana replied, `This is the sea to the west of the Great
Iron



Enclosed Mountain.'



"The holy girl asked, `I have heard that hell is in the midst of
the



Cakravada. Is it in fact so?'



"Vandana replied, `It is true that there are hells there.'



"The holy girl asked, `How or in what manner did I arrive at this
place



of hells?'



"Vandana replied, `Either by majestic or karmic power. Nobody can
come



here without one of these two.'



"The holy girl asked again, `What causes the water to rise and
boil?



And why are there so many suffering people and wicked beasts
here?'



"Vandana replied, `Those suffering people are newly deceased
beings



from Jambudvipa, who committed evil. Since for forty-nine days none
of



their heirs have performed any meritorious or virtuous act to save
and



deliver them from their suffering and since they did not create
any



virtuous causes in their lifetime, they must be committed to
the



various hells according to their karma. Naturally, they must first
pass



through this sea. Ten myriad yojanas to the east of this sea there
is



another sea, where the severity of the suffering is double what it
is



here. To the east of that sea there is still another sea, where
the



suffering is yet again double. This suffering is the result of the
evil



causes of the three kinds of karma; and these places are
known



collectively as the Karmic Sea.'



"The holy girl also asked Demon King Vandana, `Where are the
hells?'



"Vandana replied, `The grand hells are within the three karmic
seas.



They number in the hundreds of thousands. Each one is different
from



the others. There are eighteen grand ones, and there are five
hundred



secondary ones, each and all being centers of immeasurable
suffering.



There are hundreds of thousands of hells in the next category,
also,



all being places of immeasurable suffering.'



"The holy girl again addressed the great demon king, saying, `My
mother



died not very long ago. I wonder where her spirit went.'



"The demon king asked the holy girl, `What did your mother do in
her



lifetime?'



"The holy girl replied, `My mother cherished some perverted views,
and



she ridiculed the Three Jewels. Sometimes she believed for a
little



while and then would turn irreverent again. Though she died
recently, I



still do not know her whereabouts.'



"Vandana asked, `What was your mother's name?'



"The holy girl replied, `Both my mother and father were Brahmans.
My



father's name was Silo Sardrsa; my mother's name was Yueh Ti
Li.'



"Vandana joined his palms and addressed the Bodhisattva, saying,
`I



wish that you would return to your own place without worry,
remembrance



or sorrowful musing. It has been three days since the sinful woman
Yueh



Ti Li ascended to heaven. It is said that, by virtue of her
filial



offspring's donations to the stupa and temple of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-



FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA on her mother's
behalf,



not only was the mother of the Bodhisattva able to leave hell, but
also



all the sinful people in Avici Hell were able, on that day, to
receive



the blessing to be reborn with her.'



"The demon king, having said this, withdrew with palms joined.
The



Brahman girl awoke as from a dream. She realized the situation and
then



made a great vow in front of the stupa and image of the
ENLIGHTENMENT-



FLOWER-SERENITY-SELF-SOVEREIGNTY-KING TATHAGATA: `May I, through
all



future kalpas, provide extensive expediencies for the deliverance
and



liberation of all sinful, suffering beings."



The Buddha then told Manjusri, "That demon king, who was named
Vandana



at that time, is now Bodhisattva Ts'ai Shou, and the Brahman girl
is



now Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha."





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The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows

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Chapter 2: The Assembly of Innumerable Transformational
Ksitigarbhas



At that time, all the separate transformational Ksitigarbha



Bodhisattvas came from all the hells in hundreds, thousands,
myriads



and millions of unthinkable, indiscussible, immeasurable,



inexpressible, countless numbers of worlds to assemble in
Trayastrimsas



Palace. By virtue of the Tathagata's miraculous power, each came
from



his realm together with those who had been liberated from karmic
paths



-thousands, myriads, millions and nayutas of sentient beings-and
all of



them held incense and flowers to be offered to the Buddha. Because
they



had been instructed and converted by Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, those
who



came there together would never retrogress from
Anuttara-Samyak-



Sambodhi. Those beings had, for vast, long kalpas, wandered
through



numerous births and deaths, suffer