Thereupon, the Buddha said to the Licchavi
Vimalakirti, "Noble son, when you would see the Tathagata, how do you view him?"
Thus addressed, the Licchavi Vimalakirti said to the Buddha,
"Lord, when I would see the Tathagata, I view him by not seeing any Tathagata. Why? I
see him as not born from the past, not passing on to the future, and not abiding in the
present time. Why? He is the essence which is the reality of matter, but he is not matter.
He is the essence which is the reality of sensation, but he is not sensation. He is the
essence which is the reality of intellect, but he is not intellect. He is the essence
which is the reality of motivation, yet he is not motivation. He is the essence which is
the reality of consciousness, yet he is not consciousness. Like the element of space, he
does not abide in any of the four elements. Transcending the scope of eye, ear, nose,
tongue, body, and mind, he
is not produced in the six sense-media. He is not involved in the three
worlds, is free of the three defilements, is associated with the triple liberation, is
endowed with the three knowledges, and has truly attained the unattainable.
"The Tathagata has reached the extreme of detachment in regard to
all things, yet he is not a reality-limit. He abides in ultimate reality, yet there is no
relationship between it and him. He is not produced from causes, nor does he depend on
conditions. He is not without any characteristic, nor has he any characteristic. He has no
single nature nor any diversity of natures. He is not a conception, not a mental
construction, nor is he a nonconception. He is neither the other shore, nor this shore,
nor that between. He is neither here, nor there, nor anywhere else. He is neither this nor
that. He cannot be discovered by consciousness, nor is he inherent in consciousness. He is
neither darkness nor light. He is neither name nor sign. He is neither weak nor strong.
He lives in no country or direction. He is neither good nor evil. He is
neither compounded nor uncompounded.
He cannot be explained as having any meaning whatsoever.
"The Tathagata is neither generosity nor avarice, neither morality
nor immorality, neither tolerance nor malice, neither effort nor sloth, neither
concentration nor distraction, neither wisdom nor foolishness. He is
inexpressible. He is neither truth nor falsehood; neither escape from
the world nor failure to escape from the world; neither cause of involvement in the world
nor not a cause of involvement in the world; he is the cessation of all theory and all
practice. He is neither a field of merit nor not a field of merit; he is neither worthy of
offerings nor unworthy of offerings. He is not an object, and cannot be contacted. He is
not a whole, nor a conglomeration. He surpasses all calculations. He is utterly unequaled,
yet equal to the ultimate reality of
things. He is matchless, especially in effort. He surpasses all
measure. He does not go, does not stay, does not pass beyond. He is neither seen, heard,
distinguished, nor known. He is without any complexity, having attained the equanimity of
omniscient gnosis. Equal toward all things, he does not discriminate between them. He is
without reproach, without excess, without corruption, without conception, and without
intellectualization. He is without activity, without birth, without occurrence, without
origin, without production, and without nonproduction. He is without fear and without
subconsciousness; without sorrow, without joy, and without strain. No verbal teaching can
express him.
"Such is the body of the Tathagata and thus should he be seen. Who
sees thus, truly sees. Who sees otherwise, sees falsely."
The venerable Sariputra then asked the Buddha, "Lord, in which
buddha-field did the noble Vimalakirti die, before reincarnating in this
buddha-field?"
The Buddha said, "Sariputra, ask this good man directly where he
died to reincarnate here."
Then the venerable Sariputra asked the Licchavi Vimalakirti,
"Noble sir, where did you die to reincarnate here?"
Vimalakirti declared, "Is there anything among the things that you
see, elder, that dies or is reborn?"
Sariputra: There is nothing that dies or is reborn.
Vimalakirti: Likewise, reverend Sariputra, as all things neither die
nor are reborn, why do you ask, "Where did you die to reincarnate here?"
Reverend Sariputra, if one were to ask a man or woman created by a magician where he or
she had died to reincarnate there, what do you think he or she would answer?
Sariputra: Noble sir, a magical creation does not die, nor is it
reborn.
Vimalakirti: Reverend Sariputra, did not the Tathagata declare that all
things have the nature of a magical creation?
Sariputra: Yes, noble sir, that is indeed so.
Vimalakirti: Reverend Sariputra, "death" is an end of
performance, and "rebirth" is the continuation of performance. But, although a
bodhisattva dies, he does not put an end to the performance of the roots of virtue, and
although he is reborn, he does not adhere to the continuation of sin.
Then, the Buddha said to the venerable Sariputra, "Sariputra, this
holy person came here from the presence of the Tathagata Aksobhya in the universe
Abhirati."
Sariputra: Lord, it is wonderful that this holy person, having left a
buddha-field as pure as Abhirati, should enjoy a buddha-field as full of defects as this
Saha universe!
The Licchavi Vimalakirti said, "Sariputra, what do you think? Does
the light of the sun accompany the darkness?"
Sariputra: Certainly not, noble sir!
Vimalakirti: Then the two do not go together?
Sariputra: Noble sir, those two do not go together. As soon as the sun
rises, all darkness is destroyed.
Vimalakirti: Then why does the sun rise over the world?
Sariputra: It rises to illuminate the world, and to eliminate the
darkness.
Vimalakirti: Just in the same way, reverend Sariputra, the bodhisattva
reincarnates voluntarily in the impure buddha-fields in order to purify the living beings,
in order to make the light of wisdom shine, and in order to clear away the darkness. Since
they do not associate with the passions, they dispel the darkness of the passions of all
living beings.
Thereupon, the entire multitude experienced the desire to behold the
universe Abhirati, the Tathagata Aksobhya, his bodhisattvas, and his great disciples. The
Buddha, knowing the thoughts of the entire multitude, said to the Licchavi Vimalakirti,
"Noble son, this multitude wishes to behold the universe Abhirati and the Tathagata
Aksobhya - show them!"
Then the Licchavi Vimalakirti thought, "Without rising from my
couch, I shall pick up in my right hand the universe Abhirati and all it contains: its
hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas; its abodes of devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, and
asuras, bounded by its Cakravada mountains; its rivers, lakes, fountains, streams, oceans,
and other bodies of water; its Mount Sumeru and other hills and mountain ranges; its moon,
its sun, and its stars; its devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, and asuras themselves; its
Brahma and his retinues; its villages, cities, towns, provinces, kingdoms, men, women, and
houses; its bodhisattvas; its disciples; the tree of enlightenment of the Tathagata
Aksobhya; and the Tathagata Aksobhya himself, seated in the middle of an assembly vast as
an ocean, teaching the Dharma. Also the lotuses that accomplish the buddha-work among the
living beings; the three jeweled ladders that rise from its earth to its Trayastrimsa
heaven, on which ladders the gods of that heaven descend to the world to see, honor, and
serve the Tathagata Aksobhya and to hear the Dharma, and on which the men of the earth
climb to the Trayastrimsa heaven to visit those gods. Like a potter with his wheel, I will
reduce that universe Abhirati, with its store of innumerable virtues, from its watery base
up to its Akanistha heaven, to a minute size and, carrying it gently
like a garland of flowers, will bring it to this Saha universe and will show it to the
multitudes."
Then, the Licchavi Vimalakirti entered into a concentration, and
performed a miraculous feat such that he reduced the universe Abhirati to a minute size,
and took it with his right hand, and brought it into this Saha universe.
In that universe Abhirati, the disciples, bodhisattvas, and those among
gods and men who possessed the superknowledge of the divine eye all cried out, "Lord,
we are being carried away! Sugata, we are being carried off! Protect us, O
Tathagata!"
But, to discipline them, the Tathagata Aksobhya said to them, "You
are being carried off by the bodhisattva Vimalakirti. It is not my affair."
As for the other men and gods, they had no awareness at all that they
were being carried anywhere.
Although the universe Abhirati had been brought into the universe Saha,
the Saha universe was not increased or diminished; it was neither compressed nor
obstructed. Nor was the universe Abhirati reduced internally, and both universes appeared
to be the same as they had ever been.
Thereupon, the Buddha Sakyamuni asked all the multitudes,
"Friends, behold the splendors of the universe Abhirati, the Tathagata Aksobhya, the
array of his buddha-field, and the splendors of these disciples and bodhisattvas!"
They replied, "We see them, Lord!"
The Buddha said, "Those bodhisattvas who wish to embrace such a
buddha-field should train themselves in all the bodhisattva-practices of the Tathagata
Aksobhya."
While Vimalakirti, with his miraculous power, showed them thus the
universe Abhirati and the Tathagata Aksobhya, one hundred and forty thousand living beings
among the men and gods of the Saha universe conceived the spirit of unexcelled, perfect
enlightenment, and all of them formed a prayer to be reborn in the universe Abhirati. And
the Buddha prophesied that in the future all would be reborn in the universe Abhirati.
And the Licchavi Vimalakirti, having thus developed all the living
beings who could thereby be developed, returned the universe Abhirati exactly to its
former place.
The Lord then said to the venerable Sariputra, "Sariputra, did you
see that universe Abhirati, and the Tathagata Aksobhya?"
Sariputra replied, "I saw it, Lord! May all living beings come to
live in a buddha-field as splendid as that! May all living beings come to have miraculous
powers just like those of the noble Licchavi Vimalakirti!
"We have gained great benefit from having seen a holy man such as
he. We have gained a great benefit from having heard such teaching of the Dharma, whether
the Tathagata himself still actually exists or whether he has already attained ultimate
liberation. Hence, there is no need to mention the great benefit for those who, having
heard it, believe it, rely on it, embrace it, remember it, read it, and penetrate to its
depth; and, having found faith in it, teach, recite, and show it to others and apply
themselves to the yoga of meditation upon its teaching.
"Those living beings who understand correctly this teaching of the
Dharma will obtain the treasury of the jewels of the Dharma.
"Those who study correctly this teaching of the Dharma will become
the companions of the Tathagata. Those who honor and serve the adepts of this doctrine
will be the true protectors of the Dharma. Those who write, teach, and worship this
teaching of the Dharma will be visited by the Tathagata in their homes. Those who take
pleasure in this teaching of the Dharma will embrace all merits. Those who teach it to
others, whether it be no more than a single stanza of four lines, or a single summary
phrase from this teaching of the Dharma, will be performing the great Dharma-sacrifice.
And those who devote to this teaching of the Dharma their tolerance,
their zeal, their intelligence, their discernment, their vision, and
their aspirations, thereby become subject to the prophesy of future Buddhahood!"
Epilogue - Antecedents and Transmission of the Holy Dharma
Then Sakra, the prince of the gods, said to the Buddha, "Lord,
formerly I have heard from the Tathagata and from Manjusri, the crown prince of wisdom,
many hundreds of thousands of teachings of the Dharma, but I have never before heard a
teaching of the Dharma as remarkable as this instruction in the entrance into the method
of inconceivable transformations. Lord, those living beings who, having heard this
teaching of the Dharma, accept it, remember it, read it, and understand it deeply will be,
without a doubt, true vessels of the Dharma; there is no need to mention those who apply
themselves to the yoga of meditation upon it. They will cut off all
possibility of unhappy lives, will open their way to all fortunate
lives, will always be looked after by all Buddhas, will always overcome all adversaries,
and will always conquer all devils. They will practice the path of the bodhisattvas, will
take their places upon the seat of Enlightenment, and will have truly entered the domain
of the Tathagatas. Lord, the noble sons and daughters who will teach and practice this
exposition of the Dharma will be honored and served by me and my followers. To the
villages, towns, cities, states, kingdoms, and capitals wherein this teaching of the
Dharma will be applied, taught, and demonstrated, I and my followers will come to hear the
Dharma. I will inspire the unbelieving with faith, and I will guarantee my help and
protection to those who believe and uphold the Dharma."
At these words, the Buddha said to Sakra, the prince of the gods,
"Excellent! Excellent, prince of gods! The Tathagata rejoices in your good words.
Prince of gods, the enlightenment of the Buddhas of the past, present, and future is
expressed in this discourse of Dharma. Therefore, prince of gods, when noble sons and
daughters accept it, repeat it, understand it deeply, write it completely, and, making it
into a book, honor it, those sons and daughters thereby pay homage to the Buddhas of the
past, present and future.
"Let us suppose, prince of gods, that this billion-world-galactic
universe were as full of Tathagatas as it is covered with groves of sugarcane, with
rosebushes, with bamboo thickets, with herbs, and with flowers, and that a noble son or
daughter were to honor them, revere them, respect and adore them, offering them all sorts
of
comforts and offerings for an aeon or more than an aeon. And let us
suppose that, these Tathagatas having entered ultimate liberation, he or she honored each
of them by enshrining their preserved bodies in a memorial stupa made of precious stones,
each as large as a world with four great continents, rising as high as the world of
Brahma, adorned with parasols, banners, standards, and lamps. And let us suppose finally
that, having erected all these stupas for the Tathagatas, he or she were to devote an aeon
or more to offering them flowers, perfumes, banners, and standards, while playing drums
and music.
That being done, what do you think, prince of gods? Would that noble
son or daughter receive much merit as a consequence of such activities?"
Sakra, the prince of gods, replied, "Many merits, Lord! Many
merits, O Sugata! Were one to spend hundreds of thousands of millions of aeons, it would
be impossible to measure the limit of the mass of merits that that noble son or daughter
would thereby gather!"
The Buddha said, "Have faith, prince of gods, and understand this:
Whoever accepts this exposition of the Dharma called 'Instruction in the Inconceivable
Liberation,' recites it, and understands it deeply, he or she will gather merits even
greater than those who perform the above acts. Why so? Because, prince of gods, the
enlightenment of the Buddhas arises from the Dharma, and one honors them by the Dharma
worship, and not by material worship. Thus it is taught, prince of gods, and thus you must
understand it."
The Buddha then further said to Sakra, the prince of gods, "Once,
prince of gods, long ago, long before aeons more numerous than the innumerable, immense,
immeasurable, inconceivable, and even before then, the Tathagata called Bhaisajyaraja
appeared in the world: a saint, perfectly and fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge
and conduct, a blissful one, knower of the world, incomparable knower of men who need to
be civilized, teacher of gods and men, a Lord, a Buddha. He appeared in the aeon called
Vicarana in the universe called Mahavyuha.
"The length of life of this Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja, perfectly and
fully enlightened one, was twenty short aeons.
His retinue of disciples numbered thirty-six million billion, and his
retinue of bodhisattvas numbered twelve million billion. In that same era, prince of gods,
there was a universal monarch called King Ratnacchattra, who reigned over the four
continents and possessed seven precious jewels. He had one thousand heroic sons, powerful,
strong, and able to conquer enemy armies. This King Ratnacchattra honored the Tathagata
Bhaisajyaraja and his retinue with many excellent offerings during five short aeons. At
the end of this time, the King Ratnacchattra said to his sons, 'Recognizing that during my
reign I have worshiped the Tathagata, in your turn you also should worship him.'
"The thousand princes gave their consent, obeying their father the
king, and all together, during another five short aeons, they honored the Tathagata
Bhaisajyaraja with all sorts of excellent offerings.
"Among them, there was a prince by the name of Candracchattra, who
retired into solitude and thought to himself, 'Is there not another mode of worship, even
better and more noble than this?'
"Then, by the supernatural power of the Buddha Bhaisajyaraja, the
gods spoke to him from the heavens: 'Good man, the supreme worship is the Dharma-worship.'
"Candracchattra asked them, 'What is this
"Dharma-worship"?'
"The gods replied, 'Good man, go to the Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja,
ask him about the "Dharma-worship," and he will explain it to you fully.'
"Then, the prince Candracchattra went to the Lord Bhaisajyaraja,
the saint, the Tathagata, the insuperably, perfectly enlightened one, and having
approached him, bowed down at his feet, circumambulated him to the right three times, and
withdrew to one side. He then asked, 'Lord, I have heard of a "Dharma-worship,"
which surpasses all other worship. What it this "Dharma-worship"?'
"The Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja said, 'Noble son, the Dharma-worship
is that worship rendered to the discourses taught by the Tathagata. These discourses are
deep and profound in illumination. They do not conform to the mundane and are difficult to
understand, difficult to see and difficult to realize. They are subtle, precise, and
ultimately incomprehensible. As Scriptures, they are collected in the canon of the
bodhisattvas, stamped with the insignia of the king of incantations and teachings. They
reveal the irreversible wheel of Dharma, arising from the six transcendences, cleansed of
any false notions. They are endowed with all the aids to enlightenment and embody the
seven factors of enlightenment. They introduce living beings to the great compassion and
teach them the great love. They eliminate all the convictions of the Maras, and they
manifest relativity.
"'They contain the message of selflessness, living-beinglessness,
lifelessness, personlessness, voidness, signlessness, wishlessness, nonperformance,
nonproduction, and nonoccurrence.
"'They make possible the attainment of the seat of enlightenment
and set in motion the wheel of the Dharma.
They are approved and praised by the chiefs of the gods, nagas, yaksas,
gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, and mahoragas. They preserve unbroken the heritage
of the holy Dharma, contain the treasury of the Dharma, and represent the summit of the
Dharma-worship. They are upheld by all holy beings and teach all the bodhisattva
practices. They induce the unmistaken understanding of the Dharma in its ultimate sense.
They certify that all things are impermanent, miserable, selfless, and peaceful, thus
epitomizing the Dharma. They cause the abandonment of avarice, immorality, malice,
laziness, forgetfulness, foolishness, and jealousy, as well as bad convictions, adherence
to objects, and all opposition. They are praised by all the Buddhas. They are the
medicines for the tendencies of mundane life, and they authentically manifest the great
happiness of liberation.
To teach correctly, to uphold, to investigate, and to understand such
Scriptures, thus incorporating into one's own life the holy Dharma - that is the
"Dharma-worship."
"'Furthermore, noble son, the Dharma-worship consists of
determining the Dharma according to the Dharma; applying the Dharma according to the
Dharma; being in harmony with relativity; being free of extremist convictions; attaining
the tolerance of ultimate birthlessness and nonoccurrence of all things; realizing
selflessness and living-beinglessness; refraining from struggle about causes and
conditions, without quarreling, or disputing; not being possessive; being free of egoism;
relying on the meaning and not on the literal expression; relying on gnosis and not on
consciousness; relying on the ultimate teachings definitive in
meaning and not insisting on the superficial teachings interpretable in
meaning; relying on reality and not insisting on opinions derived from personal
authorities; realizing correctly the reality of the Buddha; realizing the ultimate absence
of any fundamental consciousness; and overcoming the habit of clinging to an ultimate
ground. Finally, attaining peace by stopping everything from ignorance to old age, death,
sorrow, lamentation, misery, anxiety, and trouble, and realizing that living beings know
no end to their views concerning these twelve links of dependent origination; then, noble
son, when you do not hold to any view at all, it is called the unexcelled Dharma-worship.'
"Prince of gods, when the prince Candracchattra had heard this
definition of Dharma-worship from the Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja, he attained the
conformative tolerance of ultimate birthlessness; and, taking his robes and ornaments, he
offered them to the Buddha Bhaisajyaraja, saying, 'When the Tathagata will be in ultimate
liberation, I wish to defend his holy Dharma, to protect it, and to worship it. May the
Tathagata grant me his supernatural blessing, that I may be able to conquer Mara and all
adversaries and to incorporate in all my lives the holy Dharma of the Buddha!'
"The Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja, knowing the high resolve of
Candracchattra, prophesied to him that he would be, at a later time, in the future, the
protector, guardian, and defender of the city of the holy Dharma. Then, prince of gods,
the prince Candracchattra, out of his great faith in the Tathagata, left the household
life in order to enter the homeless life of a monk and having done so, lived making great
efforts toward the attainment of virtue.
Having made great effort and being well established in virtue, he soon
produced the five superknowledges, understood the incantations, and obtained the
invincible eloquence. When the Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja attained ultimate liberation,
Candracchattra, on the strength of his superknowledges and by the power of his
incantations, made the wheel of the Dharma turn just as the Tathagata Bhaisajyaraja had
done and continued to do so for ten short aeons.
"Prince of gods, while the monk Candracchattra was exerting
himself thus to protect the holy Dharma, thousands of millions of living beings reached
the stage of irreversibility on the path to unexcelled, perfect enlightenment, fourteen
billion living beings were disciplined in the vehicles of the disciples and solitary
sages, and innumerable living beings took rebirth in the human and heavenly realms.
"Perhaps, prince of gods, you are wondering or experiencing some
doubt about whether or not, at that former time, the King Ratnacchattra was not some other
than the actual Tathagata Ratnarcis. You must not imagine that, for the present Tathagata
Ratnarcis was at that time, in that epoch, the universal monarch Ratnacchattra.
As for the thousand sons of the King Ratnacchattra, they are now the
thousand bodhisattvas of the present blessed aeon, during the course of which one thousand
Buddhas will appear in the world. Among them, Krakucchanda and others are already born,
and those remaining will still be born, from Kakutsunda up to the Tathagata Roca, who will
be the last to be born.
"Perhaps, prince of gods, you are asking yourself if, in that
life, in that time, the Prince Candracchattra who upheld the Holy Dharma of Lord Tathagata
Bhaisajyaraja was not someone other than myself. But you must not imagine that, for I was,
in that life, in that time, the Prince Candracchattra. Thus it is necessary to know,
prince of gods, that among all the worships rendered to the Tathagata, the Dharma-worship
is the very best. Yes, it is good, eminent, excellent, perfect, supreme, and unexcelled.
And therefore, prince of gods, do not worship me
with material objects but worship me with the Dharma-worship! Do not
honor me with material objects but honor me by honor to the Dharma!"
Then the Lord Sakyamuni said to the bodhisattva Maitreya, the great
spiritual hero, "I transmit to you, Maitreya, this unexcelled, perfect enlightenment
which I attained only after innumerable millions of billions of aeons, in order that, at a
later time, during a later life, a similar teaching of the Dharma, protected by your
supernatural power, will spread in the world and will not disappear. Why? Maitreya, in the
future there will be noble sons and daughters, devas, nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, and
asuras, who, having planted the roots of virtue, will produce the spirit of unexcelled,
perfect enlightenment. If they do not hear this teaching of the Dharma, they will
certainly lose boundless advantages and even perish. But if they hear such a teaching,
they will rejoice, will believe, and will accept it upon the crowns of their heads. Hence,
in order to protect those future noble sons and daughters, you must spread a teaching such
as this!
"Maitreya, there are two gestures of the bodhisattvas. What are
they? The first gesture is to believe in all sorts of phrases and words, and the second
gesture is to penetrate exactly the profound principle of the Dharma without being afraid.
Such are the two gestures of the bodhisattvas. Maitreya, it must be known that the
bodhisattvas who believe in all sorts of words and phrases, and apply themselves
accordingly, are beginners and not experienced in religious practice. But the bodhisattvas
who read, hear, believe, and teach this profound teaching with its impeccable expressions
reconciling dichotomies and its analyses of stages of development
these are veterans in the religious practice.
"Maitreya, there are two reasons the beginner bodhisattvas hurt
themselves and do not concentrate on the profound Dharma. What are they? Hearing this
profound teaching never before heard, they are terrified and doubtful, do not rejoice, and
reject it, thinking, 'Whence comes this teaching never before heard?' They then behold
other noble sons accepting, becoming vessels for, and teaching this profound teaching, and
they do not attend upon them, do not befriend them, do not respect them, and do not honor
them, and eventually they go so far as to criticize them. These are the two reasons the
beginner bodhisattvas hurt themselves and do not penetrate the profound Dharma.
"There are two reasons the bodhisattvas who do aspire to the
profound Dharma hurt themselves and do not attain the tolerance of the ultimate
birthlessness of things. What are these two? These bodhisattvas despise and reproach the
beginner bodhisattvas, who have not been practicing for a long time, and they do not
initiate them or instruct them in the profound teaching. Having no great respect for this
profound teaching, they are not careful about its rules. They help living beings by means
of material gifts and do not help them by means of the gift of the Dharma. Such, Maitreya,
are the two reasons the bodhisattvas who aspire to the profound Dharma hurt themselves and
will not quickly attain the tolerance of the ultimate birthlessness of all things."
Thus having been taught, the bodhisattva Maitreya said to the Buddha,
"Lord, the beautiful teachings of the
Tathagata are wonderful and truly excellent. Lord, from this time
forth, I will avoid all such errors and will defend and uphold this attainment of
unexcelled, perfect enlightenment by the Tathagata during innumerable hundreds of
thousands of millions of billions of aeons! In the future, I will place in the hands of
noble sons and noble daughters who are worthy vessels of the holy Dharma this profound
teaching. I will instill in them the power of memory with which they may, having believed
in this teaching, retain it, recite, it, penetrate its depths, teach it, propagate it,
write it down, and proclaim it extensively to others.
"Thus I will instruct them, Lord, and thus it may be known that in
that future time those who believe in this teaching and who enter deeply into it will be
sustained by the supernatural blessing of the bodhisattva Maitreya."
Thereupon the Buddha gave his approval to the bodhisattva Maitreya:
"Excellent! Excellent! Your word is well given! The Tathagata rejoices and commends
your good promise."
Then all the bodhisattvas said together in one voice, "Lord, we
also, after the ultimate liberation of the Tathagata, will come from our various
buddha-fields to spread far and wide this enlightenment of the perfect Buddha, the
Tathagata. May all noble sons and daughters believe in that!"
Then the four Maharajas, the great kings of the quarters, said to the
Buddha, "Lord, in all the towns, villages, cities, kingdoms, and palaces, wherever
this discourse of the Dharma will be practised, upheld, and correctly taught, we, the four
great kings, will go there with our armies, our young warriors, and our retinues, to hear
the Dharma. And we will protect the teachers of this Dharma for a radius of one league so
that no one who plots injury or disruption against these teachers will have any
opportunity to do them harm."
Then the Buddha said to the venerable Ananda, "Receive then,
Ananda, this expression of the teaching of the Dharma. Remember it, and teach it widely
and correctly to others!"
Ananda replied, "I have memorized, Lord, this expression of the
teaching of the Dharma. But what is the name of this teaching, and how should I remember
it?"
The Buddha said, "Ananda, this exposition of the Dharma is called
'The Teaching of Vimalakirti,' or 'The Reconciliation of Dichotomies,' or even 'Section of
the Inconceivable Liberation.' Remember it thus!"
Thus spoke the Buddha. And the Licchavi Vimalakirti, the crown prince
Manjusri, the venerable Ananda, the bodhisattvas, the great disciples, the entire
multitude, and the whole universe with its gods, men, asuras and gandharvas, rejoiced
exceedingly. All heartily praised these declarations by the Lord.
---The End ---
