Translated in the Great Tang Dynasty by Tripiṭaka Śramaṇa Yi Jing in Inner Fo Guang Monastery
Thus have I heard.
At one time, the Bhagavān was traveling through various countries and came to the City of Vast Adornment. There, beneath the Music Tree, he was together with eight thousand great bhikṣus and thirty six thousand Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas. Their names were: Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Auspicious Emerge Bodhisattva, Great Wisdom Bodhisattva, Luminous Wisdom Bodhisattva, Mountain Peak Bodhisattva, Eloquence Peak Bodhisattva, Upholder of the Wondrous Sumeru Peak Bodhisattva, Emptiness Transcendence Bodhisattva, Subtle Voice Bodhisattva, Constant Contemplation Bodhisattva, and Vajra Holder Bodhisattva. Great Bodhisattvas such as these were the foremost among the assembly. There were also kings of various countries, ministers, brāhmaṇas, householders, devas, nāgas, and the eight classes of beings, as well as humans, nonhumans, and others. An immeasurable multitude respectfully surrounded the Bhagavān. The Bhagavān taught them the Dharma, which was excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end, skillful in meaning and expression, pure and complete, immaculate and radiant, revealing the characteristics of the pure conduct. He instructed, guided, and benefited the multitude, causing them to rejoice and enabling them all to perfect subtle practices and vows and proceed toward Great Bodhi.
At that time, Mañjuśrī, the Dharma Prince, empowered by the Buddha’s majestic spiritual power, rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, respectfully joined his palms, and said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! An immeasurable assembly of humans and devas has now gathered here in order to hear the Dharma. World-Honored One, from the time you first aroused the aspiration until this very day, throughout immeasurable kalpas as numerous as grains of dust and sand, there has been no Buddha land that you have not known and none that you have not seen. I only pray that the Buddha, out of compassion for us and for beings in future ages during the period of the semblance Dharma, will expound the names of the Buddhas, the merits of their original vows, the adornments of their lands, and the various distinctions in their skillful means, so that those who hear this teaching may eliminate their karmic hindrances and, until they attain Bodhi, never regress.”
At that time, the World-Honored One praised Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, saying, “Excellent! Excellent, Mañjuśrī! Out of great compassion, you pity the immeasurable sentient beings burdened by karmic hindrances. In order that they may attain peace and happiness and be freed from various illnesses, sorrow, grief, suffering, and affliction, you have requested that I expound the names of the Buddhas, the merits of their original vows, and the adornments of their lands. It is through the majestic spiritual power of the Tathāgata that you have raised this question. Listen carefully now and reflect well upon it, and I shall explain it for you.”
Mañjuśrī said, “May the World-Honored One expound it for us. We all wish to hear it.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of four Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Unconquered. There is a Buddha named Virtuous Renowned Auspicious King, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, the Perfect Clarity and Conduct One, the Well Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Leader and Tamer of Persons, the Teacher of Devas and Human Beings, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. He is surrounded by immeasurable koṭis of nonretrogressing Bodhisattvas. Seated upon a supreme and wondrous lion throne adorned with the seven treasures, he is now teaching the Dharma. Mañjuśrī! That Buddha land is pure and adorned. Its length and breadth are equal, each extending hundreds of thousands of yojanas. Its ground is made of Jāmbūnada gold, level, even, and soft, and its fragrance is like that of heavenly incense. There are no evil destinies of any kind there, and not even the word ‘woman’ exists. There are also no tiles, rubble, sand, stones, or thorns. Rows of jeweled trees stand in orderly succession, luxuriant with flowers and fruits. There are also many bathing pools, all constructed and adorned with gold, silver, pearls, and various precious treasures. Mañjuśrī! The Bodhisattvas in that land are all born by transformation from seven jeweled lotus flowers. Therefore, virtuous men and virtuous women of pure faith should all aspire to be born in that Buddha’s land.”
“Mañjuśrī! That Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, when he first aroused the aspiration and practiced the Bodhisattva path, made eight great vows. What are these eight great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Unsurpassed Bodhi, if there are sentient beings whose bodies are tormented and oppressed by various illnesses and sufferings, afflicted and harmed by fevers, various kinds of malaria, poisonous wugs, Māras and malevolent spirits, corpse raising spirits, and the like, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their illnesses and sufferings will be extinguished, until they attain Unsurpassed Bodhi.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who are blind, deaf, mute, afflicted with white leprosy, or insane, and are troubled by various illnesses, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their faculties will become complete and all their illnesses will be extinguished, until they attain Bodhi.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings entangled and oppressed by greed, anger, and delusion, who have committed the uninterrupted offenses and various evil deeds, slandered the true Dharma, and failed to cultivate various wholesome practices, and who will therefore fall into the hells and undergo various sufferings, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power their uninterrupted offenses and all their various karmic hindrances will be completely extinguished. No sentient being will again fall into an evil destiny, and they will constantly enjoy the excellent happiness of humans and devas, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who lack clothing, food, jeweled ornaments, bedding, wealth, goods, precious treasures, incense, flowers, music, or entertainment, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all the necessities of life that they lack will be fully provided, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fifth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings whose bodies are bound in fetters and restraints, who are also whipped and subjected to various sufferings and afflictions, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power they will be liberated from all their sufferings, until they attain Bodhi.
“The sixth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who find themselves in dangerous and difficult places and are attacked and harmed by various vicious beasts, such as bears, brown bears, lions, tigers, leopards, jackals, venomous snakes, vipers, and scorpions, and these vicious creatures seek to take their lives, causing them to cry out loudly and undergo immense suffering, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power they will be freed from all such fears. All those vicious creatures will also give rise to minds of loving kindness toward them, so that they may constantly dwell in peace and happiness, until they attain Bodhi.
“The seventh great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who give rise to sorrow and distress because of disputes, conflicts, and lawsuits, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their disputes, conflicts, and lawsuits will be resolved, and they will treat one another with minds of loving kindness, until they attain Bodhi.
“The eighth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who enter rivers or seas and encounter fierce and violent winds that batter their vessels, while there is no island or shore to which they may turn for refuge, so that they become overwhelmed by great sorrow and fear, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power they will all, according to their wishes, reach a place of safety and enjoy various forms of happiness, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the eight subtle and great vows made by that Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, while he was practicing the Bodhisattva path. From the time that World-Honored One first aroused the aspiration, he also constantly used the power of meditative concentration to bring sentient beings to accomplishment, make offerings to all Buddhas, and adorn and purify Buddha lands. His retinue of Bodhisattvas also became perfectly complete. These merits and virtues are inconceivable. Even all Śrāvakas and various Pratyekabuddhas, though they were to speak of them for many kalpas, could never exhaust them. Only a Tathāgata or a Bodhisattva in the position of succession could fully know them. Mañjuśrī! If virtuous men or women of pure faith, or kings, ministers, elders, or householders, wish in their hearts to obtain merit and virtue and eliminate various afflictions, and they invoke and recollect that Buddha’s name, read and recite this scripture, sincerely honor that Tathāgata, and respectfully make offerings to him, then all their evil deeds, karmic hindrances, illnesses, and sufferings will be completely extinguished. Whatever they wish for or seek, there will be nothing that does not accord with their aspirations, and they will attain nonretrogression until they attain Bodhi.
“Furthermore, Mañjuśrī! From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of five Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Wondrous Treasure. There is a Buddha named Precious Moon and Wisdom Adorned Radiance-Sound King, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One. He is surrounded by immeasurable koṭis of Bodhisattvas and is now teaching the Dharma. All that he expounds consists of the subtle, profound, and wondrous principles of the Great Vehicle.
“Mañjuśrī! When that Buddha, the Tathāgata, first aroused the aspiration and practiced the Bodhisattva path, he made eight great vows. What are these eight great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who, in order to engage in agriculture or conduct trade and commerce, allow their minds to become disturbed and thereby neglect the cultivation of Bodhi and supreme wholesome Dharmas, so that they cannot escape from birth and death and each undergo boundless suffering and affliction, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power their clothing, food and drink, all necessities of life, as well as gold, silver, precious objects, and treasures, will be provided according to their wishes. All their wholesome roots will increase, they will never abandon the mind of Bodhi, and they will be liberated from the sufferings of the various evil destinies, until they attain Bodhi.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if among all sentient beings throughout the worlds of the ten directions there are those whose bodies are oppressed by cold, heat, hunger, or thirst and who undergo great suffering and affliction, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all the sinful karma from their previous lives will be extinguished. They will be freed from all kinds of suffering and affliction and will enjoy the happiness of humans and devas, until they attain Bodhi.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if among the worlds of the ten directions there are women whose minds are constantly obscured by the affliction of lust, who repeatedly become pregnant and feel profound revulsion, and who, when the time of childbirth arrives, undergo great suffering and affliction, if my name merely passes into their ears for a moment, or if they themselves invoke and recollect my name, then through this power all their sufferings will be eliminated. In future lives, after they relinquish their present bodies, they will always be born as men, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who, together with their parents, brothers, sisters, wives, family members, and various relatives and friends, travel through dangerous and difficult places, where they are harmed by bandits and undergo various sufferings and afflictions, if they merely hear my name for a moment, or if they invoke and recollect my name, then through this power they will be liberated from all such calamities, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fifth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who travel in the darkness of night while attending to various affairs and are disturbed by evil spirits and deities, thereby giving rise to great sorrow and suffering, if they merely hear my name for a moment, or if they invoke and recollect my name, then through this power they will encounter radiance amid the darkness, and all those evil spirits and deities will also give rise to thoughts of compassion toward them, until they attain Bodhi.
“The sixth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who engage in base and evil deeds, have no faith in the Three Jewels, possess little wisdom, and do not cultivate wholesome Dharmas, nor undertake the cultivation of the faculties, powers, factors of awakening, the Path, mindfulness, meditative concentration, or All-Retaining, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, then through this power their wisdom will gradually increase, they will be able to cultivate and train in all the thirty seven factors conducive to the Way, and they will develop profound faith in the Three Jewels, until they attain Bodhi.
“The seventh great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings of inferior aspiration who remain in the paths of the Two Vehicles and practice therein, abandoning and turning away from Unsurpassed, supreme, and wondrous Bodhi, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, they will abandon the views of the Two Vehicles and attain nonretrogression with respect to Unsurpassed Awakening, until they attain Bodhi.
“The eighth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who see that a kalpa is about to come to an end and that a great conflagration is about to arise, and because of this give rise to immense sorrow and fear, anguish and weeping, and who, through the power of evil karma from their former lives, undergo these various sufferings and have nowhere to which they can turn for refuge, if they are able to invoke and recollect my name with the utmost sincerity, all their sorrow and suffering will be extinguished, and they will enjoy the bliss of coolness. After their lives here come to an end, they will be born by transformation from lotus flowers in my Buddha land, where they will constantly cultivate wholesome Dharmas, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the eight subtle and great vows made by that Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, while practicing the Bodhisattva path. The Buddha land in which that Tathāgata dwells is vast, adorned, and pure. Its ground is as level as the palm of a hand. Wondrous heavenly fragrant trees stand in rows, heavenly flowers cover the ground everywhere, heavenly music continually resounds, and wondrous heavenly bells and chimes hang throughout the land. Lion thrones are adorned with heavenly treasures, and various wondrous bathing pools are likewise constructed and adorned with heavenly treasures. The ground there is soft, without any tiles or rubble. There are neither women nor any kinds of afflictions. The beings there are all assemblies of nonretrogressing Bodhisattvas, born by transformation from lotus flowers. As soon as a thought arises, food and drink, clothing, and all kinds of necessities appear before them according to their wishes. For this reason, that world is called the World of Wondrous Treasure.
“Mañjuśrī! If there are men or women of pure faith, kings, princes, ministers, chief counselors, queens, or palace women who, throughout the six periods of day and night, with earnestness and the utmost sincerity, respectfully make offerings to that Buddha, the World-Honored One, invoke and recollect his name, and also make an image of him, presenting offerings of incense, flowers, music, burning incense, powdered incense, and anointing incense; if they maintain purity and strict cleanliness, observe the Eight Precepts of fasting for seven days, give rise to thoughts of loving kindness and compassion toward all sentient beings, and aspire to be born in that land, then that Buddha, the World-Honored One, together with all the Bodhisattvas, will protect and be mindful of such persons. All their sinful karma will be completely extinguished, and they will attain nonretrogression with respect to Unsurpassed Bodhi. Their greed, anger, and delusion will gradually diminish. They will be free from all kinds of illness and suffering, and their lifespans will increase. Whatever they hope for or seek will all be fulfilled according to their wishes, and even enemies who contend with them will give rise to joyful thoughts. After they relinquish these bodies, they will proceed to that Buddha land and be born there by transformation from lotus flowers. At the time of their birth, mindfulness, meditative concentration, and All-Retaining will all be clear and fully understood. Mañjuśrī! From this it should be known that the name of that Buddha possesses immeasurable merits and virtues. If one is able to hear it, all that one wishes for will be accomplished.
“Furthermore, Mañjuśrī! From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of six Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Perfect Accumulation of Fragrance. There is a Buddha named Golden Jewel Radiance, Perfect in Sublime Conduct, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One. He is surrounded by immeasurable hundreds of millions of Bodhisattvas and is now teaching the Dharma.
“Mañjuśrī! When that Buddha, the Tathāgata, first aroused the aspiration and practiced the Bodhisattva path, he made four great vows. What are these four great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who commit various evil deeds of slaughter and harm, cutting short the lives of various beings, and because of these evil deeds undergo the sufferings of the hells; even if they are able to be born as humans, they have short lifespans and many illnesses, or are harmed by water, fire, blades, or poison and are about to undergo the suffering of death; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their evil karma will be completely extinguished. They will be free from illness, have long lives, and will not meet with untimely death, until they attain Bodhi.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who commit various evil deeds by stealing the property of others and will fall into evil destinies; even if they are able to be born as humans, they will be born into poor households, lack clothing and food, and constantly undergo various sufferings; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their evil karma will be completely extinguished, and they will no longer lack clothing or food, until they attain Bodhi.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who bully and slight one another and thereby form mutual enmity; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power each of them will give rise to a mind of loving kindness toward the others, regarding them as they would their own parents, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings entangled by greed, anger, and delusion, whether they are renunciants or laymen and laywomen among the seven assemblies, who violate the training rules established by the Tathāgata and commit various evil deeds, so that they will fall into the hells and undergo various painful retributions; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their evil karma will be completely extinguished, all their afflictions will be severed, and they will reverently uphold śīla. They will carefully guard their body, speech, and mind and will never regress, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the four subtle and great vows made by that Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, while practicing the Bodhisattva path. Mañjuśrī! The Buddha land in which that Tathāgata dwells is vast, adorned, and pure. Its ground is as level as the palm of a hand and is entirely composed of precious substances. Fragrance is constantly present there, like wondrous sandalwood. Fragrant trees stand in rows, and wondrous heavenly jeweled necklaces, maṇi jewels, and other treasures hang everywhere. There are also many bathing pools adorned with heavenly treasures and filled with fragrant water, complete with every excellence. Wondrous silken banners are suspended around the pools. There are eight broad avenues, all adorned throughout. None of the sentient beings there have any afflictions, sorrow, grief, or suffering, nor are there any women. Most of the inhabitants are Bodhisattvas abiding on the stages. Supreme and wondrous music sounds of itself without being struck, expounding the subtle and profound Dharma of the Great Vehicle. If sentient beings hear these sounds, they attain nonretrogression with respect to Unsurpassed Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! Through the power of vows made in the past, that Buddha, the Tathāgata, brought his Buddha land to perfect adornment by skillful means. Seated upon the seat of Bodhi, he gave rise to this thought: ‘In future ages, there will be sentient beings entangled by greed, anger, and delusion, oppressed by various illnesses, and exposed to opportunities for their enemies to harm them. Some will meet with untimely death, and others, because of evil karma, will fall into the hells and undergo extremely severe suffering.’ Seeing these afflicted sentient beings, that Buddha, in order to remove their karmic hindrances, pronounced this divine mantra so that they might receive and uphold it, thereby obtaining great benefit in the present life, becoming free from various sufferings, and abiding in Bodhi. He then pronounced the mantra:
tadyathā siddhe siddhe susiddhe | mocani mokṣaṇi mukte vimukte | amale vimale māṅgalye hiranyagarbhe ratnagarbhe | sarvārtha sādhani paramārtha sādhani | manase mahāmanase adbhute atyadbhute vītabhaye suvarṇe brahmaghoṣe brahmādhyuṣite | sarvārtheṣu aparājite sarvatrāpratihate | catuḥṣa ṣṭhibhūtakoṭi bhāṣite namaḥ sarva tathāgatānāṃ svāhā.’”
At that time, when the World-Honored One pronounced this powerful great vidyā mantra, the great Bodhisattvas in the assembly, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Śakra, Brahmā, and others praised him, saying, “Excellent! Excellent, greatly compassionate World-Honored One! You are able to pronounce this greatly powerful divine mantra of a Tathāgata of the past in order to benefit immeasurable sentient beings, enabling them to exhaust the ocean of afflictions, reach the farther shore of Nirvāṇa, eliminate illnesses, and fulfill all their wishes.”
The Buddha told the assembly, “If virtuous men or virtuous women of pure faith, kings, princes, ministers, chief counselors, queens, or palace women wish to obtain merit and virtue, and give rise to reverence, faith, and acceptance toward this divine mantra, whether they read it, recite it, or expound its meaning for others, and if they give rise to great compassion toward all sentient beings, make earnest offerings of incense, flowers, lamps, and candles throughout the six periods of day and night, bathe themselves in purity, observe the Eight Precepts of fasting, and recite it with the utmost sincerity, then all their extremely heavy and boundless karmic hindrances will be extinguished. In this very body they will become free from various afflictions. When their lives come to an end, all Buddhas will protect and be mindful of them, and they will immediately be born by transformation from lotus flowers in that Buddha land.’”
“Furthermore, Mañjuśrī! From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of seven Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Free from Sorrow. There is a Buddha named Supremely Auspicious Free from Sorrow, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, who is now teaching the Dharma to the assembly. The Buddha land in which that Tathāgata dwells is vast, adorned, and pure. Its ground is as level as the palm of a hand and is entirely composed of precious substances, fine, smooth, and soft, and constantly fragrant. No sounds of sorrow or suffering are heard there. It is free from all afflictions, and there are neither evil destinies nor even the word ‘woman.’ Everywhere there are bathing pools constructed of gold and filled with fragrant water. Jeweled trees stand in rows, luxuriant with flowers and fruits. Supreme and wondrous music sounds of itself without being struck. Like the Land of Immeasurable Life in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, it is complete with merits, virtues, and adornments.
“Mañjuśrī! When that Buddha, the World-Honored One, practiced the Bodhisattva path, he made four great vows. What are these four great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who are constantly entangled and oppressed by sorrow and suffering, if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all their sorrow, grief, and various sufferings and afflictions will be extinguished. They will have long lives and dwell in peace and security, free from calamity, until they attain Bodhi.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who have committed various evil deeds and are born in places of uninterrupted darkness, undergoing various sufferings and afflictions in the great hells, because in a former life they once heard my name, I will at that time emit radiance from my body and illuminate those suffering beings. Through this power, when they see the radiance, all their karmic hindrances will be extinguished. They will be liberated from all kinds of suffering, be born among humans and devas, and enjoy happiness according to their wishes, until they attain Bodhi.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who have committed various evil deeds of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, who in their present bodies undergo the suffering of blades and cudgels and in the future are destined to fall into evil destinies; even if they obtain human bodies, their lives are short, they suffer from many illnesses, they are born into poor and lowly households, they lack clothing and food, and they constantly undergo the sufferings of cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and the like, while their bodies lack radiance and beauty and the family members they obtain are likewise not virtuous; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power, according to whatever they wish for or seek, food and clothing will be abundant, as among the devas. Their bodies will become radiant and pleasing, and they will obtain virtuous family members, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who are constantly disturbed by yakṣas and various evil spirits and deities, who rob them of their vital essence and cause them to undergo various sufferings and afflictions, if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all the yakṣas and other such beings will withdraw. Each will give rise to a mind of loving kindness, and those sentient beings will be liberated from all kinds of suffering, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the four subtle and great vows made by that Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One. If there are sentient beings who hear the name of that Buddha and, throughout the six periods of day and night, invoke his name, pay homage to him, make offerings with the utmost sincerity, and give rise to minds of loving kindness and compassion toward sentient beings, then their karmic hindrances will be extinguished. They will be liberated from sorrow and suffering, be free from illness, have long lives, and attain knowledge of past lives. In the lands of the Buddhas, they will be born by transformation from lotus flowers and will constantly be protected by the devas. Mañjuśrī! Invoking the name of that Buddha can produce such immeasurable meritorious karma. As for the adornments accomplished in that Buddha land through the power of vows and its supreme merits and virtues, they cannot be known by Śrāvakas or Pratyekabuddhas, but only by the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One.
“Furthermore, Mañjuśrī! From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of eight Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Dharma Banner. There is a Buddha named Thunderous Voice of the Ocean of Dharma, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, who is now teaching the Dharma. Mañjuśrī! The land in which that Buddha, the World-Honored One, dwells is pure and undefiled. Its ground is level and even, composed of crystal, constantly radiant, and richly fragrant. Its city walls are made of indranīla, and there are eight streets constructed of gold and silver. The multistoried towers and halls, projecting eaves, doors and windows, railings, and all their adornments are made entirely of various precious substances. Heavenly fragrant jeweled trees stand in rows everywhere, with heavenly silks hanging from their branches, and jeweled bells suspended throughout. When stirred by a gentle breeze, they produce subtle and wondrous sounds expounding impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and nonself. When sentient beings hear these sounds, they are able to abandon the bonds of desire, their habitual tendencies gradually disappear, and they attain profound meditative concentration. Wondrous heavenly fragrant flowers fall in profusion. On the four sides of the land are eight bathing pools, their bottoms covered with golden sand and their waters filled with fragrance. Mañjuśrī! In that Buddha land there are no evil destinies and no women. All sentient beings are born by transformation from lotus flowers and are no longer subject to afflictions.
“When that Buddha, the Tathāgata, practiced the Bodhisattva path, he made four great vows. What are these four great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings born into households of wrong views who are unable to give rise to pure faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and who remain far removed from the aspiration for Unsurpassed Bodhi, if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power their ignorance and erroneous wisdom will diminish day and night. They will give rise to profound right faith in the Three Jewels and will never regress, until they attain Bodhi.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings born in border regions who, because they associate with evil companions, commit many sinful deeds, fail to cultivate wholesome qualities, and have never even heard the names of the Three Jewels, so that after death they fall into the three evil destinies, if these sentient beings hear my name even for a moment, then through this power their karmic hindrances will be eliminated. They will encounter virtuous spiritual friends and will not fall into evil destinies, until they attain Bodhi.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who lack all the necessities of life, such as clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicines, and because of this give rise to great sorrow and suffering, while in seeking these things they commit many evil deeds, if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power whatever they lack will be obtained in accordance with their thoughts, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who, because of evil karma from the past, contend and fight with one another, do things harmful to one another, and injure one another with bows, arrows, blades, and cudgels, if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power each will give rise to a mind of loving kindness and will no longer harm the others. They will not even give rise to an unwholesome thought, much less a thought of taking the life of someone before them. They will constantly practice sympathetic joy and equanimity, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the four subtle and great vows made by that Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, while practicing the Bodhisattva path. If men or women of pure faith hear the name of that Buddha, pay homage to him with the utmost sincerity, diligently make offerings, receive and uphold his name, and recollect and recite it, then their karmic hindrances will be extinguished. They will attain the nonretrogressing mind of Bodhi and become endowed with knowledge of past lives. Wherever they are born, they will constantly behold the Buddhas, be free from illness, and have long lives. After their lives come to an end, they will be born in that land. Clothing, food and drink, and all the necessities of life will appear before them according to their thoughts, and they will lack nothing. Mañjuśrī! That Buddha, the World-Honored One, is endowed with such immeasurable merits and virtues. Therefore, sentient beings should constantly recollect him and never forget him.”
“Furthermore, Mañjuśrī! From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of nine Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Well Abiding Jeweled Ocean. There is a Buddha there named Freely Sports in Supernormal Powers through the Supreme Wisdom of the Ocean of Dharma, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, who is now teaching the Dharma.
“Mañjuśrī! When that Buddha, the Tathāgata, practiced the Bodhisattva path, he made four great vows. What are these four great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who commit many evil deeds, harming various living beings while planting and cultivating fields, or engaging in trade and deceiving others, or taking part in warfare and frequently killing living beings; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power all the necessities of life will be provided according to their wishes without their having to conduct business or seek after them, and they will constantly cultivate various wholesome practices, until they attain Bodhi.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who commit the ten evil deeds and offenses such as killing, and because of these causes and conditions are destined in the future to fall into the hells; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, they will become fully accomplished in the paths of the ten wholesome deeds and will not fall into evil destinies, until they attain Bodhi.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who lack freedom and are subject to others, or are imprisoned and confined, wearing handcuffs, shackles, cangues, and fetters, suffering the pain of whipping and beating, or even facing the severest punishment; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power they will be liberated from all such calamities and difficulties, until they attain Bodhi.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are sentient beings who commit many evil deeds, have no faith in the Three Jewels, follow false views, turn away from right principles, delight in associating with followers of heterodox paths, slander and disparage Buddhist scriptures, declaring that they were not spoken by noble ones, while reverently accepting and upholding the scriptures of heterodox paths, themselves acting in this way and teaching others to do likewise, so that they mutually give rise to delusion and are destined to fall into the hells with no time of escape; even if they are able to be born as humans, they will be born amid the eight difficulties, far removed from the right path, like blind people without the eye of wisdom. If people such as these hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then through this power, when their lives are about to end, right mindfulness will arise before them. They will be liberated from all calamities and will constantly be born in central lands, enjoying supreme and wondrous happiness, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the four subtle and great vows made by that Buddha, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, while practicing the Bodhisattva path. Mañjuśrī! The meritorious adornments of that Buddha land are in no way different from those of the Wondrous Treasure world.
“Furthermore, Mañjuśrī! From here, going eastward and passing through Buddha lands as numerous as the sands of ten Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Pure Vaiḍūrya. There is a Buddha there named Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Radiance, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One.
“Mañjuśrī! When that Buddha, the World-Honored One, first aroused the aspiration and practiced the Bodhisattva path, he made twelve great vows. What are these twelve great vows?
“The first great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, the radiance of my own body will illuminate boundless worlds. My body will be adorned with the thirty two marks and the eighty secondary characteristics, and I will cause all sentient beings to become no different from me.
“The second great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, my body will be like vaiḍūrya, clear and transparent within and without. Its vast radiance will pervade all directions, adorned with a net of blazing light and surpassing the sun and moon. Even in the dark places between the Iron Encircling Mountains, sentient beings will be able to see one another. Or, when sentient beings travel through the darkness of night in this world, upon seeing my radiance they will all be able to see clearly and distinctly and attend to whatever affairs they wish.
“The third great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, through immeasurable and boundless wisdom and skillful means, I will cause all the things enjoyed and used by every kind of sentient being to be inexhaustible.
“The fourth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings travel upon wrong paths, I will cause them all to travel upon the right path to Bodhi. If there are those who travel in the Vehicles of the Śrāvakas or Pratyekabuddhas, I will also cause them to abide in the Dharma of the Great Vehicle.
“The fifth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings cultivate pure conduct within my Dharma, I will cause them all to obtain complete and unbroken precepts and skillfully guard the three activities of body, speech, and mind, so that none will violate the precepts and fall into evil destinies. Even if they have committed violations, after hearing my name, if they single mindedly recollect and uphold it and sincerely disclose their offenses, they will be restored to purity, until they attain Bodhi.
“The sixth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings have incomplete faculties, ugly appearances, stubborn and dull minds, or are foolish, deaf, blind, mute, with contracted hands or feet, lame, crippled, hunchbacked, afflicted with white leprosy or insanity, and are further entangled and oppressed by various illnesses and sufferings; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, they will all become upright and well adorned, and all their various illnesses will be eliminated and healed.
“The seventh great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings are poor and distressed, have nowhere to turn for refuge, and are further oppressed by various illnesses, with neither medicine nor physician; if they merely hear my name for a moment, all their illnesses will disperse, their families and retinues will increase and flourish, their wealth and possessions will no longer be lacking, and their bodies and minds will be peaceful and happy, until they attain Bodhi.
“The eighth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if there are women who are oppressed by the various sufferings associated with being women, feel profound revulsion toward them, and wish to relinquish the female body; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then in that very body they will transform into men, fully endowed with the characteristics of a man, until they attain Bodhi.
“The ninth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, I will cause all sentient beings to escape from Māra’s net and snares. I will also gather in all those who follow various wrong views, causing them to give rise to right view and gradually cultivate the various practices of Bodhisattvas, until they attain Bodhi.
“The tenth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings are arrested under royal law, imprisoned in jails, bound in cangues and fetters, subjected to whipping and beating, or even facing the severest punishment, while many other painful circumstances oppress them so that they are filled with sorrow and anguish and have not even a moment of happiness; if they hear my name, then through the majestic spiritual power of my merit and virtue they will all be liberated from every sorrow and suffering, until they attain Bodhi.
“The eleventh great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings are oppressed by hunger and, in seeking food, commit various evil deeds; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, I will first provide them with the finest food and drink, allowing them to eat according to their wishes until they are fully satisfied. I will then provide them with the flavor of Dharma, causing them to abide in supreme and wondrous peace and happiness, until they attain Bodhi.
“The twelfth great vow: May it be that in a future life, when I attain Bodhi, if various sentient beings have no clothing and are oppressed and afflicted by mosquitoes, biting insects, cold, and heat; if they hear my name and invoke and recollect it with the utmost sincerity, then according to whatever they delight in, they will immediately obtain various kinds of supreme and wondrous clothing, precious adornments, music and entertainment, incense, and flowers. I will cause them all to be fully satisfied and freed from every kind of suffering and affliction, until they attain Bodhi.
“Mañjuśrī! These are the twelve subtle and supreme vows made by Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Radiance, the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, while practicing the Bodhisattva path.”
