Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha 12

‘Then the earth trembled, flowers were showered down, hundreds of instruments resounded in the sky, powder of heavenly sweet sandal-wood was scattered, and there was a voice saying: “Thou wilt be a Buddha in the world.”

10. ‘That Bhikshu Dharmikara, the noble-minded Bodhisattva, O Ananda, was possessed of this perfection of prayers. And a few Bodhisattvas only, O Ananda, are possessed of such a perfection of prayers. There is on this earth an appearance of a few only of such prayers. Of a few, however, existence cannot be denied.

‘Then again, O Ananda, this Bhikshu Dharmikara having recited these peculiar prayers before the Bhagavat Lokesvararaga, the Tathdgata, and before the world including gods, Mâra, and Brahman, and before people consisting of Sramazas and Brahmazas with gods, men, and Asuras, was established in the attainment of the true promise. And proclaiming this purity of the Buddha country, this greatness and excellency of the Buddha country, and performing the duty of a Bodhisattva, he never conceived the remotest thoughts of lust, malevolence, and cruelty, during a hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of years, immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable, measureless, immense, inexpressible; and he never conceived the idea of lust, malevolence, and cruelty, nay, he never conceived the idea of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. He was gentle, charming indeed, and compassionate; pleasant to live with, agreeable, amiable, content, of few wishes, satisfied, retired, not evil, not foolish, not suspicious, not crooked, not wicked, not deceitful, tender ', kindly speaking, always zealous, docile in the searching after the pure Law. And for the good of all beings, he recited the great prayer, showing respect to friends, teachers, masters, the Church, the Law, and Buddha, always girded for the performance of the duties of the Bodhisattva, righteous, gentle, not deceitful, not flattering, virtuous, a leader for the sake of rousing others to perform all good laws, producing by his activity the ideas of emptiness, causelessness, and purposelessness, and he was well guarded in his speech. Then, performing the duties of a Bodhisattva, after having given up all speaking which, when spoken, serves to injure one’s self or others or both, he employed only such speech as served the pleasure and benefit of himself, others, or both. And he was so wise that, when entering into capitals, kingdoms, countries, towns, cities, and villages, he was always perfectly restrained with regard to all objects of sense. Performing himself the duties of the Bodhisattva without interruption, he walked himself in the highest perfection (paramita) of liberality, and he also roused others to walk in the same. And himself walking in the highest perfections of knowledge, meditation, strength, patience, and virtue, he roused others also to walk in the same. And he has collected so large a stock of merit that, wherever he is born, there arise for him many hundreds of thousands of niyutas of kotis of treasures from out the earth.

‘By him, while he was thus performing the duties of a Bodhisattva, immeasurable and innumerable hundreds of thousands of niyutas of kotis of beings were established in perfect enlightenment, of whom it is not easy to know the limit by means of speech. So many immeasurable and innumerable holy Buddhas were honoured, revered, esteemed, and worshipped, and enabled to touch whatever causes pleasure, such as cloaks, alms-bowls, couches, seats, refreshments, medicines, and other furniture. It is not easy to know the limit by pointing it out in words, as to how many beings were established by him in the noble families of Brahmazas, Kshatriyas, ministers, householders, and merchants. In the same manner they were established in the sovereignty of Gambidvipa (India), and they were established in the character of Kakravartins, Lokapalas, Sakras, Suydmas, Sutushitas, Sunirmitas, Vasavartins, Devaragas, and Mahdbrahmans. So many immeasurable and innumerable Buddhas were honoured, revered, esteemed, and worshipped. and requested to turn the wheel! of the Law, of whom it is not easy to know the limit by means of words.

‘And he collected such virtue, that out of his mouth, while performing the duties of a Bodhisattva, during immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, incomparable, immense, measureless, inexpressible kotts of kalpas, there breathed a sweet and more than heavenly smell of sandal-wood. From all the pores of his hair there arose the smell of lotus, and he was pleasing to everybody, gracious and beautiful, endowed with the fulness of the best bright colour’. As his body was adorned with all the good signs and marks, there arose from the pores (of his hair) and from the palms of his hands all sorts of precious ornaments in the shape of all kinds of cloaks and vestments, in the shape of all kinds of flowers, incense, scents, garlands, ointments, umbrellas, flags, and banners, and in the shape of all kinds of instrumental music. And there appeared also, streaming forth from the palms of his hands, all kinds of viands and drink, food, hard and soft, and sweetmeats, and all kinds of enjoyments and pleasures. Thus then that Bhikshu Dharmikara, O Ananda, had obtained the command of all necessaries, after performing the duties of a Bodhisattva.’

11. After this, the blessed Ananda thus spoke to the Bhagavat: ‘O Bhagavat, has that Bhikshu Dharmâkara, the noble-minded Bodhisattva, after having obtained the highest perfect knowledge, passed away, having entered Nirvâma, or has he not yet been enlightened, or is he now living and enlightened, and does he dwell now, remain, support himself, and teach the Law’

The Bhagavat said: Not indeed, O Ananda, has geen TE IT CE CTE ETL AL AL AAA ee ee that Tathdgata passed away, nor has he not yet come, but the TathAgata, the holy, after having obtained the highest perfect knowledge, dwells now, remains, supports himself, and teaches the Law, in the western quarter, in the Buddha country, distant from this world by a hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of Buddha countries, in the world which is called SukhAvatt, being called Amitabha, the Tathagata, holy and fully enlightened. He is surrounded by innumerable Bodhisattvas, and worshipped by endless Srévakas, and in possession of the endless perfection of his Buddha country.

12. ‘And his light is immeasurable, so that it is not easy to know the limit of its measure, saying, he stands illuminating so many hundreds of Buddha countries, so many thousands of Buddha countries, so many hundred thousands of Buddha countries, so many kotts of Buddha countries, so many hundred kotls of Buddha countries, so many thousand koftis of Buddha countries, so many hundred thousands of kotis of Buddha countries, so many hundred thousands of niyutas of kotis of Buddha countries. But indeed, O Ananda, to put it briefly, a hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of Buddha countries, equal to the sands of the river Ganga, are always lighted up in the eastern quarter, by the light of that Bhagavat Amitâbha. Thus on every side in the southern, western, northern quarter, in the zenith and nadir, in every one of these quarters, there are a hundred thousand niyutas of kotls. of Buddha countries, like the sands of the river Ganga, always lighted up by the light of that Bhagavat Amitâbha, excepting the Buddhas, the Bhagavats, who, through the practice of their former prayers, have lighted up the world by their own light, which is a fathom in length, or by their light which is one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty yoganas in length, or a hundred or thousand or hundred thousand yoanas in length, until their brightness reaches many hundred thousand niyutas of kotls of yoanas in length. There is not, O Ananda, any case of likeness, by which the extent of the light of that Tathâgata Amitabha for that could be understood. Hence,: O Ananda, (possessed of infinite light), and he is called Amitaprabha (possessed of infinite splendour), Amitaprabhasa (possessed of infinite brilliancy), Asami- ptaprabha (whose light is never finished), Asangataprabha (whose light is not conditioned), Prabh4- sikhotsvzsh¢aprabha (whose light proceeds from flames of light), Sadivyamaziprabha (whose light is that of heavenly jewels), Apratihatarasmirdgaprabha (whose light has the colour of unimpeded rays), Raaniyaprabha (possessed of beautiful light), Premaztyaprabha (possessed of lovely light), Pramodanlyaprabha (possessed of delightful light), Sangamantyaprabha (possessed of attractive light), Uposhaztyaprabha (possessed of pleasant light), Anibandhaniyaprabha! (possessed of light that cannot be stopped), Ativlryaprabha (possessed of extremely powerful light), Atulyaprabha (possessed of incomparable light), Abhibhfyanarendrabhdtrayendraprabha? (possessed of light greater than that of the lords of men, nay, the lords of the three worlds), Srântasa##ayendusfiryagihmikaramaprabha (possessed of light which bends the full moon and the sun), Abhibhfyalokapdlasakrabrahmasuddhavasamahesvarasarvadevagihmikarazaprabha (possessed of light which bends all the conquered gods, Mahejvara, the Suddhdvâsas, Brahman, Sakra, and the LokapAlas).

‘This splendour of the Arya (noble) is pure, great, producing bodily pleasure, happiness of mind, producing happiness, delight, and joy for men and not-men, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, Garudas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Nagas, Asuras, and Devas; and producing the pleasure of beings of good disposition '.

‘And in this manner, O Ananda, the Tathâgata? might speak for a whole kalpa on the work of the Tathagata Amitabha, beginning with his light, and yet he would not be able to reach the end of the virtues of that light of that Tathâgata, neither would there be any failure of the self-confidence in the Tathigata himself. And why? Because, O Ananda, both these things are immeasurable, innumerable, inconceivable, and endless, viz. first, the greatness of the excellence of the light of that Tathdgata Amitabha, the Bhagavat, and secondly, the unsurpassed light of the knowledge possessed by the Tathagata (by myself).

$13. ‘And, O Ananda, the assembly of the hearers of that Tathagata AmitAbha is immeasurable, so that it is not easy to learn its measure, so as to be able to say, there are so many kofis of the hearers, so many hundreds, thousands, hundred-thousands, kankaras, vimbaras, nayutas (niyutas), ayutas, akshobhyas, viv£has (masc.), srotas (?), oas, so many periods, called immeasurable, innumerable, countless, incomparable, inconceivable. Now, for instance, O Ananda, the Bhikshu Maudgalydyana having obtained miraculous power, might, if he wished, count? in one day and night, how many kinds of stars there are in the universal world. Then, let there be a hundred thousand niyutas of kois of such men, endowed with miraculous powers, and let them do nothing else but count the first company (only) of the hearers of the Tathagata Amitâbha, during a hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of years, and yet by them thus counting even the hundredth part would not be counted, even the thousandth, even the hundred thousandth, nay, not even so far as the minutest part, or likeness, or approach®* towards it would have been counted.

‘Thus, for instance, O Ananda, a man might throw out from the great ocean, which is not to be measured across by less than eighty-four thousand yoanas, one single drop of water by the sharp end of hair, which is divided a hundred times. What do you think then, Ananda,—which would be greater, one drop of water which has been thrown up by the SUKHAVAt, 14. sharp pointed hair divided a hundred times, or the mass of water left in the great ocean’

Ananda said: ‘Even a thousand yoanas, O Bhagavat, would be a small portion of the great ocean, how much more then one drop of water thrown out by the sharp pointed hair divided a hundred times’

Bhagavat said: ‘As that one drop of water, exactly so large (so small in proportion) was the first company of the hearers. And let there be reckoning made by those Bhikshus, who are like Maudgalyayana, counting for a hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of years, and yet, as to the mass of water left in the great ocean, it would even then have to be considered as not counted. How much more with regard to the second, third, and the rest of the companies of the hearers! Therefore the mass of hearers of the Bhagavat is endless and boundless, and receives the name of “immeasurable and innumerable.”