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Ananda straightened his robes and then bowed in the midst of the assembly and placed his palms together.
The tracks of his mind were perfectly clear, and he felt a mixture of joy and sorrow. His intent was to benefit
beings in the future as he made obeisance and said to Buddha, "Greatly compassionate World Honored One, I
have already awakened and attained this Dharma-door for becoming a Buddha, and I can cultivate it without the
slightest doubt. I have often heard the Thus Come One say, "Save others first then save yourself. That is
the aspiration of a Bodhisattva. Once your own enlightenment is perfected, then you can enlighten others. That
is the way the Thus Come One responds to the world.’ Although I am not yet saved. I vow to save all living beings
in the Dharma-ending age. "World Honored One, those living beings will gradually drift away from the Buddha, and there will be as
many deviant teachers propounding their methods as there are sands in the Ganges. I want to enable those beings
to collect their thoughts and enter Samadhi. How can I cause them to reside peacefully in a Bodhimanda, far from
the exploits of demons, and be irreversible in their resolve for Bodhi?" At that time, the World Honored One praised Ananda in front of the whole assembly, saying, "Good indeed;
how good it is that you have asked how to establish a Bodhimanda and to rescue and protect living beings who are
sunk in the morass of the final age. Listen well, now, and I will tell you." Ananda and the great assembly agreed to uphold the teaching. The Buddha told Ananda, "You constantly hear me explain in the Vinaya that there are three unalterable
aspects to cultivation. That is, collecting one’s thoughts constitutes the precepts; from the precepts comes
Samadhi; and out of Samadhi arises wisdom. Samadhi arises from precepts, and wisdom is revealed out of Samadhi.
These are called the ‘Three Non-outflow Studies.’ "Ananda, why do I call collecting one’s thoughts the precepts? If living beings in the six paths of any
mundane world had no thoughts of lust, they would not have to follow a continual succession of births and
deaths. "Your basic purpose in cultivating is to transcend the wearisome defilements. But if you don’t renounce
your lustful thoughts, you will not be able to get out of the dust. "Even though one may have some wisdom and the manifestation of Ch’an Samadhi, one is certain of enter
demonic paths if one does not cut off lust. At best, one will be a demon king; on the average, one will be in
the retinue of demons; at the lowest level, one will be a female demon. "These demons have their groups of disciples. Each says of himself that he has accomplished the
unsurpassed Way. "After my extinction, in the Dharma-ending age, these hordes of demons will abound, spreading like
wildfire as they openly practice greed and lust. Claiming to be good knowing advisors, they will cause living
beings to fall into the pit of love and views and lose the way to Bodhi. "When you teach people in the world to cultivate Samadhi, they must first clear and unalterable
instruction on purity given by the Thus Come Ones and the Buddhas of the past, World Honored Ones. "Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of Ch’an Samadhi do not cut off lust, they will be like someone
who cooks sand in the hope of getting rice. After hundreds of thousands of aeons, it will still be just hot
sand. Why? It wasn’t rice to begin with; it was only sand. "If you seek the Buddha’s wonderful fruition and still have physical lust, then even if you attain a
wonderful awakening, it will be based in lust. With lust at the source, you will revolve in the three paths
and not be able to get out. Which road will you take to cultivate and be certified to the Thus Come One’s
Nirvana? "You must cut off the lust which is intrinsic in both body and mind. Then get rid of even the aspect
of cutting it off. At that point you have some hope of attaining the Buddha’s Bodhi. "What I have said here is the Buddha’s teaching. Any explanation counter to it is the teaching of
Papiyan. "Future, Ananda, if living beings in the six paths of any mundane world had no thoughts of killing,
they would not have to follow a continual succession of births and deaths. "Your basic purpose in cultivating Samadhi is to transcend the wearisome defilements. But if you do not
renounce your thoughts of killing, you will not be able to get out of the dust. "Even though one may have some wisdom and the manifestation of Ch’an Samadhi, one is certain to enter
the path of spirits if one does not cease killing. At best, a person will become a mighty ghost; on the average,
one will become a flying Yaksha, a ghost leader, or the like; at the lowest level, one will become an earth-bound
Rakshasa. "These ghosts and spirits have their groups of disciples. Each says of himself that he has accomplished
the unsurpassed way. "After my extinction, in the Dharma-ending age, these hordes of ghosts and spirits will abound, spreading
like wildfire as they argue that eating meat will bring one to the Bodhi way. "Ananda, I permit the Bhikshus to eat five kinds of pure meat. This meat is actually a transformation
brought into being by my spiritual powers. It basically has no life-force. You Brahmans live in a climate so
hot and humid, and on such sandy and rocky land, that vegetables will not grow; therefore, I have had to assist
you with spiritual powers and compassion. Because of the magnitude of this kindness and compassion, what you eat
that tastes like meat is merely said to be meat; in fact, however, it is not. After my extinction, how can those
who eat the flesh of living beings be called the disciples of Shakya? "You should know that these people who eat meat may gain some awareness and may seem to be in Samadhi,
but they are all great Rakshasas. When their retribution ends, they are bound to sink into the bitter sea of
birth and death. They are not disciples of the Buddha. Such people as these kill and eat one another in a
never-ending cycle. How can such people transcend the triple realm? "When you teach people in the world to cultivate Samadhi, they must also cut off killing. This is the
second clear and unalterable instruction on purity given by the Thus Come Ones and the Buddhas of the past,
World Honored Ones. "Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of Ch’an Samadhi do not cut off killing, they are like one who stops
up his ears and calls out in a loud voice, expecting no one to hear him. It is to wish to hide what is completely
evident. "Bodhisattvas and Bhikshus who practice purity will not even step on grass in the path-way; even less
will they pull it up with their hand. How can one with great compassion pick up the flesh and blood of living
beings and proceed to eat his fill? "Bhikshus who do not wear silk, leather boots, furs, or down from this country or consume milk, cream,
or butter can truly transcend this world. When they have paid back their past debts, they will not have to
re-enter the triple realm. "Why? It is because when one wears something taken from a living creature, one creates conditions with
it, just as when people eat the hundred grains, their feet cannot leave the earth. Both physically and mentally
one must avoid the bodies and the by-products of living beings, by neither wearing them nor eating them. I say
that such people have true liberation. "What I have said here is the Buddha’s teaching. Any explanation counter to it is the teaching of
Papiyan. "Further, Ananda, if living beings in the six paths of any mundane world had no thoughts of stealing,
they would not have to follow a continuous succession of births and deaths. "Your basic purpose in cultivating Samadhi is to transcend the wearisome defilements. But if you do not
renounce your thoughts of stealing, you will not be able to get out of the dust. "Even though one way have some wisdom and the manifestation of Ch’an Samadhi, one is certain to enter a
devious path if one does not cease stealing. At best, one will be an apparition; on the average, one will become
a phantom; at the lowest level, one will be a devious person who is possessed by a ‘mei’ ghost. "These devious hordes have their groups of disciples. Each says of himself that he has accomplished the
unsurpassed Way. "After my extinction, in the Dharma-ending age, these phantoms and apparitions will abound, spreading
like wildfire as they surreptitiously cheat others. Calling themselves good knowing advisors the superhuman
Dharmas. Enticing and deceiving the ignorant, or frightening them out of their wits, they disrupt and lay waste
to households wherever they go. "I teach the Bhikshus to beg for their food in an assigned place, in order to help them renounce greed
and accomplish the Bodhi way. The Bhikshus do not prepare their own food, so that, at the end of this life of
transitory existence in the triple realm, they can show themselves to be once-returners who go and do not come
back. "How can thieves put on my robes and sell the Thus Come One, saying that all manner of Karma one creates
is just the Buddhadharma? They slander those who have left the home-life and regard Bhikshus who have taken
complete precepts as belonging to the path of the small vehicle. Because of such doubts and misjudgments,
limitless living beings fall into the unintermittent hell. "I say that Bhikshus who after my extinction have decisive resolve to cultivate Samadhi, and who before
the images of Thus Come Ones can burn a candle on their bodies, or burn off a finger, or burn even one incense
stick on their bodies, will, in that moment, repay their debts from beginningless time past. They can depart
from the world and forever be free of outflows. Though they may not have instantly understood the unsurpassed
enlightenment, they will already have firmly set their mind on it. "If one does not practice any of these token renunciations of the body on the causal level, then even
if one realizes the unconditioned, one will still have to come back as a person to repay one’s past debts exactly
as I had to undergo the retribution of having to eat the grain meant for horses. "When you teach people in the world to cultivate Samadhi, they must also cease stealing. This is the
third clear and unalterable instruction on purity given by the Thus Come One and the Buddhas of the past,
World Honored Ones. "Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of Ch’an Samadhi do not cease stealing, they are like someone who
pours water into a leaking cup and hopes to fill it. He may continue for as many aeons as there are fine motes
of dust, but it still will not be full in the end. "If Bhikshus do not store away anything but their robes and bowls; if they give what is left over from
their food-offerings to hungry living beings; if they put their palms together and make obeisance to entire great
assembly; if when people scold them they can treat it as praise: if they can sacrifice their very bodies and
minds, giving their flesh, bones, and blood to living creatures; and if they do not repeat the non-ultimate
teachings of the Thus Come One as though they were their own explanations, misrepresenting them to those who
have just begun to study, then the Buddha gives them his seal as having attained true Samadhi. "What I have said here is the Buddha’s teaching. Any explanation counter to it is the teaching of
Papiyan. "Ananda, though living beings in the six paths of any mundane world may not kill, steal, or lust either
physically or mentally, these three aspects of their conduct thus being perfect, yet if they tell lies, the
Samadhi they attain will not be pure. They will become demons of love and views and will lose the seed of the
Thus Come One. "They say that they have attained what they have not attained, and that they have been certified when
they have not been certified. Perhaps they seek to be foremost in the world, the most venerated and superior
person. To their audiences they say that they have attained the fruition of a Shrotaapanna, the fruition of a
Sakridagemin, the fruition of an Anagamin, the fruition of Arhatship, the Pratyekabuddha vehicle, or the
various levels of Bodhisattvahood up to and including the ten grounds, in order to be revered by others and
because they are greedy for offerings. "These Icchantikas destroy the seeds of Buddhahood just as surely as a tala tree is destroyed if it is
chopped down. The Buddha predicts that such people sever their good roots forever and lose their knowledge and
vision. Immersed in the sea of the Three Sufferings, they cannot attain Samadhi. "I command the Bodhisattvas and Arhats to appear after my extinction in response-bodies in the
Dharma-ending age, and to take various forms in order to rescue those in the cycle of rebirth. "They should either become Shramanas, white-robed laypeople, kings, ministers or officials, virgin youths
or maidens, and so forth, even prostitutes, widows, profligates, thieves, butchers, or dealers in contraband,
doing the same things as these kinds of people while they praise the Buddha vehicle and cause them to enter
Samadhi in body and mind. "But they should never say of themselves, ‘I am truly a Bodhisattva’; or ‘I am truly an Arhat,’ or let
the Buddha’s secret cause leak out by speaking casually to those who have not yet studied. "How can people who make such claims, other than at the end of their lives and then only to those who
inherit the teaching, be doing anything but deluding and confusing living beings and indulging in a gross false
claim? "When you teach people in the world to cultivate Samadhi, they must also cease all lying. This is the
fourth clear and unalterable instruction on purity given by the Thus Come Ones and the Buddhas of the past, World
Honored ones. "Therefore, Ananda, one who does not cut off lying is like a person who carves a piece of human excrement
to look like Chandana, hoping to make it fragrant. He is attempting the impossible. "I teach the Bhikshus that the straight mind is the Bodhimanda and that they should practice the four
awesome deportments in all their activities. Since they should be devoid of all falseness, how can they claim
to have themselves attained the Dharmas of a superior person? "That would be like a poor person falsely calling himself an emperor; for that, he would be taken and
executed. Much less should one attempt to usurp the title of Dharma king. When the cause-ground is not true, the
effects will be distorted. One who seeks the Buddha’s Bodhi in this way is like a person who tries to bite his
own navel. Who could possibly succeed? "If Bhikshus’ minds are as straight as lute-strings, true and real in everything they do, then they can
enter Samadhi and never be involved in the deeds of demons. I certify that such people will accomplish the
Bodhisattvas’ unsurpassed knowledge and enlightenment. "What I have said here is the Buddha’s teaching. Any explanation counter to it is the teaching of
Papiyan. "Ananda, you asked about collecting one’s thoughts; I have now begun to explain the wonderful method of
cultivation for entrance into Samadhi. Those who seek the Bodhisattva way must first be as pure as glistening
frost in keeping these four rules of deportment. If one is able to never give rise to anything superfluous,
then the three evils of mind and the four of the mouth will have no cause to come forth. "Ananda, if one does not neglect these four matters, and, further, if one does not pursue forms,
fragrances, tastes, or objects of touch, then how can any demonic deeds arise? "If there are people who cannot put an end to their habits from the past, you should teach them to
single mindedly recite my ‘light atop the Buddha’s summit’ unsurpassed spiritual mantra, mwo he sa dan dwo
bwo da la. "It is the invisible appearance atop the summit of the Thus Come One. It is the spiritual mantra
proclaimed by the Buddha of the unconditioned mind who comes forth from the summit in a blaze of light and sits
upon a jeweled lotus flower. "What is more, your past lives with Matangi’s daughter created accumulated Kalpas of causes and
conditions, your habits of fondness and emotional love go back not just one life, nor even just one Kalpa.
Yet, as soon as I proclaimed it, she was freed forever from the love in her heart and accomplished Arhatship. "That prostitute, who had no intention of cultivating, was imperceptibly aided by that spiritual power
and was swiftly certified to the position beyond study; then what about you Sound Hearers in the assembly, who
seek the most supreme vehicle and are resolved to accomplish Buddhahood? For you it should be as easy as tossing
dust into a favorable wind. What, then, is the problem? "Those in the final age who wish to sit in a Bodhimanda must first hold the pure precepts of a Bhikshu.
To do so, they must find as their teacher a foremost Shramana who is pure in the precepts. If they do not
encounter a member of the Sangha who is truly pure, then it is absolutely certain that their deportment in
precepts and rules cannot be accomplished. "After accomplishing the precepts, they should put on fresh, clean clothes, light incense in a place
where they are alone, and recite the spiritual mantra spoken by the Buddha of the mind one hundred and eight
times. After that, they should secure the boundaries and establish the Bodhimanda. "In the countries within them, they should seek for the unsurpassed Thus Come Ones throughout the ten
directions to emit a light of great compassion and anoint the crowns of their heads. "Ananda, when any such pure Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, or white-robed donors in the Dharma-ending age who
can rid their minds of greed and lust hold the Buddha’s pure precepts, and in a Bodhimanda make the vows of a
Bodhisattva and can bathe upon entering each time, and day and night for three weeks without sleep continue
this practice of the way, I will appear before these people in a physically form and rub the crowns of their
heads to comfort them and enable them to become enlightened." Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, enveloped in the Thus Come One’s unsurpassed,
compassionate instruction, my mind has already become enlightened, and I know how to cultivate and be certified
to the way beyond study. But for those who cultivate in the final age and want to establish a Bodhimanda: how do
they secure the boundaries in accord with the rules of purity of the Buddha, the World Honored One?"
The Buddha said to Ananda, "If there are people in the Dharma-ending age who wish to establish a
Bodhimanda, they should first find a powerful white ox in snowy mountains, one which eats the lush and fertile
sweet-smelling grasses of the mountain. Since such an ox also drinks only the pure water of the snowy mountains,
its excrement will be very fine. They can take that excrement, mix it with Chandana, and plaster the ground with
it. "If it is not in the snowy mountains, the ox’s excrement will stink and cannot be used to smear on the
ground. In that case, select a level place, dig down five feet or so, and use that yellow earth. "Mix it with Chandana incense, sinking-in-water incense, jasmine incense, continuously permeating
incense, burnished gold incense, white paste incense, green wood incense, fragrant mound incense, sweet pine
incense, and chicken-tongue incense. Grind these ten ingredients to a fine powder, make a paste, and smear it
on the ground of the platform. The area should be sixteen feet wide and octagonal in shape. "In the center of the platform, place a lotus flower made of gold, sliver, copper, or wood. In the
middle of the flower set a bowl in which dew that has collected in the eighth lunar month has been poured.
Let an abundance of flower petals float on the water. Arrange eight circular mirrors in each direction around
the flower and the bowl. Outside the mirrors place sixteen lotus flowers and sixteen censers, so that the
incense-burners are adorned and arranged between the flowers. Burn only sinking-in-water incense, and do not
let the fire be ‘seen.’ "Place the milk of a white ox in sixteen vessels, along with cakes made with the milk, rock-candy,
oil-cakes, porridge, Turushka, honeyed ginger, clarified butter, and filtered honey. These sixteen are set
around the outside of the sixteen flowers as an offering to the Buddhas and great Bodhisattvas. "At every mealtime and at midnight, prepare a half-pint of honey and three tenths of a pint of clarified
butter. Set up a small incense burner in front of the platform. Decoct the fragrant liquid from the Turushka
incense and use it to cleanse the coals. Light them so that a blaze bursts forth, and toss the clarified butter
and honey into the flaming censer. Let it burn until the smoke disappears, and present it to the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas. "About the four outside walls one should suspend flags and flowers, and within the room where the
platform is located, one should arrange on the four walls images of the Thus Come Ones and Bodhisattvas of the
ten directions. "In the most prominent place, display images of Vairocana Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya
Bodhisattva, Akshobhya Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and all the magnificent transformations of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva.
To the left and right, place the Vajra-treasury Bodhisattvas. Beside them display the lords Shakra and Brahma,
Ucchushma, and the Blue Dirgha, as well as Kundalin and Bhrukuti and all Four Heavenly Kings, with Vinayaka to
the left and right of the door. "Then suspend eight mirrors in the space around the platform so that they are exactly opposite the
mirrors on the platform. This will allow the reflections in them to interpenetrate ad infinitum. "During the first seven days, bow sincerely to the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions, to the great
Bodhisattvas, and to the names of the Arhats. Throughout the six periods of the day and night, continually recite
the mantra as you circumambulate the platform. Practice the way with a sincere mind, reciting the mantra one
hundred and eight times at a stretch. "During the second week, direct your intent by making the vows of a Bodhisattva. The mind should never
be cut off form them. In my Vinaya I have already taught about vows. "During the third week, one holds the Buddha’s mantra, Bwo Da La, for twelve hours at a time, with
a single intent; and on the seventh day, the Thus Come ones of the ten directions will appear simultaneously.
Their light will be mutually reflected in the mirrors and will illumine the entire place; and they will rub one
on the crown of one’s head. "If one cultivates this Samadhi in the Bodhimanda, then even in the Dharma-ending age one can study and
practice until one’s body and mind are as pure and clear as Vaidurya. "Ananda, if any one of the Bhikshus’s precept transmitting masters or any one of the other Bhikshus
practicing with him is not pure, the Bodhimanda as described will not be successful. "After three weeks, one sits upright and still for a hundred days. Those with sharp faculties will not
arise from their seats and will become Shrotaapannas. Although their bodies and minds have not attained the
ultimate fruition of sagehood, they know for certain, beyond exaggeration that they will eventually accomplished
Buddhahood. "You have asked how the Bodhimanda is established. This is the way it is done." Ananda bowed at the Buddha’s feet and said, "After I left the home-life, I relied on the Buddha’s
affectionate regard. Because I sought erudition, I still have not been certified to the unconditioned. "When I encountered that Brahma Heaven Mantra, I was captured by the deviant spell; though my mind was
aware, I had to rely on Manjushri Bodhisattva to liberate me. Although I was blessed by the Thus Come One’s
spiritual mantra of the Buddha’s summit and imperceptibly received its strength, I still have not heard it
myself. "I only hope that the greatly compassionate one will proclaim it again to kindly rescue all the
cultivators in this assembly and those of the future who undergo the turning wheel, so that they may become
liberated in body and mind by relying on the Buddha’s secret sounds." At that moment, everyone in the great assembly bowed as one and stood waiting to hear the Thus Come One’s
secret divisions and phrases. At that time, a hundred brilliant rays sprang from the mound of the flesh on the crown of the World Honored
One’s head. A thousand-petalled precious lotus arose from amidst those rays. Upon the precious flower sat the
Thus Come One’s transformation. From the crown of its hand, in turn, he emitted ten beams, each composed of a hundred rays of precious light.
Every one of those glowing rays shone on lands as many as the sands of ten Ganges rivers, while throughout empty
space there were Vajra secret-traces spirits, each holding aloft a mountain and wielding a pestle. The great assembly, gazing upward, felt fearful admiration and sought the Buddha’s kind protection.
Single-mindedly they listened as the Thus Come One in the light at the invisible appearance on the crown of
the Buddha’s head proclaimed the spiritual mantra: NA MWO SA DAN TWO
II. III IV. V. "Ananda, this cluster of light atop the crown of the Buddha’s head, the secret gatha, syi dan dwo bwo
da la, with its subtle, wonderful divisions and phrases, gives birth to all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions use this mantra-heart, they realize unsurpassed, proper, and
all-pervading knowledge and enlightenment. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions take up this mantra-heart, they subdue all demons and
control all adherents of outside ways. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions avail themselves of this mantra-heart, they sit upon
jeweled lotus-flowers and respond throughout countries as numerous as motes of dust. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions embody this mantra-heart, they turn the great Dharma
wheel in lands as numerous as fine motes of dust. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions hold this mantra-heart, they are able to go throughout
the ten directions to rub beings on the crowns of their heads and bestow predictions upon not yet realized the
fruition, can receive a Buddha’s prediction. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions are based in this mantra-heart, they can go throughout
the ten directions to rescue beings from such suffering as being in the hells, being hungry ghosts, being animals,
or being blind, deaf, or mute, as well as from the suffering of being together with those one hates, from the
suffering of being apart from those one loves, from the suffering of not obtaining what one seeks, and from the
raging blaze of the five Skandhas. They liberate beings from both large and small accidents. In response to their
recitation, difficulty with thieves, difficulty with armies, difficulty with the law, difficulty with imprisonment,
difficulty with wind, fire, and water, and difficulty with hunger, thirst, and impoverishment are all eradicated. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions are in accord with this mantra-heart, they can serve
good and wise advisors throughout the ten directions. In the four aspects of awesome deportment, they make
wish-fulfilling offerings. In the assemblies of as many Thus Come Ones as there are sands in the Ganges, they
are considered to be great Dharma Princes. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions practice this mantra-heart, they can gather in and
teach their relatives in the directions. Causing those of the Small Vehicle not to be frightened when they hear
the Secret Treasury. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions recite this mantra-heart, they realize unsurpassed
enlightenment while sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, and they enter Parinirvana. "Because the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions transmit this mantra-heart, those to whom they have
bequeathed the Buddhadharma can, after their Nirvana, dwell in it completely and uphold it. Being strict and
pure about the precepts and rules, they can all obtain purity. "If I were to explain this mantra, bwo da la, of the cluster of light atop the crown of the
Buddha’s head from morning till night in an unceasing sound, without ever repeating any syllable or phrase,
I could go on for as many Kalpas as there are sands in the Ganges and still never finish. "I also will tell you that this Mantra is called ‘the Crown of the Thus Come One.’" "All of you with something left to study who have not yet put an end to the cycle of rebirth and yet
have brought forth sincere resolve to become Arhats, will find it impossible to sit in a Bodhimanda and be far
removed in body and mind from all demonic deeds if you do not hold this Mantra. "Ananda, let any living being of any country in any world copy out this Mantra in writing on materials
native to his region, such as birch bark, pattra, plain paper, or white cotton cloth, and store it in a pouch
containing incense. If that person wears the pouch on his body, or if he keeps a copy in his home, then you
should know that even if he understands so little that he cannot recite it from memory, he will not be harmed
by any poison during his entire life. "Ananda, I will now tell you more about how this Mantra can rescue and protect the world, help people
obtain great fearlessness, and bring to accomplishment living beings’ transcendental wisdom. "You should know that, after my extinction, if there are beings in the Dhama-ending age who can recite
the Mantra themselves or teach others to recite it, such people who recite and uphold it cannot be drowned by
water, and cannot be harmed by mild or potent poisons. "And so it is in every other case, such that they cannot be possessed by any evil mantra or any heavenly
dragon, ghost, or spirit, or by any essence, weird creature, or demonic ghost. These people’s minds will attain
proper reception, so that any spell, any paralyzing sorcery, any poison or poisoning gold, any poison silver,
any poison or poisoning gold, any poisoning silver, any plant, tree, insect, or snake, and any of a myriad kinds
of poisonous vapors will turn into sweet dew when it enters their mouths. "…. No evil stars, and no ghost or spirit that harbors malice in its heart and that poisons people can
work its evil on these people. Vinayaka as well as all the evil ghost kings and their retinues will be led by
deep kindness to always guard and protect them. "Ananda, you should know that eighty –four thousand Nayutas of Ganges’ sands of kotis of Vajra
Treasury-King Bodhisattvas and their descendants, each with Vajra multitudes as retinue, are ever in attendance,
day and night, upon this Mantra. "If living beings whose minds are scattered and who have no Samadhi remember and recite the Mantra, the
Vajra kings will always surround them. Therefore, good men, that is even more true for those who are decisively
resolved upon Bodhi. All the Vajra Treasury-King Bodhisattvas will regard them attentively and secretly hasten
the opening of their spiritual consciousness. "When that response occurs, those people will be able to remember the events of as many Kalpas as there
are grains of sand in eighty-four thousand Ganges rivers, knowing them all beyond any doubt. "From that Kalpa onward, through every life until the time they take their last body, they will not be
born where there are Yakshas, Rakshsas, Putanas, Kataputanas, Kumbhandas, Pishachas and so whether with form or
lacking form, or with thought or lacking thought, or in any such evil place. "If these good men read, recite, copy, or write out the Mantra, if they carry it or treasure it, if they
make offerings to it, then through Kalpa after Kalpa they will not be poor or lowly, nor will they be born in
unpleasant places. "If these living beings have never accumulated any blessings, the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions
will bestow their own merit and virtue upon these people. "Because of that, throughout Asamkhyeyas of ineffable, unspeakable numbers of Kalpas, as many as the
Ganges’ sands, they are always together with the Buddhas. They are born in the same place, due to their limitless
merit and virtue, and, like the Amala fruit-cluster, they stay in the same place, become permeated with
cultivation, and are never parted. "Therefore, it can enable those who have broken the precepts to regain the purity of the precept-source.
It can enable those who have not received the precepts to receive them. It can cause those who are not vigorous
to become vigorous. It can enable those who lack wisdom to gain wisdom. It can cause those who are not pure to
quickly become pure. It can cause those who do not hold to vegetarianism to become vegetarians naturally. "Ananda, if good men who uphold this Mantra violated the pure precepts before they received the Mantra,
their multitude of offenses incurred by violating the precepts, whether major or minor, can simultaneously be
eradicated after they begin to uphold the Mantra. "Even if they drank intoxicants or ate the five pungent plants and various other impure things in the
past, the Buddhas, Bodhidattvas, Vajras, gods, immortals, ghosts, and spirits will not hold it against them. "If they are unclean and wear tattered, old clothes to carry out the single practice and single dwelling,
they can be equally pure. Even of they do not set up the platform, do not enter the Bodhimanda, and do not
practice the way, but recite and uphold this Mantra, their merit and virtue will be identical with that derived
from entering the platform and practicing the Way. "If they have committed the Five Rebellious Acts, grave offenses warranting unintermittent retribution,
or if they are Bhikshus or Bhikshunis who have violated the four Parajikas or the eight Parajikas, such heavy
Karma as this will disperse after they recite this Mantra, like a sand dune that us scattered in a gale, so that
not a particle remains. "Ananda, if living beings who have never repented and reformed any of the obstructive offenses, either
heavy or light, that they have committed throughout countless Kalpas past, up to and including those of this very
life, can nevertheless read, recite, copy, or write out this Mantra or wear it on their bodies or place it in
their homes or on their garden houses, then all that accumulated Karma will melt away like snow in hot water.
Before long they will obtain awakening to patience with the non-production of Dharmas. "More, Ananda, if women who do not have children and want to conceive can sincerely memorize and recite
this Mantra or carry the Mantra, syi dan dwo bwo da la, on their bodies, they can give birth to sons or
daughters endowed with blessings, virtue, and wisdom. "Those who seek long life will obtain long life. Those who seek to quickly perfect their reward will
quickly gain perfection. The same is true for those who seek something regarding their bodies, their lives, their
appearance, or their strength. "At the end of their lives, they will gain the rebirth they hope for in whichever of the countries of
the ten directions they wish. They certainly will not be born in poorly endowed places, or as inferior people;
even less will they be reborn in some odd form. "Ananda, if there is famine or plague in a country, province, or village, or if perhaps there are armed
troops, brigands, invasions, war, or any other kind of local threat or danger, one can write out this spiritual
mantra and place it on the four city gates, or on a Chaitya or on a Dhvaja, and instruct all the people of the
country to gaze upon the Mantra, to make obeisance to it, to revere it, and to singlemindedly make offering to it;
one can instruct all the citizens to wear it on their bodies or to place it in their homes; and then all such
disasters and calamities will completely disappear. "Ananda, in each and every country where the people accord with this Mantra, the heavenly dragons are
delighted, the winds and rains are seasonal, the crops are abundant, and the people are peaceful and happy. "It can also suppress all evil stars which may appear in any of the directions and transform themselves
in uncanny ways. Calamities and obstructions will not arise. People will not die accidentally or unexpectedly.
Nor will they be bound by fetters, cangues, or locks. Day and night they will be at peace, and no evil dreams
will disturb their sleep. "Ananda, this Saha World has eighty-four thousand changeable and disastrous evil stars. Twenty-eight
great evil stars are the leaders, and of these, eight great evil stars are the rules. They take various shapes,
and when they appear in the world, they bring disaster and weird happenings upon living beings. "But they will all be eradicated wherever there is the Mantra. The boundaries will be secured for twelve
Yojanas around, and no evil calamity or misfortune will ever enter in. "Therefore, the Thus Come One proclaims this Mantra as one which will protect those of the future who have
just begun to study, as well as all cultivators, so that they can attain great tranquility. "Even less will any demon, ghost, or spirit, or any enemy, calamity, or misfortune due from former lives
that reach back to beginningless time, or any old Karma or past debts come to vex and harm them. "As to you and everyone in the assembly who still is studying, and as to cultivators of the future who
rely on my platform, hold the precepts in accord with the Dharma, receive the precepts from pure members of the
Sangha, and hold this mantra-heart without giving rise to doubts: should such good men as these not obtain
mind-penetration in that very body born of their parents, then the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions have
lied!" When he finished this explanation, measureless hundreds of thousands of Vajra Power-Knights in the assembly
came before the Buddha, placed their palms together, bowed, and said, "With sincere hearts we will protect
those who cultivate Bodhi in this way, according to what the Buddha has said." Then the Brahma King, the God Shakra, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings all came before the Buddha, made
obeisance together, and said to Buddha, "If indeed there be good men who cultivate and study in this way,
we will do all we can to earnestly protect them and cause everything to be as they would wish throughout their
entire lives." Moreover measureless great Yaksha generals, Rakshasa kings, Putana kings, Kumbhanda kings, Pishacha kings,
Vinayaka, the great ghost kings, and all the ghost commanders came before the Buddha, put their palms together,
and made obeisance. "We also have vowed to protect these people and cause their resolve for Bodhi to be
quickly perfected. Further, measureless numbers of gods of the sun and moon, lords of the rain, lords of the clouds, lords of
thunder, lords of lightning who patrol throughout the year, and all the retinues of stars which were also in
the assembly bowed at the Buddha’s feet and said to the Buddha, "We also protect all cultivators, so that
their Bodhimandas are peaceful and they attain fearlessness." Moreover, measureless numbers of mountain-spirits, sea-spirits, and all those of the earth—the myriad
creatures and essences of water, land, and the air—as well as the king of wind-spirits and the gods of the
formless heavens, came before the Thus Come One, bowed their heads, and said to the Buddha, "We also will protect these cultivators until they attain Bodhi and will never let any demons have
their way with them." Then Vajra-Treasury-King Bodhisattvas in the great assembly, numbering as many as eighty-four thousand
Nayutas of Kotis’ worth of sands in the Ganges, arose from their seats, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha, "World Honored One, the nature of our deeds in cultivation is such that, although we have long since
accomplished Bodhi, we do not grasp at Nirvana, but always accompany those who hold this Mantra, rescuing and
protecting those in the final age who cultivate Samadhi properly. "World Honored One, such people as this, who cultivate their minds and seek proper concentration,
whether in the Bodhimanda or walking about, and even such people who with scattered minds roam and play in the
villages, will be accompanied and protected by us and our retinue of followers. "Although the demon kings and the God of Great Comfort will seek to get at them, they will never be able
to do so. The smaller ghosts will have to stay ten Yojanas’ distance from these good people, except for those
beings who have decided they want to cultivate Dhyana." "World Honored One, if such evil demons or their retinues want to harm or disturb these good people, we
will smash their heads to smithereens with our Vajra pestles. We will always help these people to accomplish what
they want." Then Ananda arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha, "Now that we who are
stupid and slow, who are fond of erudition but have not sought to cease the outflows of our minds, have received
the Buddha’s compassionate instructions and have attained the proper means to become infused with cultivation, we
experience joy in body and mind and obtain tremendous benefit. "World Honored One, for one who cultivates in this way and is certified as having attained the Buddha’s
Samadhi, but who has not yet reached Nirvana, what is meant by the level of ‘dry wisdom’? What are the ‘forty-four
minds’? What is the sequence in which one cultivates till one reaches one’s goal? What place must one reach to be
said to have ‘entered the grounds’? And what is meant by a Bodhisattva of ‘equal enlightenment’? Having said this, he made a full prostration, and then the great assembly singlemindedly awaited the sound of
the Buddha’s compassionate voice as they gazed up unblinking with respectful admiration. At that time the world honored one praised Ananda, saying, "Good indeed, good indeed, that you can for the
sake of the entire great assembly and those beings in the final age who cultivate Samadhi and seek the great
vehicle, ask to have explained and revealed the unsurpassed proper path of cultivation that takes one from the
level of an ordinary person to final Parinirvana. Listen attentively, and I will speak about it for you."
Ananda and everyone in the assembly placed their palms together, cleansed their minds, and silently waited to
receive the teaching. "The Buddha said, "Ananda, you should know that the wonderful nature is perfect and bright, apart
from all names and appearances. Basically there is no world, nor are there any living beings. "Because of falseness, there is production. Because of production, there is extinction. The names
‘production’ and ‘extinction’ are false. "When the false is extinguished, there is truth, which is called the Thus Come One’s Unsurpassed Bodhi
and Great Nirvana: those are names for two kinds of turning around. "Ananda, you now wish to cultivate true Samadhi and arrive directly at the Thus Come One’s Parinirvana.
First, you should recognize the two upside-down causes of living beings and the world. If this upside-down state
is not produced, then there is the Thus Come One’s true Samadhi. "Ananda, what is meant by the upside-down state of living beings? Ananda, the reason that nature of the
mind is bright is that the nature itself is the perfection of brightness. By adding brightness, another nature
arises, and from that false nature, views are produced, so that from absolute nothingness comes ultimate
existence. "All that exists comes from this; every cause in fact has no cause. Subjective reliance on objective
appearances is basically groundless. Thus, upon what is fundamentally unreliable, one sets up the world and
living beings. "Confusion about one’s basic, perfect understanding results in the arising of falseness. The nature of
falseness is devoid of substances; there is not something which can be relied upon. "One may wish to return to the truth, but that wish for the truth is already a falseness. The real nature
of True Suchness is not a truth that one can seek to return to. By doing so, one misses the mark. "What basically is not produced, what basically does not dwell, what basically is not the mind, and what
basically are not Dharmas arise through interaction. As they arise more and more strongly, they form the
propensity to create Karma. Similar Karma sets up a mutual stimulus. Because of the Karma thus generated, there
is mutual production and mutual extinction. That is the reason for the upside-down state of living beings. "Ananda, what is meant by the upside-down state of the world? All that exists comes from this; the world
is set up because of the false arising of sections and shares. Every cause in fact has no cause; everything that
is dependent has nothing on which it is dependent, and so it shifts and slides and is unreliable. Because of this,
the world of the three periods of time and four directions comes into being. Their union and interaction bring
about changes, which result in the twelve categories of living beings. "That is why, in this world, movement brings around sounds, sounds bring about forms, forms bring about
smells, smells bring about contact, contact brings about tastes, and tastes bring about awareness of Dharmas. The
random false thinking resulting from these six creates Karma, and this continuous revolving becomes the cause of
twelve different categories. "And so, in the world, sounds, smells, tastes, contact, and the like, are each transformed throughout the
twelve categories to make one complete cycle. "The appearance of being upside down is based on this continuous process. Therefore, in the world there
are those born form eggs, those born from wombs, those born from moisture, those born by transformation, those
with form, those without form, those with thought, those without thought, those not totally endowed with form,
those not totally lacking form, those not totally endowed with thought, and those not totally lacking thought. "Ananda, through a continuous process of falseness, the upside-down state of movement occurs in this
world. It unites with energy to become eighty –four thousand kinds of random thoughts that either fly or sink.
From this there come into being the egg Kalalas, which multiply throughout the lands in the form of fish, birds,
amphibians, and reptiles, so that their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of defilement, the upside-down state of desire occurs in this world. It
unites with stimulation to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are either upright or
perverse. From this there come into being the womb Arbudas, which multiply throughout the world in the form of
humans, animal, dragons, and immortals until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of attachment, the upside-down state of inclination occurs in this world.
It unites with warmth to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are vacillating and inverted.
From this there come into being through moisture the appearance of Peshis, which multiply throughout the lands in
the form of insects and crawling invertebrates, until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of change, the upside-down state of borrowing occurs in this world. It
unites with contact to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of new and old. From this there come
into being through transformation the appearance of Ghanas, which multiply throughout the lands in the form of
metamorphic flying and crawling creatures, until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of restraint, the upside-down state of obstruction occurs in this world.
It unites with attachment to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of refinement and brilliance.
From this there come into being the Ghanas of appearance that possess form, which multiply throughout the lands
in the form of auspicious and inauspicious essences, until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of annihilation and dispersion, the upside-down state a delusion occurs in
this world. It unites with darkness to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of obscurity and
hiding. From this there come into being the Ghanas of formless beings, which multiply throughout the lands as
those that are empty, dispersed, annihilated, and submerged until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of illusory imaginings, the upside-down state of shadows occurs in this
world. It unites with memory to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are hidden and bound
up. From this there come into being the Ghanas of those with thought, which multiply throughout the lands in the
form of spirits, ghosts, and weird essences, until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of dullness and slowness, the upside-down state of stupidity occurs in this
world. It unites with obstinacy to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts that are dry and
attenuated. From this there come into being the Ghanas of those without thought, which multiply throughout the
lands as their essence and spirit change into earth, wood, metal, or stone, until their kinds abound. "Through a continuous process of parasitic interaction, the upside-down state of simulation occurs in this
world. It unites with defilement to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of according and relying.
From this there come into being the Ghanas of form, which multiply throughout the lands until their kinds abound,
in such ways as jellyfish that use shrimp for eyes. "Through a continuous process of mutual enticement, the upside-down state of the nature occurs in this
world. It unites with mantras to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of beckoning and summoning.
From this there come into being those not totally lacking form, who take Ghanas which are formless and multiply
throughout the lands until their kinds abound, as the hidden beings of mantras and incantations. "Through a continuous process of false unity, the upside-down state of transgression occurs in this world.
It unites with formations to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of reciprocal interchange. From
this there come into being those not totally endowed with thoughts, which become Ghanas possessing thought and
which multiply throughout the lands until their kinds abound in such forms as the Varata, which turns a different
creature into its own species. "Through a continuous process of enmity and harm, the upside-down state of killing occurs in this world.
It unites with monstrosities to become eighty-four thousand kinds of random thoughts of devouring one’s father
and mother. From this there come into being those not totally lacking thoughts, who take Ghanas with no thought
and multiply throughout the lands, until their kinds abound in such forms as the dirt owl, which hatches its
young from clods of dirt, and the p’ou ching bird, which incubates a poisonous fruit to create its young.
In each case, the young thereupon eat the parents. "These are the twelve categories of living beings." |
