Dharma StreamChapter 28. Encouragement of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (part 2)
We have finished discussing the twenty-eight chapters, but a few chapters in the middle were skipped: the predictions of enlightenment for all the Bodhisattvas and all the Sravaka disciples, as well as the merits we gain from studying the Lotus Sutra. Let us look at these merits together, and finally, we shall receive the prediction of enlightenment given to us by Shakyamuni Buddha, and thus we shall attain the Way.
Let us look at the merits. First is the “Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva.” Why did the Buddha specifically speak of the merit of hearing this chapter? It is to tell us the importance of severing the “view of the body” in this age of the Decline of the Dharma. We all place great importance on this physical body. You feel that if this body is ugly, you are ugly. This is a mistaken view. If the body becomes ugly, you think you have become ugly; if the body is not beautiful, you feel you are not beautiful; if the body is beautiful, you feel you are beautiful. Does a beautiful body mean you are truly beautiful? Does an ugly body mean you have truly become ugly? Certainly not, right? Yet we often cling to this external beauty, which is why severing the view of the body is so important. Especially for many girls—and men too—who cannot let go of their desires and habits, they place great weight on their own sensations. “I’m so tired,” “I’m this or that,” “I want this”—every day they are obsessed with their own feelings. “Anyway, I’m annoyed,” “I’m uncomfortable”—it’s always “I, I, I.” In reality, it is just a small sensation of this physical body, nothing more than a feeling. If you put all your heart into your sensations, how can you practice the Bodhisattva path? To walk the Bodhisattva path, one cannot care about one’s own sensations; otherwise, how could it be called “patience under provocation”?
Regarding the merit of hearing the “Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva,” first, it speaks of women. If a woman hears this chapter and can uphold it, then after her life as a woman ends, she will never again receive a female body throughout all future lives. After the passing of the Tathagata, in the five hundred years of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, if a woman hears this sutra and practices according to its teachings, then at the end of this current life, she will be reborn in the Land of Peace and Happiness—this Land of Peace and Happiness is the Land of Ultimate Bliss. In that land, Amitabha Buddha is surrounded by numerous great Bodhisattvas. She will be born by transformation from a lotus flower, sit upon a jeweled throne, and no longer be troubled by greed and desire, nor by anger or delusion. She will never again be troubled by the defilements of arrogance or jealousy, and she will obtain the spiritual powers of a Bodhisattva and attain the Patience of the Non-arising of Dharmas. This patience is the realm of no-birth and no-death, where one no longer cycles through samsara.
After attaining the realm of the Patience of the Non-arising of Dharmas, her eyes will become pure and untainted. With these pure eyes, she can see Buddhas as numerous as the sands of seven million two thousand billion nayutas of Ganges Rivers. This means that from the Land of Ultimate Bliss, she can see this many Tathagatas; it is not that she has to travel to each one individually, but rather she uses her pure eyes. If we had pure eyes now, we could sit in the Sahā World and see the Tathagatas of the ten directions and the three periods of time!
At that time, these Tathagatas will each praise her from afar, saying: “Excellent, excellent, virtuous man! You have been able to uphold, read, and contemplate this Lotus Sutra within the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.” Why do all the Buddhas praise her so? This refers to the woman who upheld the Lotus Sutra; she has already been reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, developed pure eyes, and sees these Tathagatas praising her—praising her for her previous life. They say: “Excellent, excellent, that you were able to uphold, read, and contemplate this Lotus Sutra within the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha.” Why? Because it is not easy in our world! It requires a great deal of merit to even hear the Lotus Sutra. Because our world is called the “Five Turbidities Evil World,” you have great merit to be able to hear, copy, and uphold the Lotus Sutra.
Thus the Buddhas praise: “That you could uphold, read, recite, and contemplate this Lotus Sutra in Shakyamuni Buddha’s world and explain it to others—the merit you have obtained is immeasurable and boundless. Great fires cannot burn it, floods cannot submerge it. Your merit could not be exhausted even if a thousand Buddhas spoke of it together. You have now been able to break through the bonds of demons and destroy the army of the demon of birth and death; all other enemies have also been destroyed. By utilizing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, if you delve deeply into them, you can achieve this and obtain these merits. Virtuous man, hundreds of thousands of Buddhas guard you with their spiritual power. Among all the gods and humans in all worlds, none can compare to you, except for the Tathagata. The wisdom and meditative concentration of Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and even Bodhisattvas cannot compare to yours.” If, after hearing the “Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva,” one can rejoice and praise it, such a person will, in this present life, always have a fragrance like a blue lotus emanating from their mouth, and the pores of their body will always emit the fragrance of Ox-head sandalwood.
The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra is the best medicine for the illnesses of the sentient beings of Jambudvipa. If a person is ill and hears this sutra, their illness will be removed; they will not even grow old or die. This is the merit of hearing just this one chapter, the “Ancient Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva” ! The Buddha does not speak falsely! We have all heard it, so we shall have these merits. Remember this!
The second is the merit of hearing the “Chapter on the Life Span of the Tathagata,” and then the merit of hearing this entire sutra. If sentient beings hear that the Buddha’s life span is so long and can produce a single moment of faith and understanding, the merit they obtain will be limitless. Here I must tell you: because the realm of the Tathagata is not something we can know through conceptual thought and discrimination, everything begins with entry through faith. At first, just believe. Through this faith, we slowly resonate with the Tathagata’s insight and understand the Tathagata’s realm, thereby understanding ourselves. It turns out that we ourselves are formless and markless, immeasurable and boundless, and originally possessed of immeasurable merit.
Today, simply by hearing the Lotus Sutra, we can obtain so much merit—let us believe this first. If there are virtuous men or virtuous women who, for the sake of seeking Unsurpassed, Complete, and Perfect Enlightenment, practice the five paramitas—namely, the paramita of giving, the paramita of precept-keeping, the paramita of patience, the paramita of diligence, and the paramita of meditative concentration (excluding the paramita of wisdom)—for a period as long as eighty million billion nayutas of kalpas, the merit they obtain from this cannot compare to the merit of one moment of faith and understanding upon hearing of the Buddha’s long life span. The merit of those five paramitas does not reach a hundredth, a thousandth, or even a hundred-thousand-ten-thousand-billionth part of the merit of that faith. Practicing the first five of the six paramitas for immeasurable kalpas is not as good as believing in this single chapter, the “Life Span of the Tathagata.” It cannot even be calculated by numbers or described by metaphors. Because you believe in this chapter, you are neither born nor do you die; your merit is perfected. If virtuous men and women possess such merit, they will ultimately attain the unsurpassed fruit of Buddhahood without falling back because by hearing this.
Once you reach this chapter, you will no longer cling to appearances. You will be free from birth and death; you will realize you are not this thing of birth and death, nor are you this transient physical body.
Furthermore, Ajita (which is the name of Maitreya Bodhisattva), if someone hears of the long duration of the Tathagata’s life and can understand its profound meaning, the merit they obtain will be limitless. Such a person will inevitably awaken the supreme wisdom that is identical to that of the Buddha. How much more so for someone who extensively hears this sutra or encourages others to hear it, or who practices it themselves or encourages others to practice it, or who copies it or encourages others to copy it, or who makes offerings to this classic with flowers, fine incense, necklaces, jeweled banners, flags, canopies, treasures, or lamps of fragrant oil or ghee. The merit of such a person is even more infinite and boundless, leading them to realize the All-Encompassing Wisdom possessed by the Buddha.
Ajita, if a good man or woman hears me speak of the long duration of the Tathagata’s life, believes it deeply without doubt, and understands its meaning, they will see the Buddha constantly residing on Vulture Peak, surrounded by great Bodhisattvas and Sravaka disciples, preaching the Lotus Sutra. They will also see that the ground of this Saha world is made of lapis lazuli, flat and even. They will be able to see the Pure Land; they will see that our world is also a Pure Land. Because you no longer cling to appearances, our world becomes a Pure Land. All distinctions, differences, highs and lows, and impurities are caused by your discrimination. If you do not cling to appearances and discriminate, then you will see that our Saha world is also a Pure Land. The ground becomes level because the unevenness of the earth is caused by our minds—it is the uneven minds of sentient beings. If your mind is not level, the ground is not level. You will see the earth of this Saha world made of lapis lazuli, pure, untainted, and flat. Our minds should naturally be like this: pure and level. The ground is perfectly square and even, with roads in all eight directions bordered by gold from the Jambu River. Rows of seven-jeweled trees line the paths, and all the pavilions and viewing towers are made of the seven treasures, with Bodhisattvas living within them. If someone can observe such a realm, you should know that this person has deep faith and understanding of the Lotus Sutra.
Furthermore, after the Tathagata’s parinirvana, if someone hears this sutra and does not slander it but feels joy in their heart, you should know that this person has deep faith and understanding of the Lotus Sutra. How much more so for someone who can read, recite, and uphold it; such a person is as if the Tathagata always rests upon the crown of their head.
Ajita, these good men and women no longer need to build stupas for my relics or construct monasteries, nor do they need to provide the fourfold offerings of food, clothing, bedding, and medicine to the Sangha. Why is this? Because for these good men and women to uphold, read, and recite this sutra is itself equivalent to establishing stupas and monasteries and making offerings to the Sangha. It is equivalent to using the Buddha’s relics to build a tower of the seven treasures, tall and wide, narrowing gradually from the base up to the Brahma Heaven. Upon the tower hang various banners and jeweled bells, with flowers, fine incense, necklaces, scented unguents, burning incense, drums, music, flutes, and lutes performing various dances and subtle melodies in praise. Such offerings continue for countless billions of eons.
Ajita, if after my parinirvana, someone hears this sutra and can faithfully uphold it, or copies it themselves or encourages others to copy it, they have essentially built a monastery. This monastery is made of red sandalwood, with thirty-two halls, and is the height of eight Tala trees, tall, vast, and magnificently adorned. That is to say, transcribing this sutra is equivalent to building a monastery and a stupa, and these buildings are extremely solemn. It does not matter if your handwriting is good or bad; the “building” you create is magnificent. We might transcribe with wild strokes, yet the Buddha still says the house you built is very solemn; finishing the transcription is enough. It has thirty-two halls and is eight Tala trees high—see, your words will turn into such things, tall, vast, and magnificent. Therefore, everyone should vow to finish the transcription; you must not stop halfway and leave behind an “unfinished building,” right?
Thousands of monks live within it, featuring gardens, baths, walking paths, and meditation caves, with no lack of clothing, food, bedding, medicine, and musical instruments. The number of such monasteries and pavilions can reach hundreds of thousands of billions, beyond calculation. This is equivalent to presenting such numerous offerings before us to provide for the Buddha and the Sangha. Therefore, I say that after the Tathagata’s parinirvana, if someone can uphold, read, and recite this sutra, copy it themselves or have others copy it, and make offerings to the scrolls, then they no longer need to build stupas and temples, construct monasteries, or make offerings to the Sangha to accumulate merit. How much more so if, while upholding this sutra, they can also practice the six paramitas of generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom.
The merit of these people is even more superior; it can be said to be infinite and boundless, as vast as the void! To the east, south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, and above and below, it is infinite and boundless like space. The merit of these people is just like that, and they will quickly realize the All-Encompassing Wisdom that is identical to the Buddha’s. If someone recites this sutra, explains it to others, copies it themselves or has others copy it, and simultaneously builds stupas and monasteries, makes offerings to and praises the Sravaka monks, and praises the merits of the Bodhisattvas in hundreds of thousands of billions of ways—furthermore, if they can explain this Lotus Sutra skillfully according to the different conditions and capacities of others, following the meaning of the text; if they can maintain pure precepts, study together with those who are gentle and harmonious, remain patient without anger, stay firm in will, prioritize meditation, and attain deep states of samadhi; and if they can be courageously diligent, perform good deeds, possess sharp wisdom, and be skillful in answering difficult questions—Ajita, if after my parinirvana, good men and women can have such various virtues while upholding, reading, and reciting this sutra, you should know that these people have already set out for the place of enlightenment. They are close to supreme perfect awakening and are already sitting beneath the Bodhi tree where they will eventually achieve Buddhahood. Ajita, in the places where these good men and women sit, stand, or pass by, a stupa should be built, and all heavenly beings should make offerings to them as if they were the Buddha’s own stupa. This is the merit of reading this sutra. These merits are many; let us continue to see—these are all things we shall obtain. Remember, you have gained many, many treasures.
There is also the merit of rejoicing in the Lotus Sutra. Even if we have not copied it or upheld it, for those who did not have time to transcribe it, as long as we sit here and rejoice with a single word of praise—”Ah! The Lotus Sutra is wonderful!”—then that is enough.
Shakyamuni Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva: Ajita, after the Tathagata’s parinirvana, if there are bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, or other wise people, whether old or young, who hear this sutra and rejoice in it, they will go out from the assembly to other places—to monasteries, open spaces, cities, streets, alleys, villages, or fields—and tell what they have heard to their parents and kinsmen according to their own ability. These people, after hearing it, also rejoice and tell others, and those others, after hearing it, also rejoice and pass it on to yet others, repeating this up to the fiftieth person. Ajita, I shall now declare the merit of this fiftieth person who rejoices in the Lotus Sutra; you must listen carefully. Even if you only remember a line or two of the Lotus Sutra and go out to tell others— perhaps you don’t remember everything it says, but you remember a line or two, like what happened with Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva, telling even one or two stories is fine—this is called rejoicing in accord.
If in four million billion asankhyeya worlds there are sentient beings in the six realms—devas, humans, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell-dwellers—born in various ways, such as from eggs, from wombs, from moisture, or by transformation; beings with form or without form; beings with thought, without thought, or neither with nor without thought; beings without feet, or with two, four, or many feet—among all such beings, if someone, seeking blessings, satisfies all their desires according to what each realm of beings wants, giving them whatever they need; if they provide every being with gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam shells, agate, coral, amber, and various wonderful treasures that fill the entire world of Jambudvipa, as well as elephant and horse carriages and palaces and pavilions built of the seven treasures—in the past it was described this way, now it might be various cars and villas. Such a great donor gives in this way for eighty years and then thinks: “I have already given these beings various things for enjoyment and satisfied their desires, but now these beings are aging; they are over eighty, their hair is white and faces wrinkled, and they will soon face death. Now I should teach them with the Buddha Dharma.” Thereupon, he assembles these beings and declares the Buddha Dharma to guide them, causing them to feel joy and quickly realize the four fruits of the Small Vehicle: Srotapanna, Sakadagamin, Anagamin, and Arhat. These beings have been liberated from all afflictions, attained mastery in various deep meditations, and obtained the eight liberations. What do you think? Is the merit obtained by this great donor not vast?
Maitreya Bodhisattva said: World-Honored One, this person’s merit is very great, it could be called infinite and boundless. Shakyamuni Buddha then said: I tell you now, this person’s merit from giving various items for enjoyment to the beings of the six realms in four hundred billion asankhyeya worlds and leading them all to achieve Arhatship is not equal to the merit of the aforementioned fiftieth person who hears even a single verse of the Lotus Sutra and rejoices in passing it on. It does not even reach one-hundredth, one- thousandth, or one-hundred-thousand-billionth of that merit; even using arithmetic to calculate or metaphors to explain, one could not know its infinite and boundless merit. Ajita, if this fiftieth person who heard the Lotus Sutra in succession and rejoiced in passing it on obtains such infinite and boundless asankhyeya merit, how much more so for the person who first heard this sutra in the assembly and felt a heart of joy. Their merit is far greater than that of the fiftieth person, so much so that even infinite and boundless asankhyeya numbers cannot serve as a comparison.
We might say that everything is like a dream, a phantom, or a bubble; we are Mahayana Bodhisattvas who do not cling to appearances, so we do not want merit. But we do want merit! If we do not have merit, we cannot manifest the Buddha’s thirty-two marks and eighty secondary characteristics in time and space. Every mark is a result of merit and causes and conditions; merit is required to manifest them. Merit is like the bricks for building a house; without that merit, the house cannot be built. Sentient beings are attached to appearances, and there is nothing you can do about that. You must manifest a solemn Dharma appearance in the world to save all beings, so we want merit. For the sake of compassion for sentient beings, we want merit; we need merit to manifest the Buddha’s fine features and use those features to save all beings. Therefore, we want all these merits.
Furthermore, Ajita, if someone, for the sake of hearing this sutra, goes specifically to a monastery and, whether sitting or standing, hears this sutra for even a short moment, then because of this merit, when they are reborn in the future, they will possess beautiful elephants, horses, carriages, and palanquins decorated with treasures, or be born in the heavens in a palace of the seven treasures. If another person is sitting where the Lotus Sutra is being preached and someone else comes, and they invite them to sit and listen, or share their seat, then their merit will cause them to be reborn in the future in the place of Shakra, or the Brahma King, or a Universal Monarch. Nowadays, we do much charitable work and give much in charity to get good rewards and ascend to heaven. If one does bad deeds, one falls down. But now, simply by hearing the Lotus Sutra, we have such merit that we can ascend to the heavenly realms.
Ajita, if someone says to another, “There is a scripture called the Lotus Sutra, we can go and listen to it together,” and the other person accepts the advice and hears the sutra for even a brief moment, the merit of that person will cause them to be born in the same place as Bodhisattvas who have attained various dharanis in their future lives. They will be of sharp faculties and great wisdom, and for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, they will never suffer from muteness. Their breath will not be foul, and they will not suffer from diseases of the tongue or mouth. Their teeth will not be stained, nor yellow, nor black, nor sparse, nor missing, nor uneven, nor crooked. Their lips will not droop, nor be shriveled, nor rough, nor have sores, nor be cracked, nor deformed, nor slanted. The Buddha is so compassionate that he lists all these merits for us one by one. Their lips will not be overly thick or large; there will be nothing about them to cause aversion. The nose will be straight, not flat or crooked. The face will not be dark, nor long and narrow, nor hollow; there will be no features that people dislike. In short, his lips, tongue, and teeth will be firm and beautiful; his nose will be high and straight, and his face will be round and full. We are all naturally like this, but we have marred ourselves! The eyebrows will be high and long, the forehead wide and smooth, possessing all beautiful features. In every place they are born, they will be able to see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, have deep faith, and accept the Buddha’s teachings. Ajita, the merit of encouraging one person to go and hear the Dharma is already like this; how much more for one who can wholeheartedly hear, read, recite, and explain it for the sake of the assembly and practice according to the Dharma. This is the merit of rejoicing in the Lotus Sutra.
There are still many merits; let us continue to see. If a good man or woman upholds this Lotus Sutra—whether they study it, chant it, explain it, or copy it—then this person will obtain eight hundred merits of the eye, twelve hundred merits of the ear, eight hundred merits ofthe nose, twelve hundred merits ofthe tongue, eight hundred merits of the body, and twelve hundred merits of the mind, making their six sense organs pure and untainted. Thus, we obtain these pure six senses. When these merits are perfected, these good men and women, with the pure physical eyes born of their parents, will be able to see all the mountains, forests, rivers, and seas inside and outside the three thousand great thousand worlds. Downwards, they can see the lowest Avici Hell, and upwards, they can see the Highest Heaven of the Three Realms. They can also see all the sentient beings therein and observe the causes and conditions of their karma, as well as the places where they will be reborn. They can see and know all this, obtaining this pure merit of the eye. We continue our practice; when we obtain this sutra, our six senses will be purified, and our mind will also become pure. We already possess such merit, so if we continue to practice, even if the Divine Eye does not open, we can see the sentient beings ofthe six realms with our physical eyes.
With the twelve hundred merits of the ear and a purified auditory faculty, one can hear all the languages and sounds within the trichiliocosm, from the Avici Hell below to the Peak of Existence above. These include the sounds of elephants, horses, oxen, and carts; sounds of weeping, conch shells, drums, bells, and chimes; sounds of laughter and speech; the voices of men, women, boys, and girls; sounds of the Dharma and sounds not of the Dharma; sounds of suffering and joy; the voices of ordinary people and sages; pleasant and unpleasant sounds; the voices of devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas; the sounds of fire, water, and wind; the cries of those in the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts; and the voices of bhikshus, bhikshunis, shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas. In short, one can clearly hear and distinguish all internal and external sounds within the trichiliocosm. Although such a person has not yet attained the Divine Ear, they can perceive and differentiate all these sounds using only the pure ear faculty born of their parents, without the ear faculty being damaged. Even if we possessed the Divine Ear, we might not have such perfect merit. Did you know that when we open the Divine Ear, we often hear a lot of noise because our merit is not yet perfect? Even those with the Divine Ear may find sounds like the voices of ordinary people, bells, weeping, or cries of distress very annoying because these sounds disturb them. Their merit is incomplete, so their minds still make distinctions.
If merit is incomplete, even if we had the nose of a celestial being and could smell things from afar, we would still distinguish between fragrance and stench because of a lack of internal merit. If you can smell fragrance, you will certainly smell foul odors as well. It is just like the ear: when we hear so many sounds, what do we do about the noise? But if we have this kind of merit, even if we hear all these sounds, they are all pure sounds—they are all the flow of the Dharma! These sounds will not disturb your ears; you simply hear them, and your mind feels at ease. All the sounds of the universe exist at every moment; we hear them, but they do not disturb us. In fact, our minds are capable of hearing these sounds right now, but because of our ego-attachment, the “self” acts as an obstacle, making you believe you cannot hear them.
You are mistaken! That is not you. What you identify as yourself is not you; you have identified the wrong thing. So, we must go back and continue to search: Where am I? Who am I? What does the Tathagata look like? This physical body is not you! This consciousness is not you! It is merely a machine that you inhabit, so whether it is beautiful or not has nothing to do with you.
This is a type of merit. When we possess these twelve hundred merits of the ear, this machine of ours becomes extremely advanced. The human ear has a limited range for hearing sounds, but when our merit is perfected, the obstacles of our mind are opened, and when the mind is pure, the obstacles of the ears are also removed. That is to say, our six sense organs inherently possess infinite functions. This machine given to you by your parents possesses boundless capabilities; perhaps it is like the internet—limitless and vast—and its spiritual powers are immense. It is just that you do not use them, or you only use a tiny fraction. Having merit means we have opened the self; this is the merit we gain from hearing and upholding the Lotus Sutra.
Finally, the Buddha gives predictions of enlightenment for everyone. The Buddha-land of the Tathagata King of Dharma Brilliance will consist of as many trichiliocosms as there are sands in the Ganges. In that Buddha-land, the earth will be made of the seven treasures, with no mountains, streams, or ravines. Towers and pavilions made of the seven treasures will fill the land, and the palaces of the devas will be situated in the sky not far from the ground. Devas and humans will share the same space, interacting and seeing one another. In the Buddha-land of the Tathagata King of Dharma Brilliance, there will be no three evil realms of hells, hungry ghosts, or animals, nor will there be women. All sentient beings will be born through transformation, so there will be no carnal desire. Everyone will possess great spiritual powers, their bodies will radiate light, and they will be able to fly freely in the air. Perhaps our future Sahā world will be like this: no women, birth by transformation, endowed with spiritual powers and light, and flying freely in the sky. The sentient beings in that land will be firmly committed to seeking the Buddha way, with steadfast faith and diligent practice of the Buddha Dharma. Therefore, their bodies will all be filled with golden light and endowed with the thirty-two extraordinary physical marks.
The sentient beings of that Buddha-land will have two kinds of food—let’s see what they eat so we know what we will eat in the future: first is the food of Dharma joy; second is the food of meditative delight. This means the joy of the Dharma; hearing the Dharma will make one full, so there is no need to eat. There is also meditative delight! One becomes full through meditation and does not need to eat. In the land, there will be countless great bodhisattvas with great spiritual powers and the four types of unimpeded wisdom, skillful at teaching all sentient beings. The number of shravaka disciples will also be beyond counting, all possessing the six spiritual powers, the three clarities, and the eight liberations. The land of the Buddha King of Dharma Brilliance will possess such boundless merit and the resulting majestic appearance. The kalpa in which the Buddha King of Dharma Brilliance dwells is called “Radiance of Jewels,” and the land is called “Good and Pure.” The lifespan of the Buddha will be immeasurable asankhyeya kalpas. The time that the Buddha Dharma remains in the world will be extremely long. After the Buddha’s parinirvana, stupas made of various treasures containing his relics will fill the Buddha-land. This is the prediction for Purna.
Next are the senior disciple Bhikshu Kaundinya and the five hundred Arhats. In a future age, Bhikshu Kaundinya will make offerings to sixty-two billion Buddhas and then attain the fruit of Buddhahood, with the name Universal Brilliance Tathagata, endowed with the ten titles of a Buddha. Additionally, a prediction is given for the five hundred Arhats; all will ultimately attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment. When they become Buddhas, they will all have the same name: Universal Brilliance. This is a gradual prediction.
Now let us look at the prediction for the senior disciple Ananda. Ananda was the Buddha’s attendant. In a future age, Ananda will achieve the fruit of Buddhahood with the name Tathagata King of the Wisdom of Mountains and Seas, Sovereign and Penetrating, endowed with the ten great titles of a Buddha. Ananda will make offerings to sixty-two billion Buddhas, protect the Dharma treasuries of all those Buddhas, and then attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment. After Ananda becomes a Buddha, he will teach twenty thousand billion Ganges-sands of bodhisattvas, leading them to attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment. His land will be named “Ever-Erect Victorious Banner,” and it will be pure, with lapis lazuli for its ground. The kalpa will be named “Sound of Music Filling Everywhere.” The lifespan of the Tathagata King of the Wisdom of Mountains and Seas, Sovereign and Penetrating will last for immeasurable thousands of millions of billions of asankhyeya kalpas. After his parinirvana, the period of the True Dharma will remain in the world for twice the length of the Buddha’s lifespan, and the period of the Semblance Dharma will last for twice the length of the True Dharma. This Buddha will be praised by countless Ganges-sands of Buddhas in the ten directions, who will extol his merits.
When giving the prediction to Ananda, the Buddha shared a small episode: he said that he and Ananda had both made the vow to seek Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment at the same time under the Buddha King of Emptiness. However, Ananda enjoyed hearing the Dharma extensively, while the Buddha was always diligent and focused on practicing the Dharma. One listened broadly without practicing, while the other constantly and diligently practiced to realize the truth. Therefore, the Buddha has already achieved the fruit of Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment, while Ananda protects his Dharma treasury and serves as his attendant. He will also protect the Dharma treasuries of future Buddhas, allowing all bodhisattvas to receive teaching and achieve success. Because of his original vow, he now receives the prediction of Buddhahood.
Many of our sutras were recited by Venerable Ananda because he was foremost in hearing and had an excellent memory. He could remember everything the Buddha said and recite it. The sutras we read today are also the result of his vows throughout many lifetimes —he heard the Dharma extensively but did not practice it, so he remained an attendant until Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment, and then he memorized those teachings. Therefore, we should practice the Bodhisattva Path. Each of us has a Buddha-land, and the people you love, your relatives across many lifetimes, can go to your Buddha-land to receive your deliverance and benefit. The more perfect your merit, the more beautiful your Buddha-land will be. Wanting your father and mother to go there is better than buying them a villa. In that Buddha-land, there are no three evil realms. The better you build your merit, the better the villa you prepare for your parents, building a Buddha-land like the Land of Ultimate Bliss for all your relatives throughout all lifetimes.
In the end, the Buddha gives a prediction to every person who hears the Lotus Sutra. Each of us is like them and can have a Buddha-land. Therefore, there are many, many Buddha-lands in this universe.
Let us now look at the prediction for Venerable Rahula. Rahula was the Buddha’s son when he was a householder. He is predicted to achieve the fruit of Buddhahood in a future age, with the name Tathagata Who Steps on Seven-Jewel Flowers, endowed with the ten great titles of a Buddha. He will make offerings to as many Buddhas as there are dust motes in ten worlds and will be the eldest son of those Tathagatas in every lifetime, just as he is the Buddha’s eldest son now. His land will be extremely majestic, and his lifespan, the length of the kalpa, the disciples he teaches, and the duration of the True and Semblance Dharma will be no different from those of the Tathagata King of the Wisdom of Mountains and Seas, Sovereign and Penetrating. He will also be the eldest son of that Buddha. The “Tathagata King of the Wisdom of Mountains and Seas, Sovereign and Penetrating” mentioned earlier refers to Ananda. Rahula will also be his eldest son, and after that, he will attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment. This is Rahula.
Then, the Buddha gives predictions for two thousand shravaka disciples, including those still in training (the first three fruits) and those beyond training (Arhats). You people will make offerings to as many Buddhas as there are dust motes in fifty worlds, extremely respectfully honoring and protecting the Dharma treasuries of all those Buddhas. Afterward, you will simultaneously become Buddhas in lands in the ten directions, all having the same name: Jewel Sign Tathagata, endowed with the ten great titles of a Buddha. After becoming Buddhas, your lifespan will be one kalpa, and each of your Buddha-lands will be equally majestic. The shravakas and bodhisattvas in those lands, as well as the periods of the True and Semblance Dharma after the Buddhas’ parinirvana, will all be the same length.
Then comes the prediction for Devadatta. After immeasurable kalpas, Devadatta will attain the fruit of Buddhahood with the name King of Heaven Tathagata, endowed with the ten titles of a Buddha. The world where he becomes a Buddha will be named “Heavenly Way.” At that time, the Buddha King of Heaven will dwell in the world for twenty intermediate kalpas. During this time, the Buddha King of Heaven will extensively preach the Unsurpassed Sublime Dharma for all sentient beings, leading countless beings to attain the fruit of Arhatship, countless beings to resolve to seek the fruit of Pratyekabuddhahood, and as many beings as the sands of the Ganges to give rise to the aspiration for Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment and attain the Patience of the Non-Arising of Dharmas, reaching the stage of non-retrogression. When the Buddha King of Heaven enters Nirvana, the True Dharma will continue to dwell in the world for twenty intermediate kalpas. The Buddha’s whole-body relics will be placed in a stupa made of the seven treasures, sixty yojanas high and forty yojanas in length and width. All devas and humans will honor this seven-jewel stupa with various flowers, exquisite incense, clothing, necklaces, banners, canopies, music, songs, and prostrations. Countless beings will attain the fruit of Arhatship, countless beings will attain the fruit of Pratyekabuddhahood, and an inconceivable number of beings will give rise to the Bodhi mind and ultimately reach the stage of non-retrogression.
Now predictions begin for the bhikshunis. To the Bhikshuni Gautami, the Buddha says: In a future age, you will be a great Dharma master among the teachings of sixty-eight billion Buddhas. These bhikshunis, as well as these six thousand bhikshunis who are still in training or beyond training, will all become Dharma masters along with you. After you gradually fulfill the Bodhisattva Path, you will ultimately achieve the fruit of Buddhahood. The Bhikshuni Gautami mentioned here was the Buddha’s aunt when he was a householder, the one who raised him. Since the Buddha’s mother passed away shortly after his birth, his aunt raised him. After she followed him into the monastic life, he gave her this prediction: “After you gradually fulfill the Bodhisattva Path, you will ultimately achieve the fruit of Buddhahood, with the name Tathagata Whom All Beings Delight to See, endowed with the ten great titles of a Buddha.” This Tathagata Whom All Beings Delight to See and the six thousand bodhisattvas will receive predictions in succession and shall attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment.
The Buddha then gives a prediction to his wife from his householder days, Yashodhara: In a future age, you will practice the Bodhisattva path within the teachings of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Buddhas, serving as a great Dharma master. Gradually fulfilling the way to Buddhahood, you will ultimately attain Buddhahood in a “Good Land” with the name Tathagata Possessed of Tens of Millions of Radiant Forms, endowed with the ten great titles of a Buddha. The lifespan of the Tathagata Possessed of Tens of Millions of Radiant Forms will be immeasurable asankhyeya kalpas.
Now the prediction begins for us, the sentient beings who hear the Lotus Sutra: In the assembly, there are countless devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-humans, as well as bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas. There are shravakas seeking the fruit of Arhatship, pratyekabuddhas seeking their own fruit, and bodhisattvas seeking the Buddha way. For all these different kinds of beings, if today they hear even a single verse or a single sentence of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra before the Buddha, or even for a single moment rejoice in, praise, and faithfully accept this sutra, I give them all the prediction: they shall all attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment. If anyone after the Buddha’s parinirvana hears even a single verse or sentence of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sutra, or for a single moment rejoices in and praises it, I give them all the prediction: they shall attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment. This final prediction is for us—that we shall all attain Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment!