CHAPTER XV.
DURATION OF LIFE OF THE TATHÂGATA.
Thereupon the Lord addressed the entire host of Bodhisattvas: Trust
me, young men of good family, believe in the Tathâgata speaking a
veracious word. A second time the Lord addressed the Bodhisattvas: Trust
me, young gentlemen of good family, believe in the Tathâgata speaking a
veracious word. A third and last time the Lord addressed the
Bodhisattvas: Trust me, young men of good family, believe in the
Tathâgata speaking a veracious word. Then the entire host of
Bodhisattvas with Maitreya, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva at their head,
stretched out the joined hands and said to the Lord: Expound this
matter, O Lord; expound it, O Sugata; we will believe in the word of the
Tathâgata. A second time the entire host, &c. &c. A third time
the entire host, &c. &c.
The Lord, considering that the Bodhisattvas repeated their prayer up
to three times, addressed them thus: Listen then, young men of good
family. The force of a strong resolve which I assumed is such, young men
of good family, that this world, including gods, men, and demons,
acknowledges: Now has the Lord Sakyamuni, after going out from the home
of the Sakyas, arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment, on the summit
of the terrace of enlightenment at the town of Gaya. But, young men of
good family, the truth is that many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of
Æons ago I have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. By way of
example, young men of good family, let there be the atoms of earth of
fifty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of worlds; let there exist some
man who takes one of those atoms of dust and then goes in an eastern
direction fifty hundred thousand myriads of kotis of worlds further on,
there to deposit that atom of dust; let in this manner the man carry
away from all those worlds the whole mass of earth, and in the same
manner, and by the same act as supposed, deposit all those atoms in an
eastern direction. Now, would you think, young men of good family, that
any one should be able to imagine, weigh, count, or determine (the
number of) those worlds? The Lord having thus spoken, the Bodhisattva
Mahasattva Maitreya and the entire host of Bodhisattvas replied: They
are incalculable, O Lord, those worlds, countless, beyond the range of
thought. Not even all the disciples and Pratyekabuddhas, O Lord, with
their Ârya-knowledge, will be able to imagine, weigh, count, or
determine them. For us also, O Lord, who are Bodhisattvas standing on
the place from whence there is no turning back, this point lies beyond
the sphere of our comprehension; so innumerable, O Lord, are those
worlds.
This said, the Lord spoke to those Bodhisattvas Mahâsattvas as
follows: I announce to you, young men of good family, I declare to you:
However numerous be those worlds where that man deposits those atoms of
dust and where he does not, there are not, young men of good family, in
all those hundred thousands of myriads of kolis of worlds so many dust
atoms as there are hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of Æons since I
have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. From the moment, young
men of good family, when I began preaching the law to creatures in this
Saha-world and in hundred thousands of myriads of kotis of other worlds,
and (when) the other Tathâgatas, Arhats, &c., such as the Tathâgata
Dîpankara and the rest whom I have mentioned in the lapse of time
(preached), (from that moment) have I, young men of good family, for the
complete Nirvâna of those Tathâgatas, &c., created all that with
the express view to skilfully preach the law. Again, young men of good
family, the Tathâgata, considering the different degrees of faculty and
strength of succeeding generations, reveals at each (generation) his own
name, reveals a state in which Nirvâna has not yet been reached, and in
different ways he satisfies the wants of (different) creatures through
various Dharmaparyâyas . This being the case, young men of good family,
the Tathâgata declares to the creatures, whose dispositions are so
various and who possess so few roots of goodness, so many evil
propensities: I am young of age, monks; having left my father's home,
monks, I have lately arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. When,
however, the Tathâgata, who so long ago arrived at perfect
enlightenment, declares himself to have but lately arrived at perfect
enlightenment, he does so in order to lead creatures to full ripeness
and make them go in. Therefore have these Dharmaparyâyas been revealed;
and it is for the education of creatures, young men of good family, that
the Tathâgata has revealed all Dharmaparyâyas. And, young men of good
family, the word that the Tathâgata delivers on behalf of the education
of creatures, either under his own appearance or under another's, either
on his own authority or under the mask of another, all that the
Tathâgata declares, all those Dharmaparyâyas spoken by the Tathâgata are
true. There can be no question of untruth from the part of the
Tathâgata in this respect. For the Tathâgata sees the triple world as it
really is: it is not born, it dies not; it is not conceived, it springs
not into existence; it moves not in a whirl, it becomes not extinct; it
is not real, nor unreal; it is not existing, nor non-existing; it is
not such, nor otherwise, nor false. The Tathâgata sees the triple world,
not as the ignorant, common people, he seeing things always present to
him; indeed, to the Tathâgata, in his position, no laws are concealed.
In that respect any word that the Tathâgata speaks is true, not false.
But in order to produce the roots of goodness in the creatures, who
follow different pursuits and behave according to different notions, he
reveals various Dharmaparyâyas with various fundamental principles. The
Tathâgata then, young men of good family, does what he has to do. The
Tathâgata who so long ago was perfectly enlightened is unlimited in the
duration of his life, he is everlasting. Without being extinct, the
Tathâgata makes a show of extinction, on behalf of those who have to be
educated. And even now, young gentlemen of good family, I have not
accomplished my ancient Bodhisattvacourse, and the measure of my
lifetime is not full. Nay, young men of good family, I shall yet have
twice as many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Æons before the
measure of my lifetime be full. I announce final extinction, young men
of good family, though myself I do not become finally extinct. For in
this way, young men of good family, I bring (all) creatures to maturity,
lest creatures in whom goodness is not firmly rooted, who are unholy,
miserable, eager of sensual pleasures, blind and obscured by the film of
wrong views, should, by too often seeing me, take to thinking: 'The
Tathâgata is staying' and fancy that all is a child's play; (lest they)
by thinking 'we are near that Tathâgata' should fail to exert themselves
in order to escape the triple world and not conceive how precious the
Tathâgata is. Hence, young men of good family, the Tathdgata skilfully
utters. these words: The apparition of the Tathâgatas, monks, is
precious (and rare). For in the course of many hundred thousand myriads
of kotis of Æons creatures may happen to see a Tathâgata or not to see
him,. Therefore and upon that ground, young men of good family, I say:
The apparition of the Tathâgatas, monks, is precious (and rare). By
being more and more convinced of the apparition of the Tathâgatas being
precious (or rare) they will feel surprised and sorry, and whilst not
seeing the Tathâgata they will get a longing to see him. The good roots
developing from their earnest thought relating to the Tathâgata will
lastingly tend to their weal, benefit, and happiness; in consideration
of which the Tathâgata announces final extinction, though he himself
does not become finally extinct, on behalf of the creatures who have to
be educated. Such, young men of good family, is the Tathâgata's manner
of teaching; when the Tathâgata speaks in this way, there is from his
part no falsehood.
Let us suppose an analogous case, young men of good family. There is
some physician, learned, intelligent, prudent, clever in allaying all
sorts of diseases. That man has many sons, ten, twenty, thirty, forty,
fifty, or a hundred. The physician once being abroad, all his children
incur a disease from poison or venom. Overcome with the grievous pains
caused by that poison or venom which burns them they lie rolling on the
ground. Their father, the physician, comes home from his journey at the
time when his sons are suffering from that poison or venom. Some of them
have perverted notions, others have right notions, but all suffer the
same pain. On seeing their father they cheerfully greet him and say:
Hail, dear father, that thou art come back in safety and welfare! Now
deliver us from our evil, be it poison or venom; let us live, dear
father. And the physician, seeing his sons befallen with disease,
overcome with pain and rolling on the ground, prepares a great remedy,
having the required colour, smell, and taste, pounds it on a stone and
gives it as a potion to his sons, with these words: Take this great
remedy, my sons, which has the required colour, smell, and taste. For by
taking this great remedy, my sons, you shall soon be rid of this poison
or venom; you shall recover and be healthy. Those amongst the children
of the physician that have right notions, after seeing the colour of the
remedy, after smelling the smell and tasting the flavour, quickly take
it, and in consequence of it are soon totally delivered from their
disease. But the sons who have perverted notions cheerfully greet their
father and say: Hail, dear father, that thou art come back in safety and
welfare; do heal us. So they speak, but they do not take the remedy
offered, and that because, owing to the perverseness of their notions,
that remedy does not please them, in colour, smell, nor taste. Then the
physician reflects thus: These sons of mine must have become perverted
in their notions owing to this poison or venom, as they do not take the
remedy nor hail me. Therefore will I by some able device induce these
sons to take this remedy. Prompted by this desire he speaks to those
sons as follows: I am old, young men of good family, decrepit, advanced
in years, and my term of life is near at hand; but be not sorry, young
men of good family, do not feel dejected; here have I prepared a great
remedy for you; if you want it, you may take it. Having thus admonished
them, he skilfully betakes himself to another part of the country and
lets his sick sons know that he has departed life. They are extremely
sorry and bewail him extremely: So then he is dead, our father and
protector; he who begat us; he, so full of bounty! now are we left
without a protector. Fully aware of their being orphans and of having no
refuge, they are continually plunged in sorrow, by which their
perverted notions make room for right notions. They acknowledge that
remedy possessed of the required colour, smell, and taste to have the
required colour, smell, and taste, so that they instantly take it, and
by taking it are delivered from their evil. Then, on knowing that these
sons are delivered from evil, the physician shows himself again. Now,
young men of good family, what is your opinion? Would any one charge
that physician with falsehood on account of his using that device? No,
certainly not, Lord; certainly not, Sugata. He proceeded: In the same
manner, young men of good family, I have arrived at supreme, perfect
enlightenment since an immense, incalculable number of hundred thousands
of myriads of kotis of Æons, but from time to time I display such able
devices to the creatures, with the view of educating them, without there
being in that respect any falsehood on my part.
In order to set forth this subject more extensively the Lord on that occasion uttered the following stanzas:
1. An inconceivable number of thousands of kotis of Æons, never to be
measured, is it since I reached superior (or first) enlightenment and
never ceased to teach the law.
2. I roused many Bodhisattvas and established them in
Buddha-knowledge. I brought myriads of kotis of beings, endless, to full
ripeness in many kotis of Æons.
3. I show the place of extinction, I reveal to (all) beings a device
to educate them, albeit I do not become extinct at the time, and in this
very place continue preaching the law.
4. There I rule myself as well as all beings, I. But men of perverted minds, in their delusion, do not see me standing there.
5. In the opinion that my body is completely extinct, they pay
worship, in many ways, to the relics, but me they see not. They feel
(however) a certain aspiration by which their mind becomes right.
6. When such upright (or pious), mild, and gentle creatures leave off
their bodies, then I assemble the crowd of disciples and show myself
here on the Gridhrakûta.
7. And then I speak thus to them, in this very place: I was not
completely extinct at that time; it was but a device of mine, monks;
repeatedly am I born in the world of the living.
8. Honoured by other beings, I show them my superior enlightenment,
but you would not obey my word, unless the Lord of the world enter
Nirvâna.
9. I see how the creatures are afflicted, but I do not show them my
proper being. Let them first have an aspiration to see me; then I will
reveal to them the true law.
10. Such has always been my firm resolve during an inconceivable
number of thousands of kotis of Æons, and I have not left this
Gridhrakûta for other abodes.
11. And when creatures behold this world and imagine that it is burning, even then my Buddhafield is teeming with gods and men.
12. They dispose of manifold amusements, kotis of pleasure gardens,
palaces, and aerial cars; (this field) is embellished by hills of gems
and by trees abounding with blossoms and fruits.
13. And aloft gods are striking musical instruments and pouring a
rain of Mandâras by which they are covering me, the disciples and other
sages who are striving after enlightenment.
14. So is my field here, everlasti.ngly; but others fancy that it is
burning; in their view this world is most terrific, wretched, replete
with number of woes.
15. Ay, many kotis of years they may pass without ever having
mentioned my name, the law, or my congregation. That is the fruit of
sinful deeds.
16. But when mild and gentle beings are born in this world of men,
they immediately see me revealing the law, owing to their good works.
17. I never speak to them of the infinitude of my action. Therefore, I
am, properly, existing since long, and yet declare: The Ginas are rare
(or precious).
18. Such is the glorious power of my wisdom that knows no limit, and
the duration of my life is as long as an endless period; I have acquired
it after previously following a due course.
19. Feel no doubt concerning it, O sages, and leave off all
uncertainty: the word I here pronounce is really true; my word is never
false.
20. For even as that physician skilled in devices, for the sake of
his sons whose notions were perverted, said that he had died although he
was still alive, and even as no sensible man, would charge that
physician with falsehood;
21. So am I the father of the world, the Self born, the Healer, the
Protector of all creatures. Knowing them to be perverted, infatuated,
and ignorant I teach final rest, myself not being at rest.
22. What reason should I have to continually manifest myself? When
men become unbelieving, unwise, ignorant, careless, fond of sensual
pleasures, and from thoughtlessness run into misfortune,
23. Then I, who know the course of the world, declare: I am so and
so, (and consider): How can I incline them to enlightenment? how can
they become partakers of the Buddha-laws?
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