Compassionate Lotus Sutra
(Also known as:)
Karuna Pundarika Sutra
Mahayana Compassionate Pundarika(White Lotus) Sutra
(Tripitaka No. 0157)
(Reference: Mahayana Compassionate Pundarika Sutra, Tripitaka 0158)
Translated during the North-LIANG Dynasty by Tripitaka Master Dharmaraksa from India
Volume 7
The 5th of Chapter 4: The Awarding of the mark of future Buddhahood, for the Bodhisattvas
"'Bhagavan, when I have achieved Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I will speak Dharma with a single voice, but when the living beings hear my speech, those who want the Voice-hearer's vehicle will understand the Voice-hearer's Dharma-Store; those who want the Conditional-Awakener (Pratyeka-buddha)'s vehicle will understand the Conditional-Awakener's Dharma; and those who want the unsurpassed vehicle -- Mahayana will understand the Dharma of pure Mahayana.'"
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who wish to achieve Bodhi but have not enough merits and virtues will be able to practice donation; those who wish to be reborn in heaven but have not enough blessings will be able to keep precepts; those who have defiled hearts and often frighten each others will arouse the hearts of kindness; those who enjoy killing will arouse the hearts of compassion; those whose hearts are polluted by miserliness and jealousness will begin to cultivate the delightful heart; those who are proud of their beauties and powers and have dissipated hearts will arouse the hearts of abnegation; those who have lustful hearts will contemplate the impurity of their desires; the Mahayana learners who are obstructed by distraction (* Literally: Fallen-lift) will understand the Dharma of Anapana; and those who lack wisdom and want the lamplight of Dharma will understand the profound twelve interconnected causes(*);'"
(* The twelve interconnected causes:
(1) non-brightness (ignorance);
(2) action;
(3) consciousness;
(4) name and form;
(5) the six sense organs;
(6) touch;
(7) feel;
(8) craving;
(9) grasping;
(10) becoming;
(11) birth;
(12) aging and death. )
"'Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who lack knowledge will gain the non-forgetful Dharani so that they will be able to uphold many Dharmas; those who are in the wilderness of incorrect views will understand the profound Dharma of the emptiness of all things; those whose hearts are covered by sensations will deeply understand the Dharma-Gate of formlessness; those who have many impure wishes will deeply understand the Dharma-Gate of Non-Action; and for the living beings whose bodies and minds are defiled, their bodies and minds will become gentle when they hear my Dharma speech.
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who are trapped in messy conditions will understand the Dharma of Non-losable Bodhi heart; those whose hearts are covered by anger will have their angers quenched, understand the nature of the Reality, and gain the award of the mark of future Buddhahood; and those who are attached to the two views (of existence and inexistence) will understand the profound Dharmas and be free from the attachments;
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those whose hearts are covered by impure desires will understand quickly that all things (dharma) are undefiled and pure; those who have lost their virtuous hearts will deeply understand the Sunlight Samadhi; those who commit demonic karmas will quickly understand the pure Dharma; those whose hearts are covered by incorrect theories will gain deep understanding and improvement on the Correct Dharma; those whose hearts are covered by worries will understand the Dharma of being free from worries; and those who walk on evil paths (believe in evil theories and do evil deeds) will turn back immediately.
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who long for Mahayana will acquire the non-regression; those who tire of births and deaths will realize the joy of Bodhisattvas; those who have not yet gain the wisdom of virtuous state will gain improvement on it; those who do not appreciate others' virtuous deeds will accordingly rejoice at the virtuous deeds; those whose hearts are unfair will understand the unobstructed light; those who commit bad deeds will understand the retributions of bad deeds; those who are cowardly among crowd will understand the Lion Samadhi; those whose hearts are oppressed by the four demons will achieve Shurangama Samadhi quickly; and those who cannot see the brilliant lights of the Buddha-Worlds will achieve the Samadhi of Deep Understanding on Myriads of Sublime Lights.
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who have hatreds and loves in their hearts will abnegate all those emotions; those who have not yet perceived the light of Buddha-Dharma will gain Dharma-Banner Samadhi; those who lack great wisdom will gain Dharma-Torch Samadhi; those who are trapped in foolishness and darkness will gain Sun Lamp Light Samadhi; and those who lack eloquence will gain the merits and virtues needed for good eloquence.
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who contemplate all phenomena and find that the constructions are as infirm as bubbles, will gain Narayana Samadhi; those whose hearts are unstable will gain Firm and Decisive Samadhi; those who wish to observe the Buddha's crown will gain Sumeru Banner Samadhi; those who abandoned their previous vows will gain Firmness Samadhi; those who lost their supernatural abilities will realize Vajra-Mind; those who seek Bodhi-Manda (enlightenment site) will realize Vajra-Manda; those who are not in thrall to any phenomena will understand Vajra-Like Dharma; those who wish to know what others think will fulfill their wishes; those who wish to know others' roots (faculties for Dharma-learning) will understand the Way to the Wisdom; and those who do not understand the languages of each others will gain the Samadhi of Full Understanding of Sounds.
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who have not yet achieved Dharma-Body will understand the Dharma for cultivating the Universal Body; those who long to see the Tathagata will gain Non-Wink Samadhi; those who discriminate all activities will gain Non-Strife Samadhi; those who wish to turn the Dharma-Wheel will realize the Undefiled Wheel; those who do not believe in causality and seek evil goals will understand and comply with the teachings on causes and relationships; those who believe in only one Buddha-World will understand that there are countless Buddha-Worlds; those who have not yet generated the causes of beautiful appearance [of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas] will achieve Sublime Beauties Samadhi; and those who cannot master all words will gain the Samadhi of Rhetoric.
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who seek the Universal Wisdom absorbedly will gain Indistinguishable Dharma Realm Samadhi; those who retrogress from Dharma will gain Firmness Samadhi; those who do not understand the nature of all dharma(phenomena) will gain the thorough wisdom; those who give up their virtuous vows will gain Non-losable Samadhi; those who discriminate various paths will gain the path of Oneness and be free from discrimination; those who seek the wisdom as vast as all spaces will gain Free-From-Existences Samadhi; those who have not yet perfected all Paramitas will dwell in the purity of Paramitas; those who have not perfectly mastered the Four Dharmas of Attraction(*) will become expert at winning living beings over; those who discriminate among the Four Immeasurable Minds(*) will practice them impartially and diligently; and those who have not fully gained the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment(*) will realize the non-attaching practices.
(* The Four Dharmas of Attraction:
The four methods that Bodhisattvas employ to approach and save living beings. They are:
(1) Giving, giving the gift of Dharma or something that people like;
(2) Using kind words;
(3) Acting for the purpose of benefit to them;
(4) Physically working together with them.)
(* The Four Immeasurable Minds: kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and impartiality)
(* The Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment:
The thirty-seven kinds of practices for the attainment of enlightenment, they are:
The Four Bases of Mindfulness;
The Four Right Efforts;
The Four Supernatural Abilities;
The Five Roots of Goodness;
The Five Powers;
The Seven Factors of Enlightenment;
The Eightfold Holy Path)
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who forget virtue and lose wisdom will gain Great Ocean Wisdom Seal Samadhi; those who desire the Uncreated Dharma Forbearance will gain the decisive Samadhi of all dharmas, because the nature of dharmas is the same; those who forget the Dharma they heard will gain Non-forgetful Samadhi; those who tirelessly preach virtuous teachings to each others will gain pure wisdom-eyes and be free from the net of doubts; those who do not have faith in the Three Treasures will gain Merits-Accumulating Samadhi; those who are thirsty for Dharma-Rain will gain Dharma-Rain Samadhi; those who hold nihilistic views (uccheda-drsti*) with regard to the Three Treasures will understand the sublime of the Treasures; those who do not cultivate wisdom and do not practice diligently will gain Vajra-Wisdom Samadhi; those who are bound by vexations will gain Empty Space Seal Samadhi; and those who are attached to both Self and the things possessed by Self will gain Wisdom Seal Samadhi.
(* uccheda-drsti: "nihilism", the mistaken view that results from not discerning the principle of cause and effect that centers on the idea that the world or oneself can be destroyed; for example, the idea that once a being dies, there is no future rebirth, or that life is something limited to this world, is the nihilistic view of denying the reception of the fruits of good and evil acts.)
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who do not know that the Tathagata's merits and virtues are perfect will gain the Samadhi of Liberation from the World; those who have not accumulated enough merits in the present of the previous Buddhas will gain many supernatural powers including the Holy-Feet(*) and various transformation abilities; those who are not yet able to preach even one Dharma-Gate will gain the ability of expounding all Dharmas and their natures; those who have not yet mastered all Sutras will understand that the natures of all Dharmas are equal; those who do not comply with the Six Harmony Principles (*) will gain Understanding All Dharmas Samadhi; those who do not think of the liberation will gain the unrestricted supernatural power of Lion's Playing Samadhi; those who wish to enter into the secret of Tathagatas will be able to enter into the treasuries of Tathagatas without consulting any others; those who do not diligently carry out Bodhisattva-Practices will gain the wisdom to practice diligently; those who have not yet seen the Sutras on the legend of the Buddha will gain Everywhere Dwelling Samadhi; and those who are on the Way to Bodhi but have not yet achieved the perfection will gain Mark-Awarding Samadhi.
(* Holy-Feet (rddhi-pratiharya): The supernatural power of unimpeded bodily function, which includes such abilities as flying, reaching anywhere instantly, making oneself invisible, etc. One of the six supernatural powers.)
(* The Six Harmony Principles:
Six ways that Buddhist practitioners should live in harmony and be sensitive and caring towards each other:
(1) To unify their respectful deportment to be the same (bodily karma);
(2) To unify their chanting (verbal karma);
(3) To unify their purpose (mind karma);
(4) to unify their practices of purity (precepts);
(5) to unify their view;
(6) to unify their benefits.)
Furthermore, when the living beings hear my Dharma speech, those who do not fully have the Ten Powers of Tathagatas will gain Indestructible Samadhi; those who do not fully have the Four Fearlessnesses will gain Inexhaustible Meanings Samadhi; those who do not fully have the uncommon characteristics peculiar to the Buddhas will gain Uncommon Characteristics Samadhi; those whose views are not yet free from ignorance will gain Vows Sentences Samadhi; those who are not yet directly awakened to all Buddha-Dharmas will gain Pure White Undefiled Seal Samadhi; those who have not yet obtained the Universal Wisdom (sarva-jnana / omniscience) will gain Perfect Knowledge Samadhi; and those who have not yet accomplished all activities of Buddhas will gain Unbounded and Inexhaustible Dharmas Samadhi.
Such living beings will gain respective faiths and understandings with regard to the Buddha-Dharmas.
Furthermore, there will be some Bodhisattvas whose hearts are straight-forward, ingenuous, and free from perverse minds, when they hear even one sentence of my Dharma speech, they will gain 84 thousand Dharma-Gates, 84 thousand Samadhis, and 75 thousand Dharanis. Furthermore, there will be immeasurable and unbounded Asamkhya Bodhisattvas who cultivate the Great Collection, when they hear my Dharma speech, they will also gain such immeasurable merits and virtues, and stay peacefully at the non-retrogression stage.
By the aid of such merits and virtues, the Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas will adorn themselves with great sublimities -- they will be able to make unimaginable vows bravely, and enhance their unimaginable wisdom and knowledge to adorn themselves: Their bodies will be adorned with the 32 marks and the 80 minor marks; their mouths will be adorned with their Dharma-speeches preached according to the living beings' likes to make the audiences joyful; their hearts will be adorned with the non-retrograde Samadhis; their mindfulness will be adorned with the non-losable Dharanis; their thoughts will be adorned with their great knowledge; and their achievements will be adorned with the ultimate Awakening.
Furthermore, they will be adorned with virtuous wishes so that they will keep their vows firmly, practice diligently, and reach the other shore [of liberation] as they wish; they will be adorned with concentration so that they will achieve the cultivation stages step by step; they will be adorned with charity so that they will give out everything; they will be adorned with precept-keeping so that their hearts will be pure white, clean, and undefiled; they will be adorned with forbearance so that they will regard all living beings impartially; they will be adorned with diligence so that all their works will be accomplished; they will be adorned with Dhyana so that from all Samadhis they will gain the power of Lion's playing; they will be adorned with wisdom so that they will understand the causes of all afflictions and habits; they will be adorned with kindness so that they will be mindful of every living being absorbedly; they will be adorned with compassion so that they will not abandon any living being; they will be adorned with joy so that they will have no doubt on any Dharma; they will be adorned with relinquishment so that praises and slanders will not be different for them; they will be adorned with supernatural powers so that they will have the supernatural ability of playing everything; they will be adorned with blessings so that they will gain the precious hand of inexhaustible treasuries; they will be adorned with wisdom so that they will know all living beings' thoughts; they will be adorned with awakening so that they will awaken all living beings using virtuous Dharmas; they will be adorned with brightness so that they will have the illuminating wisdom eyes; they will be adorned with eloquence so that they will be able to explain the meanings of Dharmas with proper words; they will be adorned with fearlessness so that they will defeat all demons and incorrect theories; they will be adorned with merits and virtues so that they will gain the unsurpassed merits and virtues of the Buddhas; they will be adorned with Dharmas so that they will speak Dharmas for living beings with countless figures of speech; they will be adorned with illumination so that they will be illuminated by all Buddha-Dharmas; they will be adorned with light so that they will illuminate all Buddha-Worlds; they will be adorned with Dharma-speaking so that they will gain the proper wisdom which allow them to remember things correctly; they will be adorned with teaching so that they will be able to keep precepts in accord with their preaching; they will be adorned with supernatural abilities so that they will gain the Four Holy Feet which allow them to reach the other shore [of liberation]; they will be adorned with the enhancements given by all Tathagatas so that they will enter into the secrets of the Tathagatas; they will be adorned with the unrestricted power so that they will gain the independent wisdom; and they will be adorned with their compliance with all virtuous Dharmas so that they will practice in accord with the Buddhas' teachings and no one will be able to make them retrograde.
-- I wish that those living beings will gain all such merits, virtues and benefits.
For the countless Asamkhya living beings who seek Mahayana, I wish that even one sentence of my Dharma-speech will fill them with the pure white virtuous Dharmas, so that such Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas will gain the wisdom on all dharmas without consulting any others, attain the great Dharma-light, and achieve Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi quickly.
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