Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, I remember that in the past, when I was practicing the conduct of a bodhisattva, I became a cakravartin. I desired this samādhi and I desired to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. For many hundred thousand quintillions of eons on this Vulture Peak Mountain I served, venerated, revered, honored, worshiped, and made offerings to many countless, innumerable tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas with the presentation of many hundred thousand quintillions of every kind of jewel, and various kinds of beautiful flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, powders, parasols, banners, flags, music, musical instruments, flags of victory, and precious monasteries.

“Young man, I heard from those tathāgatas extensively the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena. I obtained it, asked questions about it, preserved it, recited it to others, promoted it, meditated on it with an unadulterated meditation, promulgated it, and made it widely known to others.

“Young man, the last of all those tathāgatas was the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja. Young man, that Tathāgata Śālendrarāja had a saṅgha of a thousand trillion śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. Their lifespans were seven million, six hundred thousand years. I served and made offerings to the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja for a hundred and eighty thousand million years and I built ten million monasteries made of sandalwood and precious materials. The Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja’s lifespan was seven hundred and sixty thousand million years. I entered homelessness in the presence of the Tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Śālendrarāja and for a hundred and forty thousand million years I listened to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena. I obtained it, asked questions about it, preserved it, recited it to others, promoted it, meditated on it with an unadulterated meditation, promulgated it, and made it widely known to others.”

Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, if in that way you wish for this samādhi and wish to attain quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, then you too should dedicate yourself to making offerings to, serving, and being an attendant to all tathāgatas as I have done.

“Young man, why is that? The natural result of making offerings to, serving, and being an attendant to all tathāgatas is that it will not be difficult for the bodhisattva mahāsattvas to attain the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, let alone this samādhi, as their natural result.

“Young man, in that way you should never weary of making offerings to, serving, and being an attendant to all tathāgatas.”

Then the Bhagavān taught extensively, as a praise in chanted verses, this chapter on the past lives of the youth Candraprabha:

“I remember six hundred million of those who have the ten strengths, Dwelling on Vulture Peak Mountain in the past Who taught me, when I was practicing bodhisattva conduct, This supreme peace of samādhi. {1}

“The last of all of them Was the Lord of the World, the illuminator Named Śālendrarāja, And I asked him questions. {2}

“I had become of royal caste. I was the principal king, the sovereign. I had five hundred sons, No less indeed than that. {3}

“For that buddha I built Ten million monasteries Made of special sandalwood, And some of precious materials. {4}

“I was a king named Bhīṣmottara, Beloved and adored by many beings. For a hundred and eighty thousand million years I made excellent offerings to that buddha. {5}

“The lifespan of the guide Śālendrarāja, That jina, irreproachable, Supreme among humans, Was seven hundred and sixty thousand million years. {6}

“The saṅgha of that supreme man Was composed of eight trillion śrāvakas Who had the three knowledges, the six higher cognitions, and controlled senses, Whose defilements had ceased, and who were in their last body. {7}

“At that time I always longed for this samādhi In order to benefit the people of the world and the devas, And so I made many kinds of offerings To that jina, that supreme human. {8}

“I, with my sons and wives, entered homelessness In the presence of Jina Śālendrarāja And I asked questions about this samādhi for A hundred and forty thousand million years. {9}

“I acquired from that sugata The single chapter of this samādhi, Which has eight thousand trillion verses And moreover another hundred septillion. {10}

“Because I longed for this sublime samādhi There was nothing that I had not previously offered: Heads, hands, legs, wives and likewise sons, An abundance of riches, and similarly food to eat. {11}

“I remember ten thousand million buddhas And more, to the number of sand grains in the Ganges, Residing on Vulture Peak Mountain And teaching this supreme samādhi, this peace. {12}

“All of them had the name Śākyaṛṣabha. All of their sons were named Rāhula. All their attendants were named Ānanda. All were mendicants from places named Kapilavastu. {13}

“Their principal two students were Kolita and Śāriputra, The names of all the saviors were the same, The names of their worlds were the same, And they all appeared in a time of degeneration. {14}

“While I practiced this bodhisattva conduct, I honored all those lords of men. While I longed for this samādhi, There was nothing I did not offer to the jinas. {15}

“This samādhi is attained through practicing. Its practice has been taught in many forms. This samādhi is not difficult to attain For those who are established in all good qualities. {16}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain For those who do not grasp pleasures, who have no cravings, Who have no attachment to family, and are without envy, Who are continually kind, and are without anger. {17}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain For those who do not desire honor or gain, Whose subsistence is pure, who have nothing, Whose conduct is pure, and who are without fear. {18}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain For those who are diligent, without lassitude, And who are inclined to solitude, established in purification, And continually remain in the patience of selflessness. {19}

“This samādhi is not difficult to attain For those who are not agitated, who have a well-tamed mind, Who remain within the conduct of mendicants and bodhisattvas, And who are predisposed toward generosity and are without miserliness. {20}

“The primary and secondary signs, the eighteen qualities of a buddha, The strengths, and the fearlessnesses that have been described by the Guide Will not be difficult to attain for one Who maintains this samādhi of peace. {21}

“If all the beings that a buddha can see Were simultaneously to attain buddhahood, And the length of each of their lives Were to be countless tens of thousands of millions of eons, {22}

“And if each of them were to have heads As numerous as the grains of sand in the ocean, And if within each head there were tongues As numerous as the number of heads, {23}

“And if all their voices were to describe the benefit Of possessing one verse from this samādhi, They would not be able to describe even a fraction of it, Let alone describe the benefit of studying it, or of possessing it. {24}

“Whoever has accomplished the practice and developed qualities Will be adored by devas, asuras, and yakṣas. The ones who maintain the samādhi of peace, difficult to attain, Will have kings as their attendants. {25}

“The ones who maintain the samādhi of peace that is difficult to attain Will be in the care of the jinas. They will always be attended by devas and nāgas And opponents will not be able to withstand their brilliance. {26}

“The ones who maintain the samādhi of peace Will have infinite eloquence. They will teach countless thousands of sūtras Without the slightest interval. {27}

“Those in the future time of great terrors Who hear this samādhi and keep it Will see the guide, Buddha Amitābha, And also the realm of Sukhāvatī. {28}

“I have revealed these benefits And I, the self-arisen Teacher, request That you uphold this pure samādhi In the time after I have passed into nirvāṇa. {29}

“The buddhas who have passed into nirvāṇa, Those who will come in the future and those who have appeared now, All those jinas realize unstained, noncomposite enlightenment Through the practice of this samādhi.” {30}