After setting aside his parasol, crown, Fly whisk, sword, and bejeweled shoes, And joining his palms and bowing properly, King Prasenajit asked the Protector of the World a question:
“How, O supreme mind, do people attain happiness in other lives, By making offerings to the thus-gone ones, Who, intent on helping and compassionate by nature, Have entered nirvāṇa?”
Since the Blessed One, a lion among men, Has the eye of direct perception on all things, past and future, He provided these answers to Prasenajit’s question, In the presence of Ānandabhadra:
“However many particles make up stūpas and images of the Blessed One, As numerous as those shall be the kingdoms assuredly attained, In heaven and on earth, By people who construct them.
“Having experienced all the supreme levels of perfect Meditative absorption of the form and formless realms, Ultimately, they will obtain the state of buddhahood, Which is free from the suffering of birth, old age, and so on.
“Those who produce an image of the Victor here, They will possess beauty, charm, and good qualities. Their senses restrained, brilliant as the sun, They will become beautiful for all the world to behold.
“Those who produce an image of the Sugata, Their bodies will be unblemished, Soft, and wide—like the calyx of a lotus— Free from fear, disease, sorrow, and pain.
“Someone who produces an image of the Protector of the World Will not be born a slave or a servant; They will not become a beggar or an outcast, And their sense faculties, moreover, will not be deficient.
“People who build a stūpa of the Lord of Sages Will be utterly unafflicted, their entire body strong, With superior resources and many jewel treasuries. They will also be able to defeat throngs of enemies.
“By offering the central pillar within a stūpa of the Victor, They will accomplish the Dharma and what accords with it, And they will possess supreme morality, learning, and forbearance. In every world, they will accomplish all their goals.
EN
“By offering the tiered parasol spire, They will be reborn among gods and humans, And like Nārāyaṇa’s body, their entire body will be strong. They will become someone with qualities that command respect.
EN
“By coating a stūpa of the Lord of Sages with whitewash, They will have a long life in the worlds of gods and humans, Their body and mind will be freed from disease and distress, And they will be constantly happy and wealthy.
EN
“After causing a stūpa of the Lord of Sages To be covered with resplendent strips of gold and silver, People in other, different existences Will have bodies that are firm and luminous as well as radiant and beautiful.
EN
“Whoever, with a faithful mind, Offers a canopy to a stūpa or statue, Will rule, entirely and unhindered, as the sole victor Over the earth, boundless as the shores of the ocean.
EN
“By joyfully setting up Many kinds of broad parasols at stūpas of the Sugata, In worlds of gods and humans they will become like parasols, Just like lords of gods and lords of humans.
EN
“People who hang various beautiful banners On reliquaries that have become pure sources of merit Will come to possess power And become objects of worship in the three realms.
EN
“By putting a crown on a stūpa of the Sugata, They will obtain the fortune of the lord of humans and the fortune of the lord of gods; And then, having experienced supreme bliss, They will obtain the special crown of liberation.
EN
“By offering bells to stūpas of the Victor, They will have compelling speech and great fame, The pleasant, melodious voice of Brahmā, and recall of previous lives, And they will obtain various adornments.
EN
“Whichever wise person, with a faithful mind, Hangs a garland at a stūpa of the Sugata, That meritorious person will, over their head, Wear many precious golden garlands.
EN
“Those who drape ornaments on stūpas of the Teacher Will go about the world adorned With multistranded necklaces, collar necklaces, Bracelets, and the finest armlets.
EN
“Those who smear earth and cow dung On a stūpa of the Sugata Will be happy and born among gods and humans, With bodies that are beautiful, utterly pure, and flawless.
EN
“By sweeping around a stūpa of the Lord of Sages, They will be very pleasant to see, beautiful to the eye, With a fine countenance, lotus-hued, And free from the flaws of craving.
EN
“Whoever smears a stūpa of the Sugata With oil mixed with the best fragrances Will be worshiped with incense, And their body, anointed with sandalwood, will be like the rays of the sun.
EN
“Whoever washes a stūpa of the Lord of Sages With scented water, clean and clear, Will have an unblemished body, free of pain, With a soft complexion, free of sorrow.
EN
“One who beautifies, with various paints, The shrines at a stūpa of the Buddha Will become enveloped in All the various qualities of the Sugata.
EN
“Those who, in the springtime, settle all the dust around a stūpa with clean water, For them, women will joyfully wave away dust With golden-handled fans.
EN
“Whoever, for the sake of the Three Jewels, Creates a mandala that delights the noble ones Will have hands and feet with webbed fingers and toes, And every limb, too, will be flawless.
EN
“Whoever offers flowers to the Three Jewels, Along with freshly grown fruit, Will, as they transmigrate among beings, Obtain every supreme taste and possess indominable might.
EN
“Whoever venerates a statue of the Victor here With vast garlands and cascades of flowers Will, among the worlds of gods and humans, Be well dressed in various, attractive garments.
EN
“Those who offer fragrances at stūpas of the Buddha, With infusions of many and various types of incense, As well as agarwood incense, Will have their entire body perfumed.
EN
“Whoever joyfully donates yak-tail fans To a stūpa of the Sugata, That eminent one will also be fanned significantly By the joyful mind, the yak-tail fan, that is the compassion of the victors.
EN
“Whoever offers to the omniscient one a delightful mirror, Totally stainless, like the full moon, Will, amid their series of rebirths, Be suitable to gaze at by gods and men.
EN
“Those who offer to the stūpa of the Sugata Whatever special offerings they have and can afford, Accordingly will attain unsurpassable awakening, Which is stainless and devoid of sorrow.
EN
“Whoever pays homage to stūpas or statues of the Buddha, Respectfully bowing their heads, Will, among gods and humans, Occupy a place of greater and greater esteem.
EN
“Those who, with devotion, circumambulate Stūpas or statues of the Sage Will have their enemies bow to them in future lives And they will become a fine vessel, full of virtues.
EN
“Those who, with joyful devotion, Perform physical activities At stūpas and statues of the Unsurpassed One Will have abundant riches in every lifetime.
EN
“By offering musical sounds to a stūpa of the Victor, They will have perfect eloquence, profound and coherent— With charming words, complete with the five attributes, The sound of their voices will fill the world.
EN
“Whoever extols the reliquary of the Victor Will hear the sounds of flutes and singing, As well as pleasant, charming sounds, And will obtain correct discernment.
EN
“People who suitably cover the head of the World’s Superior With grass or bricks, Or inspire others to do so—either way, They will be like a refuge for all beings.
EN
“People who construct a temple to the Victor Will, as they transmigrate among beings, Obtain a splendorous home like the abode of the lord of gods And happiness across all seasons of the year.
EN
“In the higher realms, states that are the result of excellent karma, Like Constant Happiness, where one is happy for an eon, They will frolic, lack sorrow, And finally obtain a state of peace.
EN
“Whoever erects a main gate to the Sage— A beautiful archway like the bend of a rainbow— Will, in other lives, obtain mansions With doors completely decorated.
EN
“Whichever people who, out of devotion And in order to protect the teacher’s reliquary, Establish a moat and a gate, Their enemies in other lives will not be able to rend them from their glorious qualities.
EN
“Whoever mends cracks in old stūpas, Not acting on another’s behalf But of their own accord, Will become adorned with a fine body and the best qualities.
EN
“By clearing away wilted flowers from a stūpa of the Victor, Without being impassioned by desire or becoming hostile in anger, Without being deluded in ignorance or becoming engrossed in wrong views, People will become very joyful and happy.
EN
“Whoever offers elephants bedecked with hanging bells And chariots harnessed to tamed horses To the Teacher and the community of noble ones Will obtain the unsurpassed Great Vehicle.
EN
“Those beings who offer sparkling, choice gems To the Protector of the World Will obtain the seven precious jewels And the precious, pure factors of awakening.
EN
“By offering clothing to a stūpa of the Victor, While wearing the clothes of modesty—by this meritorious act They will be joyful, endowed with all virtues, unselfish, As well as smooth skinned and golden hued.
EN
“By offering a butter lamp at a stūpa of the Incomparable One, They will have eyes like fully blossomed blue lotuses, Clear, attractive, elongated, and beautiful, And they will have the unblemished divine eye.
EN
“Whoever offers rows of butter lamps at a stūpa Will have attractive eyes like fully developed lotus buds, Elongated and sapphire hued, Worthy of men’s and women’s admiration.
EN
“At night, those who sit, palms joined, before the Great Sage And offer wicks for butter lamps according to their means Will gain rewards in other lives, And obtain a body with the luster of a large gem.
EN
“If, when butter lamps offered to the Victor die out, Joyful minds become delighted at this And revive the wicks, They will also surely obtain fivefold vision.
EN
“Some people, those with virtuous minds, Rejoice in the deeds done by others at a stūpa of the Victor, And even though such deeds are not done by them, In essence it is as if they also perform those deeds.
EN
“Whoever joyfully gives bedding and seats To those who come from morally disciplined communities, Such a person, while cycling through the realms of existence, Will obtain a lion’s throne and the best of seats.
EN
“Those who give to the saṅgha Fine food fitting for a renunciant Will, amid the wilderness of cyclic existence, Obtain food rich in color, taste, and so on.
EN
“Those who give to the saṅgha Ample drink fitting for a renunciant Will, amid the wilderness of cyclic existence, Obtain drink rich in color, taste, and so on.
EN
“Those who practice the excellent way of the holy Dharma, Having heard it proclaimed by the World’s Teacher, Will swiftly cross the ocean of existence Amid the most frightening waves of afflictive emotions.
EN
“O King, since all these virtuous deeds Ripen into various worldly pleasures, Then the fruit that is the sublime awakening of the buddhas Will be just as easy to attain.”
EN
Then, after the king, radiant with joy, circumambulated the sage and the saṅgha and bowed down his head at the feet of the Lord of Sages, he departed the Jeta Grove.
After setting aside his parasol, crown, Fly whisk, sword, and bejeweled shoes, And joining his palms and bowing properly, King Prasenajit asked the Protector of the World a question:
“How, O supreme mind, do people attain happiness in other lives, By making offerings to the thus-gone ones, Who, intent on helping and compassionate by nature, Have entered nirvāṇa?”
Since the Blessed One, a lion among men, Has the eye of direct perception on all things, past and future, He provided these answers to Prasenajit’s question, In the presence of Ānandabhadra:
“However many particles make up stūpas and images of the Blessed One, As numerous as those shall be the kingdoms assuredly attained, In heaven and on earth, By people who construct them.
“Having experienced all the supreme levels of perfect Meditative absorption of the form and formless realms, Ultimately, they will obtain the state of buddhahood, Which is free from the suffering of birth, old age, and so on.
“Those who produce an image of the Victor here, They will possess beauty, charm, and good qualities. Their senses restrained, brilliant as the sun, They will become beautiful for all the world to behold.
“Those who produce an image of the Sugata, Their bodies will be unblemished, Soft, and wide—like the calyx of a lotus— Free from fear, disease, sorrow, and pain.
“Someone who produces an image of the Protector of the World Will not be born a slave or a servant; They will not become a beggar or an outcast, And their sense faculties, moreover, will not be deficient.
“People who build a stūpa of the Lord of Sages Will be utterly unafflicted, their entire body strong, With superior resources and many jewel treasuries. They will also be able to defeat throngs of enemies.
“By offering the central pillar within a stūpa of the Victor, They will accomplish the Dharma and what accords with it, And they will possess supreme morality, learning, and forbearance. In every world, they will accomplish all their goals.
EN
“By offering the tiered parasol spire, They will be reborn among gods and humans, And like Nārāyaṇa’s body, their entire body will be strong. They will become someone with qualities that command respect.
EN
“By coating a stūpa of the Lord of Sages with whitewash, They will have a long life in the worlds of gods and humans, Their body and mind will be freed from disease and distress, And they will be constantly happy and wealthy.
EN
“After causing a stūpa of the Lord of Sages To be covered with resplendent strips of gold and silver, People in other, different existences Will have bodies that are firm and luminous as well as radiant and beautiful.
EN
“Whoever, with a faithful mind, Offers a canopy to a stūpa or statue, Will rule, entirely and unhindered, as the sole victor Over the earth, boundless as the shores of the ocean.
EN
“By joyfully setting up Many kinds of broad parasols at stūpas of the Sugata, In worlds of gods and humans they will become like parasols, Just like lords of gods and lords of humans.
EN
“People who hang various beautiful banners On reliquaries that have become pure sources of merit Will come to possess power And become objects of worship in the three realms.
EN
“By putting a crown on a stūpa of the Sugata, They will obtain the fortune of the lord of humans and the fortune of the lord of gods; And then, having experienced supreme bliss, They will obtain the special crown of liberation.
EN
“By offering bells to stūpas of the Victor, They will have compelling speech and great fame, The pleasant, melodious voice of Brahmā, and recall of previous lives, And they will obtain various adornments.
EN
“Whichever wise person, with a faithful mind, Hangs a garland at a stūpa of the Sugata, That meritorious person will, over their head, Wear many precious golden garlands.
EN
“Those who drape ornaments on stūpas of the Teacher Will go about the world adorned With multistranded necklaces, collar necklaces, Bracelets, and the finest armlets.
EN
“Those who smear earth and cow dung On a stūpa of the Sugata Will be happy and born among gods and humans, With bodies that are beautiful, utterly pure, and flawless.
EN
“By sweeping around a stūpa of the Lord of Sages, They will be very pleasant to see, beautiful to the eye, With a fine countenance, lotus-hued, And free from the flaws of craving.
EN
“Whoever smears a stūpa of the Sugata With oil mixed with the best fragrances Will be worshiped with incense, And their body, anointed with sandalwood, will be like the rays of the sun.
EN
“Whoever washes a stūpa of the Lord of Sages With scented water, clean and clear, Will have an unblemished body, free of pain, With a soft complexion, free of sorrow.
EN
“One who beautifies, with various paints, The shrines at a stūpa of the Buddha Will become enveloped in All the various qualities of the Sugata.
EN
“Those who, in the springtime, settle all the dust around a stūpa with clean water, For them, women will joyfully wave away dust With golden-handled fans.
EN
“Whoever, for the sake of the Three Jewels, Creates a mandala that delights the noble ones Will have hands and feet with webbed fingers and toes, And every limb, too, will be flawless.
EN
“Whoever offers flowers to the Three Jewels, Along with freshly grown fruit, Will, as they transmigrate among beings, Obtain every supreme taste and possess indominable might.
EN
“Whoever venerates a statue of the Victor here With vast garlands and cascades of flowers Will, among the worlds of gods and humans, Be well dressed in various, attractive garments.
EN
“Those who offer fragrances at stūpas of the Buddha, With infusions of many and various types of incense, As well as agarwood incense, Will have their entire body perfumed.
EN
“Whoever joyfully donates yak-tail fans To a stūpa of the Sugata, That eminent one will also be fanned significantly By the joyful mind, the yak-tail fan, that is the compassion of the victors.
EN
“Whoever offers to the omniscient one a delightful mirror, Totally stainless, like the full moon, Will, amid their series of rebirths, Be suitable to gaze at by gods and men.
EN
“Those who offer to the stūpa of the Sugata Whatever special offerings they have and can afford, Accordingly will attain unsurpassable awakening, Which is stainless and devoid of sorrow.
EN
“Whoever pays homage to stūpas or statues of the Buddha, Respectfully bowing their heads, Will, among gods and humans, Occupy a place of greater and greater esteem.
EN
“Those who, with devotion, circumambulate Stūpas or statues of the Sage Will have their enemies bow to them in future lives And they will become a fine vessel, full of virtues.
EN
“Those who, with joyful devotion, Perform physical activities At stūpas and statues of the Unsurpassed One Will have abundant riches in every lifetime.
EN
“By offering musical sounds to a stūpa of the Victor, They will have perfect eloquence, profound and coherent— With charming words, complete with the five attributes, The sound of their voices will fill the world.
EN
“Whoever extols the reliquary of the Victor Will hear the sounds of flutes and singing, As well as pleasant, charming sounds, And will obtain correct discernment.
EN
“People who suitably cover the head of the World’s Superior With grass or bricks, Or inspire others to do so—either way, They will be like a refuge for all beings.
EN
“People who construct a temple to the Victor Will, as they transmigrate among beings, Obtain a splendorous home like the abode of the lord of gods And happiness across all seasons of the year.
EN
“In the higher realms, states that are the result of excellent karma, Like Constant Happiness, where one is happy for an eon, They will frolic, lack sorrow, And finally obtain a state of peace.
EN
“Whoever erects a main gate to the Sage— A beautiful archway like the bend of a rainbow— Will, in other lives, obtain mansions With doors completely decorated.
EN
“Whichever people who, out of devotion And in order to protect the teacher’s reliquary, Establish a moat and a gate, Their enemies in other lives will not be able to rend them from their glorious qualities.
EN
“Whoever mends cracks in old stūpas, Not acting on another’s behalf But of their own accord, Will become adorned with a fine body and the best qualities.
EN
“By clearing away wilted flowers from a stūpa of the Victor, Without being impassioned by desire or becoming hostile in anger, Without being deluded in ignorance or becoming engrossed in wrong views, People will become very joyful and happy.
EN
“Whoever offers elephants bedecked with hanging bells And chariots harnessed to tamed horses To the Teacher and the community of noble ones Will obtain the unsurpassed Great Vehicle.
EN
“Those beings who offer sparkling, choice gems To the Protector of the World Will obtain the seven precious jewels And the precious, pure factors of awakening.
EN
“By offering clothing to a stūpa of the Victor, While wearing the clothes of modesty—by this meritorious act They will be joyful, endowed with all virtues, unselfish, As well as smooth skinned and golden hued.
EN
“By offering a butter lamp at a stūpa of the Incomparable One, They will have eyes like fully blossomed blue lotuses, Clear, attractive, elongated, and beautiful, And they will have the unblemished divine eye.
EN
“Whoever offers rows of butter lamps at a stūpa Will have attractive eyes like fully developed lotus buds, Elongated and sapphire hued, Worthy of men’s and women’s admiration.
EN
“At night, those who sit, palms joined, before the Great Sage And offer wicks for butter lamps according to their means Will gain rewards in other lives, And obtain a body with the luster of a large gem.
EN
“If, when butter lamps offered to the Victor die out, Joyful minds become delighted at this And revive the wicks, They will also surely obtain fivefold vision.
EN
“Some people, those with virtuous minds, Rejoice in the deeds done by others at a stūpa of the Victor, And even though such deeds are not done by them, In essence it is as if they also perform those deeds.
EN
“Whoever joyfully gives bedding and seats To those who come from morally disciplined communities, Such a person, while cycling through the realms of existence, Will obtain a lion’s throne and the best of seats.
EN
“Those who give to the saṅgha Fine food fitting for a renunciant Will, amid the wilderness of cyclic existence, Obtain food rich in color, taste, and so on.
EN
“Those who give to the saṅgha Ample drink fitting for a renunciant Will, amid the wilderness of cyclic existence, Obtain drink rich in color, taste, and so on.
EN
“Those who practice the excellent way of the holy Dharma, Having heard it proclaimed by the World’s Teacher, Will swiftly cross the ocean of existence Amid the most frightening waves of afflictive emotions.
EN
“O King, since all these virtuous deeds Ripen into various worldly pleasures, Then the fruit that is the sublime awakening of the buddhas Will be just as easy to attain.”
EN
Then, after the king, radiant with joy, circumambulated the sage and the saṅgha and bowed down his head at the feet of the Lord of Sages, he departed the Jeta Grove.
Sutraya