Then the sister Gaṅgadevī, who had joined the assembly and was seated in that very retinue, got up from her seat, adjusted her upper robe so it hung down from one shoulder, knelt down with her right knee on the ground, cupped her palms together in a gesture of supplication specifically to the Lord, bowed forward to him, and said to the Lord, “I too, Lord, I too, Sugata, will practice the six perfections well, and just like the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas will look after such buddhafields as those taught in this perfection of wisdom.”
EN
Then that woman took golden flowers; took silver flowers, flowers that grow on dry land, and flowers that grow in the water; took all the adornments; and took twinned muslin scarfs with a gold-like color and strewed them specifically over the Lord. Through the power of the Lord, the moment after she had strewed all those twinned muslin scarfs and so on, they stayed there, a second story in the space right above the Lord’s head, square with four corners and four pillars, equidimensional, extremely excellent, perfectly proportioned and delightful. That woman then made that second story into something shared in common with all beings and dedicated it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.
EN
Then at that time the Lord, knowing the intention of that woman, smiled. And it is in the very nature of a lord buddha that when they smile, from the opening of the lord’s mouth issue forth light rays of many colors, of a variety of colors—namely, blue, yellow, red, white, reddish brown, crystalline, and silvery. Having dispersed through limitless and boundless world systems and retracted back they circle around the lord three times and disappear into the lord from the top of his head.
EN
Venerable Ānanda then got up from his seat, adjusted his upper robe so it hung down from one shoulder, knelt down with his right knee on the ground, cupped his palms together in a gesture of supplication specifically to the Lord, bowed forward to him, and said to the Lord, “Lord, the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas do not give a smile without a cause, without a condition. So why did you smile? What is the cause, what is the condition?”
EN
Venerable Ānanda having asked this, the Lord said to him, “Ānanda, in the future during the eon called Tārakopama this sister Gaṅgadevī will become the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha called Suvarṇapuṣpa, the one with the golden flowers, and appear in the world. This, Ānanda, is this woman’s last female body. Ānanda, this sister Gaṅgadevī, having forsaken a woman’s body and acquired a man’s body, will be born in the buddhafield of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Akṣobhya, the world system called Abhirati. She will live a celibate life there. Ānanda, that bodhisattva great being’s name will also be Suvarṇapuṣpa. Ānanda, that bodhisattva great being Suvarṇapuṣpa, having died there, will pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield and will never be separated from the lord buddhas. Just as, Ānanda, a wheel-turning emperor goes walking from palace to palace for as long as he lives but until the time of his death the soles of his feet never press upon the ground, similarly, Ānanda, the bodhisattva great being called Suvarṇapuṣpa will pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield until fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, never separated from the lord buddhas.”
EN
Then it occurred to venerable Ānanda to think, “One should be aware that howsoever many bodhisattva great beings there are assembled in that buddhafield, they will be a tathāgata assembly.”
EN
Then the Lord, understanding in his mind the thoughts occurring to venerable Ānanda, said to venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, it is exactly as you are thinking! It is exactly so! One should be aware that those bodhisattva great beings will be a tathāgata assembly. Ānanda, in the buddhafield of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa his community of monks will be infinite. The measure of his community of monks cannot be taken by saying that there are this many śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred śrāvakas, or there are up to a thousand śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred thousand śrāvakas, or there are up to one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a thousand one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred thousand one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred thousand billion one hundred million śrāvakas; rather, there will be an ananta of an asaṃkhyeya of a hundred thousand billion one hundred million śrāvakas. Ānanda, in that buddhafield where the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa will have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, those faults described in this perfection of wisdom will not exist and will not appear as anything at all, in any way at all.”
EN
The Lord having said this, venerable Ānanda asked him, “Lord, in relation to whom did this sister plant such a wholesome root?”
EN
“Ānanda,” replied the Lord, “this sister planted such a wholesome root in relation to the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara, and having dedicated that wholesome root to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, because she wanted unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening she strewed golden flowers on the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara as well. Ānanda, when I strewed blue lotus flowers on the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara because I wanted unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, the lord, the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara, knowing I had the wholesome root, prophesied my full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. At that time this sister heard the prophecy about me and produced the thought, ‘Yes! Just as a full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening has been prophesied of this brahmin student, similarly in the future may there also be a prophecy that I too will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ Thus, Ānanda, did this sister first produce the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening in the presence of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara.”
EN
The Lord having said this, venerable Ānanda said to him, “Lord, this sister has laid the groundwork for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”
EN
Venerable Ānanda having said this, the Lord replied to him, “Exactly so! Ānanda, it is exactly as you say! This sister has laid the groundwork for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”
Then the sister Gaṅgadevī, who had joined the assembly and was seated in that very retinue, got up from her seat, adjusted her upper robe so it hung down from one shoulder, knelt down with her right knee on the ground, cupped her palms together in a gesture of supplication specifically to the Lord, bowed forward to him, and said to the Lord, “I too, Lord, I too, Sugata, will practice the six perfections well, and just like the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas will look after such buddhafields as those taught in this perfection of wisdom.”
EN
Then that woman took golden flowers; took silver flowers, flowers that grow on dry land, and flowers that grow in the water; took all the adornments; and took twinned muslin scarfs with a gold-like color and strewed them specifically over the Lord. Through the power of the Lord, the moment after she had strewed all those twinned muslin scarfs and so on, they stayed there, a second story in the space right above the Lord’s head, square with four corners and four pillars, equidimensional, extremely excellent, perfectly proportioned and delightful. That woman then made that second story into something shared in common with all beings and dedicated it to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.
EN
Then at that time the Lord, knowing the intention of that woman, smiled. And it is in the very nature of a lord buddha that when they smile, from the opening of the lord’s mouth issue forth light rays of many colors, of a variety of colors—namely, blue, yellow, red, white, reddish brown, crystalline, and silvery. Having dispersed through limitless and boundless world systems and retracted back they circle around the lord three times and disappear into the lord from the top of his head.
EN
Venerable Ānanda then got up from his seat, adjusted his upper robe so it hung down from one shoulder, knelt down with his right knee on the ground, cupped his palms together in a gesture of supplication specifically to the Lord, bowed forward to him, and said to the Lord, “Lord, the tathāgatas, worthy ones, perfectly complete buddhas do not give a smile without a cause, without a condition. So why did you smile? What is the cause, what is the condition?”
EN
Venerable Ānanda having asked this, the Lord said to him, “Ānanda, in the future during the eon called Tārakopama this sister Gaṅgadevī will become the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha called Suvarṇapuṣpa, the one with the golden flowers, and appear in the world. This, Ānanda, is this woman’s last female body. Ānanda, this sister Gaṅgadevī, having forsaken a woman’s body and acquired a man’s body, will be born in the buddhafield of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Akṣobhya, the world system called Abhirati. She will live a celibate life there. Ānanda, that bodhisattva great being’s name will also be Suvarṇapuṣpa. Ānanda, that bodhisattva great being Suvarṇapuṣpa, having died there, will pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield and will never be separated from the lord buddhas. Just as, Ānanda, a wheel-turning emperor goes walking from palace to palace for as long as he lives but until the time of his death the soles of his feet never press upon the ground, similarly, Ānanda, the bodhisattva great being called Suvarṇapuṣpa will pass on from buddhafield to buddhafield until fully awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, never separated from the lord buddhas.”
EN
Then it occurred to venerable Ānanda to think, “One should be aware that howsoever many bodhisattva great beings there are assembled in that buddhafield, they will be a tathāgata assembly.”
EN
Then the Lord, understanding in his mind the thoughts occurring to venerable Ānanda, said to venerable Ānanda, “Ānanda, it is exactly as you are thinking! It is exactly so! One should be aware that those bodhisattva great beings will be a tathāgata assembly. Ānanda, in the buddhafield of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa his community of monks will be infinite. The measure of his community of monks cannot be taken by saying that there are this many śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred śrāvakas, or there are up to a thousand śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred thousand śrāvakas, or there are up to one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a thousand one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred thousand one hundred million śrāvakas, or there are up to a hundred thousand billion one hundred million śrāvakas; rather, there will be an ananta of an asaṃkhyeya of a hundred thousand billion one hundred million śrāvakas. Ānanda, in that buddhafield where the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Suvarṇapuṣpa will have fully awakened to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, those faults described in this perfection of wisdom will not exist and will not appear as anything at all, in any way at all.”
EN
The Lord having said this, venerable Ānanda asked him, “Lord, in relation to whom did this sister plant such a wholesome root?”
EN
“Ānanda,” replied the Lord, “this sister planted such a wholesome root in relation to the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara, and having dedicated that wholesome root to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, because she wanted unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening she strewed golden flowers on the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara as well. Ānanda, when I strewed blue lotus flowers on the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara because I wanted unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, the lord, the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara, knowing I had the wholesome root, prophesied my full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. At that time this sister heard the prophecy about me and produced the thought, ‘Yes! Just as a full awakening to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening has been prophesied of this brahmin student, similarly in the future may there also be a prophecy that I too will fully awaken to unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.’ Thus, Ānanda, did this sister first produce the thought of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening in the presence of the tathāgata, worthy one, perfectly complete buddha Dīpaṃkara.”
EN
The Lord having said this, venerable Ānanda said to him, “Lord, this sister has laid the groundwork for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”
EN
Venerable Ānanda having said this, the Lord replied to him, “Exactly so! Ānanda, it is exactly as you say! This sister has laid the groundwork for unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening.”
Sutraya