The blessed Śākyamuni looked again at the realm of the Pure Abode and spoke to Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:

“Mañjuśrī! Requested by the wise king of yakṣas who holds a vajra in his hand, I already taught in detail, in the middle of this assembly, your complete chapter on the ritual activities intended for all purposes.

“I taught about the good and bad aspects of dreams And how they relate to all the mantra purposes. I taught all of it at length For the mantra reciters.”

The king of yakṣas, pleased at heart, Folded his hands at his forehead and, Bowing his head before the Teacher, Said at that time,

“The one of supreme intellect taught Out of his kindness for the people, Out of his compassion for me, And for the happiness of beings,

“About the good and bad aspects Of all the mantras and dreams of the reciters, About the extensive qualities of the conduct Of noble and debased beings, And about determining the causes For the highest birth and destiny.

“He taught the knowledge of what is beneficial And detrimental—past, present, and future. He taught the complete, all-encompassing knowledge— The dynamic aspect of all-knowing awareness.

“He taught about the auspicious tranquility described As being without a visible form, without support, Which expands without mental elaboration And is endowed with all the supreme aspects.

“The one of superior intellect Described the powers of all the buddhas In particular for those reciters Who pursue all the aims of mantra.

“He taught the ritual activity, its complete result, And the right time for the rituals; He taught about the vessel, the place, and the possession, Which teachings were requested in the context of dreams.”

The king of yakṣas then bowed to the best of sages, To the supreme seventh tathāgata. Whatever buddhas appeared in the auspicious eon, The Bull of the Śākyas was the seventh of them.

He, Lion of the Śākyas who conquered the enemies, Is regarded as the seventh— The lord of the world, the bringer of light, A perfect buddha for the lowest eon,

A sage of great diligence and wisdom, Renowned for his great energy. It was to him that the yakṣa Vajrapāṇi Bowed in homage.

Mañjuśrī, the wise one, stayed silent And remained in his seat. The [seventh] sage then spoke to him, The sagacious one, as follows:

“[Vajrapāṇi] requested the Buddha, The most recent and chief among sages, ‘It is good, O fully awakened Blessed One! Please teach at length the knowledge of ritual activities.

“ ‘Teach how one’s birth horoscope constitutes the chief factor In explaining one’s virtuous and nonvirtuous character traits; Explain the actions of many beings Based on the understanding of karmic causes;

“ ‘Teach about the signs of the reciters’ accomplishments, Differentiated in terms of what should and should not be accomplished, [The signs] exhibited by those entered into and possessed [by spirits], And the reciters who pursue various virtuous goals;

“ ‘Teach also, for the sake of those who desire, in this world, Riches, power, and enjoyments, For those who want to rise to prominence and obtain a kingdom, And for those who want to hold on to their success.

“ ‘In short, please teach The complete, all-pervading knowledge.’ ” So spoke the supreme sage, When requested by [Vajrapāṇi,] the son of the victorious ones.

The seventh sage then spoke [the following] stanzas In the pure voice of the Buddha’s speech. The wise one had a voice like that of a cuckoo bird, Spreading like the sound of a celestial drum, As sweet as Brahmā’s, and resounding like A thunderous cloud of great might.

“Those, O divine youth, who abide in the highest truth Gain accomplishments to benefit the world. They guide the world to every good fortune and benefit. May [the accomplishments] of these lords of liberation remain pure.

“Those who possess honesty, unwavering diligence, a sober mind, And loving kindness and who always delight in generosity Will always be successful; Others will never succeed.

“Those who always find joy and delight in the supreme mantra And in the instructions of the wheel holder or of Mañjuvara Will overpower Māra and turn the wheel, Just as befits a wheel holder in this world.

“There is a divine speech, pleasing to the mind, From which, however, fools are ever separated. This divine speech is pleasing to the ear, captivating, Lovely, sweet, and agreeable.

“It refreshes the mind and bestows happiness. The buddhas call this speech Mañju. But even they, with their superior knowledge of a tathāgata, Are unable to understand his power.

“Their sons who are established on their respective levels And accordingly reckoned as falling into ten groups, perfect and divine, Even they, O lord of gods, are unable To understand his divine power, which surpasses the ordinary.

“The same is true for the celestials of the form and formless realms, Gods of the desire realm, or human beings, Even if they have attained yogic accomplishments, Or for outstanding individuals who surpass everyone else in this world.

“There is no being anywhere Who could fully understand his splendor. The buddhas call him ‘Gentle Splendor,’ Knowing that splendor is merely a concept.

“ ‘Gentle Splendor’ is an imputation, A name given to you by the victors in the past. It was imputed to you as your name By the past, present, and future buddhas.

“One who hears your name in saṃsāra With a one-pointed mind that is neither distracted nor impure Will obtain the auspicious peace And awakening when still in saṃsāra.

“He will accomplish all the mantras And obtain the best possible rebirth and destiny. One who always relies on the supreme Dharma Will be free from obstacles and will attain accomplishment.

“One will thus master all the desired mantras And swiftly attain the pleasant awakening in this world. The chief among sages arrives at the Bodhi tree And sits there for the benefit of beings.

“He awakens to realization and turns the wheel [of Dharma], The quality of which has been described by the chief victors. [The same] chief victors [also] described your name, remembered as ‘Glory’ ( Śrī ) that is called ‘Gentle’ (Mañju), as having inconceivable qualities.

“The chief victors of the past, however many there have been, Even if they were to explain your power continually Over innumerable eons, would not be able to describe it Nor [the power of] the hundreds of mantras, O pure divine youth!

“All the buddhas, without exception, have taught The complete mantra system of Mañjuśrī. These instructions of yours, O divine youth, cover everything, And the diligent ones derive the highest pleasure from them.

“Beings who dwell in the Pure Abode, And all beings without exception, will attain peace If they never violate your mantra In any way whatsoever.”