“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand concentration. I wondered, ‘How can I fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and reach emancipation by means of the strength of tranquility?’ With that thought in mind, I created an immense amount of different roots of virtue.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king named Viśvabhū. King Viśvabhū had sixty-eight thousand queens, all of whom had bodies like goddesses, were loving like mothers, caring like aunts, and respectful like servants. Dwelling among such queens with qualities like goddesses, King Viśvabhū was nonetheless free of desire and free of anything negative and unvirtuous. He was intelligent and discerning and had come to the culmination of the first level of concentration with its concomitant joy and bliss born of disengagement. Similarly, he reached the culmination of everything up to the fourth level of concentration, in which he abided. After dwelling in equanimity at the fourth level of concentration, he eventually emerged from it, and had the insight, ‘Sentient beings pine after the five sense pleasures; they are totally attached to their desires. They engage in and carry out harmful actions, due to which they fall into the lower states. Some of them create the karma for becoming hell beings, others for becoming animals, others for entering the realm of the Lord of Death, others the divine realms, and others the human realm but with short lives. Some have a longer life, others face less harm. Some end up in a low class while others end up in a noble class. Some have little charisma while others have more charisma. Some have little wealth while others have more wealth. Some are unintelligent while others are intelligent. Some exert themselves in following the current, while others exert themselves in going against the current.’ Then he had the thought, ‘These paths are in disharmony with the goal. I must guide these beings onto the path of the completely awakened ones.’
EN
“Emerging from the fourth level of concentration, he felt compassion for sentient beings and went wandering among and becoming involved with the various towns, cities, villages, and regions. Having achieved the five types of superknowledge, he was compelled by compassion and thus went from town to town, city to city, and region to region engaged in teaching the path of the ten virtuous actions and putting an end to the path of the ten unvirtuous actions. He then led all those beings onto the path of the ten virtuous actions in that very buddha realm, and turned them away from the path of the ten unvirtuous actions. He dedicated the path of the ten virtuous actions practiced by all those beings toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Then he led everyone in that buddha realm to the irreversible stage. Having guided all beings in that buddha realm to the irreversible stage, after dying, he became Brahmā in the Brahmā Realm where he was reborn into the state of Great Brahmā. Once there, he was both subdued and not subdued. Eventually, after dying there, at the termination of the eon he was born into the same state as the luminous gods. Born among the luminous gods, when the next eon ended, he was again reborn into the realm of Brahmā. There in the realm of Brahmā he led one quintillion beings to the level of non-regression. When that realm came to an end, he was again reborn among the luminous gods. While he dwelled there, he led countless hundreds of billions of beings to the irreversible stage, such that they dwelled where there was no one ever born who was without the Dharma. Applying these hundreds of thousands of methods, after he died in the realm of Brahmā, he migrated among the luminous gods, and from there again to the realm of Brahmā. When on occasion he would appear in the human realm, he would still possess the five types of superknowledge even though there was no buddha present. When there was a buddha present, he would serve as attendant to that blessed buddha. Accumulating such roots of virtue, the blessed buddhas then led him to enter into equanimity, in which he then remained. Whether there was pleasure or whether there was disengagement, he knew the Thus-Gone One was present.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time King Viśvabhū was anyone else, do not think so. Why? Because in those days I was King Viśvabhū. In those times I led to concentration beings who were attached to objects, and freed them from the desire realm. Now, too, I will continue to liberate beings who are attached to objects from the suffering of cyclic existence and lead them onto the path of nirvāṇa. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, those bodhisattva great beings who want to benefit the world should train in the path to omniscience.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of concentration. I wondered, ‘How can I train in order to teach the path of unsurpassed and perfect awakening to sentient beings who are determined to absorb themselves in objects?’ With that thought in mind, I created numerous different roots of virtue.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there appeared in the world a thus-gone one named Tranquility; he was learned and venerable, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman who guided beings, unexcelled, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a blessed one. The thus-gone Tranquility lived to be seventy quintillion years old. The first of the thus-gone Tranquility’s gatherings of hearers numbered ten thousand. They were all worthy ones … who had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. His first gathering of bodhisattvas numbered eighty. His second gathering of hearers numbered ninety quintillion. They were all worthy ones who had exhausted defilements … up to … who had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. The second gathering of bodhisattvas was double that. They all genuinely abided by the Great Vehicle … and possessed countless, innumerable utterly pure buddha realms In this manner, the Thus-Gone One’s gathering of hearers and bodhisattvas was limitless.
EN
“At the same time, in that Thus-Gone One’s buddha realm was a bodhisattva named Humble Tranquility. As he followed the living Thus-Gone One, he felt reverence for tranquility. Moreover, he had served victors in the past and so he had achieved a similar insight. Attaining insight into tranquility, he was overwhelmed by great compassion and thus he achieved knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration. Then, with his skill in methods, he was able to apply his tranquility to perceive the imperceptible. Manifesting miraculous powers, he could project thousands of emanations. He attracted with generosity beings who were distracted by objects. After attracting them with generosity, he led them to be more disciplined. Once they had become more disciplined, he taught them the buddhas’ teachings. Thus, countless hundreds of billions of beings were led to have acceptance of the profound Dharma. They came to possess bodies and minds that were fully developed in their discernment of the sublime Dharma. He led them to have great compassion. He had previously led them to be concentrated. Cultivating omniscient wisdom over an extended period, he was able to lead them toward the six perfections. Before too long, he had fully awakened to unsurpassed and perfect awakening in a perfectly pure buddha realm, bringing with him countless quintillions of beings to nirvāṇa as he himself reached that state.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the bodhisattva Humble Tranquility was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was the bodhisattva Humble Tranquility. As I then cultivated concentration, I came to fully master the six perfections. Whenever I applied the perfection of generosity, it became the six perfections; thus I mastered all of the six perfections. You should understand that if bodhisattvas practice in this way, they will gain skill in methods and non-regression.
EN
“Furthermore, Maudgalyāyana, in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of concentration, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I thought, ‘May I become a teacher for beings, explaining to them correctly about knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration, that they may hear of the faults of objects. With that thought in mind, I created countless roots of virtue.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in the past there was a king named Enjoyer of Various Worlds. Once, King Enjoyer of Various Worlds had the thought, ‘The more I amuse myself with the various worlds, the more my good qualities diminish. So I will renounce my kingdom and go to the forest.’ So King Enjoyer of Various Worlds gave up his kingdom and went off to live in the forest, where he stayed, aware of objects with his senses and aware of tranquility. Then he wondered, ‘How did I produce knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration, by recollecting and bringing to mind the Dharma?’ Then he thought, ‘It is because I have pleased those who are engaged in concentration. Due to those roots of virtue, I achieved knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration. Bringing those roots of virtue to mind, I pleased with worldly nourishment those noble children who dwell in states of concentration.’
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time King Enjoyer of Various Worlds was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was King Enjoyer of Various Worlds. I gave worldly nourishment to beings who took pleasure in tranquility, by which those who strove for tranquility developed tranquility. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, those bodhisattvas who want to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should give material support to those who practice concentration that is congruent with tranquility.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand cessation as related to knowledge of concentration. Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage named Unhindered Glory. Whichever state of concentration he created, he recognized that it would eventually cease. Thus he understood that any type of concentration will at one point cease, and thus he gained an attitude of fearlessness with regard to the entirety of existence and all beings. He exerted himself in bringing the continuity of the unsteady mind to cessation to such an extent that when the time of death came, he did not enter a womb for ninety-six eons. Instead he always took birth miraculously.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the sage Unhindered Glory was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was the sage Unhindered Glory. In those times, for ninety-six eons I did not enter a womb. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas should perceive all conditioned things as being transient and never stray from such a perception.
EN
“Furthermore, Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous roots of virtue in order to understand the path that leads to cessation as related to concentration. Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a teacher named Excellent Vision. He perceived the desire realm to be marred by the flaws of desire, the form realm to be marred by the flaws of form, and the formless realm to be marred by the flaws of formlessness. With this in mind, he thought, ‘Alas! These beings have no savior and no guide. Wherever they dwell, they are harmed by their dwelling place. Thus I will not dwell within anything conditioned. Without dwelling there can be no fluctuation.’ In that way, with the concentration of not dwelling on any phenomena, he achieved great compassion for sentient beings. With the knowledge he had realized, he taught correctly to beings. Due to his teachings, he was able to lead innumerable billions of beings to unimpeded wisdom while reaching non-dwelling nirvāṇa.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the teacher Excellent Vision was anyone else, do not think so. Why, you may ask? Because in those days I was the teacher Excellent Vision who taught emancipation from desire. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas should apply themselves to the phenomena that arise and cease.”
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand concentration. I wondered, ‘How can I fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and reach emancipation by means of the strength of tranquility?’ With that thought in mind, I created an immense amount of different roots of virtue.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king named Viśvabhū. King Viśvabhū had sixty-eight thousand queens, all of whom had bodies like goddesses, were loving like mothers, caring like aunts, and respectful like servants. Dwelling among such queens with qualities like goddesses, King Viśvabhū was nonetheless free of desire and free of anything negative and unvirtuous. He was intelligent and discerning and had come to the culmination of the first level of concentration with its concomitant joy and bliss born of disengagement. Similarly, he reached the culmination of everything up to the fourth level of concentration, in which he abided. After dwelling in equanimity at the fourth level of concentration, he eventually emerged from it, and had the insight, ‘Sentient beings pine after the five sense pleasures; they are totally attached to their desires. They engage in and carry out harmful actions, due to which they fall into the lower states. Some of them create the karma for becoming hell beings, others for becoming animals, others for entering the realm of the Lord of Death, others the divine realms, and others the human realm but with short lives. Some have a longer life, others face less harm. Some end up in a low class while others end up in a noble class. Some have little charisma while others have more charisma. Some have little wealth while others have more wealth. Some are unintelligent while others are intelligent. Some exert themselves in following the current, while others exert themselves in going against the current.’ Then he had the thought, ‘These paths are in disharmony with the goal. I must guide these beings onto the path of the completely awakened ones.’
EN
“Emerging from the fourth level of concentration, he felt compassion for sentient beings and went wandering among and becoming involved with the various towns, cities, villages, and regions. Having achieved the five types of superknowledge, he was compelled by compassion and thus went from town to town, city to city, and region to region engaged in teaching the path of the ten virtuous actions and putting an end to the path of the ten unvirtuous actions. He then led all those beings onto the path of the ten virtuous actions in that very buddha realm, and turned them away from the path of the ten unvirtuous actions. He dedicated the path of the ten virtuous actions practiced by all those beings toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Then he led everyone in that buddha realm to the irreversible stage. Having guided all beings in that buddha realm to the irreversible stage, after dying, he became Brahmā in the Brahmā Realm where he was reborn into the state of Great Brahmā. Once there, he was both subdued and not subdued. Eventually, after dying there, at the termination of the eon he was born into the same state as the luminous gods. Born among the luminous gods, when the next eon ended, he was again reborn into the realm of Brahmā. There in the realm of Brahmā he led one quintillion beings to the level of non-regression. When that realm came to an end, he was again reborn among the luminous gods. While he dwelled there, he led countless hundreds of billions of beings to the irreversible stage, such that they dwelled where there was no one ever born who was without the Dharma. Applying these hundreds of thousands of methods, after he died in the realm of Brahmā, he migrated among the luminous gods, and from there again to the realm of Brahmā. When on occasion he would appear in the human realm, he would still possess the five types of superknowledge even though there was no buddha present. When there was a buddha present, he would serve as attendant to that blessed buddha. Accumulating such roots of virtue, the blessed buddhas then led him to enter into equanimity, in which he then remained. Whether there was pleasure or whether there was disengagement, he knew the Thus-Gone One was present.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time King Viśvabhū was anyone else, do not think so. Why? Because in those days I was King Viśvabhū. In those times I led to concentration beings who were attached to objects, and freed them from the desire realm. Now, too, I will continue to liberate beings who are attached to objects from the suffering of cyclic existence and lead them onto the path of nirvāṇa. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, those bodhisattva great beings who want to benefit the world should train in the path to omniscience.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of concentration. I wondered, ‘How can I train in order to teach the path of unsurpassed and perfect awakening to sentient beings who are determined to absorb themselves in objects?’ With that thought in mind, I created numerous different roots of virtue.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there appeared in the world a thus-gone one named Tranquility; he was learned and venerable, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a steersman who guided beings, unexcelled, a teacher of gods and humans, a buddha, a blessed one. The thus-gone Tranquility lived to be seventy quintillion years old. The first of the thus-gone Tranquility’s gatherings of hearers numbered ten thousand. They were all worthy ones … who had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. His first gathering of bodhisattvas numbered eighty. His second gathering of hearers numbered ninety quintillion. They were all worthy ones who had exhausted defilements … up to … who had obtained supreme perfection in mastering all mental states. The second gathering of bodhisattvas was double that. They all genuinely abided by the Great Vehicle … and possessed countless, innumerable utterly pure buddha realms In this manner, the Thus-Gone One’s gathering of hearers and bodhisattvas was limitless.
EN
“At the same time, in that Thus-Gone One’s buddha realm was a bodhisattva named Humble Tranquility. As he followed the living Thus-Gone One, he felt reverence for tranquility. Moreover, he had served victors in the past and so he had achieved a similar insight. Attaining insight into tranquility, he was overwhelmed by great compassion and thus he achieved knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration. Then, with his skill in methods, he was able to apply his tranquility to perceive the imperceptible. Manifesting miraculous powers, he could project thousands of emanations. He attracted with generosity beings who were distracted by objects. After attracting them with generosity, he led them to be more disciplined. Once they had become more disciplined, he taught them the buddhas’ teachings. Thus, countless hundreds of billions of beings were led to have acceptance of the profound Dharma. They came to possess bodies and minds that were fully developed in their discernment of the sublime Dharma. He led them to have great compassion. He had previously led them to be concentrated. Cultivating omniscient wisdom over an extended period, he was able to lead them toward the six perfections. Before too long, he had fully awakened to unsurpassed and perfect awakening in a perfectly pure buddha realm, bringing with him countless quintillions of beings to nirvāṇa as he himself reached that state.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the bodhisattva Humble Tranquility was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was the bodhisattva Humble Tranquility. As I then cultivated concentration, I came to fully master the six perfections. Whenever I applied the perfection of generosity, it became the six perfections; thus I mastered all of the six perfections. You should understand that if bodhisattvas practice in this way, they will gain skill in methods and non-regression.
EN
“Furthermore, Maudgalyāyana, in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of concentration, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I thought, ‘May I become a teacher for beings, explaining to them correctly about knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration, that they may hear of the faults of objects. With that thought in mind, I created countless roots of virtue.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in the past there was a king named Enjoyer of Various Worlds. Once, King Enjoyer of Various Worlds had the thought, ‘The more I amuse myself with the various worlds, the more my good qualities diminish. So I will renounce my kingdom and go to the forest.’ So King Enjoyer of Various Worlds gave up his kingdom and went off to live in the forest, where he stayed, aware of objects with his senses and aware of tranquility. Then he wondered, ‘How did I produce knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration, by recollecting and bringing to mind the Dharma?’ Then he thought, ‘It is because I have pleased those who are engaged in concentration. Due to those roots of virtue, I achieved knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of concentration. Bringing those roots of virtue to mind, I pleased with worldly nourishment those noble children who dwell in states of concentration.’
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time King Enjoyer of Various Worlds was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was King Enjoyer of Various Worlds. I gave worldly nourishment to beings who took pleasure in tranquility, by which those who strove for tranquility developed tranquility. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, those bodhisattvas who want to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood should give material support to those who practice concentration that is congruent with tranquility.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand cessation as related to knowledge of concentration. Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage named Unhindered Glory. Whichever state of concentration he created, he recognized that it would eventually cease. Thus he understood that any type of concentration will at one point cease, and thus he gained an attitude of fearlessness with regard to the entirety of existence and all beings. He exerted himself in bringing the continuity of the unsteady mind to cessation to such an extent that when the time of death came, he did not enter a womb for ninety-six eons. Instead he always took birth miraculously.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the sage Unhindered Glory was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was the sage Unhindered Glory. In those times, for ninety-six eons I did not enter a womb. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas should perceive all conditioned things as being transient and never stray from such a perception.
EN
“Furthermore, Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous roots of virtue in order to understand the path that leads to cessation as related to concentration. Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a teacher named Excellent Vision. He perceived the desire realm to be marred by the flaws of desire, the form realm to be marred by the flaws of form, and the formless realm to be marred by the flaws of formlessness. With this in mind, he thought, ‘Alas! These beings have no savior and no guide. Wherever they dwell, they are harmed by their dwelling place. Thus I will not dwell within anything conditioned. Without dwelling there can be no fluctuation.’ In that way, with the concentration of not dwelling on any phenomena, he achieved great compassion for sentient beings. With the knowledge he had realized, he taught correctly to beings. Due to his teachings, he was able to lead innumerable billions of beings to unimpeded wisdom while reaching non-dwelling nirvāṇa.
EN
“What do you think, Maudgalyāyana? In case you may think that at that time the teacher Excellent Vision was anyone else, do not think so. Why, you may ask? Because in those days I was the teacher Excellent Vision who taught emancipation from desire. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas should apply themselves to the phenomena that arise and cease.”
Sutraya