Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana then addressed the Blessed One. “From the Thus-Gone One’s correct knowledge of the ripening of beings’ karma, up to the Blessed One’s great miraculous powers and right up to the Blessed One’s great majesty—all of these qualities are truly amazing. Blessed One, what action was it whose ripening led the Blessed One to attain the knowledge of what is possible? Blessed One, please consider all beings kindly and grant a reply. When the bodhisattva great beings hear what the Blessed One declares, they will take joy, pleasure, and delight in carrying out the practices of unexcelled and perfect awakening. Then they will engage in such practices.”
The Blessed One said to venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, “Excellent, Maudgalyāyana, excellent. Maudgalyāyana, your intention in asking this question to the Blessed One is to help many beings, to bring about many beings’ welfare, and because you care for beings. You asked in order to help, benefit, and bring about the well-being of multitudes of beings. It is excellent that you had the thought to ask this question to the Thus-Gone One. Maudgalyāyana, listen well then, and take to heart what I am about to say.”
“Of course,” venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana replied to the Blessed One. He listened attentively to the Blessed One, who proceeded: “Maudgalyāyana, when in the past I was engaged in the practice of a bodhisattva, in order to know what is possible, I served and asked questions to countless thus-gone ones. You should understand, Maudgalyāyana, the amount of roots of virtue I created in doing so, through the following story.
“Long ago, Maudgalyāyana, in the distant past there appeared in the world a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha named Flower Bearer; 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 blessed buddha. This thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha called Flower Bearer had a community of nine hundred sixty million hearers. At that time there was a brahmin named Blue Lotus Eyes, who was similar to a great sal tree. He offered a monastery to the blessed thus-gone Flower Bearer and his community of hearers. While doing so, he made an aspiration: ‘By the root of virtue from having provided a dwelling for the Blessed One and his community of hearers, O Blessed One, may I gain knowledge of what is possible.’
“The thus-gone Flower Bearer then showed his approval to me, saying, ‘Excellent. Excellent, Blue Lotus Eyes. By this root of virtue, Blue Lotus Eyes, in the future you will gain knowledge of what is possible.’ And so it was through that root of virtue that I achieved knowledge of what is possible.”
“When I had created this root of virtue, I then formed the resolve: ‘I rejoice in the merit of all beings in the worlds throughout the ten directions who have brought about the roots of virtue for the knowledge of what is possible; I dedicate the merit from this act of rejoicing as well toward unexcelled and perfect awakening.’ It was due to that root of virtue that I came to gain knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible.”
“I constantly and continuously rejoiced in what roots of virtue had been formed, without any attachment to the three realms in my mind. By the root of virtue of having no doubt about their ripening, I realized the knowledge of cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible. I did not reach such realization by being lazy; I was diligent on this path. Through such roots of virtue I realized the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible.”
Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana then addressed the Blessed One. “From the Thus-Gone One’s correct knowledge of the ripening of beings’ karma, up to the Blessed One’s great miraculous powers and right up to the Blessed One’s great majesty—all of these qualities are truly amazing. Blessed One, what action was it whose ripening led the Blessed One to attain the knowledge of what is possible? Blessed One, please consider all beings kindly and grant a reply. When the bodhisattva great beings hear what the Blessed One declares, they will take joy, pleasure, and delight in carrying out the practices of unexcelled and perfect awakening. Then they will engage in such practices.”
The Blessed One said to venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, “Excellent, Maudgalyāyana, excellent. Maudgalyāyana, your intention in asking this question to the Blessed One is to help many beings, to bring about many beings’ welfare, and because you care for beings. You asked in order to help, benefit, and bring about the well-being of multitudes of beings. It is excellent that you had the thought to ask this question to the Thus-Gone One. Maudgalyāyana, listen well then, and take to heart what I am about to say.”
“Of course,” venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana replied to the Blessed One. He listened attentively to the Blessed One, who proceeded: “Maudgalyāyana, when in the past I was engaged in the practice of a bodhisattva, in order to know what is possible, I served and asked questions to countless thus-gone ones. You should understand, Maudgalyāyana, the amount of roots of virtue I created in doing so, through the following story.
“Long ago, Maudgalyāyana, in the distant past there appeared in the world a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha named Flower Bearer; 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 blessed buddha. This thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha called Flower Bearer had a community of nine hundred sixty million hearers. At that time there was a brahmin named Blue Lotus Eyes, who was similar to a great sal tree. He offered a monastery to the blessed thus-gone Flower Bearer and his community of hearers. While doing so, he made an aspiration: ‘By the root of virtue from having provided a dwelling for the Blessed One and his community of hearers, O Blessed One, may I gain knowledge of what is possible.’
“The thus-gone Flower Bearer then showed his approval to me, saying, ‘Excellent. Excellent, Blue Lotus Eyes. By this root of virtue, Blue Lotus Eyes, in the future you will gain knowledge of what is possible.’ And so it was through that root of virtue that I achieved knowledge of what is possible.”
“When I had created this root of virtue, I then formed the resolve: ‘I rejoice in the merit of all beings in the worlds throughout the ten directions who have brought about the roots of virtue for the knowledge of what is possible; I dedicate the merit from this act of rejoicing as well toward unexcelled and perfect awakening.’ It was due to that root of virtue that I came to gain knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of what is possible.”
“I constantly and continuously rejoiced in what roots of virtue had been formed, without any attachment to the three realms in my mind. By the root of virtue of having no doubt about their ripening, I realized the knowledge of cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible. I did not reach such realization by being lazy; I was diligent on this path. Through such roots of virtue I realized the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of what is possible.”
Sutraya