This text, Toh 849, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs ’dus, e), are listed as being located in volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 101. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
EN
Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 849 version of this text within vol. 100 or 101 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 849, , for details.
EN
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, with a great saṅgha of bhikṣus comprised of 1,250 bhikṣus, and with a great number of bodhisattva mahāsattvas.
EN
Then the Bhagavān said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, in the upward direction there is a universe named Aparimitaguṇasaṃcaya. There, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja resides and remains, sustaining and extending life to its very limit, teaching the Dharma to beings.
EN
“Listen, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the lives of humans in this Jambudvīpa are short; their lifespan is no more than a hundred years, and most of them are seen to have premature deaths. Mañjuśrī, those beings who will write out or cause to be written out this Dharma discourse called ‘Uttering the Praise of the Qualities of the Tathāgata Aparimitāyus,’ and even those who hear or recite its title only, up to those who write a copy, keep it at home, and offer flowers, perfume, incense, and garlands to it, will, when their lifespan is ending, still be able to live to a hundred years.
EN
“Mañjuśrī, the lifespan of beings who hear the one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja will be lengthened. Those beings whose lifespan is coming to an end, who keep those names, will also have their lifespan lengthened.
EN
“Therefore, Mañjuśrī, the noble sons or noble daughters who wish to have long lives, and who hear, write, or cause to be written the one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata Aparimitāyus, will obtain these qualities and benefits.
EN
oṁ namo bhagavate aparimitāyurjñāna-suviniścita-tejorājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya | tadyathā | oṁ puṇye puṇye mahāpuṇye aparimitāyurpuṇya-jñāna aparimitapuṇye aparimitapuṇya-jñāna- saṃbhāropacite | oṁ sarva-saṃskāra-pariśuddha-dharmate gagana-samudgate svabhāva-viśuddhe mahānaya-parivāre svāhā | The dhāraṇī transliterated throughout the text is shown according to the version, Toh 674 or Toh 849, that the reader has selected. Apart from the differences in the phrase mentioned in note 39, versions in other Kangyurs have only minor variants in spelling and punctuation. An approximate translation [of the version found Toh 674] is: “ Oṁ, Homage to the Bhagavān Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha. It is thus: Oṁ Merit! Merit! Great merit! The one who has gathered the accumulations of immeasurable longevity, merit, and wisdom! Oṁ, the true nature that is completely pure of all mental events! The one who has risen high in the sky! Who is completely pure in nature! Whose entourage is of the great way! Svāhā .”
EN
The dhāraṇī transliterated throughout the text is shown according to the version, Toh 674 or Toh 849, that the reader has selected. Apart from the differences in the phrase mentioned in note 39, versions in other Kangyurs have only minor variants in spelling and punctuation. An approximate translation [of the version found Toh 849] is: “ Oṁ, Homage to the Bhagavān Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha. It is thus: Oṁ Merit! Merit! Great merit! Immeasurable merit! The one who has gathered the accumulations of immeasurable merit and wisdom! Oṁ, the true nature that is completely pure of all mental events! The one who has risen high in the sky! Who is completely pure in nature! Whose entourage is of the great way! Svāhā .”
EN
“Mañjuśrī, those who write or cause to be written these one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata, who make a text of them, keep it at home, and recite it, when their lifespan is coming to an end they will still be able to live to a hundred years. When they pass away from this world, they will be reborn in the buddha realm of the tathāgata Aparimitāyus named Aparimitaguṇasaṃcaya.”
Then at that time tens of millions of buddhas, as many as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges Rivers, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, when their lifespan is coming to an end, will still be able to live to a hundred years and their lifespan will be lengthened.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will never be born among hell beings, in the womb of an animal, or in Yama’s realm. They will never have an unfortunate rebirth. Wherever they are reborn, in each rebirth they will remember their previous lifetimes.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will cause the whole collection of eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings to be written.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will cause the practice and the continuation of the whole collection of eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be purified even of having committed the five karmas that have immediate result at death.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be purified of their accumulation of bad karma, even if it is the size of Mount Sumeru.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be invulnerable to any harm that Māra, Māra’s gods, yakṣas, or rākṣasas may look to inflict.
When whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra dies, nine hundred ninety million buddhas will give them prophecies in person, and a thousand buddhas will extend their hands to them. They will go from buddha realm to buddha realm. Have no doubt, hesitation, or uncertainty about this.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be reborn in the world of Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the tathāgata Amitābha.
Wherever this precious sūtra is written or caused to be written, that place will be a stūpa and worthy of veneration. Those birds and animals born in the animal realm who happen to hear this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will all become perfectly awakened in the highest, most complete awakening.
Whoever makes a gift of even a single kārṣāpaṇa coin with regard to this Dharma discourse, the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, will have made a gift of the whole trichiliocosm filled with the seven jewels.
As a comparison, it is possible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from making offerings of the seven jewels to the tathāgatas Vipaśyin, Śikhin, Viśvabhu, Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kāśyapa, Śākyamuni, and so on, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
As a comparison, it is possible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from making a gift of a heap of jewels as high as Sumeru, the king of mountains, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
As a comparison, it is possible to count each drop that makes up all the water in the four great oceans, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
Whoever writes or causes to be written, honors, and makes offerings to this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will have paid homage and made offerings to all tathāgatas in all the buddha realms in the ten directions.
The Buddha has risen high through the power of generosity, The lion among men has realized the power of generosity, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of generosity is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of good conduct, The lion among men has realized the power of good conduct, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of good conduct is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of patience, The lion among men has realized the power of patience, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of patience is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of diligence, The lion among men has realized the power of diligence, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of diligence is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of meditation, The lion among men has realized the power of meditation, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of meditation is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of wisdom, The lion among men has realized the power of wisdom, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of wisdom is heard.
This is what the Bhagavān joyfully taught, and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the complete assembly, and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were delighted and praised the Bhagavān’s words.
This text, Toh 849, and all those contained in this same volume (gzungs ’dus, e), are listed as being located in volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur by the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (BDRC). However, several other Kangyur databases—including the eKangyur that supplies the digital input version displayed by the 84000 Reading Room—list this work as being located in volume 101. This discrepancy is partly due to the fact that the two volumes of the gzungs ’dus section are an added supplement not mentioned in the original catalog, and also hinges on the fact that the compilers of the Tōhoku catalog placed another text—which forms a whole, very large volume—the Vimalaprabhānāmakālacakratantraṭīkā (dus ’khor ’grel bshad dri med ’od, Toh 845), before the volume 100 of the Degé Kangyur, numbering it as vol. 100, although it is almost certainly intended to come right at the end of the Degé Kangyur texts as volume 102; indeed its final fifth chapter is often carried over and wrapped in the same volume as the Kangyur dkar chags (catalog). Please note this discrepancy when using the eKangyur viewer in this translation.
EN
Note that there is a discrepancy among various databases for cataloging the Toh 849 version of this text within vol. 100 or 101 of the Degé Kangyur. See Toh 849, , for details.
EN
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, with a great saṅgha of bhikṣus comprised of 1,250 bhikṣus, and with a great number of bodhisattva mahāsattvas.
EN
Then the Bhagavān said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, in the upward direction there is a universe named Aparimitaguṇasaṃcaya. There, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja resides and remains, sustaining and extending life to its very limit, teaching the Dharma to beings.
EN
“Listen, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the lives of humans in this Jambudvīpa are short; their lifespan is no more than a hundred years, and most of them are seen to have premature deaths. Mañjuśrī, those beings who will write out or cause to be written out this Dharma discourse called ‘Uttering the Praise of the Qualities of the Tathāgata Aparimitāyus,’ and even those who hear or recite its title only, up to those who write a copy, keep it at home, and offer flowers, perfume, incense, and garlands to it, will, when their lifespan is ending, still be able to live to a hundred years.
EN
“Mañjuśrī, the lifespan of beings who hear the one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja will be lengthened. Those beings whose lifespan is coming to an end, who keep those names, will also have their lifespan lengthened.
EN
“Therefore, Mañjuśrī, the noble sons or noble daughters who wish to have long lives, and who hear, write, or cause to be written the one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata Aparimitāyus, will obtain these qualities and benefits.
EN
oṁ namo bhagavate aparimitāyurjñāna-suviniścita-tejorājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya | tadyathā | oṁ puṇye puṇye mahāpuṇye aparimitāyurpuṇya-jñāna aparimitapuṇye aparimitapuṇya-jñāna- saṃbhāropacite | oṁ sarva-saṃskāra-pariśuddha-dharmate gagana-samudgate svabhāva-viśuddhe mahānaya-parivāre svāhā | The dhāraṇī transliterated throughout the text is shown according to the version, Toh 674 or Toh 849, that the reader has selected. Apart from the differences in the phrase mentioned in note 39, versions in other Kangyurs have only minor variants in spelling and punctuation. An approximate translation [of the version found Toh 674] is: “ Oṁ, Homage to the Bhagavān Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha. It is thus: Oṁ Merit! Merit! Great merit! The one who has gathered the accumulations of immeasurable longevity, merit, and wisdom! Oṁ, the true nature that is completely pure of all mental events! The one who has risen high in the sky! Who is completely pure in nature! Whose entourage is of the great way! Svāhā .”
EN
The dhāraṇī transliterated throughout the text is shown according to the version, Toh 674 or Toh 849, that the reader has selected. Apart from the differences in the phrase mentioned in note 39, versions in other Kangyurs have only minor variants in spelling and punctuation. An approximate translation [of the version found Toh 849] is: “ Oṁ, Homage to the Bhagavān Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha. It is thus: Oṁ Merit! Merit! Great merit! Immeasurable merit! The one who has gathered the accumulations of immeasurable merit and wisdom! Oṁ, the true nature that is completely pure of all mental events! The one who has risen high in the sky! Who is completely pure in nature! Whose entourage is of the great way! Svāhā .”
EN
“Mañjuśrī, those who write or cause to be written these one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata, who make a text of them, keep it at home, and recite it, when their lifespan is coming to an end they will still be able to live to a hundred years. When they pass away from this world, they will be reborn in the buddha realm of the tathāgata Aparimitāyus named Aparimitaguṇasaṃcaya.”
Then at that time tens of millions of buddhas, as many as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges Rivers, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, when their lifespan is coming to an end, will still be able to live to a hundred years and their lifespan will be lengthened.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will never be born among hell beings, in the womb of an animal, or in Yama’s realm. They will never have an unfortunate rebirth. Wherever they are reborn, in each rebirth they will remember their previous lifetimes.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will cause the whole collection of eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings to be written.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will cause the practice and the continuation of the whole collection of eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be purified even of having committed the five karmas that have immediate result at death.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be purified of their accumulation of bad karma, even if it is the size of Mount Sumeru.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be invulnerable to any harm that Māra, Māra’s gods, yakṣas, or rākṣasas may look to inflict.
When whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra dies, nine hundred ninety million buddhas will give them prophecies in person, and a thousand buddhas will extend their hands to them. They will go from buddha realm to buddha realm. Have no doubt, hesitation, or uncertainty about this.
Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be reborn in the world of Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the tathāgata Amitābha.
Wherever this precious sūtra is written or caused to be written, that place will be a stūpa and worthy of veneration. Those birds and animals born in the animal realm who happen to hear this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will all become perfectly awakened in the highest, most complete awakening.
Whoever makes a gift of even a single kārṣāpaṇa coin with regard to this Dharma discourse, the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, will have made a gift of the whole trichiliocosm filled with the seven jewels.
As a comparison, it is possible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from making offerings of the seven jewels to the tathāgatas Vipaśyin, Śikhin, Viśvabhu, Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kāśyapa, Śākyamuni, and so on, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
As a comparison, it is possible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from making a gift of a heap of jewels as high as Sumeru, the king of mountains, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
As a comparison, it is possible to count each drop that makes up all the water in the four great oceans, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.
Whoever writes or causes to be written, honors, and makes offerings to this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will have paid homage and made offerings to all tathāgatas in all the buddha realms in the ten directions.
The Buddha has risen high through the power of generosity, The lion among men has realized the power of generosity, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of generosity is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of good conduct, The lion among men has realized the power of good conduct, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of good conduct is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of patience, The lion among men has realized the power of patience, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of patience is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of diligence, The lion among men has realized the power of diligence, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of diligence is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of meditation, The lion among men has realized the power of meditation, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of meditation is heard.
EN
The Buddha has risen high through the power of wisdom, The lion among men has realized the power of wisdom, And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city The resounding of the power of wisdom is heard.
This is what the Bhagavān joyfully taught, and Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the complete assembly, and the world with its devas, humans, asuras, and gandharvas were delighted and praised the Bhagavān’s words.
Sutraya