Then the Bhagavat, having taught that past cause and condition to the great assembly and those ten thousand devas, spoke again to the goddess of the Bodhi tree and that great assembly:

“In the past, while I was practicing the path of the bodhisattva, I did not just give water and food to save the lives of those fish; I also gave away my cherished body. Regard together the cause and condition for that!

“The Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha, who was supremely victorious and supremely venerable everywhere both above the paradises and below the paradises, who illuminated the world realms in ten directions with many hundreds of thousands of light rays, who had perfect omniscience, who had the completion of good qualities, went together with a great assembly to the Pañcala land. They came to a forest that had level ground, was free of thorns, and was spread throughout with excellent flowers and soft grass.

“The Bhagavat said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘Ānanda, prepare a seat for me beneath that tree.’

“Then Venerable Ānanda, obeying that command, prepared a seat. When it was prepared, he said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, the seat is prepared. I request that you, Ārya, know that it is ready.’

“The Bhagavat sat cross-legged upon the seat, with his body upright, remaining in true mindfulness. Being seated, he asked the bhikṣus, ‘Do you want to view the relics of the body of a bodhisattva who accomplished a difficult act in the past?’

“ ‘We do wish to see them,’ said the bhikṣus.

“The Bhagavat then pressed down on the ground with his hand, which was adorned with a hundred merits and possessed the signs and features of a great being. At that moment, the great earth shook in six ways, the ground split and divided, and the great assembly saw a stūpa made of the seven precious materials and adorned by a net of various jewels appearing, rising up from the ground, and they had thoughts of great astonishment.

“The Bhagavat then rose from his seat, bowed down to it, circumambulated it, and then again sat upon his seat and said to Ānanda, ‘You, open the door of this stūpa!’

“Venerable Ānanda opened the door and saw a casket made of the seven precious materials and adorned by excellent, perfect jewels. He said to the Bhagavat, ‘Bhagavat, there is a casket made of the seven precious materials and adorned by various jewels.’

“ ‘You, open the casket,’ said the Bhagavat.

“Venerable Ānanda, obeying the command, opened it and saw inside relics that had a color like that of conches and white water lilies. He said to the Bhagavat, ‘Inside the casket there are relics with a sublime color, superior to any other.’

“ ‘Ānanda, come and bring those bones of a great being here!’ said the Bhagavat.

“Venerable Ānanda then picked up those relics and gave them to the Bhagavat. The Bhagavat took them and said to the bhikṣus, ‘Behold the relics of the body of a bodhisattva who accomplished a difficult act,’ and then he recited this verse:

“ ‘The bodhisattva has a mind with perfect qualities. Courageous, he diligently completes the six perfections, Constantly meditating uninterruptedly for the sake of enlightenment, With stable, great equanimity, with a mind that never wearies.

“ ‘Bhikṣus, you must all pay homage with veneration to the relics of the past body of the bodhisattva. These relics are perfumed by the measureless aroma of correct conduct, samādhi, and wisdom. They are an excellent, supreme field of merit and are extremely difficult to encounter.’

“The bhikṣus and that great assembly then single-mindedly and reverently placed their palms together and bowed down their heads in homage to those relics and praised them, saying, ‘Never has such a thing occurred before!’

“Then Venerable Ānanda rose before the Bhagavat, bowed down to his feet, and said to the Bhagavat, ‘The Bhagavat, the Tathāgata, the great teacher, is superior to all, so that all beings honor him. Therefore, what is the cause and condition whereby he pays homage to these bones of a body?’

“The Bhagavat said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘Ānanda, it is because of these bones that I quickly attained the highest, most complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Therefore, in order to repay their kindness, I have today paid homage to them.’

“Then he also said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘Today, in order to dispel the doubt and uncertainty that you and the great assembly have, I will explain perfectly the past causes and conditions of these relics, and therefore you must pay close attention and listen single-mindedly!’

“ ‘We strongly wish to hear it, so therefore we request that you teach and explain,’ said Venerable Ānanda.

“ ‘Ānanda,’ replied the Bhagavat, ‘in the past, in a time gone by, there was a king of a land, and his name was Mahāratha. He was very rich, with great wealth, vast treasuries, and a courageous army. He was honored and obeyed by the entire multitude of people, and he constantly guided them through the Dharma. The people had multiplied and spread, and he had no opposing enemies. His principal queen was extremely attractive and beautiful. He had three sons whom everyone wished to see. The name of the eldest son was Mahāpraṇāda. The name of the middle son was Mahādeva. The name of the youngest son was Mahāsattva.

“ ‘At that time, the great king, to amuse himself and enjoy the view, set off to look at the mountains and forests. The three sons also departed, following him. In order to search for flowers and fruits, they left their father and wandered. Then they entered a great forest of bamboos to rest.

“ ‘Then the eldest prince said, “I am scared and frightened now! Might not a vicious wild beast kill us in this forest?”

“ ‘The middle prince said, “I am worried that if I start out with having no concern for my own body, I will experience the suffering of losing this beloved body.”

“ ‘The youngest prince then said to his two older brothers:

“ ‘ “This is a place where the devas and ṛṣis gather. I am not miserable and have no fear or terror. My body and mind are filled with happiness, And therefore I will gain superior qualities.”

“ ‘At that time, the princes each spoke what was in their minds, and they eventually continued onward until they saw a tigress who had given birth to five cubs seven days earlier. She was encircled by her cubs and tormented by hunger and thirst; her body was thin and weak, and she would soon die.

“ ‘The eldest prince said, “Alas, this tigress gave birth to cubs seven days ago. Because she is encircled by her cubs, she has not been free to seek food. She is so tormented by hunger and thirst she will no doubt eat her own cubs.”

“ ‘ “What does this tigress usually eat?” asked Prince Mahāsattva.

“ ‘The eldest prince answered:

“ ‘ “Tigers, lions, jackals, and wolves Eat nothing but flesh and warm blood. Any other kind of food than that Will fail to dispel her weakness.”

“ ‘The middle prince said, “This tigress is so thin and weak and tormented by hunger and thirst that she only has a little life left. How could we seek that kind of food and drink, which is difficult to find? Who for their sake would give up their own body and life to dispel their hunger and thirst?”

“ ‘ “There is nothing that is more difficult to give up than one’s own body!” said the eldest prince.

“ ‘Prince Mahāsattva said, “At this time, each of us has clinging and attachment to our bodies; we have no wisdom and are unable to benefit others. Supreme beings have minds of great compassion, and in order to constantly benefit others are indifferent to their bodies, and this benefits beings.”

“ ‘He also thought, “For many hundreds of thousands of lifetimes, my body has rotted and decayed and been lost meaninglessly without causing any benefit whatsoever. Why should I not cast it away this time like saliva or mucus and dispel the suffering of those pained by hunger?”

“ ‘At that time the princes, having thus spoken their thoughts, each felt love and pity, and without taking their eyes off the tigress, they circled her from a distance and then together left her and went away.

“ ‘Then Mahāsattva thought, “Now is the time for me to give away my body and life. Why is that?

“ ‘ “For a long time I have taken care of this body, Which is dirty, smelly, drips with pus, and is disgusting. I have served it with necessities, food, clothes, Carriages, elephants, horses, wealth, and jewels,

“ ‘ “But it will change and be destroyed; its nature is impermanent, Always searching, difficult to fulfill, difficult to protect. Even though it has been continually offered to and served, It has always abandoned me and shows no gratitude.”

“ ‘He thought, “Moreover, this body is unstable and of no benefit to me. It is terrifying like an enemy. It is impure like feces. Today, with this body, I will accomplish a vast, immense action and make it into a great ship that will cross the ocean of birth and death. I will abandon saṃsāra and certainly accomplish leaving it behind.”

“ ‘He also thought, “In abandoning this body, I will be abandoning boils, countless dreadful illnesses, and many hundreds of thousands of terrors and fears. This body contains nothing but urine and feces. It is as unstable as a water bubble. It is a congregation of many worms. It is a web of veins and muscles. It causes disgust. It is disadvantageous. Therefore, I will abandon this body today and seek the highest, ultimate nirvāṇa. Completely abandoning the fault of misery, the suffering of impermanence, and distress, I will end the continuity of saṃsāra. Eliminating all faults, through the power of samādhi and wisdom I will meditate perfectly and attain the Dharma body that is adorned by many hundreds of thousands of merits, is omniscient, and is praised by the multitudes of buddhas. Having attained that, I will bring immeasurable benefit to beings through the Dharma.”

“ ‘At that time, the prince, making a great prayer with great courageous self-control, had made his motivation grow with thoughts of great compassion, but he was worried that his two older brothers, being frightened and terrified, would cause a hindering obstacle so that he would not be able to accomplish his aspiration. Therefore, he said to his two older brothers, “Brothers, you two go back; I will stay here a little longer.”

“ ‘Prince Mahāsattva then returned to the forest and went before the tigress. He took off his clothes and placed them upon a bamboo, and then he made this prayer:

“ ‘ “I, with great wisdom, seek the state of the Highest enlightenment for the sake of all beings. With an unwavering motivation of great compassion, I will give away the body that is cherished by beings.

“ ‘ “Enlightenment has no illness and no pain And is aspired to by all who have wisdom. Today I will lead all beings who are in the ocean of suffering Of the three realms and bring them to happiness.”

“ ‘Having spoken those words, the prince then threw down his body and lay in front of the hungry tigress. Because of the power of the magnificence of that bodhisattva’s love and compassion, the tigress was not able to do anything. The bodhisattva, seeing that this was so, climbed up onto a high mountain and threw down his body from there. But then he thought, “This tigress is so weak and feeble that she is not able to eat me.” Thinking this, he stood up and went looking for a weapon. He could not find one, and so using a shard of dry bamboo, he made blood flow from his throat and finally came close to the tigress.

“ ‘At that time, the great earth quaked in six ways, like a river being blown on by the wind. The sun also did not shine, as if it were being obscured by an eclipse, so that there was darkness in all the ten directions. The devas also sent down a rain of excellent flowers, and excellent, sublime scented powders that spread throughout and filled the interior of the forest.

“ ‘The multitudes of devas present in the sky, on seeing such a thing, rejoiced in their minds and praised him, saying, “There has never occurred anything like this before!” They all praised him, saying, “Well done! Great being, well done!” and they recited these verses:

“ ‘ “Great being, protector, who has developed the motivation of compassion, Who regards all beings equally as if they were your only child, With courage, great joy, and without any clinging in your mind, You gave up your body, saving the distressed, and gained incalculable merit.

“ ‘ “You will certainly reach a state of wonderful, permanent bliss, Will conclusively eliminate the many bondages of saṃsāra, And will soon attain without impediment the result that is enlightenment; You will realize birthless, complete peace and bliss.”

“ ‘At that time, the hungry tigress saw the blood falling from the bodhisattva’s throat and licked the blood, and then ate all his flesh, without remainder, so that there were only bones left.

“ ‘Then the elder prince, seeing the earth quake, said to his younger brother:

“ ‘ “The great earth with all its mountains and rivers has quaked. In all directions there is darkness without any sunlight. Flowers from the devas have fallen, filling the sky. These are signs that our younger brother has given away his body.”

“ ‘The middle prince heard the words of his older brother, and he spoke this verse:

“ ‘ “When we saw the starving tigress with a weakened body, Tormented by hunger and in danger of eating her cubs, And I heard the words spoken by Mahāsattva, I had the Suspicion that today our younger brother would give his body away.”

“ ‘The two princes then felt great sadness and suffering, and they wailed and wept, and together they both went into the presence of the tigress. They saw their younger brother’s clothes draped over a bamboo branch, his bones and hair scattered everywhere. His spilled blood had formed mud and spread everywhere too. They collapsed, and being unable to embrace his body, they threw themselves before his bones. After a long time had passed, they regained consciousness, stood up, and with arms upraised, they wept and lamented:

“ ‘ “Our beautiful, handsome younger brother, Greatly loved by both his father and mother, Why did you not come out with us And not return to give away your body?

“ ‘ “If our father and mother ask us, What can we say in answer to them? It will be easier for us both to give up our lives. Why should we remain in these our bodies?”

“ ‘Then the two princes, wailing and weeping as if their minds had been broken, eventually left and went away.

“ ‘At that time, the retinue of attendants that the youngest prince had brought along were asking one another, “Where is the prince? We should search for him together.”

“ ‘Also at that time, the king’s principal queen, who was asleep on a high roof, saw these bad omens in a dream: someone cut off her breasts; her teeth fell out; and she obtained three dove chicks but saw one being carried away by a hawk and the other two being frightened and terrified. When the earth quaked, the queen woke up, felt great sadness, and said:

“ ‘ “Why did this great earth quake today So that all the rivers, forests, and trees shook? The sun had no light as if it were covered and obscured. My eyes quiver and my chest heaves as they never have before.

“ ‘ “I am pierced by pain as if an arrow has struck my heart. My whole body is shaking, and there is no comfort. I have seen such bad omens in my dream; There have certainly never been such bad omens before.”

“ ‘Milk dripped from both the queen’s breasts and she thought, “Without doubt this is the appearance of a bad omen.”

“ ‘One of her attendants heard men outside saying that they were searching for the prince but had still not found him. She was frightened and alarmed, and she went into the palace and said to the queen, “Your Majesty, did you know that I have heard from the men outside that they are searching for the prince but have still not found him?”

“ ‘When the queen heard those words, she wailed in great misery. With her eyes filled with tears, she went before the king and said to him, “Your Majesty, I have heard from men outside that our beloved youngest son is lost!”

“ ‘When the king heard those words, he was greatly frightened. Choking, he shed tears and lamented with these words: “Alas! Such suffering! Today my beautiful son is lost!”

“ ‘In order to comfort the queen, he said, “Beautiful one, do not be sad. Let us now go out together and search for our beloved son.”

“ ‘Then the king, the queen, and a great gathering of people together left the city and dispersed in all directions, searching.

“ ‘Before long, a prime minister came before them and said to the king, “Your Majesty, do not sorrow, but the prince is not present; there is no youngest prince.”

“ ‘When the king heard those words, he wailed, saying, “Alas! I have lost my beautiful son!

“ ‘ “When first there is a son, the happiness is small. Later, when the son is lost, the suffering is great. If only my son were to regain his life, Even were I to die, there would be no suffering.”

“ ‘The queen, on hearing those words, became enveloped in grief, as if she had been struck by an arrow, and she made this lament:

“ ‘ “My three sons, with their attendants, Entered the forest to play together, And only my beloved youngest son has not returned. I have had bad omens of certain separation from him.”

“ ‘After that, a mid-ranking minister came before the king, and the king asked him, “Where is my beloved son?”

“ ‘The mid-ranking minister, his mind crushed, weeping, his palate and tongue dry, was unable to speak words to answer. Then the queen said to him:

“ ‘ “Where is my youngest son? Answer quickly! My entire body is as if burning intensely. My mind is in disarray with madness, distress, and bewilderment, And I think that today my breast will burst apart!”

“ ‘The mid-ranking minister then informed the king, describing it in detail, how the prince had given away his body.

“ ‘When the king and queen heard this account, wailing and choking with tears, they quickly hurried to the place where he had given away his body. They came to the bamboo forest where the bodhisattva had given away his body and saw the bones scattered everywhere. They immediately fell to the ground, fainting as if they had died. They were like great trees blown over by a fierce wind, their minds insensible, having lost consciousness and having no awareness of anything.

“ ‘Then the prime minister and the others sprinkled water on them until at length, the king and queen again recovered consciousness. Then with his arms upraised, the king wailed:

“ ‘ “Alas! Our beloved son, who had the features of beauty, Why have you been struck so early by the suffering of death? If I had died before you, how could I Have ever witnessed such suffering?”

“ ‘Then the queen, no longer close to fainting, crazed, with her hair hanging loose in disarray, beat her breast with both her hands, thrashed on the ground like a fish writhing on dry land, and wept and wailed like a cow that has lost its calf.

“ ‘ “Who killed my son, So that his bones are scattered on the ground? I lost my beloved son. I cannot help but feel sorrow.

“ ‘ “Alas! Who would kill my son So that I experience such misery? Is my heart made of stone That it has not broken?

“ ‘ “In my dream someone Cut off both my breasts, And I saw my teeth fall out, which Meant today there would be great suffering.

“ ‘ “I saw that of three dove chicks, One was taken away by a hawk, Which meant today I had lost my beloved son, And that bad omen was not untrue.”

“ ‘Then the great king, the queen, and their two sons, overcome by their love for the prince and weeping, cast off their jewelry and together with a great crowd of people collected the relics of the bodhisattva’s body and placed them inside a stūpa in order to make offerings to it.

“ ‘Ānanda, you should know that these are the relics of that bodhisattva.’

“He also said to Venerable Ānanda, ‘In the past, even when I had such kleśas as desire, anger, and ignorance, I saved and helped, according to their circumstances, the five kinds of beings, such as those in the hells, pretas, and animals, so that they attained the state of leaving behind saṃsāra. Therefore, it is needless to say that now that all the kleśas have ceased, none of their latencies remain. I have become the teacher of devas and humans, and I possess omniscience. I will remain in the hells and other places for the sake of each being for many eons and accept various kinds of suffering to make them attain the state of leaving behind the saṃsāra of birth, death, and the kleśas.’

“Then the Bhagavat, in order to teach this meaning, spoke these verses:

“ ‘In the past, in time gone by, For countless, innumerable eons I have sometimes been the king of a land And sometimes been a prince.

“ ‘I have always performed great acts of giving And given away my greatly cherished body And, leaving saṃsāra behind, Aspired to supreme enlightenment.

“ ‘In the past, there was a great land, And its ruler was named Mahāratha. There was a prince whose name was Courageous, Who was always generous, without miserliness.

“ ‘He had two older brothers Called Mahāpraṇāda and Mahādeva. The three went out together, Eventually entering the mountains and forests.

“ ‘They saw a tigress tormented by hunger, And this thought arose within them: Although the tigress is burning with hunger’s fire, There is nothing else there for her to eat.

“ ‘When the great being saw this was so, Because he was afraid she would eat her cubs, Without attachment he gave his body to her, So that the cubs were saved without being wounded.

“ ‘The great earth and the mountains Were all shaken at the same time. The rivers and the seas were greatly disturbed; Fierce waves rose upon the waters.

“ ‘The sky and the earth lost their light. There was darkness in which nothing was visible. The wild beasts in the forest of the wilderness Flew and ran, completely abandoning their lairs.

“ ‘The two older brothers wondered why he had not returned. They felt grief and suffered from their love for him. Together with their great retinues of servants, They went searching throughout the forest.

“ ‘The two older brothers, accompanying each other, Went into the forest upon the steep mountain And looked in the four directions but did not see him. In the empty forest where they had seen the tigress,

“ ‘They saw the mother with her five cubs. All of their mouths were stained with blood, And the remaining bones and hair Were scattered everywhere on the ground.

“ ‘Moreover, the blood that had been spilled Had soaked the entire grove of bamboos. When the two older brothers saw that, Great fear and alarm arose in their minds.

“ ‘They both fainted and fell to the ground. Disturbed, crazed, they lost consciousness. Their bodies were completely stained by dirt, And their six senses became unconscious.

“ ‘The numerous servants of the princes Had misery arise in their minds at that time. Although they sprinkled water and revived them, The princes wailed and wept with upraised arms.

“ ‘When the bodhisattva gave away his body, His loving mother was in the palace Experiencing many enjoyments Along with five hundred women.

“ ‘Breast milk came dripping forth From both breasts of the principal queen. Her entire body, as if being pierced by needles, Experienced extreme suffering and discomfort.

“ ‘There arose the perception that she had lost her son, And her mind was pierced by the pain of grief. She described the nature of her suffering So that the king would know of it.

“ ‘With unendurable wailing, She spoke pitifully to the king: “Great king, you must know this. Today a great suffering has arisen.

“ ‘ “From both breasts milk has emerged; Though I wished to, I could not stop it. My entire body was as if pierced by needles. The grief is enough to crack open my breast.

“ ‘ “I have had bad omens in my dreams. We have definitely lost a beloved son. Your Majesty, please save my life And discover whether our son is alive or dead.

“ ‘ “I saw three dove chicks in a dream. The smallest one was a beautiful chick. Know that a hawk stole it away. It is impossible to describe my misery.

“ ‘ “I am drowning in an ocean of misery So that it will not be long before I die. I cannot tell whether my son is alive or not. I pray that you will quickly find out.

“ ‘ “Also, since I heard that men outside Said that they had not found my youngest son, My mind has been completely distressed today. Your Majesty, I ask you to show me kindness!”

“ ‘When she had spoken those words, She threw her supported body onto the floor. Pitifully stricken, her mind fainted and swooned, And she became oblivious and unconscious.

“ ‘When her inner retinue of women Saw the queen faint and fall to the floor, They cried loudly and wept greatly And were in disarray from misery, alarm, and fear.

“ ‘When the king heard those words, He was not able to control his grief. He summoned all of his ministers And sent them forth in search of his beloved son.

“ ‘They all departed from the city And went searching here and there. Weeping, they questioned many people, Asking, “Where is the prince?

“ ‘ “Is he alive now or has he died? Who knows where he has gone? Our misery will be dispelled if By some means we see him.”

“ ‘But every one of all the many people Said to them, “The prince is dead.” All who heard it were deeply pained And wailed in indescribable suffering.

“ ‘At that time, King Mahāratha, Wailing, had stood up from his throne. He went over near to the queen And sprinkled water on her body.

“ ‘From the sprinkling of the water, After a long time, the queen recovered consciousness. Wailing intensely, she asked the king, “My son—do you know where he is now?”

“ ‘King Mahāratha stated to the queen, “I have sent out numerous emissaries employed To search for the prince in the four directions, But there is no news that has come back yet.”

“ ‘The king also said to the queen, “You should not be in misery, And you should comfort yourself. We shall search for him together.”

“ ‘Then the king together with the queen Mounted steeds and prepared to leave, Crying out loudly and lamenting, Their tormented minds as if on fire.

“ ‘Many hundreds of thousands of people, high and low, Came out of the city following the king. With uninterrupted pitiful weeping, Each one was engaged in searching for the prince.

“ ‘Because the king was searching for his beloved son, His eyes scanned in all four directions. And then he saw a man approach Who came before him, weeping.

“ ‘His hair was in disarray, his body stained with blood, And his entire body was stained with dirt. When the king saw such a bad omen, His misery increased even more.

“ ‘The king raised up both his arms And wept pitifully, unable to stop. Then first there was a great minister Who hurriedly came before the king,

“ ‘And to the king he said these words: “Your Majesty, do not be sad, Even though Your Majesty’s Beloved son has not yet been found.

“ ‘It will not be long before he comes, And therefore, Your Majesty, do not be unhappy.” Then the king went farther on and saw A mid-ranking minister approaching.

“ ‘The minister came before the king And while weeping, he said to the king, “Although two of the princes are present, They are in pain as they are deep in grief.

“ ‘ “The one who was the youngest prince Has been seized by impermanence. He saw a hungry tigress that had given birth And was thinking of devouring her cubs.

“ ‘ “The prince, Mahāsattva, gave rise To a motivation of great compassion And seeking for the highest path. In order to liberate many beings,

“ ‘ “Bound by the perception of supreme enlightenment That is as greatly deep and vast as an ocean, He climbed to the summit of a high mountain And threw his body down in front of the hungry tigress.

“ ‘ “As she was too weak to devour him, With a bamboo he made blood flow from his throat, And as the prince’s body was devoured, There are only the leftovers of his body remaining.”

“ ‘At that time, the king and the queen Fainted upon hearing those words. Their minds sank into the ocean of their grief, And they were incinerated by the fire of torment.

“ ‘The minister sprinkled the king and queen With pure, sandalwood-scented water So that they rose together and wept, Stretching up their arms and beating their breasts.

“ ‘Then a minor minister arrived, And he said these words to the king: “I saw both the two princes. They had fainted in the forest.

“ ‘ “I sprinkled water upon them And then they revived a little. They looked into the four directions, As if everywhere was ablaze with fire.

“ ‘ “They stood for a moment and again fell down, Wailing and unable to control themselves. They raised up their arms and with piteous words Praised the wonders of their little brother.”

“ ‘When the king heard these words, He boiled even more within the fire of grief, And as the queen was weeping intensely, Wailing loudly, he said these words:

“ ‘ “My beautiful son, whom I loved deeply, Has been swallowed by the demon of impermanence, And now though these two sons remain, They are tormented and burning in the fire of grief.

“ ‘ “I must quickly go today to the mountain To bring comfort and preserve what life remains.” Then he mounted his steed and quickly went along the path, Single-mindedly going to the cliff where the body had been given up.

“ ‘On the road he met the two princes, their minds shattered, Beating their chests, in a weakened state, weeping as they came. Their parents took them onto their laps wailing in misery, And together they went to the mountain and forest where the body was given.

“ ‘They entered the forest where the bodhisattva gave up his body, And they gathered together, weeping and in great suffering. They cast off their jewelry, crying their hearts out, And collected the remaining bones of the bodhisattva.

“ ‘A multitude of people together made offerings to them, And a stūpa of the seven precious materials was erected. The relics were placed inside a casket, And in misery they returned to the city.’

“He then declared to Ānanda:

“ ‘It was I, Śākyamuni, who was That Mahāsattva in the past. Do not think it was anyone else.

“ ‘King Śuddhodana was my father; The queen was my mother, Māyā. The eldest prince was Maitreya; The middle prince was Mañjuśrī.

“ ‘The tigress was Mahāprajāpatī, And the five cubs were five bhikṣus. One of them was Maudgalyāyana, And one of them was Śāriputra.

“ ‘I have taught all of you the story Of benefiting others in the past, Which is the conduct of a bodhisattva. You should train in this cause of attaining buddhahood.

“ ‘When the bodhisattva gave away his body, He made a great prayer with these words: “May the bones that remain from my body Be of benefit to the beings in the future!”

“ ‘This is the place where he gave away his body. The stūpa of seven precious materials Remained here for countless years, And then it sank into the ground.

“ ‘Through the power of his prayer in the past And the fact of that being recited, In order to benefit all devas and humans It has risen and emerged from the ground.’

When the Bhagavat gave this teaching on what had occurred in the past, all of the countless, innumerable assembly of humans and devas were deeply affected and felt great joy. They praised it, saying, “Never has such a thing occurred before!” and they all developed the aspiration to attain the highest, most complete enlightenment.

The goddess of the Bodhi tree also said, “I reverently pay homage to repay this kindness.”

The Bhagavat withdrew the power of his miraculous manifestation, and the stūpa again sank down under the ground.