Then the bodhisattvas who had arrived from other world realms, who were as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers, stood up in the circle of the assembly, bowed to the Bhagavān with hands together in homage, and said these words:

“Bhagavān, if the Bhagavān will permit us, after the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, we too will teach this Dharma teaching in the Sahā world realm. We will read it, write it, and make offerings to it. We shall be dedicated to this Dharma teaching. Bhagavān, teach well this Dharma teaching to us.”

The Bhagavān then asked all those bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, why would you need to do this? In this Sahā world realm there are my thousands of bodhisattvas who are as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers. Each one of those bodhisattvas has, as followers, thousands of bodhisattvas who are themselves as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers, and each of those bodhisattvas has that many followers, too. In the future times, after I have passed into nirvāṇa, they will possess this Dharma teaching and they will teach it.”

As soon as the Bhagavān had uttered those words, this entire Sahā world realm cracked apart completely, was rent with fissures, and there came out from within those fissures the bodhisattvas who lived in the Sahā world realm, the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas, with their golden bodies and their thirty-two signs of a great being, who dwelled in the element of space beneath the great earth. They had heard the Bhagavān’s words, and came out from under the ground. Each one of these bodhisattvas had a following of bodhisattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers, in groups, great groups, along with the teachers of those groups.

Thus it was that there appeared from out of the ground of this Sahā world realm bodhisattva mahāsattvas in groups, great groups, along with the teachers of those groups—hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in fifty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in forty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in thirty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in twenty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in ten Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in five Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in one Ganges River, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in half a Ganges River, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in a quarter of a Ganges River, or in a sixth, or in an eighth, or in a twentieth, or in a fiftieth, or in a hundredth, or in a thousandth, or in a ten millionth, or in a billionth, or in a trillionth, or in a quintillionth, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with many quintillions of bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with ten million bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a hundred thousand bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a thousand bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with five hundred bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with four hundred or three hundred or two hundred bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a hundred bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with fifty bodhisattva followers, and likewise, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with forty bodhisattva followers, or thirty, or twenty, or ten, or five, or four, or three, or two, and let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with one bodhisattva follower.

Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were beyond number, calculation, simile, or comparison emerged from the ground of the Sahā world realm. When they had emerged they went toward the precious stūpa suspended in the air within which the bhagavān tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, who had passed into nirvāṇa, and the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni were sitting together upon a lion throne. When they arrived there, they bowed their heads to the feet of both tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.

They bowed down and paid homage to the emanations of the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni, the bodies of the tathāgatas who had gathered from the other world realms in the ten directions, the bhagavāns who were seated on lion thrones at the foot of trees made of various precious materials.

They circumambulated those tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas hundreds of thousands of times and they praised them with many kinds of bodhisattva praises, and then they stood to one side with their hands together in homage and they paid homage to the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni and the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna.

At that time those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who had emerged from the ground paid homage to the tathāgatas and praised them with various bodhisattva praises for fifty intermediate eons. During those fifty intermediate eons Bhagavān Śākyamuni remained silent, and the fourfold assembly also remained silent for those fifty intermediate eons.

The Bhagavān now brought about a miracle, such that through that miracle the fourfold assembly thought those eons were just one afternoon. They saw this Sahā world realm became the size of a hundred thousand world realms and filled with bodhisattvas.

There were four bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were the principal ones among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas. They were the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Vi­śiṣṭa­cāritra, the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Anantacāritra, the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Vi­śuddha­cāritra, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Su­pratiṣṭhita­cāritra. Those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas were the principal figures among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas.

Those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas now stood before that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas, and in front of the Bhagavān, with hands placed together in homage, they inquired of the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, do you have few troubles, do you have little illness, are you happy? Bhagavān, are the beings in your care of good character? Do they have good understanding? Are they easy to guide? Are they easy to purify? Are they not a cause of sadness for the Bhagavān?”

Those four bodhisattvas then spoke these verses to the Bhagavān:

“Lord of the World, who shines with light, Are you dwelling in happiness? Are you free from illness? Is your sinless body well? {1}

“Are the beings in your care of good character? Are they easy to guide and easy to purify? Do they not cause you sadness When the Lord of the World teaches?” {2}

In reply, the Bhagavān answered those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were the principal figures among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, it is like this: I dwell in happiness; I have little harm, little illness. The beings in my care are of good character, have good understanding, are easily guided, and are easily purified. They do not cause me sadness while they are being purified. Why is that? Noble ones, it is because these beings of mine have trained during the time of previous perfectly enlightened buddhas. Noble ones, they become devoted just on seeing me and hearing me, and they enter and remain in the wisdom of the buddhas, except for those who are engaged in the practice of the level of the śrāvakas. But I have also now brought them into the wisdom of the buddhas, and caused them to hear the ultimate truth.”

At this those bodhisattva mahāsattvas responded with these verses:

“Excellent! Excellent, great hero! We are overjoyed That the beings under your care have good character, Are easy to guide, easy to purify, {3}

“And, Guide, that those who listen To this your profound wisdom, Give rise to devotion on hearing it And become those who are guided.” {4}

The Bhagavān said to those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were the principal figures among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas, “Excellent, noble ones, excellent! Noble ones, your praise of the Tathāgata is excellent, excellent!”

At that moment, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya and hundreds of thousands of quintillions of other bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers, thought, “A great gathering of bodhisattvas, a great aggregation of bodhisattvas has emerged from the ground, and standing before the Bhagavān has honored, revered, and pleased the Bhagavān. This is something we have never seen and never heard of before. Where did these bodhisattva mahāsattvas come from?”

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was aware of his own doubt and uncertainty and knew in his own mind the thoughts that were in the minds of hundreds of thousands of quintillions of other bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers. He placed his hands together in homage, and to the Bhagavān he expressed these thoughts in verses:

“Supreme human, tell us About these many hundreds of thousands Of quintillions of infinite bodhisattvas Who have never appeared before. {5}

“They who have great miraculous powers, From where did they come, and how? They who have massive bodies, Where did they come from? {6}

“All of these steadfast ones, Great rishis who have mindfulness And have extremely beautiful bodies, Where did they come from? {7}

“Lord of the World, there have arrived These wise bodhisattvas, each of whom Has an incalculable following As numerous as the sands of the Ganges. {8}

“The followers of the bodhisattvas, Who are renowned and are as numerous As the sands of sixty complete Ganges Rivers, Have all become fixed upon enlightenment. {9}

“The number of such heroes as these, These protectors and their followers, Is the number of sand grains In sixty Ganges Rivers. {10}

“And there are even more than that: Others with endless followers As numerous as the grains of sand in fifty, in forty, in thirty, {11}

“And in twenty Ganges Rivers. There are such numbers of assemblies of followers, And there are even more than that, As numerous as sands in ten and five Ganges Rivers. {12}

“The assemblies of each of those protectors Those sons of the buddhas— Guide, assemblies such as these, Where have they come from? {13}

“In the assemblies of the bodhisattvas There are accompanying students Who are as numerous as the sands In four, three, or two Ganges, {14}

“And there are others far more numerous. There is no end to their numbers. It would not be possible to count them Even in ten thousand million eons. {15}

“There are also retinues Of the bodhisattvas, heroes, protectors, That equal a half, a third, a tenth, Or a twentieth of the Ganges sands. {16}

“And there are others far more numerous, And if one were to count them one by one One would not be able to calculate the number of them Even in a thousand million eons. {17}

“And there are others far more numerous, With assemblies that are numerous: A hundred trillion, and ten million, And also those that are five million. {18}

“There are also great rishis Who are bodhisattvas with great wisdom. They are beyond number, And all are present showing reverence. {19}

“Their followers number a thousand, Or similarly a hundred, or fifty— One could not count them all Even in a thousand million eons. {20}

“The followers of those heroes Also number twenty, or ten, or five, Or similarly four, or three, or two— One cannot count them all. {21}

“There are those who travel alone, Who find peace on their own. They who have come here on this day, They also are beyond enumeration. {22}

“If someone were to count them for eons As numerous as the Ganges sands Using a stick held in their hand, They would still not come to an end. {23}

“All of these great beings, Protectors with dedication, These bodhisattva heroes, Where did they come from? {24}

“Who has taught them the Dharma? Who has brought them to enlightenment? Whose teaching do they delight in? Whose teachings do they hold? {25}

“This entire ground having broken open, Throughout all the four directions There have emerged those with great wisdom Who are sagacious, and have miraculous powers. {26}

“Muni, this world realm Has been completely broken apart And in that way have emerged These fearless bodhisattvas. {27}

“What has occurred here We have never seen before. Guide of the World, tell us The name of that realm. {28}

“We have been again and again Throughout the ten directions, But we have never seen Such bodhisattvas as these. {29}

“We have never before seen A single one of these offspring of yours. But today we have suddenly seen them. Muni, tell us of their activities. {30}

“Tens of thousands Of trillions of bodhisattvas, All filled with astonishment, Are looking at the supreme human. {31}

“Immeasurable one, devoid of the skandhas, Great hero, we ask you to reveal to us, Courageous one, from where have come These bodhisattvas who have no fear?” {32}

At that time, the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni’s emanations as other tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who had arrived from a hundred thousand quintillion world realms were teaching beings in other worlds. They were sitting cross-legged on lion thrones made of precious materials at the foot of trees made of precious materials in all eight directions from the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni. The followers of those tathāgatas also saw a great gathering of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, a great aggregation of bodhisattvas emerge from the ground, and remain suspended in the sky. They were astonished and amazed. They asked their own tathāgatas, “Bhagavān, from where did these countless, innumerable bodhisattva mahāsattvas come?”

Each of those tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas said to their own followers, “Noble ones, wait a little while, because the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, whose highest, complete enlightenment has been prophesied by Bhagavān Śākyamuni, has asked Bhagavān Śākyamuni that same question. Buddha Śākyamuni is going to answer, so you should listen to him.”

The Bhagavān then said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, this question you have asked me concerning this vast subject is excellent, Ajita, excellent!”

The Bhagavān now turned to the entire assembly of bodhisattvas and announced to them, “Noble ones, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha is going to teach the Tathāgata’s wisdom insight, the Tathāgata’s leadership, the Tathāgata’s activity, the Tathāgata’s displays, the Tathāgata’s expanding power, and the Tathāgata’s heroism. Therefore, noble ones, this entire assembly of bodhisattvas should be attentive, focused, and stable.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān pronounced these verses:

“All you noble ones, be attentive: I am going to speak infallible words. Wise ones, do not become disheartened. The wisdom of the tathāgatas is inconceivable. {33}

“You should all be stable and mindful. You should all remain in a state of concentration. Listen to a Dharma that has not appeared before And which is a marvel of the tathāgatas. {34}

“I shall establish you well in this. None of you should have any doubt. I, the Guide, speak infallibly. My wisdom remains forever incalculable. {35}

“The Sugata has realized profound dharmas, Which are unexaminable and unquantifiable. I am going to teach those dharmas; Listen to me as to what they are and how they are.” {36}

Having pronounced those verses, Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, I declare to you, I proclaim to you, Ajita, as for these innumerable, numberless, inconceivable, unequaled, uncountable bodhisattvas whom you have never seen before, who emerged from the ground, after I had attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood in this Sahā world realm, Ajita, I inspired and developed all these bodhisattva mahāsattvas toward the highest, complete enlightenment. Noble ones, I ripened them for this bodhisattva Dharma, established them in it, and caused them to follow it, remain in it, and understand it.

“Ajita, these bodhisattva mahāsattvas live in this Sahā world realm by occupying the realm of space below, where they are engaged in reciting and receiving the teachings, and correctly contemplating them.

“These noble ones do not delight in the activities of society, they delight in the absence of society. Their diligence does not weaken, they apply themselves with diligence. Ajita, these noble ones delight in solitude and find pleasure in solitude. These noble ones do not live by relying upon either devas or humans. These noble ones delight in activities that are devoid of worldly gatherings, delight in the pleasure of the Dharma, and are dedicated to the wisdom of buddhahood.”

The Bhagavān then spoke these verses:

“These bodhisattvas are innumerable. They are countless and beyond measure. They possess miracles, wisdom, and learning, And for many millions of eons have practiced with knowledge. {37}

“I have ripened them all for enlightenment And they dwell within my own realm. All of these I have ripened— These bodhisattvas are my offspring. {38}

“They all are dedicated to solitude And reject the level of worldly gatherings. They follow the example of my supreme conduct; These children of mine practice free from worldly gatherings. {39}

“They dwell in space as their habitation. These heroes live below this realm. They perfect this supreme enlightenment, Attentively dedicated day and night. {40}

“They are all mindful and practice diligently, And established in the immeasurable strength of wisdom. All of these luminous offspring of mine Are teaching the Dharma fearlessly. {41}

“After I attained this highest enlightenment At the foot of a tree by the city of Gayā, I turned the unsurpassable wheel of the Dharma And I ripened all to this supreme enlightenment. {42}

“You should all have faith when you hear These immaculate words of mine. I have, in that way, ripened all of these Since I attained supreme enlightenment.” {43}

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya and the many hundred thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas were then astonished and amazed. How could the Buddha in a moment—in such a short time—inspire and ripen for the highest, complete enlightenment all these countless bodhisattvas?

So the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya inquired of the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, when the Tathāgata was a young man, you left the Śākya town of Kapilavastu for homelessness. You went to the supreme Bodhimaṇḍa that is not very far from the city of Gayā. You attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Bhagavān, since that time until today more than forty years have passed. Bhagavān, how could the Tathāgata in such a short time as this accomplish such countless tathāgata activities as these? How did you attain the preeminence of a tathāgata, and the heroism of a tathāgata? Bhagavān, you have inspired and ripened for the highest, complete enlightenment this great gathering of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, this great aggregation of bodhisattvas, in just that amount of time. Bhagavān, one would not be able to count this great gathering of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, this great aggregation of bodhisattvas, even in a hundred thousand quintillion eons. Bhagavān, such innumerable, countless bodhisattvas have practiced celibacy for a long time, creating roots of merit under many hundreds of thousands of buddhas, and perfecting themselves over many hundreds of thousands of eons.

“Bhagavān, it is as if there were a young man, a lad of twenty-five years of age, with black hair, in the first phase of his adulthood, who revealed that he has sons that are a hundred years old. He says, ‘These noble ones are my sons; they are my sons,’ and they say, ‘This man is our father.’ Bhagavān, what they say would not be believed. It would be difficult for the world to believe them.

“Bhagavān, similarly, it is not very long since you, Tathāgata, attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. These countless, innumerable bodhisattva mahāsattvas have practiced celibacy for many hundreds of thousands of eons; they have gained certainty in the wisdom of buddhahood during a long period of time; they are skilled in resting in hundreds of thousands of samādhis; they have developed the great higher knowledges; they are wise in the level of buddhahood; they are skilled in teaching the dharmas of the Tathāgata; they are an amazement and wonder in this world; and they have attained great diligence, strength, and might.

“The Bhagavān has said of them, ‘I am the one who first established them on the level of being a bodhisattva; I am the one who has ripened and developed them. It is through my attainment of the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood that I have accomplished all this diligence and heroism.’

“Bhagavān, we will have faith in whatever the Tathāgata says, thinking, ‘The Tathāgata speaks infallibly. The Tathāgata knows the truth.’ However, Bhagavān, those newly following in the Bodhisattva­yāna will have doubts. After the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, they will hear this Dharma teaching and they will not believe it, will not have faith in it, and will not be attracted to it. Therefore, Bhagavān, they will accrue the karma of rejecting the Dharma.

“Therefore, Bhagavān, explain the meaning of this well, so that we will not have any kind of doubt in this Dharma, and so that in the future time, when noble men and noble women who are on the Bodhisattva­yāna hear it, they will not doubt it.”

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya then addressed these verses to the Bhagavān:

“You were born in Kapilāhvaya, But then you renounced the residence of the Śākyas, And attained enlightenment by the city of Gayā. Lord of the World, it has not been long since then. {44}

“These fearless ones and many others in this great crowd Have practiced for millions of eons. They are unwaveringly established in miraculous powers. Excellently learned, they have realized the power of wisdom. {45}

“Like lotuses on water that are unstained, Today they have arrived when the earth split apart. They all stand respectfully with hands together in homage, These mindful offspring of the Lord of the World. {46}

“How can the bodhisattvas believe In such a marvel of yours as this? Tell us so that doubts will be overcome. Teach the meaning of this exactly as it is. {47}

“It is as if there were a person, A youth, a young lad with black hair Who was born just over twenty years before, Who introduces hundred-year-old men as his sons. {48}

“They are wrinkled, with white hair, and they say, ‘This is the one who has fathered us.’ Lord of the World, it would be difficult to believe That such men as those could be the youth’s sons. {49}

“In the same way, the Bhagavān is like that young man, While these numerous bodhisattvas who have knowledge, And are mindful, fearless, and endowed with wisdom, Have trained excellently for billions of eons. {50}

“They have stability, skill in wisdom, Are all good looking and beautiful, Have certainty in the Dharma, are fearless, And are praised by the guides of the worlds. {51}

“They travel around unimpeded like the wind. They dwell constantly in the realm of space. These progeny of the Sugata are diligent In seeking this enlightenment of buddhahood. {52}

“We do not give rise to any doubts whatsoever, We who hear these words directly from the Lord of the World, But after the Guide of the World has entered nirvāṇa How will beings be able to believe in this? {53}

“Bodhisattvas will go to the lower realms Through having doubts about this matter. Bhagavān, elucidate for us In what way you ripened these bodhisattvas.” {54}