When the teaching of the Tathāgata’s lifespan was taught it benefited innumerable, countless beings. The Bhagavān said at that time to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, when the Dharma teaching that teaches the Tathāgata’s lifespan was given, a hundred thousand quintillion bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty-eight Ganges Rivers, developed receptivity to the birthlessness of phenomena.

“A thousand times more bodhisattva mahāsattvas than that attained the power of retention.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in a world realm of a thousand worlds, heard this Dharma teaching and attained unimpeded eloquence.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in a world realm of a million worlds, heard this Dharma teaching and attained a hundred thousandfold power of retention.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in a world realm of a billion worlds, heard this Dharma teaching and turned the irreversible wheel.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in the intermediate thousandfold world realm, heard this Dharma teaching and turned the Dharma wheel called stainless light.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in the lesser thousandfold world realm, heard this Dharma teaching and developed the aspiration to the highest, complete enlightenment after eight lifetimes.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in four four-continent world realms, heard this Dharma teaching and developed the aspiration to the highest, complete enlightenment after four lifetimes.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in three four-continent world realms, heard this Dharma teaching and developed the aspiration to the highest, complete enlightenment after three lifetimes.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in two four-continent world realms, heard this Dharma teaching and developed the aspiration to the highest, complete enlightenment after two lifetimes.

“Other bodhisattva mahāsattvas, as numerous as the atoms in one four-continent world realm, heard this Dharma teaching and developed the aspiration to the highest, complete enlightenment in one lifetime.

“Bodhisattva mahāsattvas as numerous as the atoms in eight world realms of a thousand million worlds heard this Dharma teaching and developed the aspiration to the highest, complete enlightenment.”

As soon as the Bhagavān had taught this foundation, this understanding of the Dharma, to those bodhisattvas, in that moment, from the sky above there descended a great rainfall of coral tree flowers and great coral tree flowers. They were sprinkled and scattered over a hundred thousand quintillion buddhas seated on lion thrones at the foot of precious trees in a hundred thousand quintillion world realms.

They were sprinkled and scattered over the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni and the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna, who had passed into nirvāṇa, who were both seated on lion thrones. They were sprinkled and scattered over the complete gathering of bodhisattvas. They were sprinkled and scattered over the fourfold assembly. Divine sandalwood and agarwood powders fell from the sky. There resounded from the sky above the beautiful, melodious, and gentle sounds of drums, without their being beaten. Hundreds of thousands of pairs of divine calico cloths fell from above. Short necklaces, long necklaces, flower garlands, precious jewels, and huge precious jewels were hung in every direction. Hundreds of thousands of censers made from precious materials and containing priceless incense moved around by themselves. Above each tathāgata, bodhisattva mahāsattvas in the sky held a tier of precious parasols that reached up to the realm of Brahmā. In this way, above all those hundred thousand quintillion buddhas, bodhisattva mahāsattvas in the sky held tiers of precious parasols, reaching as high as the realm of Brahmā. Each of them praised those tathāgatas with praises of the buddhas rendered into verse.

At that time the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya spoke these verses:

“The Tathāgata has proclaimed a wonderful Dharma That we have never heard before: The nature of the great power of the guides, And the way in which their lifespans are infinite. {1}

“Having heard on this day such a Dharma Being imparted directly from the Sugata, Thousands of millions of beings, The Guide of the World’s own progeny, are filled with joy. {2}

“Some are irreversibly fixed upon the highest enlightenment, Some are established in the supreme retention, Some are established in unimpeded eloquence, And some in thousands of millions of retentions. {3}

“There are others, as numerous as the atoms in the world, Who are established in the highest wisdom of buddhahood. Some will, after eight lifetimes, Become jinas with infinite vision. {4}

“Having heard this Dharma of the Guide, Some, after four lives have passed, Some others after two or three, Will attain enlightenment and see the ultimate truth. {5}

“Some, after living one lifetime, Will in another existence become omniscient. Having heard the length of the Guide’s lifespan, They will attain such an immaculate result. {6}

“The millions of beings who have heard the Dharma, As numerous as the atoms in eight realms, Whose numbers are incalculable, Have developed the aspiration for supreme enlightenment. {7}

“By teaching this enlightenment of buddhahood The great Rishi has accomplished an action That is infinite, and that is immeasurable— As immeasurable as the element of space. {8}

“A rain of coral tree flowers has fallen. Many thousands of millions of devas, Śakras, and Brahmās as numerous as the Ganges sands Have come from thousands of millions of realms. {9}

“They sprinkle powder of sandalwood, Of the best incenses, and the powder of agarwood. While moving like birds through the sky, They have appropriately sprinkled them on the Lords of Jinas. {10}

“From the sky above there has resounded The beautiful sound of drums without their being beaten. Thousands of millions of divine calico cloths Encircle and are tossed upon the guides. {11}

“Incense of a priceless value, In billions of precious censers, As offerings to the Protector, the Lord of the World, Move around everywhere by themselves. {12}

“Endless quintillions of parasols, Tall, vast, and made of precious materials, In great numbers reaching as high as Brahmā’s realm, Are held by wise bodhisattvas. {13}

“Beautiful banners of victory Are hoisted as the banners of the guides. The offspring of the Sugata, filled with joy, Praise him with thousands of verses. {14}

“Today, Guide, these various kinds Of wondrous and superior marvels have occurred. Through teaching the extent of your lifespan All these beings have attained perfect joy. {15}

“Today there has been in the ten directions A vast meaning, the superior words of the guides, Bringing contentment to billions of beings, Possessing virtue for the sake of enlightenment.” {16}

The Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, those beings who have just once developed aspiration, developed motivation, or gained faith when this Dharma teaching that teaches the extent of the lifespan of the Tathāgata was taught, how much merit have such noble men or noble women created? Listen well and remember, for I shall explain how much merit they have created.

“Ajita, it is like this: If a noble man or noble woman, wishing for the highest, complete enlightenment, were to practice, for eight hundred thousand quintillion eons, the five perfections, which are the perfection of generosity, the perfection of correct conduct, the perfection of patience, the perfection of diligence, and the perfection of meditation, without the perfection of wisdom, and, Ajita, if there were a noble man or noble woman who had one time developed aspiration, developed motivation, or gained faith when this Dharma teaching that teaches the extent of the lifespan of the Tathāgata was taught, then that former accumulation of the roots of merit—the merit accumulated by completing the five perfections during eight hundred thousand quintillion eons—would not equal a hundredth part, not a thousandth, not a hundred thousandth, not a ten millionth, not a thousand millionth, not ten thousand millionth, not a million millionth, and not even a hundred thousand quintillionth part. The merit could not be calculated; even a fraction of it could not be calculated—there is no suitable analogy for it, and there is no suitable simile for it.

“Ajita, it is impossible for the progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment made by a noble man or noble woman who possesses such an accumulation of merit to be reversible.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“If a person were to make the commitment To practicing the five perfections In order to seek this wisdom, Buddhahood’s unsurpassable wisdom, {17}

“And were even to practice them For an entire eighty billion eons, Repeatedly making gifts To the buddhas and śrāvakas, {18}

“Pleasing pratyeka­buddhas And millions of bodhisattvas With food and drinks to eat and drink, And also clothing and bedding and seats, {19}

“Building dwellings and temples That were made from sandalwood, And delightful gardens And beautiful walking areas, {20}

“Giving these kinds of gifts That are of many different kinds For thousands of millions of eons, Giving them in dedication to enlightenment; {21}

“And also, for the sake of buddhahood’s wisdom, Maintaining correct conduct And praising indefatigably The buddhas with pure praises; {22}

“And also meditating on patience, Being established on the level of discipline, Being stable, and having mindfulness, And being patient with criticism; {23}

“And for the sake of buddhahood’s wisdom Enduring abuse from those Beings who believe in objective reality And who are fixed in their arrogance; {24}

“And also being always diligently dedicated, Having stable mindfulness and application, Without having a thought about anything else For millions of eons; {25}

“And remaining in the forests, Walking upon the walkways, Practicing for ten million eons, Forsaking sleep and sloth; {26}

“And having meditation, great meditation, Delighting in meditation, and being concentrated, Practicing meditation for no less Than eighty thousand million eons— {27}

“That person who is a hero with that meditation, And aspires for the highest enlightenment, Thinking, ‘May I become omniscient!’ And reaches the perfection of meditation— {28}

“I have previously described The merit that person will have By maintaining that activity For ten thousand million eons. {29}

“Yet a person, whether male or female, Who has heard of this my lifespan And has faith in it for even an instant Will have merit that is limitless. {30}

“Rejecting doubts, Deceit, and arrogance, And aspiring for a moment, Will have this kind of result. {31}

“When the bodhisattvas who have practiced For ten million eons Hear of my inconceivable lifespan, They do not reject it. {32}

“They bow down their heads and say, ‘May I too in a future time Become like this And liberate millions of beings. {33}

“ ‘Just as Lord Śākyamuni, The great Muni, the Śākya Lion, Sat upon the Bodhimaṇḍa And roared his lion’s roar, {34}

“ ‘May I too in a future time Be honored by all beings And, having sat on the Bodhimaṇḍa, May I teach this kind of Dharma. {35}

“ ‘May those humans who hear and possess it With a perfect, superior motivation Know that the teaching has implied meaning, And may they be free of any doubt.’ {36}

“Moreover, Ajita, if someone who hears, enters, follows, and comprehends this Dharma teaching that teaches the lifespan of the Tathāgata will generate a supremely incalculable accumulation of merit that leads to the wisdom of buddhahood, it goes without saying that someone who hears this kind of Dharma teaching, proclaims it, maintains it, writes it, has it written, and honors the text or has others honor it with flowers, incense, perfume, garlands, ointments, powders, clothing, parasols, banners, flags, sesame oil lamps, ghee lamps, and perfumed oil lamps will generate a far greater accumulation of merit that leads to the wisdom of buddhahood.

“Ajita, when a noble man or noble woman hears this Dharma teaching that teaches the lifespan of the Tathāgata and aspires to it with a superior motivation, know that their superior motivation has these characteristics: They see me at Vulture Peak, encircled and honored by an assembly of bodhisattvas, teaching the Dharma at the center of the saṅgha of śrāvakas. They see my buddha realm, this Sahā world realm, to have a ground made of beryl that is level, divided like a checkerboard with golden cords, and to be adorned by trees made of precious materials. They see bodhisattvas residing in perfectly enjoyable kūṭāgāras.

“Ajita, know these to be the characteristics of the superior motivation of the noble men or noble women who have aspiration with a superior motivation.

“Moreover, Ajita, I say that those noble ones who have a superior motivation are those who hear this Dharma teaching after the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa and do not reject it, but rejoice in it, let alone those who maintain it and read it.

“Ajita, the noble man or noble woman who makes a text of this Dharma teaching and carries it on their shoulder is carrying the Tathāgata on their shoulder.

“Ajita, that noble man or noble woman does not need to build a stūpa for me, does not need to build a temple, nor do they need to give utensils to the saṅgha of bhikṣus, or medicine when they are ill.

“Why is that? Ajita, that noble man or noble woman will have made an offering to my body, having created a stūpa made of the seven precious materials that is as high as the realm of Brahmā, encircled by a circumambulatory walkway, with parasols upon it, with flags and ringing bells. They will have honored it in many ways with divine and human flowers, perfume, incense, garlands, ointments, powders, cloth, parasols, banners, flags, and flags of victory. For many countless hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, they will have honored it with beautiful, melodious, clear sounds of many kinds of kettledrums, and large kettledrums; the sound of musical instruments and percussion; different kinds of song, dance, and amusements; and countless different kinds of music.

“Ajita, the one who after my passing into nirvāṇa possesses this Dharma teaching and reads it, writes it out, and teaches it, will for my sake have created a high, vast temple made of red sandalwood, with thirty-two mansions that have eight floors, as a residence for a thousand bhikṣus, with gardens beautified by flowers, with groves that have walkways, with beds and seats, filled with food and drink—hard food and soft food—and medicine for when there is illness, and adorned with things that bring happiness. They will have offered many of these, countless numbers of these—a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, ten million, a thousand million, a trillion, a hundred thousand quintillion—in my presence, to the saṅgha of śrāvakas, and it should be known that I will have enjoyed them.

“Ajita, I say that if someone possesses this Dharma teaching after the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, and reads it, teaches it, writes it, or has someone write it, then because of this Dharma teaching there is no need for them to build a stūpa for my relics after I have passed into nirvāṇa, and no need to make an offering to the saṅgha, let alone, Ajita, someone who while possessing this Dharma teaching accomplishes generosity, correct conduct, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. That noble man or noble woman will generate an infinite, countless, innumerable aggregation of merit, Ajita, in the same way that the directions of east, south, west, north, above and below, and the intermediate directions in the element of space have no end.

“That noble man or noble woman who possesses this Dharma teaching, and reads it, teaches it, writes it, or has someone write it, accumulates an infinite, countless, innumerable aggregation of merit for the wisdom of buddhahood. They will be dedicated to honoring the caitya of the Tathāgata. They will recite the praises of the Tathāgata’s śrāvakas. They will describe the hundred thousand quintillion qualities of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas and teach them to others again and again.

“They will accomplish patience, possess correct conduct, and will delight in the company of those with virtuous qualities; they will be patient, self-controlled, without envy, free of anger, without malicious intentions, mindful, strong, diligent, and constantly dedicated to seeking the Buddha’s Dharma; they will be meditators, will be devoted to solitary meditation, will frequently be in solitary meditation, and be skilled in questions and discrimination, and able to answer a hundred thousand quintillion questions.

“Ajita, I have described the qualities of the bodhisattva mahāsattvas who will maintain this Dharma teaching after I have passed into nirvāṇa, and that is what they will be like.

“Ajita, this is what a noble man or noble woman should know: That noble man or noble woman will be seated at the Bodhimaṇḍa. They will go to the foot of the Bodhi tree in order to attain the enlightenment of buddhahood.

“Ajita, wherever that noble man or noble woman stands, sits, or walks, there should be built a caitya for the Tathāgata. The world and its devas should say, ‘This is a caitya of the Tathāgata.’ ”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“I praise again and again The limitless aggregation of merit Of those who maintain this sūtra When the Protector of Humans is in nirvāṇa. {37}

“Through that they make offerings to me, And they create a lovely, beautiful Variety of stūpas for my relics, Which are made from precious materials. {38}

“They reach as high as the realms of Brahmā And they are endowed with parasols and garlands. They have glorious circumambulatory walkways And they possess banners of victory. {39}

“The relics of the Jina are beautified By the clear sound of bells, The beauty of silken streamers, And bells shaken by the breeze. {40}

“To them are made vast offerings Of perfume, flowers, and garlands; Cloths and the sound of music; And by the sound of drums over and over. {41}

“The sweet sound of musical instruments Is played for those relics. Lamps of perfume, sesame oil, and ghee Are completely offered to them all around. {42}

“The one who possesses this sūtra And teaches it in the era of decline Will, by so doing, have made Such infinite and diverse offerings to me: {43}

“Numerous millions of temples That are made from sandalwood, With thirty-two mansions That are eight floors high; {44}

“Thousands of residences Provided with beds and seats, An accumulation of food and drink, And hung with excellent curtains; {45}

“And gardens and walkways are given, Beautified by delightful flowers. There are many awnings there In a variety of different forms. {46}

“The one who possesses this sūtra After the Guide has passed into nirvāṇa Will have, in my presence, Made many offerings to the saṅgha. {47}

“The one who reads this sūtra, Or one who writes it out While filled with aspiration, Will attain even greater merit. {48}

“The person who has it written out In a volume with correct words, And makes offerings to the text With perfumes, garlands, and ointments, {49}

“Who continually makes offerings of lamps That are filled with perfumed sesame oil And scatters upon it the petals of Royal jasmine, blue lotuses, and magnolias— {50}

“That person who makes offerings In that manner to those texts Will generate much merit, Which will be beyond measure. {51}

“Just as the extent of space Can never be discovered Throughout all the ten directions, So will be this accumulation of merit. {52}

“And it goes without saying that it will be so For those who also have patience, self-control, Concentration, correct conduct, meditation, And practice solitary contemplation. {53}

“Without anger, without slander, They remain in veneration to the caitya, Always bowing to the bhikṣus Without pride and without laziness. {54}

“Endowed with wisdom and likewise stable, They ask questions and do not become angry. They have compassion for beings And teach them in an appropriate manner. {55}

“For those who will be like that And who possess this sūtra, There will be an aggregation of merit The extent of which can never be measured. {56}

“If someone were to see Such dharmabhāṇakas Who possess this sūtra They will treat them with reverence. {57}

“They will scatter divine flowers upon them. They will wrap them in divine cloth. They will bow their heads to their feet, And will perceive them to be a tathāgata. {58}

“Seeing them they will at that time think, ‘That one will go to the foot of a tree And in order to benefit the world and its devas Will attain the highest enlightenment of buddhahood.’ {59}

“Someone who recites one verse from this sūtra Where those kinds of wise people walk, Wherever they stand, or wherever they sit, Or wherever those heroes makes their bed, {60}

“In those places there should be built Various beautiful stūpas of the highest being, For the Guide, the Buddha, the Bhagavān, And a variety of offerings should be made to it. {61}

“I also will have enjoyed that place Where those bodhisattvas resided. I myself will have walked there, And I myself will have sat there.” {62}