Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, if a noble man or noble woman rejoices after hearing this Dharma teaching explained, how much merit, Bhagavān, does that noble man or noble woman create?” And at that time the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya also addressed to him this verse:
EN
“After the nirvāṇa of the great Hero, How much merit will there be For someone who listens to this kind of sūtra, And having heard it, rejoices?” {1}
EN
The Bhagavān then answered the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, when the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, suppose there are noble men or noble women, bhikṣus or bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas or upāsikās, wise adults, boys or girls who listen to this Dharma teaching being given, and having heard it, rejoice. And having listened to the Dharma they get up and leave, and whether they go to a temple, a house, a forest, a street, a town, or the countryside, they explain those causes, those causal factors, that Dharma, to other beings just as they have heard it, just as they remember it, to the extent of their ability, whether it be to their father, mother, or relative, and to anyone else who will be pleased, with whom they are acquainted. Then suppose those other beings rejoice on having heard it, and having rejoiced they tell it to others who will rejoice on hearing it, and then those tell it to others, so that this Dharma teaching is passed on from one to another until it reaches a fiftieth person.
EN
“Ajita, thus suppose there is a person who is the fiftieth to hear it and rejoice after it has been passed on from one to another. Ajita, I shall describe the merit that is accumulated through such a noble man or noble woman’s rejoicing, so listen well and remember.
EN
“Ajita, it is like this: Suppose there are four hundred thousand innumerable world realms in which there are beings that have been born into the six kinds of existence: that have been born from eggs, born from wombs, born from warm moisture, or born miraculously; beings with form and without form; beings with perception, without perception, and neither with nor without perception; beings with no legs, with two legs, with four legs, or with many legs—an entire multitude of beings that are included within that realm of beings, that have entered that realm of beings. Then a man appears there who wishes to create merit, who wishes to benefit others, and who gives to that multitude of beings lovely, beautiful, cherished, desired pleasures and enjoyments of happiness. In order that each of the beings that fill Jambudvīpa might enjoy what they desire, what they delight in, and what they take pleasure in, he gives them cowries, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryls, conch, crystal, corals, horse-drawn carriages, ox-drawn carriages, elephant-drawn carriages, palaces, and kūṭāgāras.
EN
“Ajita, this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity, gives these gifts in that way for eighty years. Then, Ajita, this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity thinks, ‘I have brought all these beings delights, pleasures, and happiness. These beings have now become old. They have white hair, are covered with wrinkles, are eighty years old and they are close to the time of their deaths. I shall introduce them to the Dharma’s guidance that has been taught by the Tathāgata and teach it to them.’
EN
“Then, Ajita, that man introduces those beings to the Dharma’s guidance that has been taught by the Tathāgata, and when they have been introduced to the Dharma they listen to it, and having heard it for just one moment, just one instant, briefly, they attain the results of becoming stream entrants, once-returners, and nonreturners, up to becoming arhats, who have brought the defilements to cessation, become meditators, great meditators, and meditate on the eight liberations.
EN
“What do you think, Ajita? Would this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity, have generated vast countless immeasurable merit through that as a cause?”
EN
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya replied to the Bhagavān, “It is so, Bhagavān. It is so, Sugata. That man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity, would have generated vast merit through that causal factor, through giving to those beings the things that bring happiness—not to speak, Bhagavān, of establishing them in the higher state of arhathood.”
EN
Then the Bhagavān said to bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, I declare this to you, I make this known to you. There is the merit generated by that man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity through providing the things that brought happiness to all the beings in four hundred thousand countless world realms, and establishing them in arhathood. There is also the amount of merit generated by the fiftieth person who heard and rejoiced in just one verse from this Dharma teaching, or rejoiced in just one line, after it had been passed from one to another. The amount of merit possessed by that person who rejoiced—who rejoiced in just one verse from this Dharma teaching or rejoiced in just one line—after it had been passed from one to another fifty times, would be far greater than the amount of merit gained by that man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity through his generosity and establishing beings in arhathood.
EN
“Ajita, the accumulation of merit through generosity and establishing beings in arhathood that was previously described does not equal a hundredth of the merit, of the good karma, accumulated from that rejoicing. It does not equal a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a ten millionth, a thousand millionth, a ten thousand millionth, a million millionth, or even a hundred thousand quintillionth. That merit cannot be calculated—even a fraction of it cannot be calculated; there is no suitable analogy for it, and there is no suitable simile for it.
EN
“Ajita, that is the amount of merit generated by rejoicing in one verse or one line from this Dharma teaching by that fiftieth person, Ajita, not to mention someone who in my presence hears and rejoices in this Dharma teaching. Ajita, I teach that the accumulation of such merit is immeasurable, unquantifiable.
EN
“Ajita, the noble man or noble woman who, in order to listen to this Dharma teaching, leaves their home and goes to a temple, and having arrived there, whether standing or sitting, listens briefly to this Dharma teaching will create and accumulate such an accumulation of merit. Then when they depart from that life, in their next lifetime, they will have a life in which they acquire ox-drawn carriages, horse-drawn carriages, elephant-drawn carriages, palanquins, boats, bull-drawn carriages, and the airborne palaces of a deity.
EN
“If they sit down for just a moment where the Dharma of the sūtra is being taught and listen to this Dharma teaching, or make another person sit down, or share their seat with another being, through that merit they accumulate they will attain the throne of Śakra, the throne of Brahmā, and the lion throne of a cakravartin.
EN
“Ajita, if a noble man or noble woman says to another person, ‘Hey, come here! Listen to this Dharma teaching called The White Lotus of the Good Dharma!’ and if that person is inspired and comes, and if they listen for just a moment, through the roots of merit that are accumulated through having inspired that being, the noble man or woman will be among the company of bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained retention. They will not be stupid. They will have sharp faculties and be wise. For a hundred thousand lifetimes they will not have a foul-smelling mouth, bad breath, illness of the tongue, illness of the mouth, blackened teeth, uneven teeth, yellow teeth, disarranged teeth, broken teeth, lost teeth, crooked teeth, a prominent lower lip, thin lips, too wide lips, a cleft lip, crooked lips, dark lips, ugly lips, a flat nose, a crooked nose, a long face, a crooked face, a black face, or an ugly face.
EN
“Ajita, in that way they will have delicate and well-formed tongues, teeth, and lips, a prominent nose, a beautifully shaped face, lovely eyebrows, a well-formed forehead, and they will attain the complete features of a superior being. They will find the Tathāgata and the instructions he teaches, and will quickly be among the company of the buddha bhagavāns.
EN
“Ajita, see the amount of merit that is generated by inspiring just one being, let alone by one who respectfully listens to, respectfully reads, respectfully teaches, and respectfully elucidates this Dharma teaching.”
EN
Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:
EN
“Listen to the extent of merit that arises When someone hears one verse of this sūtra And is the fiftieth in its transmission from one to another, And having heard it appreciates it and rejoices. {2}
EN
“As in the parable that I have previously narrated, There appears a person who is a lord of generosity Who for eighty years, continually, Brings satisfaction to a quintillion beings. {3}
EN
“Then, when he sees that they have become old, Covered in wrinkles, and their hair has turned white He thinks, ‘Oh, I shall teach the Dharma To all of these afflicted beings!’ {4}
EN
“He subsequently teaches them the Dharma, Telling them of the state of nirvāṇa: ‘All existences are like foam and mirages. Quickly turn your minds away from all existences!’ {5}
EN
“All those beings, having heard the Dharma Directly from that man of generosity, Cease their defilements and in that last life of theirs They all simultaneously attain arhathood. {6}
EN
“The amount of merit that comes from rejoicing On hearing a single verse that has been passed on from one to another, That amount of merit is far greater than the merit previously described, Which does not equal even a fraction of it. {7}
EN
“In that way there is a vast amount of merit That is limitless, that is beyond measure, For one who hears one verse that has been passed on, Let alone someone who has heard it directly from me. {8}
EN
“If someone inspires just one being By saying, ‘This sūtra is very hard to find, Even in many quintillions of eons, So come and listen to the Dharma!’ {9}
EN
“And if that being, having been inspired, Listens for a moment to this sūtra, Then hear what are the results of that action: {10} They will never have a malady of the mouth,
EN
“Their tongue will never be affected by illness, They will never lose their teeth, Which will not be black, yellow, uneven, or crooked, And they will never have ugly lips. {11}
EN
“Their face will not be crooked, thin, or long, And they will never have a flat nose. Their nose, forehead, teeth, lips, and face Will all be perfectly formed. {12}
EN
“People will see them as attractive. There will be no rotten smell from their mouth, But always a pleasant scent like a blue lotus— That is the aroma that will come from their mouth. {13}
EN
“If heroes go from their home to the temple, Arriving there in order to listen to the sūtra, And having arrived there, listen to the Dharma briefly, The result of having such faith is as follows: {14}
EN
“They will have a body that will be very white. Those constant ones will travel by horse-drawn carriage. They will travel seated in an elephant-drawn carriage That is adorned by jewels. {15}
EN
“They will obtain an adorned palanquin That will be carried by many men. This is the kind of result of good karma That comes from going to listen to the Dharma. {16}
EN
“Through the good karma that is created By being seated in the midst of the assembly, They will attain the throne of Brahmā, The throne of a king, and the throne of Śakra.” {17}
Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, if a noble man or noble woman rejoices after hearing this Dharma teaching explained, how much merit, Bhagavān, does that noble man or noble woman create?” And at that time the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya also addressed to him this verse:
EN
“After the nirvāṇa of the great Hero, How much merit will there be For someone who listens to this kind of sūtra, And having heard it, rejoices?” {1}
EN
The Bhagavān then answered the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, when the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, suppose there are noble men or noble women, bhikṣus or bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas or upāsikās, wise adults, boys or girls who listen to this Dharma teaching being given, and having heard it, rejoice. And having listened to the Dharma they get up and leave, and whether they go to a temple, a house, a forest, a street, a town, or the countryside, they explain those causes, those causal factors, that Dharma, to other beings just as they have heard it, just as they remember it, to the extent of their ability, whether it be to their father, mother, or relative, and to anyone else who will be pleased, with whom they are acquainted. Then suppose those other beings rejoice on having heard it, and having rejoiced they tell it to others who will rejoice on hearing it, and then those tell it to others, so that this Dharma teaching is passed on from one to another until it reaches a fiftieth person.
EN
“Ajita, thus suppose there is a person who is the fiftieth to hear it and rejoice after it has been passed on from one to another. Ajita, I shall describe the merit that is accumulated through such a noble man or noble woman’s rejoicing, so listen well and remember.
EN
“Ajita, it is like this: Suppose there are four hundred thousand innumerable world realms in which there are beings that have been born into the six kinds of existence: that have been born from eggs, born from wombs, born from warm moisture, or born miraculously; beings with form and without form; beings with perception, without perception, and neither with nor without perception; beings with no legs, with two legs, with four legs, or with many legs—an entire multitude of beings that are included within that realm of beings, that have entered that realm of beings. Then a man appears there who wishes to create merit, who wishes to benefit others, and who gives to that multitude of beings lovely, beautiful, cherished, desired pleasures and enjoyments of happiness. In order that each of the beings that fill Jambudvīpa might enjoy what they desire, what they delight in, and what they take pleasure in, he gives them cowries, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, beryls, conch, crystal, corals, horse-drawn carriages, ox-drawn carriages, elephant-drawn carriages, palaces, and kūṭāgāras.
EN
“Ajita, this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity, gives these gifts in that way for eighty years. Then, Ajita, this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity thinks, ‘I have brought all these beings delights, pleasures, and happiness. These beings have now become old. They have white hair, are covered with wrinkles, are eighty years old and they are close to the time of their deaths. I shall introduce them to the Dharma’s guidance that has been taught by the Tathāgata and teach it to them.’
EN
“Then, Ajita, that man introduces those beings to the Dharma’s guidance that has been taught by the Tathāgata, and when they have been introduced to the Dharma they listen to it, and having heard it for just one moment, just one instant, briefly, they attain the results of becoming stream entrants, once-returners, and nonreturners, up to becoming arhats, who have brought the defilements to cessation, become meditators, great meditators, and meditate on the eight liberations.
EN
“What do you think, Ajita? Would this man, this lord of generosity, this lord of great generosity, have generated vast countless immeasurable merit through that as a cause?”
EN
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya replied to the Bhagavān, “It is so, Bhagavān. It is so, Sugata. That man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity, would have generated vast merit through that causal factor, through giving to those beings the things that bring happiness—not to speak, Bhagavān, of establishing them in the higher state of arhathood.”
EN
Then the Bhagavān said to bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, I declare this to you, I make this known to you. There is the merit generated by that man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity through providing the things that brought happiness to all the beings in four hundred thousand countless world realms, and establishing them in arhathood. There is also the amount of merit generated by the fiftieth person who heard and rejoiced in just one verse from this Dharma teaching, or rejoiced in just one line, after it had been passed from one to another. The amount of merit possessed by that person who rejoiced—who rejoiced in just one verse from this Dharma teaching or rejoiced in just one line—after it had been passed from one to another fifty times, would be far greater than the amount of merit gained by that man, that lord of generosity, that lord of great generosity through his generosity and establishing beings in arhathood.
EN
“Ajita, the accumulation of merit through generosity and establishing beings in arhathood that was previously described does not equal a hundredth of the merit, of the good karma, accumulated from that rejoicing. It does not equal a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a ten millionth, a thousand millionth, a ten thousand millionth, a million millionth, or even a hundred thousand quintillionth. That merit cannot be calculated—even a fraction of it cannot be calculated; there is no suitable analogy for it, and there is no suitable simile for it.
EN
“Ajita, that is the amount of merit generated by rejoicing in one verse or one line from this Dharma teaching by that fiftieth person, Ajita, not to mention someone who in my presence hears and rejoices in this Dharma teaching. Ajita, I teach that the accumulation of such merit is immeasurable, unquantifiable.
EN
“Ajita, the noble man or noble woman who, in order to listen to this Dharma teaching, leaves their home and goes to a temple, and having arrived there, whether standing or sitting, listens briefly to this Dharma teaching will create and accumulate such an accumulation of merit. Then when they depart from that life, in their next lifetime, they will have a life in which they acquire ox-drawn carriages, horse-drawn carriages, elephant-drawn carriages, palanquins, boats, bull-drawn carriages, and the airborne palaces of a deity.
EN
“If they sit down for just a moment where the Dharma of the sūtra is being taught and listen to this Dharma teaching, or make another person sit down, or share their seat with another being, through that merit they accumulate they will attain the throne of Śakra, the throne of Brahmā, and the lion throne of a cakravartin.
EN
“Ajita, if a noble man or noble woman says to another person, ‘Hey, come here! Listen to this Dharma teaching called The White Lotus of the Good Dharma!’ and if that person is inspired and comes, and if they listen for just a moment, through the roots of merit that are accumulated through having inspired that being, the noble man or woman will be among the company of bodhisattva mahāsattvas who have attained retention. They will not be stupid. They will have sharp faculties and be wise. For a hundred thousand lifetimes they will not have a foul-smelling mouth, bad breath, illness of the tongue, illness of the mouth, blackened teeth, uneven teeth, yellow teeth, disarranged teeth, broken teeth, lost teeth, crooked teeth, a prominent lower lip, thin lips, too wide lips, a cleft lip, crooked lips, dark lips, ugly lips, a flat nose, a crooked nose, a long face, a crooked face, a black face, or an ugly face.
EN
“Ajita, in that way they will have delicate and well-formed tongues, teeth, and lips, a prominent nose, a beautifully shaped face, lovely eyebrows, a well-formed forehead, and they will attain the complete features of a superior being. They will find the Tathāgata and the instructions he teaches, and will quickly be among the company of the buddha bhagavāns.
EN
“Ajita, see the amount of merit that is generated by inspiring just one being, let alone by one who respectfully listens to, respectfully reads, respectfully teaches, and respectfully elucidates this Dharma teaching.”
EN
Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:
EN
“Listen to the extent of merit that arises When someone hears one verse of this sūtra And is the fiftieth in its transmission from one to another, And having heard it appreciates it and rejoices. {2}
EN
“As in the parable that I have previously narrated, There appears a person who is a lord of generosity Who for eighty years, continually, Brings satisfaction to a quintillion beings. {3}
EN
“Then, when he sees that they have become old, Covered in wrinkles, and their hair has turned white He thinks, ‘Oh, I shall teach the Dharma To all of these afflicted beings!’ {4}
EN
“He subsequently teaches them the Dharma, Telling them of the state of nirvāṇa: ‘All existences are like foam and mirages. Quickly turn your minds away from all existences!’ {5}
EN
“All those beings, having heard the Dharma Directly from that man of generosity, Cease their defilements and in that last life of theirs They all simultaneously attain arhathood. {6}
EN
“The amount of merit that comes from rejoicing On hearing a single verse that has been passed on from one to another, That amount of merit is far greater than the merit previously described, Which does not equal even a fraction of it. {7}
EN
“In that way there is a vast amount of merit That is limitless, that is beyond measure, For one who hears one verse that has been passed on, Let alone someone who has heard it directly from me. {8}
EN
“If someone inspires just one being By saying, ‘This sūtra is very hard to find, Even in many quintillions of eons, So come and listen to the Dharma!’ {9}
EN
“And if that being, having been inspired, Listens for a moment to this sūtra, Then hear what are the results of that action: {10} They will never have a malady of the mouth,
EN
“Their tongue will never be affected by illness, They will never lose their teeth, Which will not be black, yellow, uneven, or crooked, And they will never have ugly lips. {11}
EN
“Their face will not be crooked, thin, or long, And they will never have a flat nose. Their nose, forehead, teeth, lips, and face Will all be perfectly formed. {12}
EN
“People will see them as attractive. There will be no rotten smell from their mouth, But always a pleasant scent like a blue lotus— That is the aroma that will come from their mouth. {13}
EN
“If heroes go from their home to the temple, Arriving there in order to listen to the sūtra, And having arrived there, listen to the Dharma briefly, The result of having such faith is as follows: {14}
EN
“They will have a body that will be very white. Those constant ones will travel by horse-drawn carriage. They will travel seated in an elephant-drawn carriage That is adorned by jewels. {15}
EN
“They will obtain an adorned palanquin That will be carried by many men. This is the kind of result of good karma That comes from going to listen to the Dharma. {16}
EN
“Through the good karma that is created By being seated in the midst of the assembly, They will attain the throne of Brahmā, The throne of a king, and the throne of Śakra.” {17}
Sutraya