Then the Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, “Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, you should know that this Dharma teaching is like this: Whoever rejects this Dharma teaching, and scolds, rebukes, and speaks crudely and harshly to the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās who possess such a sūtra as this, will experience the undesirable result ripening from that, which is that they will be unable to speak words. Whoever possesses such a sūtra as this, reads it, studies it, teaches it, and teaches it extensively to others will have the desirable result ripening from that, which is, as I have said before, that they will attain purified eyes, nose, ears, tongue, body, and mind.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in the past, in a time gone by, countless, innumerable, incalculable, vast asaṃkhyeya eons ago, at that time, in that era, in the Vinirbhoga eon, in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā, there appeared in the world the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha, the one with perfect wisdom and conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, the teacher of gods and humans, the buddha, the bhagavān named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, in that world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā, taught the Dharma before the world with its devas, humans, and asuras in this way: To the śrāvakas he taught the Dharma conjoined with the four truths of the āryas, and nirvāṇa as the ultimate goal, as well as the process of dependent origination, in order that they might transcend birth, aging, sickness, death, misery, lamentation, suffering, unhappiness, and distress. To the bodhisattva mahāsattvas he taught the Dharma that commences with the highest, complete enlightenment conjoined with the six perfections, and concludes with omniscient wisdom.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja’s lifespan was a hundred thousand quintillion eons, as numerous as the grains of sand in four Ganges Rivers. After he passed into nirvāṇa, his Dharma remained for hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, as numerous as the atoms in Jambudvīpa. The outer form of his Dharma remained for hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons, as numerous as the atoms in four continents.

“Then, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, after both the Dharma and the outer form of the Dharma of the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, who had passed into nirvāṇa, had ceased to exist, another tathāgata, arhat, perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja appeared in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in that way, one after another, there appeared two million quintillion tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in the Vinirbhoga eon, in the world realm Mahāsaṃbhavā, when the bhagavān who was the first tathāgata, arhat, perfectly enlightened buddha, one with perfect wisdom and conduct, sugata, knower of the world, unsurpassable guide who tamed beings, teacher of gods and humans, buddha, bhagavān named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja had passed into nirvāṇa, his Dharma had ceased to exist, and the outer form of his Dharma was coming to an end; his teachings were being trodden down by arrogant bhikṣus. Then there appeared a bodhisattva mahāsattva bhikṣu named Sadāparibhūta.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, why was that bodhisattva mahāsattva named Sadāparibhūta?

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, whenever that bodhisattva mahāsattva saw a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka or upasikā, he would come before them and say, ‘I do not ridicule you, brothers and sisters. You are not ridiculous. Why is that? It is because you have all been practicing bodhisattva conduct and you will all become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.’

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in this way, whenever that bodhisattva mahāsattva bhikṣu saw a being, even if he was far away, he would come before them and make that proclamation. He did not recite scripture or a daily recitation, but would come before a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka or upasikā and say, ‘I do not ridicule you, brothers and sisters. You are not ridiculous. Why is that? It is because you have all been practicing bodhisattva conduct and you will all become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.’

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, when that bodhisattva mahāsattva bhikṣu made that proclamation before a bhikṣu or bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka or upasikā, or anyone, most of them became angry, malicious, and disbelieving. They abused and scolded him, thinking, ‘Why does this bhikṣu, without our asking, say that he does not intend to ridicule us? And yet he does ridicule us, because he gives us a prophecy of our highest, complete enlightenment, without our having thought of it or wished for it.’

“Mahāsthāmaprāpta, that bodhisattva mahāsattva spent many years being scolded and abused in that way, but he never had any anger or malice toward anyone. When he made such a proclamation and they threw clods and and sticks at him, he would call to them with a loud voice from a distance, saying, ‘I do not ridicule you!’ Therefore the arrogant bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās to whom he constantly made his proclamations gave him the name Sadāparibhūta.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta was near death, when he was dying, he heard this Dharma teaching The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. The tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja had taught this Dharma teaching in twenty hundred thousand quintillion times a hundred thousand trillion verses. The bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta, when he was dying, when he was near death, heard from the air the words of this Dharma teaching. Without anyone speaking, he heard these words from the air. He remembered this Dharma teaching and attained pure eyes, a pure nose, pure ears, a pure tongue, a pure body, and a pure mind. As soon as he had attained those purities, he empowered his composite life to continue for a further twenty hundred thousand quintillion years and proclaimed widely this Dharma teaching.

“Those arrogant bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās to whom he had previously said, ‘I am not ridiculing you,’ and who gave him the name Sadāparibhūta, when they saw the might of the power of his miracles, the might of the power of his commitment, the might of the power of his eloquence, and the great might of the power of his wisdom, they became his followers in order to listen to the Dharma.

“He also taught many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of other beings, and they were all introduced to the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, that bodhisattva mahāsattva, having passed away from that life, then pleased twenty thousand million tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who were all named Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, and in all those times he taught this Dharma teaching. Through that previous root of merit he eventually pleased twenty thousand million tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who were all named Meghasvararāja, and in all those times he possessed this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma and taught it to the fourfold assemblies. In all those times he possessed pure eyes. He also possessed a pure nose, pure ears, a pure tongue, a pure body, and a pure mind.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, that bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta revered, venerated, worshiped, made offerings to, praised, and showed respect to many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of tathāgatas. He revered, venerated, worshiped, made offerings to, and praised many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of buddhas. In all those times he possessed this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. Through the ripening of his previous root of merit, he attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the one known by the fourfold assemblies as Sadāparibhūta at the time, on that occasion of the teaching of the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, pleased that number of tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas. If you doubt, are uncertain, are unsure, or are wondering if the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta was someone else, then, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, do not have such a view. Why not? Because at that time, on that occasion, I was the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, if I had not previously obtained and possessed this Dharma teaching I would not have quickly attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood in this way.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, in that way I obtained this Dharma teaching directly from the tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas of the past, and read it and taught it. That is why I quickly attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Sadāparibhūta proclaimed this Dharma teaching, which had been taught by the Bhagavān, to many hundreds of bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās, saying, ‘I do not ridicule you. You have all been practicing bodhisattva conduct and you will all become tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.’

“Those who felt malice toward that bodhisattva did not see a tathāgata, nor hear the word Dharma, nor hear the word saṅgha for twenty thousand million eons. They experienced the unendurable suffering of the great Avīci hell for ten thousand eons. When they were all freed from that obscuration of karma, that bodhisattva mahāsattva ripened them for the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, if you doubt, are uncertain, are unsure, or are wondering who at that time, on that occasion, were the beings who disparaged and censured that bodhisattva mahāsattva, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, they are the five hundred bodhisattvas such as Bhadrapāla, and the five hundred bhikṣuṇīs, such as Siṃhacandrā, and the five hundred upāsikās, such as Sugatacetanā, who are in this assembly, who are all irreversibly progressing to the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, there is that kind of great benefit from the aggregation of merit acquired by those who possess and teach this Dharma teaching. It causes the bodhisattva mahāsattvas to attain the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Therefore, Mahā­sthāma­prāpta, when I, the Tathāgata, have passed into nirvāṇa, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas should continuously possess this Dharma teaching, teach it, read it, and explain it.”

Thereupon the Bhagavān spoke these verses:

“I remember a time in the past When there appeared Bhīṣma­garjita­svara­rāja, The guide of devas, humans, yakṣas, and rākṣasas. Devas and humans made offerings to that great muni. {1}

“When that jina had passed into nirvāṇa, In the final stage of the disarray of the Dharma There appeared a bodhisattva bhikṣu, And his name was Sadāparibhūta. {2}

“He came before other bhikṣus, and similarly Those who believed in objective truth, Saying, ‘I would never ridicule you. You are practicing for the highest enlightenment.’ {3}

“He made this proclamation, Always enduring abuse and condemnation. When he was dying, He heard this sūtra. {4}

“Then the wise one did not die at that time And his life was empowered to be extremely long, And within the teaching of that Guide, In that time he taught this sūtra. {5}

“He even ripened for enlightenment All those who had the view of objective truth. Then, after that bodhisattva passed away, He pleased thousands of millions of buddhas. {6}

“Through that merit he created He always taught this sūtra, and finally That bodhisattva attained enlightenment, And he was me, Śākyamuni. {7}

“In that time the wise one proclaimed enlightenment To the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, And upāsikās who were there at that time, And who held the view of objective reality. {8}

“They saw many millions of buddhas; Those who numbered no fewer than five hundred, Are the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, and upāsakas present before me now. {9}

“They all heard from me the highest Dharma And it was I who ripened them all. When I am in nirvāṇa, all these heroes Will be holders in this world of this highest sūtra. {10}

“For many millions of endless eons This kind of Dharma will never be heard. Even though billions of buddhas appear This sūtra will not be taught by them. {11}

“Therefore, when you have heard this kind of Dharma taught by a self-arisen one, You should obtain it again and again, And when I am in nirvāṇa teach this sūtra.” {12}