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T0431 No. 429 [Nos. 427, 428, 430, 431]
Toh 271
The Eight Buddhas
Aṣṭabuddhaka
佛說八部佛名經
Translated by Annie Bien
Summary
While the Buddha is dwelling together with a great saṅgha of monks in Śrāvastī, at the garden of Anāthapiṇḍada in the Jeta Grove, the whole universe suddenly begins to shake. The sounds of innumerable cymbals are heard without their being played, and flowers fall, covering the entire Jeta Grove. The world becomes filled with golden light and golden lotuses appear, each lotus supporting a lion throne upon which appears the shining form of a buddha. Venerable Śāriputra arises from his seat, pays homage, and asks the Buddha about the causes and conditions for these thus-gone ones to appear. The Buddha then proceeds to describe in detail these buddhas, as well as their various realms and how beings can take birth in them.
Acknowledgements
This translation was produced by Annie Bien with assistance from Dr. Paul Hackett, Dr. Marcus Bingenheimer, Dr. Lozang Jamspal, and Geshe Dorji Damdul. The translator is also grateful to Khyongla Rato Rinpoche and Dr. Shrikant Bahulkar for helping to clarify difficult points and terminology. Leslie Kriesel assisted by editing the translation.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
Introduction
In the Jeta Grove monastery outside Śrāvastī, the ancient capital of the Kośala state, the Buddha and his saṅgha of monks have taken up residence during the rainy season. Suddenly, during a gathering of the saṅgha, the whole universe begins to shake, the grove is flooded with lights and sounds, and eight buddhas miraculously appear on jeweled lotus flowers. The Buddha’s close disciple, Śāriputra, requests the Buddha to explain the causes and conditions that have made these buddhas appear. The Buddha begins by introducing Śāriputra to each of the eight buddhas by name and then describes the location, name, and qualities of each of their buddha realms.
Following this, the Buddha teaches Śāriputra how hearing, remembering, carrying, reading, teaching, chanting, and mastering the names of these buddhas will produce a great number of benefits for the practitioner. Śāriputra is told that these names have the capacity to ensure that practitioners will not be reborn in the three lower realms and that they will always have extraordinary knowledge, realization, and dhāraṇī. They will never have defective faculties, lack donations, or find themselves without the practices and discourses of the Mahāyāna. They will also no longer have to take birth as women unless they wish to do so, nor will they experience any misfortune caused by kings, thieves, fire, water, or evil spirits. Eventually, they will attain wisdom, which in turn will lead them to become buddhas themselves.
The notion that a disciple can become destined for awakening merely by recalling the names of buddhas who live in other realms appears in a number of Mahāyāna sūtras, where it represents an important aspect of Mahāyāna practice. In the Tibetan canon these sūtras are found throughout the various sūtra collections. Not only is there a plethora of buddhas present in the universe, but through their blessings, beings can make great progress on the path to awakening simply by bringing them to mind.
There is to our knowledge no extant Sanskrit version of this sūtra. According to the colophon to the Tibetan translation it was translated into Tibetan by the Indian preceptors Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi, along with the editor-translator Yeshé Dé. The text is also recorded in both the Denkarma1 and Phangthangma2 catalogs of the Tibetan imperial translations, so it would have been translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan no later than the early ninth century, as the Denkarma is thought to have been compiled in 812 ᴄᴇ. Four Chinese sūtras with cognate material are included in the Taishō Buddhist Canon (Taishō 427, 428, 430, and 431).3 The earliest of the Chinese translations (Taishō 427) dates to the early third century, so the materials presented in this sūtra have their roots in very early Indian Mahāyāna.
This English translation was prepared based on the Tibetan translation in the Degé Kangyur in consultation with the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur ma).
The Eight Buddhas
Aṣṭabuddhaka
Translated by Annie Bien
1.1
Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
1.2
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling in Śrāvastī at Jeta Grove in the park of Anāthapiṇḍada with a great saṅgha of 1,250 monks. They were all worthy ones. Their contaminations were exhausted, they were without afflictions, they were endowed with power, their minds were thoroughly liberated, and their insight was thoroughly liberated. They were of noble lineage. They were great elephants who had completed their work and accomplished their tasks. They had put down their burdens, attained their own aims, and destroyed the bonds of existence, and their minds were liberated through perfect knowledge. They had perfected the best of all the powers of the mind. They were all this way—with the exception of one person, Venerable Ānanda.
1.3
On that occasion, Venerable Śāriputra had joined the assembly and was in attendance. At that moment all the worlds of the trichiliocosm [F.18.a] shook in six ways. The sounds of quintillions of cymbals, without their being played, rang through the atmosphere. There rained down a shower of divine flowers—mandārava, mahāmandārava, mañjūṣaka, and mahāmañjūṣaka flowers. The entire Jeta Grove in the park of Anāthapiṇḍada became blanketed with precious flowers. At that moment, all the worlds in the trichiliocosm became suffused with a brilliant golden-colored light.
1.4
Then, at that very moment, from the eastern direction there appeared eight lotuses with golden stalks, silver petals, beryl anthers, and centers formed from emeralds. On top of each lotus center stood a square lion throne. The thrones rested on four bases and were radiant, lovely to behold, fragrant, and delightful. They were fringed with silk tassels, permeated with the aroma of incense from a censer, well adorned with various precious jewels, ringing with many lattices of small bells, and covered by canopies of myriad precious gems.
1.5
On every lion throne appeared the body of a seated thus-gone one. All these thus-gone ones were beautiful and delightful to behold. They had calm senses and calm minds. They had attained supreme self-discipline and tranquility. They had attained true self-discipline and tranquility. Their faculties were guarded and restrained, just like a well-tamed elephant. They were pure, unclouded, and clear, just like a lake. Their bodies were adorned by the thirty-two marks of a great being. Their golden-hued bodies outshone the brilliance of the sun and the moon. They displayed many hundreds of thousands of ways of conduct. They had a complexion that one’s gaze can never tire of.
1.6
Then, through the power of the Buddha, Venerable Śāriputra [F.18.b] rose from his seat. He draped his upper robe over one shoulder and placed his right knee on the ground. Next, having bowed with palms pressed together in the direction of the Bhagavān, he addressed the Bhagavān with these words:
1.7
“Bhagavān, from the eastern direction there have arisen eight lotuses with golden stalks, silver petals, beryl anthers, and centers formed from emeralds. On top of every lotus center is a square throne raised by lions. The thrones rest on four bases and they are radiant, lovely to behold, fragrant, and delightful. They are fringed with silk tassels, permeated with the aroma of incense from a censer, well adorned with various precious jewels, ringing with many lattices of small bells, and covered by canopies of myriad precious gems.
1.8
“On every lion throne appears the body of a seated thus-gone one. All these thus-gone ones are beautiful, delightful to behold, having calm senses and calm minds. They have attained supreme self-discipline and tranquility. They have attained true self-discipline and tranquility. Their faculties are guarded and restrained, just like a well-tamed elephant. They are pure, unclouded, and clear, just like a lake. Their bodies are adorned by the thirty-two marks of a great being. Their golden-hued bodies outshine the brilliance of the sun and the moon. They display many hundreds of thousands of ways of conduct. They have a complexion that one’s gaze can never tire of. What are the causes and what are the conditions for this?”
1.9
The Bhagavān replied to Venerable Śāriputra: “Śāriputra, listen very well and keep this in mind. I will explain.”
Venerable Śāriputra said, “Bhagavān, I shall do so.” Then he listened to the Bhagavān.
1.10
The Bhagavān said, “Śāriputra, [F.19.a] to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in a single river Ganges, there is a world system called Unsubdued by Others.4 The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Exceedingly Widely Renowned Glory presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.11
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in two river Ganges, there is a world system called Exquisitely Joyful. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha King of the Summit of Power of the Victory Banner presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.12
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in three river Ganges, there is a world system called Joyous Delights. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Glorious Supremely Renowned Intense Subduer presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.13
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in four river Ganges, there is a world system called Entering from All Doors. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Skill of the Completely Victorious in Battle presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.14
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in five river Ganges, there is a world system called Tiers of Purification. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Thoroughly Illumined Glorious Array of Excellences presently lives and thrives there, [F.19.b] teaching the Dharma.
1.15
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in six river Ganges, there is a world system called Possessing Immutability. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Unobstructed Glorious King of Medicine presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.16
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in seven river Ganges, there is a world system called Filled with Masses of Eloquence. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Forcefully Proceeding from the Precious Lotus presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.17
“Śāriputra, to the east of this buddha realm, past buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in eight river Ganges, there is a world system called Pleasant Melodious Sound. The thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha King of the Sāla Abiding in the Precious Lotus presently lives and thrives there, teaching the Dharma.
1.18
“Śāriputra, the buddha realms of those blessed buddhas are thoroughly pure. Hence, they are devoid of the five degenerations and without any heretics. They are without pebbles and without gravel. They are without subsidiary afflictions. They are without women. They are without animals, and they are also beyond the realm of the Lord of Death. There, one does not come across any wasps, biting insects, or venomous vipers.
1.19
“Śāriputra, those sons or daughters of good family who hear the names of those blessed buddhas and remember, carry, read, teach, properly chant, and master these names will not descend to the three lower realms. Such a possibility will simply not exist. [F.20.a] Hence, Śāriputra, for those beings, going to the hell realm, being reborn as animals, or going to the realm of the Lord of Death is impossible, except for those individuals who have committed acts of immediate retribution and those who have abandoned the holy Dharma, and even those beings will have those experiences only minimally, not greatly.
1.20
“Śāriputra, whatever sons or daughters of good family hear the names of those blessed buddhas and remember, carry, read, teach, properly chant, and master these names will never be separated from the extraordinary knowledges right up to their arrival at the Essence of Awakening. They will never be without signs of realization. They will never be without dhāraṇī. They will never have defective faculties. They will never be without abundant melodious speech. They will never be without the resonance of drums. They will never be unworthy of gifts, and they will never regress. They will never be without the flowers of the branches of awakening. They will never be without the very extensive Mahāyāna discourses. Śāriputra, there is no basis for that and no possibility for that to occur.
1.21
“Śāriputra, whenever a woman hears the names of those blessed buddhas and remembers, carries, reads, teaches, properly chants, and masters them, it will be impossible for such a woman to acquire female attributes again, unless she takes on such attributes due to her own prayers. Śāriputra, there is no basis for that and no possibility for that to occur.
1.22
“Śāriputra, when sons or daughters of good family hear the names of those blessed buddhas and remember, carry, read, teach, properly chant, and master them, it will be impossible for those sons or daughters of good family to experience any terrors from kings, thieves, fire, water, evil forces, [F.20.b] nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, demigods, humans, nonhumans, or any other type of destruction, unless it is due to the forceful ripening of karma. Even then, they will have those experiences only minimally, not greatly.
1.23
“In pursuing any kind of mundane or supramundane objective, one should aspire to make virtuous qualities proliferate and not diminish them.”
1.24
Then the Bhagavān spoke these verses:
“Those who remember the names
Of those protectors of the world
Will completely abandon all inopportune states
And quickly go to good rebirths.
1.25
“Having delighted the buddhas that have appeared,
Rousing faith from seeing those teachers,
And seeing them also as lamps of the world,
They will make auspicious offerings.
1.26
“For countless millions of eons,
Helping beings to abandon saṃsāra,
Those whose unobscured eyes behold the guides
Will also be purified.
1.27
“Those who remember the names
Of those protectors of the world
Will become worthy of the world’s veneration,
Wherever those people are born.
1.28
“Such people will accumulate marvelous physical signs,
Will be born into rich households,
Will be heroic, and will become generous benefactors,
Giving abundantly without miserliness.
1.29
“If some remember these names,
Then for many millions of eons
The scent of divine red sandalwood
Will arise from their mouths.
1.30
“If a woman were to hear the names
Of those great sages,
Then upon abandoning her female attributes
She would skillfully become a man.
1.31
“Those who remember these names
Will never see
Their fathers, mothers, siblings,
Or any friends and relatives suffer.
1.32
“Those who remember these names, [F.21.a]
Such individuals and their close ones
Will be born in the world
On jewel lotuses with millions of petals.
1.33
“Those who remember these names
Will be able to traverse through space
To all the buddha realms
And behold the pure fields of the buddhas,
1.34
“The protectors of the world.
In the presence of the world protectors,
They will listen to the profound Dharma
And will not squander whatever they have heard.
1.35
“For those who remember these names,
Evil demons
Along with the host of negative forces
Will never have a chance to harm them.
1.36
“Those who remember these names
Will not be killed by weapons,
Or by poison or fire.
Kings and thieves will be unable to harm them.
1.37
“No gods, nāgas, yakṣas,
Gandharvas, or mahoragas
Will have any chance
To cause them harm.
1.38
“These buddhas are supreme human beings.
They are the essence of glory, thunderous victors.
Having become learned and conscientious,
What wise person would not remember their names?
1.39
“Those who hear these names of all the world protectors
And hear them in the proper manner
Will gain courage and great insight by hearing the names of these renowned ones.
They will become buddhas, supreme humans in the world.”
1.40
When the Bhagavān had spoken these words, Venerable Śāriputra and the entire retinue, along with the world with its gods, humans, demigods, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised what the Bhagavān had said.
1.41
This concludes the noble Mahāyāna sūtra “The Eight Buddhas.”
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