At this time the World-Honored One (An honorary title given to the Buddha, Shakyamuni) serenely arose from meditation and addressed Shariputra: "The wisdom of all Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable. The portal of this wisdom is difficult to enter. Neither men of Learning nor men of Realization are able to comprehend it. The reason is this. A Buddha has carried out countless austerities under many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of Buddhas. He devoted himself to these practices so valiantly and untiringly that his name is universally known. He realized the profound, unparalleled Law and preaches it according to the people's capacity, yet his intention is very difficult to understand."
"Shariputra (A disciple of Shakyamuni known for his wisdom though he was very arrogant and could not achieve enlightenment), ever since I attained Buddhahood, I have widely expounded my teachings through many stories of past relationships and many parables, and by countless means have led the people to renounce all their attachments. The reason for this is that the Tathagata (An honorary title meaning "one who has arrived from the truth," Nyorai) is possessed of both means and perfect wisdom. Shariputra, the wisdom of the Tathagata is all-encompassing and profound. His mercy is infinite, and his teachings know no bounds. Endowed with power, fearlessness, concentration, emancipation (from suffering and desires) and the capacity to meditate, he dwells in the boundless and awakens to the never-before realized Law."
"Shariputra, the Tathagata has the power to perceive which among the various teachings (is suited to his audience), to preach the teachings in a skillful way, and to gladden the hearts of the people with warm and tender words. That is to say, Shariputra, the Buddha has realized the infinite, boundless and unparalleled Law. Shariputra, I will say no more, because that which the Buddha has achieved is the rarest and most difficult Law to comprehend."
"The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end." (The preceding paragraph is repeated three times during recitation of Gongyo to signify the importance of this teaching.)
THE SIXTEENTH CHAPTER OF THE LOTUS SUTRA
At this time the Buddha addressed the bodhisattvas and all the multitude: "Men of devout faith, believe and understand the true words of the Tathagata." Again the Buddha addressed the people: "Believe and understand the true words of the Tathagata.'' Once more the Buddha addressed the multitude: "Believe and understand the true words of the Tathagata."
At this time the bodhisattvas and the multitude, beginning with Miroku, pressed their palms together and said: "World-Honored One, our only wish is that you teach us. Certainly we will believe the Buddha's words." Thus they spoke three times, repeating the words, "Our only wish is that you teach us. Certainly we will believe the Buddha's words."
When the World-Honored One saw that the bodhisattvas repeated their petition three times and more without ceasing, he addressed them: "Listen well and hear the Tathagata's secret and mystic power. All gods, men and asuras of this world believe that they are leaving the palace of the Shakyas, that Shakyamuni Buddha seated himself at the place of meditation not far from the city of Gaya and attained the supreme enlightenment. However, men of devout faith, the time is limitless and boundless - a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, nayuta aeons - since I in fact attained Buddhahood. Suppose there is one who reduces five hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, nayuta, asogi major world systems to particles of dust, and then takes them all toward the east, dropping one particle each time he traverses five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, nayuta, asogi worlds. Suppose that he continues traveling eastward in this way, until he has finished dropping all the particles. Men of devout faith, what is your opinion? Can the total number of all those worlds be imagined or calculated?"
Bodhisattva Miroku and the others said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, these worlds are infinite and boundless. They are beyond calculation. They exceed the power of imagination. Neither men of Learning nor men of Realization even with their illusion-free wisdom could imagine or calculate the number. Although we are now at the stage where we will never backslide in faith, we are totally incapable of comprehending this. World-Honored One, these worlds are infinite and boundless."
Then the Buddha addressed the great bodhisattvas: "Now men of devout faith, I clearly proclaim to you. Suppose all these worlds, whether they received a particle or not, are once more reduced to dust. Let one particle represent one aeon. Then the time which has passed since I attained Buddhahood surpasses this by one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, nayuta, asogi aeons. Ever since then I have been constantly in this world expounding the Law and instructing (the people). Also I have led and benefited the people in one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, nayuta, asogi other worlds. Men of devout faith, during this time I taught people about Nento Buddha and others, saying that I would end all sufferings and pass away. All this I did through different methods of teaching that were suited to the capacity of the people. Men of devout faith, when the people came to me, I perceived with the eyes of a Buddha the degree of their faith and other qualities. Depending upon whether their capacities were keen or dull, I made my appearance, teaching in many different worlds, using different names and explaining how long a period my teaching would be efficacious. On other occasions when I made my advent, I told the people that I would soon enter nirvana, and I employed many methods to expound the wonderful teachings and caused the people to gladden in their hearts."
"Men of devout faith, I, the Tathagata observed that the people delighted in inferior teachings and were meager in virtue and weighted down by defilement. Therefore I taught them that I had renounced the world in my youth and later attained enlightenment. But in truth the time since I attained Buddhahood is the tremendously long period I have already revealed. This was only an expedient I used to teach the people and cause them to enter on the path to Buddhahood. Men of devout faith, the sutras which the Tathagata expounded are all for the purpose of saving people from their sufferings. Sometimes I spoke of myself, sometimes of others; sometimes I presented myself, sometimes others; sometimes I showed my own actions, sometimes those of others. All my doctrines are true and none are false. The reason is that the Tathagata perceives the true aspect of the three fold world exactly as it is. There is no ebb and flow of birth and death, nor life in this world and later extinction. It is neither substantial nor empty, neither consistent nor diverse. Nor is it what those who dwell in the threefold world perceive it to be. All such things the Tathagata sees clearly and without error."
"People have differing natures, differing desires, differing modes of behavior, and differing ideas and outlooks. Therefore, out of my desire to plant the seeds of enlightenment in their hearts, I have taught them various teachings through stories of past relationships, parables and other sayings. This practice proper to a Buddha I have continued unceasingly. Since I attained Buddhahood, an unimaginably long period has passed. The length of my life is infinite aeons. My life has always existed and shall never end. Men of devout faith, once I practiced the bodhisattva austerities, and the life which I then acquired has yet to be exhausted. My life will last yet twice as many aeons from now. Although I never really pass away, I will predict my own death. With this means the Tathagata teaches the people. The reason is this, if the Buddha remains in the world too long, those people with shallow virtue will not be able to accumulate the good fortune necessary to attain enlightenment. They will fall into poverty and debasement. Greedy with the five desires, they will be caught in the snares of deluded thoughts and ideas. By seeing the Tathagata constantly present and undying in this world, they will become arrogant and selfish and will neglect their practice of Buddhism. They will fail to realize how difficult it is to meet the Tathagata and will feel no reverence for him."
"As an expedient, therefore, the Tathagata speaks to the monks, saying 'You should know it is a rare thing to live at a time when a Buddha appears in the world.' The reason is that even after the lapse of an infinite, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand aeons, some men of little virtue may chance to see a Buddha, but others still may not. Therefore I tell them, 'Monks, it is rare that one may see the Tathagata.' When the people hear these words, they are sure to realize how rare it is to see a Buddha, and then they will yearn and thirst for him. In this way they will plant the cause of enlightenment in their hearts. Therefore the Tathagata announces his own death even though he does not really become extinct. You men of devout faith, any teaching of any Buddha is always like this. Since Buddhas reveal their teachings in order to save people, all of them are true and none are false."
"Imagine a wise and skilled physician who can compound medicines to cure any disease. He has many sons, perhaps ten, twenty, or even a hundred. He goes off to a distant land to see to some matter. Later the children drink some kind of poison that makes them wild with pain, and they fall writhing to the ground. At this time the father comes back to his home and finds that his children have drunk poison. Some are out of their minds, while others are not. Seeing their father from afar, all are filled with joy and kneel down to entreat him, saying, 'How wonderful that you have returned safely! We are stupid and by mistake drank some poison. We beg you to cure us and let us live longer.' The father, seeing his children suffering like this, follows various prescriptions. Gathering fine medicinal herbs that are perfect in color, fragrance and flavor, he grinds, sifts and mixes them together. Giving a dose to his children, he tells them, 'This highly beneficial medicine is perfect in color, fragrance and flavor. Take it, and you will be quickly relieved of your sufferings and will be free from all distress.' Those children who have not lost their senses can see that the beneficial medicine is good in both color and fragrance, so they take it immediately and are completely cured of their sickness. Those who are out of their minds are equally delighted to see their father return and beg him to cure their sickness, but when they are given the medicine, they refuse to take it. This is because the poison has penetrated deeply, causing them to lose their true minds. Therefore they think that the medicine will not taste good in spite of its fine color and fragrance. Then the father thinks, 'My poor children! The poison has attacked them and completely deranged their minds. Although they are happy to see me and ask for me to cure them, they refuse to take this fine medicine I offer them. Now I must use some means to get them to take it.' So he tells them this: 'Children listen, I am now old and weak. My life is nearing its end. I leave this good medicine here for you now. You should take it and not worry that it will not cure you.' So instructing them, he again goes off to another land, where he sends a messenger home to announce: 'Your father is dead.'"
"Hearing that their father has deserted them and died, the sons are overcome by anguish and reflect: 'If our father were alive, he would have pity on us and protect us, but now he has forsaken us and died in some faraway land. We are now mere orphans with no one to rely on.' In their incessant grief, they finally awaken. They realize that the medicine actually does possess excellent color, fragrance and flavor, and so they take it and are healed of all the effects of the poison. The father, hearing that his children are cured, returns home and appears to them all."
"Now, men of devout faith, what do you think about this? Can anyone say that this excellent physician is guilty of lying?"
"No, World-Honored One."
Then the Buddha spoke, saying: "It is the same with me. The time is limitless - a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, nayuta, asogi aeons- since I attained Buddhahood. For the sake of people I have used these expedient means, telling of my own passing. But no one can reasonably accuse me of lying."
At this time the World-Honored One, desiring to emphasize this teaching once more, spoke in verse.
Since I attained Buddhahood,
countless aeons have passed,
a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand,
a hundred thousand, asogi aeons
I have taught the Law continuously
during these countless aeons
and caused infinite millions
to enter on the road to Buddhahood.
I let the people witness my nirvana
as a means to save them,
but in truth I do not die;
I am here always, teaching the Law.
I am here always,
yet because of my mystic powers
the deluded people cannot see me
even when I am close by.
When the people witness my passing,
they pay widespread reverence to my relics.
All of them harbor thoughts of yearning,
and in their hearts a thirst for me is born.
When they have become truly faithful,
honest and upright, gentle in mind,
single-mindedly yearning to see the Buddha,
not begrudging their lives to do so,
then I and the assembly of monks
appear together on Eagle Peak.
Then I tell the people
that I am always here, never dying,
that I seem at times to live, at times to die,
merely as an expedient means.
If there are those in other worlds
who are reverent and sincere in faith,
among them also I teach
the highest Law of all.
But you refuse to heed my words,
and insist upon thinking that I die.
I see the mass of people
drowned in a sea of woe,
and for that reason I do not show myself,
causing them to thirst for me.
When their hearts commence to yearn,
I appear at once to teach the Law.
Such are my mystic powers.
For innumerable kotis of aeons
I have always been on Eagle Peak
and have lived in various other lands.
When men witness the end of an aeon
and all is consumed in a great fire,
this, my land, remains safe and unharmed,
constantly filled with gods and men.
The halls and palaces in its gardens and groves
are adorned with all kinds of gems.
Precious trees bear plentiful flowers and fruit,
and the people there are happy and at ease.
The gods strike heavenly drums,
making a ceaseless symphony of sound.
A rain of white mandara blossoms
scatters over the Buddha and the people.
My pure land is indestructible,
yet men see it as consumed by fire,
filled with sorrow, fear and woe,
a place of countless troubles.
Those people with their various crimes,
because of the effects of their evil deeds,
will never even hear the name of the three treasures,
though countless aeons go by.
But those who follow meritorious ways,
who are gentle, peaceful and upright,
all of them will see me here in person, teaching the Law.
At times I will teach these people
the immeasurable length of the Buddha's life,
and to those who see me only after a long while
I will explain how difficult it is to meet the Buddha.
