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[232] “Oṁ, your smoke sparkles in the sky! Dhūra dhūra, hūṁ!

[86] “Oṁ, sky traveler! Move and make move! You make the feet move, hūṁ! “When there are clouds in the sky during the spring or autumn, the vidyā holder should grasp the nāga noose with his right hand while holding a snake with his left, swing the noose while repeating the Krodharāja, and then cast it into the air. Any flowers or fruits that are normally harvested when ready will fall from the sky down to earth, perfectly ripe and ready to eat.[23] “Oṁ, free from impurities in the inner space of the lotus! Roam through and merge with the sky, hūṁ! Amogha-accomplished! Purify, hūṁ! “Through the power of the Tathāgata Amitāyus, great clouds of offerings will continuously rain down offerings upon all the inhabitants of Sukhāvatī. [A.27.a] [F.47.b] The Tathāgata Amitāyus and all the inhabitants of Sukhāvatī will congratulate the vidyā holder, who will hear all their words and will see the clouds of offerings raining down. If he wants to descend back to earth, he will descend as soon as he thinks of it. If he does not want to, he can remain there in the sky and become the great emperor of all the siddhas that live throughout the expanse of space, and of the vidyādharas who hold in their hands the great wish-fulfilling jewel that grants the vast amogha accomplishments. He will live there for eight billion great eons and then descend to earth.“If the vidyā holder makes fire with flame-of-the-forest wood and offers one thousand and eight oblations of black pepper, [F.84.b] gods such as Śakra, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara will descend to earth and come before the vidyā holder. If he offers one thousand and eight oblations of globe amaranth flowers, karnikara flowers, and blue lotus flowers, Candra and Sūrya will descend and grant the vidyā holder every boon. He will also be capable of sky travel.“Then, on the fifteenth day, before the dawn breaks, the king of jewels and the lotus will blaze with light, and words will issue forth from the mouth of Noble Avalokiteśvara. The vidyā holder will be thrilled as the word ‘good!’ is heard coming from the canopy of the sky. He will perceive a large form of the Tathāgata, [Tiv.68] at which point he should grasp the blazing lotus with his right hand. As soon as he does, he will ascend into the sky and become an emperor of all vidyādharas—a wheel-turning monarch of golden color by the name of Mahāsudarśana. All wicked beings, his opponents, and his adversaries will flee if he stands before them. [F.118.b] His retinue of vidyādhara kings will number twelve thousand million, and he will live one thousand eons.“If the vidyā holder presses harder with the rod, the corpse will vomit its heart. The vidyā holder should take it and eat it whole. As soon as he does, he will ascend into the sky, become a great lord of bhūtas like Maheśvara, and live thousands of celestial years. Alternatively, if he presses the rod while pronouncing the syllable oṁ and threatening the corpse, its tongue will stick out. The vidyā holder should chop it off and hold it. As soon as does, he will ascend into the sky, become an emperor of all sword vidyādharas, and live ten thousand years. His retinue of vidyādharas will number eighteen.

“The vidyā holder should daub some mustard seeds with the great oil and sprinkle dyes of various types and colors on them. He should incant them with the Amogharāja one hundred and eight times, consecrate them by displaying the mudrā and reciting the Krodharāja mantra one hundred and eight times, and then place them in a silver bowl. He will be able to perform any activity. If he casts the seeds into the sky, he will produce a rain of precious jewels. If he casts the seeds into the sky while worshiping the tathāgatas, a rain of flowers will fall. If he casts the seeds into the sky while attending a meeting, he will produce a variety of fruits. If he casts the seeds in a forest, various fruits and flowers will appear. If he casts the seeds into a mountain cave, various medicinal substances will appear.

“The vidyā holder can then undertake the intended activities. If he anoints his well-washed and perfumed body with the oil, it will become invisible as if it did not exist. People will hear the sound of his words but will be unable to physically feel him. He will remain invisible for as long as he does not wash his body. If he applies the oil to his forehead as a bindi and to each of his limbs while reciting the mantra one time, he will ascend into the sky and, in an instant, be able to play with the devas and the vidyādhara lords who travel through the sky. If he anoints his head with the oil, his hair will become wavy and curly and turn a deep blue color. He will become a powerful emperor of the vidyādharas and be accomplished the art of the oil.

“ ‘Thus today the moon fell from the sky,
And the sun has left and gone.
The sun of the teachings is no more—
Now the world is plunged in gloom.

“ ‘Now hundreds and thousands watch as
A young brahmin sits in the sky.
Below, all of them make wishes
One day to be your disciple.

“Soon after, the sage Son of Fire sent the sage Tongue of Fire on an errand to the royal palace. He traveled through the sky to the royal palace, and upon the sage’s arrival the young woman received him, taking him from the sky into her lap, embracing him, and placing him in his seat.

When he fled into the sky above there were crows, vultures, and woodpeckers with beaks of iron that tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him.

When he fled into the sky above there were crows, vultures, and woodpeckers with beaks of iron that tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him.

“When he fled into the sky above there were crows, vultures, and woodpeckers with beaks of iron that tore into his flesh over and over again and fed on him.

So that they might become disillusioned with saṃsāra, the Blessed One asked them, “Did you see the bird that descended from the sky and alighted before me some time ago?”

“Then the solitary buddha thought, ‘This emotionally afflicted person has become so abased! I have to help him.’ With this thought he rose up into the sky, making a miraculous display of fire and light, rain and lightning.

“The very moment that the totally and completely awakened Buddha Dīpaṃkara prophesied of the young brahmin Sumati’s awakening, Sumati rose into the sky to the height of seven palm trees. His old hair fell away, and in its place a halo of new hair appeared. The great crowd saw him hovering in the sky, and they began to pray, ‘When he achieves unexcelled wisdom, may we become his disciples.’ The young woman also recited the following prayer:

“So from time to time the two of them would travel through the sky to the royal palace and go to see King Brahmadatta. Upon their arrival King Brahmadatta [F.21.a] would take them from the sky into his lap and place them in their seats, and after contenting them with many good, wholesome foods he would sit before them to listen to the Dharma.

“Delighted and joyful, filled with contentment, he ascended into the sky to the height of seven palm trees, and as he remained suspended in the sky at the height of seven palm trees, he thought, ‘How should I, standing in the air in this manner, worship the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata?’

“Subhūti, just as a bird without wings can never soar in the sky, in the same way, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings cannot teach the Dharma to beings without relying on the extrasensory powers.

“Whatever the elder Subhūti teaches, he does so commencing with emptiness. There is nothing to impede him, just as there is nothing to impede an arrow fired into the sky. In the same way, when the elder Subhūti teaches the Dharma there is nothing to impede him.”

Śakra replied, “Whatever the elder Subhūti teaches, he does so commencing with emptiness. There is nothing to impede him, just as there is nothing to impede an arrow fired into the sky. In the same way, when the elder Subhūti teaches the Dharma there is nothing to impede him.” [F.59.b]

“Then the bodhisattva great being took those coral flowers from Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, and he scattered and showered them over the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata. He presented the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata [F.374.a] with his own body and said, ‘Noble son, I offer my body to you, so that it might henceforth be of service.’ Thereupon he descended from the sky and presented himself; with his palms together, he stood in front of the bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata.

“As an analogy, Subhūti, a bird moves through the air and does not fall to the ground. It flies through the sky or the air but does not dwell in them. Similarly, Subhūti, bodhisattva great beings investigate emptiness, and they also course in emptiness. They investigate signlessness and wishlessness, and they also course in signlessness and wishlessness. But they do not actualize emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, which, when actualized, would cause them to lapse into the level of the śrāvakas or the level of the pratyekabuddhas, without perfecting the ten powers of the tathāgatas, the four fearlessnesses, the four kinds of exact knowledge, great loving kindness, great compassion, and the eighteen distinct qualities of the buddhas. {Ki.IV: 196}

“Then Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, saw the bodhisattva great being Sadāprarudita ascended in the sky, and understood with his own mind the thoughts that he was thinking. He presented him with divine coral flowers and said, ‘Noble son, you should worship the sublime bodhisattva great being Dharmodgata with these flowers! {Va.256} Son of enlightened family, since through your power you have today benefited many thousands of beings, we will assist you, noble son! Noble son, extremely rare are those who would remain enthusiastic for the sake of all beings over immeasurable and countless eons, in the manner in which you have been enthusiastic!’

Then Śakra, mighty lord of the gods, and also all the gods in this great trichiliocosm, from the Caturmahā­rāja­kāyika realm, up to and including Akaniṣṭha, conjured up many coral flowers, which are divine sacraments, in order to worship this perfection of wisdom, and then they scattered them, widely scattered them, and thoroughly scattered them upon the Lord Buddha, the bodhisattva great beings, the saṅgha of monks, and [F.36.b] the elder Subhūti. As soon as these flowers had been scattered, the ground of this great trichiliocosm was covered with flowers and a delightful and pleasant towering mansion of flowers formed in the sky above, as large as the great trichiliocosm.

Then a woman named Gaṅgadevī arrived in that assembly and took her seat. Then, after rising from her seat, with her upper robe over one shoulder, she rested her right knee on the ground. Placing her hands together in the gesture of homage, she bowed toward the Blessed One {Ki.IV: 190}
and said, “Blessed Lord, I too will complete the six perfections. I will acquire such a buddhafield as has been described by the Tathāgata, Arhat, completely awakened Buddha in this Perfection of Wisdom.” Then that woman bundled together golden flowers, silver flowers, flowers from water plants, flowers from the plains, all sorts of ornaments, and golden colored robes, and she cast them toward that place when the Blessed One was. [F.5.a] Immediately after she had cast those flowers, ornaments, and robes, bundled together, then by the power of the buddhas, there appeared a towering mansion in the sky directly above the head of the Blessed One—rectangular in shape, supported by four columns, well proportioned, and most delightful, its luster pleasing to the mind. Then indeed the woman dedicated that towering mansion to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, making common cause with all beings.

“Blessed Lord, those bodhisattva great beings who would don this armor are worthy of homage! Blessed Lord, those who would don this armor intend to strive, intend to struggle, and intend to make efforts for the sake of space. Blessed Lord, those who would don this armor for the sake of beings are seeking to mature and seeking to liberate space. Blessed Lord, those bodhisattva great beings who would don this armor for the sake of phenomena that resemble space don the mighty armor. Blessed Lord, those who would don this armor for the sake of beings are seeking to buttress the sky. Those bodhisattva great beings who would enter into unsurpassed, complete enlightenment for the sake of beings acquire great perseverance. Blessed Lord, those bodhisattva great beings who would enter into unsurpassed, complete enlightenment for the sake of beings don the mighty armor. Blessed Lord, those bodhisattva great beings who would attain consummate buddhahood—unsurpassed, complete enlightenment—for [F.204.b] the sake of phenomena that resemble space don a mighty armor that is heroic, inconceivable, and unequaled.

“Smear a wide clearing on the ground with earth and substances derived from a cow. Sprinkle it with saffron-infused water. Adorn it with a canopy above, and let that hang down. At the center draw an elaborately ornamented eight-spoked wheel with white powder. At the center of that is Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Natural Essence. Then, install these tathāgatas on each of the spokes of the wheel in order, starting in the east: Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Sky-Like Feast Gathering, Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Essence of the Earth, Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Essence of Jewels, Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from Nutritious Food, Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Boundless Essence, Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Essence of Splendor, Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from the Sound of a Drum, and Uṣṇīṣa Arisen from a Breeze. “oṁ namo bhagavate sarvatrailokyaprativiśiṣṭāya buddhāya te namaḥ |

tadyathā | oṁ bhrūṁ bhrūṁ bhrūṁ | śodhaya śodhaya | viśodhaya viśodhaya | asamasamantāvabhāsaspharaṇagatigaganasvabhāvaviśuddhe | abhiṣiñcantu māṃ sarvatathāgatāḥ sugatavaravacanāmṛtābhiṣekair mahāmudrāmantrapadaiḥ | oṁ āhara āhara mama āyuḥsandhāraṇi | śodhaya śodhaya | viśodhaya viśodhaya | gaganasvabhāvaviśuddhe | uṣṇīṣavijāyapariśuddhe | sahasraraśmisañcodite | sarvatathāgatāvalokini | ṣaṭpāramitāparipūraṇi | sarvatathāgatamāte | daśabhūmipratiṣṭḥite | sarvatathāgatahṛdayādhiṣṭhānādhiṣṭḥite | oṁ mudre mudre mahāmudre | vajrakāyasaṃhatanapariśuddhe | sarvakarmāvaraṇaviśuddhe | pratinivartaya mamāyurviśuddhe | sarvatathāgatasamayādhiṣṭhānādhiṣṭhite | oṁ muni muni mahāmuni | vimuni vimuni mahāvimuni | mati mati mahāmati | mamati mamati mahāmamati| sumati sumati mahāsumati | tathatābhūtakoṭipariśuddhe | visphuṭabuddhiśuddhe | oṁ he he | jaya jaya | vijaya vijaya | smara smara | sphara sphara | sphāraya sphāraya | sarvabuddhādhiṣṭhānādhiṣṭhite | oṁ śuddhe śuddhe | buddhe buddhe | vajre vajre mahāvajre | suvajre | vajragarbhe | jayagarbhe | vijayagarbhe | vajrajvālagarbhe | vajrodbhave | vajrasambhave | vajre | vajrini | vajram bhavatu me śarīraṃ sarvasatvānāñ ca kāyapariśuddhir bhavatu | me sadā sarvagatipariśuddhiś ca | sarvatathāgatāś ca māṃ samāśvāsayantu | oṁ budhya budhya | siddhya siddhya | bodhaya bodhaya | vibodhaya vibodhaya | mocaya mocaya | vimocaya vimocaya | [F.249.a] śodhaya śodhaya | viśodhaya viśodhaya | samantān mocaya mocaya | samantaraśmipariśuddhe | sarvatathāgatahṛdayādhiṣṭhānādhiṣṭhite | oṁ mudre mudre mahāmudre | mahāmudrāmantrapadaiḥ svāhā.