The White Lotus of the Good Dharma
The Bodhisattvas Emerging Out of the
Ground
- Surendrabodhi
- Yeshé De
Toh 113
Degé Kangyur, vol. 51 (mdo sde, ja), folios 1.b–180.b
Translated by Peter Alan Roberts
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2018
Current version v 1.2.14 (2023)
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Table of Contents
Summary
The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, popularly known as the Lotus Sūtra, is taught by Buddha Śākyamuni on Vulture Peak to an audience that includes bodhisattvas from countless realms, as well as bodhisattvas who emerge from under the ground, from the space below this world. Buddha Prabhūtaratna, who has long since passed into nirvāṇa, appears within a floating stūpa to hear the sūtra, and Śākyamuni enters the stūpa and sits beside him. The Lotus Sūtra is celebrated, particularly in East Asia, for its presentation of crucial elements of the Mahāyāna tradition, such as the doctrine that there is only one yāna, or “vehicle”; the distinction between expedient and definite teachings; and the notion that the Buddha’s life, enlightenment, and parinirvāṇa were simply manifestations of his transcendent buddhahood, while he continues to teach eternally. A recurring theme in the sūtra is its own significance in teaching these points during past and future eons, with many passages in which the Buddha and bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra describe the great benefits that come from devotion to it, the history of its past devotees, and how it is the Buddha’s ultimate teaching, supreme over all other sūtras.
Acknowledgements
The White Lotus of the Good Dharma Sūtra was translated from Tibetan with reference to the Sanskrit by Peter Alan Roberts. Ling Lung Chen was the consultant for the Chinese versions. Emily Bower was the project manager and editor. Ben Gleason was the proofreader.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of May & George Gu, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
The Bodhisattvas Emerging Out of the Ground
Then the bodhisattvas who had arrived from other world realms, who were as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers, stood up in the circle of the assembly, bowed to the Bhagavān with hands together in homage, and said these words:
“Bhagavān, if the Bhagavān will permit us, [F.111.a] after the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, we too will teach this Dharma teaching in the Sahā world realm. We will read it, write it, and make offerings to it. We shall be dedicated to this Dharma teaching. Bhagavān, teach well this Dharma teaching to us.”
The Bhagavān then asked all those bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, why would you need to do this? In this Sahā world realm there are my thousands of bodhisattvas who are as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers. Each one of those bodhisattvas has, as followers, thousands of bodhisattvas who are themselves as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers, and each of those bodhisattvas has that many followers, too. In the future times, after I have passed into nirvāṇa, they will possess this Dharma teaching and they will teach it.”
As soon as the Bhagavān had uttered those words, this entire Sahā world realm cracked apart completely, was rent with fissures, and there came out from within those fissures the bodhisattvas who lived in the Sahā world realm, the many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas, with their golden bodies and their thirty-two signs of a great being, who dwelled in the element of space beneath the great earth. They had heard the Bhagavān’s words, and came out from under the ground. Each one of these bodhisattvas had a following of bodhisattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers, in groups, great groups, along with the teachers of those groups.
Thus it was that there appeared from out of the ground of this Sahā world realm bodhisattva mahāsattvas in groups, great groups, along with the teachers of those groups—hundreds of thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas as numerous as the grains of sand in sixty Ganges Rivers, [F.111.b] let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in fifty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in forty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in thirty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in twenty Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in ten Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in five Ganges Rivers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in one Ganges River, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in half a Ganges River, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with bodhisattva followers as numerous as the grains of sand in a quarter of a Ganges River, or in a sixth, or in an eighth, or in a twentieth, or in a fiftieth, or in a hundredth, or in a thousandth, or in a ten millionth, or in a billionth, or in a trillionth, or in a quintillionth, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with many quintillions of bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with ten million bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a hundred thousand bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a thousand bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with five hundred bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas [F.112.a] with four hundred or three hundred or two hundred bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with a hundred bodhisattva followers, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with fifty bodhisattva followers, and likewise, let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with forty bodhisattva followers, or thirty, or twenty, or ten, or five, or four, or three, or two, and let alone bodhisattva mahāsattvas with one bodhisattva follower.
Those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were beyond number, calculation, simile, or comparison emerged from the ground of the Sahā world realm. When they had emerged they went toward the precious stūpa suspended in the air within which the bhagavān tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, who had passed into nirvāṇa, and the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni were sitting together upon a lion throne. When they arrived there, they bowed their heads to the feet of both tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas.
They bowed down and paid homage to the emanations of the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni, the bodies of the tathāgatas who had gathered from the other world realms in the ten directions, the bhagavāns who were seated on lion thrones at the foot of trees made of various precious materials.
They circumambulated those tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas hundreds of thousands of times and they praised them with many kinds of bodhisattva praises, and then they stood to one side with their hands together in homage and they paid homage to the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni [F.112.b] and the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna.
At that time those bodhisattva mahāsattvas who had emerged from the ground paid homage to the tathāgatas and praised them with various bodhisattva praises for fifty intermediate eons. During those fifty intermediate eons Bhagavān Śākyamuni remained silent, and the fourfold assembly also remained silent for those fifty intermediate eons.
The Bhagavān now brought about a miracle, such that through that miracle the fourfold assembly thought those eons were just one afternoon. They saw this Sahā world realm became the size of a hundred thousand world realms and filled with bodhisattvas.
There were four bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were the principal ones among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas. They were the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Viśiṣṭacāritra, the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Anantacāritra, the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Viśuddhacāritra, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Supratiṣṭhitacāritra. Those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas were the principal figures among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas.
Those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas now stood before that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas, and in front of the Bhagavān, with hands placed together in homage, they inquired of the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, do you have few troubles, do you have little illness, are you happy? Bhagavān, are the beings in your care of good character? [F.113.a] Do they have good understanding? Are they easy to guide? Are they easy to purify? Are they not a cause of sadness for the Bhagavān?”
Those four bodhisattvas then spoke these verses to the Bhagavān:
In reply, the Bhagavān answered those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were the principal figures among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, it is like this: I dwell in happiness; I have little harm, little illness. The beings in my care are of good character, have good understanding, are easily guided, and are easily purified. They do not cause me sadness while they are being purified. Why is that? Noble ones, it is because these beings of mine have trained during the time of previous perfectly enlightened buddhas. Noble ones, they become devoted just on seeing me and hearing me, and they enter and remain in the wisdom of the buddhas, except for those who are engaged in the practice of the level of the śrāvakas.429 But I have also now brought them into the wisdom of the buddhas, and caused them to hear the ultimate truth.”
At this those bodhisattva mahāsattvas responded with these verses:
The Bhagavān said to those four bodhisattva mahāsattvas who were the principal figures among that great gathering of bodhisattvas, that great aggregation of bodhisattvas, [F.113.b] “Excellent, noble ones, excellent! Noble ones, your praise of the Tathāgata is excellent, excellent!”
At that moment, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya and hundreds of thousands of quintillions of other bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers, thought, “A great gathering of bodhisattvas, a great aggregation of bodhisattvas has emerged from the ground, and standing before the Bhagavān has honored, revered, and pleased the Bhagavān.431 This is something we have never seen and never heard of before. Where did these bodhisattva mahāsattvas come from?”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya was aware of his own doubt and uncertainty and knew in his own mind the thoughts that were in the minds of hundreds of thousands of quintillions of other bodhisattvas, as numerous as the grains of sand in eight Ganges Rivers. He placed his hands together in homage, and to the Bhagavān he expressed these thoughts in verses:
At that time, the bhagavān tathāgata Śākyamuni’s emanations as other tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas who had arrived from a hundred thousand quintillion world realms were teaching beings in other worlds.434 They were sitting cross-legged on lion thrones made of precious materials at the foot of trees made of precious materials in all eight directions from the bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Śākyamuni. The followers of those tathāgatas also saw a great gathering of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, [F.115.a] a great aggregation of bodhisattvas emerge from the ground, and remain suspended in the sky. They were astonished and amazed. They asked their own tathāgatas, “Bhagavān, from where did these countless, innumerable bodhisattva mahāsattvas come?”
Each of those tathāgatas, arhats, perfectly enlightened buddhas said to their own followers, “Noble ones, wait a little while, because the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, whose highest, complete enlightenment has been prophesied by Bhagavān Śākyamuni, has asked Bhagavān Śākyamuni that same question. Buddha Śākyamuni is going to answer, so you should listen to him.”
The Bhagavān then said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, this question you have asked me concerning this vast subject is excellent, Ajita, excellent!”
The Bhagavān now turned to the entire assembly of bodhisattvas and announced to them, “Noble ones, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha is going to teach the Tathāgata’s wisdom insight, the Tathāgata’s leadership, the Tathāgata’s activity, the Tathāgata’s displays, the Tathāgata’s expanding power, and the Tathāgata’s heroism.435 Therefore, noble ones, this entire assembly of bodhisattvas should be attentive, focused, and stable.”
Having pronounced those verses, Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya, “Ajita, I declare to you, I proclaim to you,439 Ajita, as for these innumerable, numberless, inconceivable, unequaled, uncountable bodhisattvas whom you have never seen before, who emerged from the ground, after I had attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood in this Sahā world realm, Ajita, I inspired and developed440 all these bodhisattva mahāsattvas toward the highest, complete enlightenment. Noble ones, I ripened them for this bodhisattva Dharma, established them in it, and caused them to follow it, remain in it, and understand it.
“Ajita, these bodhisattva mahāsattvas live in this Sahā world realm by occupying the realm of space below, where they are engaged in reciting and receiving the teachings, and correctly contemplating them.
“These noble ones do not delight in the activities of society, they delight in the absence of society. Their diligence does not weaken, they apply themselves with diligence. Ajita, these noble ones delight in solitude and find pleasure in solitude. These noble ones do not live by relying upon either devas or humans. These noble ones delight in activities that are devoid of worldly gatherings, delight in the pleasure of the Dharma, and are dedicated to the wisdom of buddhahood.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya and the many hundred thousands of quintillions of bodhisattvas were then astonished and amazed. How could the Buddha in a moment—in such a short time—inspire and ripen for the highest, complete enlightenment all these countless bodhisattvas?
So the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya inquired of the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, when the Tathāgata was a young man, you left the Śākya town of Kapilavastu for homelessness. You went to the supreme Bodhimaṇḍa that is not very far from the city of Gayā. You attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. [F.116.b] Bhagavān, since that time until today more than forty years have passed. Bhagavān, how could the Tathāgata in such a short time as this accomplish such countless tathāgata activities as these? How did you attain the preeminence of a tathāgata, and the heroism of a tathāgata?442 Bhagavān, you have inspired and ripened for the highest, complete enlightenment this great gathering of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, this great aggregation of bodhisattvas, in just that amount of time. Bhagavān, one would not be able to count this great gathering of bodhisattva mahāsattvas, this great aggregation of bodhisattvas, even in a hundred thousand quintillion eons. Bhagavān, such innumerable, countless bodhisattvas have practiced celibacy for a long time, creating roots of merit under many hundreds of thousands of buddhas, and perfecting themselves over many hundreds of thousands of eons.
“Bhagavān, it is as if there were a young man, a lad of twenty-five years of age, with black hair, in the first phase of his adulthood, who revealed that he has sons that are a hundred years old. He says, ‘These noble ones are my sons; they are my sons,’ and they say, ‘This man is our father.’ Bhagavān, what they say would not be believed. It would be difficult for the world to believe them.
“Bhagavān, similarly, it is not very long since you, Tathāgata, attained the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. These countless, innumerable bodhisattva mahāsattvas have practiced celibacy for many hundreds of thousands of eons; they have gained certainty in the wisdom of buddhahood during a long period of time; they are skilled in resting in hundreds of thousands of samādhis; [F.117.a] they have developed the great higher knowledges; they are wise in the level of buddhahood; they are skilled in teaching the dharmas of the Tathāgata; they are an amazement and wonder in this world; and they have attained great diligence, strength, and might.
“The Bhagavān has said of them, ‘I am the one who first established them on the level of being a bodhisattva; I am the one who has ripened and developed them. It is through my attainment of the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood that I have accomplished all this diligence and heroism.’
“Bhagavān, we will have faith in whatever the Tathāgata says, thinking, ‘The Tathāgata speaks infallibly. The Tathāgata knows the truth.’ However, Bhagavān, those newly following in the Bodhisattvayāna will have doubts. After the Tathāgata has passed into nirvāṇa, they will hear this Dharma teaching and they will not believe it, will not have faith in it, and will not be attracted to it. Therefore, Bhagavān, they will accrue the karma of rejecting the Dharma.
“Therefore, Bhagavān, explain the meaning of this well, so that we will not have any kind of doubt in this Dharma, and so that in the future time, when noble men and noble women who are on the Bodhisattvayāna hear it, they will not doubt it.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya then addressed these verses to the Bhagavān:
This concludes “The Bodhisattvas Emerging Out of the Ground,” the fourteenth chapter of the Dharma teaching of “The White Lotus of the Good Dharma.” [B10] [F.118.a]
Colophon
Translated, revised, and finalized by the Indian Upādhyāya Surendrabodhi and the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Nanam Yeshé Dé.
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Tibetan Editions of the Sūtra
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phal po che’i mdo (Avataṁsakasūtra) [A Multitude of Buddhas Sūtra]. Toh 44, Degé Kangyur vols. 35–38 (phal chen, ka–a), folios ka 1a–nga 363a.
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Butön Rinchen Drup (bu ston rin chen grub). bde bar gshegs pa’i bstan pa’i gsal byed chos kyi ’byung gnas gsung rab rin po che’i mdzod. In The Collected Works of Bu-ston. Edited by Lokesh Chandra from the collections of Raghu Vira. 28 volumes. Zhol bka’ ’gyur par khang edition. New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture, 1965–71, 633–1056.
Changkya Rölpai Dorjé (lcang skya rol pa’i rdo rje). dam chos pad ma dkar po’i kha byang. In lcang skya rol pa’i rdo rje’i gsung ’bum, vol. 5 (ca), Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2003, folios 525–532.
Pekar Zangpo (pad dkar bzang po). ’phags pa dam chos padma dkar po’i mdo. In mdo sde spyi’i rnam bzhag, Beijing: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2006, pp. 187–189.
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