The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
Chapter 10

The thus-gone Māndāravagandharoca then addressed the thus-gone Śākyamuni, saying, “In the past, previous thus-gone ones came from their disparate buddha fields and congregated in buddha fields that were afflicted and rife with the five degenerations. They excellently blessed this sacred Dharma method. They defeated billions of māras and gazed upon all beings with the eyes of great love and compassion. They freed them from evil views, lit the lamp of insight, and laid out the peaceful path. They delivered this Dharma discourse, this exposition of the dhāraṇī-seal, including its verbal formula, which is called the terminator of birth based on the essential nature of phenomena in their vajra-like indivisibility. Thus they defeated the black faction and planted the banner of the Dharma. In the same way, right now, so many of us blessed buddhas who live and spend our time in the ten directions have assembled in this buddha field filled with the afflictions and the five degenerations out of our concern for others. We have performed acts such as excellently blessing this Dharma method and so forth, as well as planting the banner of the Dharma. However, Śākyamuni, [F.260.a] after your sun has set, who will reign supreme in this buddha field? Who will uphold this sacred Dharma? {TK230} Who will nurture these Dharma methods? Who will bring beings to maturity? Who will be included in this great assembly? Into whose hands shall I entrust this Dharma discourse?”

The thus-gone Śākyamuni answered the thus-gone Māndāravagandharoca, “You can entrust the Dharma discourse of this dhāraṇī-seal to the hands of anyone‍—whether bodhisattvas who have achieved acceptance, or śakras, brahmās, and world protectors, or lords of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, or anyone else‍—as long as they exert themselves in this Dharma method, live in these four central continents, and are clearly faithful toward this Dharma method. It does not matter if they are a śakra, brahmā, world protector, and so forth, including a lord of the mahoragas.”

The thus-gone Māndāravagandharoca then let his unimpeded voice suffuse the entire buddha field, saying, “Friends, everyone who is gathered in this buddha field, please listen! It is incredibly rare that a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha comes to the world. But it is even more rare that all the blessed buddhas should gather together as one in a single buddha field. Now, however, all these buddhas have gathered out of concern for you, to care for all beings, to bless the methods of the sacred Dharma, {TK231} and to set out the unsurpassed path. {K147} [F.260.b]422 The entirety of the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space throughout the three times423 have been blessed in order to ensure that these methods of the sacred Dharma will continue for a long time, that the lineage of the Three Jewels will not be interrupted, that all beings will be brought to maturity, and so forth, and that the other shore of saṃsāra will be reached.”

All the blessed buddhas who lived in that buddha field then spoke the following words of advice to the bodhisattva great beings, to the beings of great splendor‍—śakras, brahmās, other world protectors, and the lords of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas‍—and to the beings who inhabit the world with the four continents. They said, “To your hands especially, friends, we entrust this way of the sacred Dharma, having empowered it to bring all beings to maturity. You should keep this method of the sacred Dharma in mind, glorify it, and protect it,424 so that the sacred Dharma continues unbroken and does not disappear from this world too soon. {K148} We entrust to the hands of all of you, as is proper, all the noble sons and daughters who have faith, monks and nuns, male and female lay practitioners, all the persons who uphold the sacred Dharma, and those who uphold this Dharma discourse of the Great Collection . . . or write it down, so that you may protect them and care for them. You shall protect . . . and care for the Dharma teachers and students, persons who desire the Dharma and delight in meditation, {TK232} and those who uphold the sacred Dharma. [F.261.a] Why is this?

“Whichever thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas were in this world in the past, all of these thus-gone ones, having congregated in the buddha field afflicted by the five degenerations, entrusted this Dharma method to the hands of all the protectors of the world, the śakras and the brahmās, so that it was protected and did not disappear, so that the persons who uphold the sacred Dharma were protected . . . and so that all beings could be brought to maturity.

“In the same way, whatever blessed buddhas there will be in the future, throughout the ten directions, they too, having instantaneously assembled in the buddha field afflicted by the five degenerations, will recite the mantra words of this dhāraṇī for the benefit of beings and will consecrate this Dharma method. They will entrust it to the hands of the śakras, brahmās, and other world protectors, so that it is well protected.

“In the same way, we also now entrust especially to your hands‍—śakras, brahmās, and other world protectors and the lords of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas who inhabit this buddha field and this world consisting of the four continents‍—this method of the sacred Dharma so that it is protected and brings beings to maturity. You should likewise {K149} keep it in your mind and glorify and protect it,425 so that it continues unbroken and does not disappear too soon.

“You should protect, honor, and venerate all the noble sons and daughters who have faith‍—the persons who uphold the sacred Dharma, monks and nuns, and male [F.261.b] and female lay practitioners‍—who uphold this Dharma discourse of the Great Collection . . . or write it down and preserve it in the form of a book, as well as the Dharma teachers and students who practice meditation {TK233} and uphold the sacred Dharma. Why is this?

“Because this Dharma discourse has been blessed by all the buddhas. In the hamlets, villages, towns, cities, district capitals, state capitals, inhabited forests, . . .426 or family houses where this Dharma discourse is disseminated, explained, taught, studied, or merely written down and preserved in the form of a book, the elixir of the Dharma will increase the potency of the earth and the vitality of beings.

“By this means you will become full of vitality, energy, strength, diligence, and courage, and your retinues and palaces will thrive. Any king who rules over a populace will obtain protection, his royal might will increase, and his entire kingdom will be protected. Satisfied by this Dharma elixir, the kings of Jambudvīpa will become kindly disposed toward one another. Placing their faith in the ripening of action, they will develop minds full of good qualities; free from envy, benevolent, compassionate toward all beings . . . they will embrace correct views, and each will be content with his respective domain. {K150}

“The whole of Jambudvīpa will prosper, filling up with inhabitants far and wide. It will abound in provisions and will be pleasant to inhabit. The earth will be populated with many people over vast areas and will be fecund, yielding juicy and sweet fruits, leaves, medicinal herbs, [F.262.a] {TK234} crops, and other treasures in abundance. It will afford a healthy and comfortable life. All the discord, quarrels, famine, disease, invasions by foreign powers, stinging insects, venomous snakes, troublesome yakṣas, rākṣasas, deer, birds, wolves, unseasonable rains, and storms will be pacified. Auspicious constellations, nights, days, months, fortnights, seasons, and years will rule.

“The beings, for the most part, will conduct themselves according to the ten virtuous actions. After dying in this world, they will proceed to the blissful forms of existence in the heavens. They will form your retinue. This Dharma discourse of this dhāraṇī thus possesses many qualities and brings much benefit.

“This Great Collection sūtra427 has been consecrated by all the buddhas so that beings may reach the far shore of saṃsāra.428 It will attract increasing and eventually great fame, and it will completely exhaust the action that causes one to experience the condition of being a woman in this life or in future lives. In short, {K151} even if the condition of a woman were experienced in one’s current birth, this already acquired female gender would be completely purified, except in the case of those who have committed any of the five acts of immediate retribution, opposed the sacred Dharma, or reviled a noble one. Whatever other unpleasant results could ripen because of actions committed with the body, speech, or mind, will all be completely purified.

“If one merely writes down this Dharma discourse and preserves it in the form of a book, one’s obscurations that are due to action and afflictions, even if they are as enormous as Mount Meru, will dissipate completely. And all one’s roots of virtue‍—the bases of support‍—will grow until fully accomplished. One will be complete and perfect in every limb and [F.262.b] have all one’s wishes come true, and all the good that one does with one’s body, speech, {TK235} and mind will flourish. One will abandon all wrong views and defeat all of one’s enemies in accordance with the Dharma. One will engage in all actions that are peaceful and subtle. All this will occur through the power of this Dharma discourse‍—this Great Collection dhāraṇī‍—blessed by all the buddhas.

“The earth in the realm where this Dharma discourse‍—the Great Collection dhāraṇī‍—spreads and proliferates will be most kind, full of vitality, and rich in juicy and sweet fruits. It will not produce anything sour, bitter, acerbic, or tasteless. It will abound in flowers and fruit, and the pots and jars in the granaries and storehouses will be brimful of grain and other crops. The beings who will live there will be amply provided with clothing, food, water, medicines, and tools. If they sustain themselves with this water and food, they will be completely free from disease and will be wealthy, beautiful, strong, astute, and intelligent. They will yearn for the Dharma and will delight in wholesome pursuits. They will give up evil ways.

“After they die in this world, they will be reborn as your companions.429 {K152} With your retinues enhanced by all this, you, powerful with your invincible armies, will protect humankind with its four castes, your strength fueled by the Dharma. You will engage beings in the pursuit of the Dharma, worshiping in this way all the blessed buddhas of the three times.”

At this point, the thus-gone Māndāravagandharoca, filling the entire buddha field with the pure sound [F.263.a] of his special wisdom-voice of a buddha that so aptly conveys the meaning of words, {TK236} exhorted all the bodhisattva great beings, the lords of the śakras, the lords of the brahmās, . . . and the lords of mahoragas who dwell in this buddha field and this world sphere consisting of the four continents, to preserve, teach, and protect the Dharma methods taught in this Great Collection sūtra, thus following the instructions of all the buddhas.

In response, all of the ninety-seven tens of thousands of millions of bodhisattva great beings who dwell in this buddha field and have attained acceptance, led by Maitreya, spoke with a single voice: “We also, following the instructions of all the buddhas, accept, as is proper, our responsibility with regard to this Dharma discourse that has been commended by our supreme guides, as the way to worship the thus-gone ones of the three times and out of respect for our teachers. Acting out of compassion we will, in order to bring beings to maturity . . . and to establish them on the unsurpassable path, glorify this Dharma discourse far and wide‍—in villages, towns, cities, countries, state capitals, and inhabited forests. We will bring beings to full maturity so that the sacred Dharma continues for a long time.”

All the blessed buddhas in this buddha field applauded, saying, “Good! Good it is, O good people, that you will do this!” {K153}

And the lords of śakras, brahmās, mahoragas, and other beings who were in this buddha field‍—sixty-four million billion beings of great splendor and majesty‍—all said with one voice, “To ensure that the sacred Dharma continues for a long time, we will also uphold, . . . [F.263.b] {TK237} teach in full, and glorify this Dharma discourse‍—the Great Collection dhāraṇī. We will bring beings to full maturity. We will protect and take care of the Dharma students who uphold the sacred Dharma. Wherever this Dharma discourse is practiced, there we will, following the instructions of all the buddhas, pacify all discord, quarrels, wars, famine, disease, invasions by foreign powers, unseasonable cold and hot spells, storms, torrential rains, hurricanes, and anything that tastes foul, unpleasant, sour, bitter, or is tasteless. We will bring about every type of comfort and pleasure and ensure there is an abundance of provisions of every kind. We will make every effort to ensure that the methods of the sacred Dharma continue for a long time. Furthermore, we will protect righteous kings and take care of those who delight in meditation.”

All the blessed buddhas applauded them, saying, “Good! Good it is, O good people, that you will do this! You should exert yourselves for the sake of yourselves as well as others. In this way you will venerate the blessed buddhas of the three times. If you make an effort to bring beings to maturity, to glorify this Dharma method, and to make the sacred Dharma continue for a long time, you will swiftly awaken fully and completely to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.”

Now all the lords of śakras, brahmās,430 gods,431 and mahoragas [F.264.a] who live in the central universe consisting of the four continents‍—all of them of great splendor‍—rose {K154} from their seats and, standing with folded hands, said, {TK238} “We, too, following the instructions of all the blessed buddhas, will protect this Dharma method and glorify432 it. We accept, as is proper, our responsibility with regard to this Great Collection sūtra that has been blessed by all the buddhas‍—this dhāraṇī-seal‍—this Dharma discourse . . . and will teach it in full in villages, towns, cities, countries, state capitals, and inhabited forests. We will care for and protect those who uphold the sacred Dharma. As for those who are established in the practice of the Dharma‍—Dharma teachers and students, monks and nuns, male and female lay practitioners, and other noble sons and daughters who have faith, delight in meditation, uphold this Dharma discourse, . . . or write it down and preserve it in the form of a book‍—we will protect, care for, respect, revere, honor, and worship all of them. We will respectfully present them with robes, parasols, banners, flags, scented oils, . . . and all kinds of medicines and utensils.

“And while this Dharma discourse is being taught and elucidated, we will attend to it to hear it for ourselves. Recognizing it as the supreme teacher, we will respect, revere, honor, and worship this Dharma discourse with parasols, banners, and flags. Why is this? It is because while this Dharma discourse on the dhāraṇī-seal that has been blessed by all the buddhas is being taught, we will be energized by the elixir of the Dharma. Strong, [F.264.b] diligent, mindful, and surrounded by supporters, we will become an invincible army. In this way, {K155} we will quell, in every realm, all discord, quarrels, {TK239} wars, disputes, famine, disease, invasions by foreign powers, unseasonable storms, torrential rains, cold and hot spells, droughts, bad dreams, and bad omens; all the foul, unpleasant, sour, bitter, acerbic, or insipid tastes; and all immoral predilections.

“Moreover, we will provide for every possible comfort, the abundance of provisions and food, enjoyments, and freedom from disease. We will set in motion433 timely winds, rains, cool and hot weather, and an abundance of water.434 We will set in motion auspicious constellations, nights, days, months, fortnights, seasons, and years. We will fill the rivers, lakes, ponds, and lotus ponds.435 In places where beings are troubled by floods, we will stop this calamity. Furthermore, in such places of trouble‍—villages, towns, cities, and countries‍—we will procure for the benefit of beings leaves, branches, flowers, fruits, bulbs, grain, herbs, and other crops436‍—all of them plentiful, of prime quality and pleasant appearance, juicy, succulent, and tasty. We will also provision beings with wealth, crops, medicines, clothing, and ornaments, without leaving anything lacking.

“We will ensure the longevity that arises from glory and merit437 for those beings who engage in wholesome pursuits and will spurn evil ones.438 In the houses, towns, cities, countries, [F.265.a] or capital cities where this Dharma discourse on dhāraṇī-seals, blessed by all the buddhas, {TK240} is taught in its entirety, written down {K156} and preserved in book form, recited, worshiped, and treated with respect, any head-anointed kṣatriya kings who are living in these places will be protected and cared for by us. We will dispel anything that is harmful to them, and we will procure for them anything that is salutary. We will quell all idle curiosity,439 inauspiciousness, wrong views, wrong actions, wrong authority, wrong aspirations, wrong refuge, hypocrisy, garrulousness, treachery, deceit, lies, envy, anger, and resentment. We will establish them on the straight path of correct views and inspire them to adhere to faith, self-control, self-restraint, conscientiousness, and decorum.

“In the same way, we will protect, care for, . . . and inspire conscientiousness and decorum in the chief queens, concubines, ministers, and accountants, in the prominent people in the towns and the country, in the four castes, and in women, men, sons, and daughters. We will also, in the same places, give complete protection to all the animals. Wherever this Dharma discourse is explained . . . and written down and preserved in the form of a book, we will thus care for the beings there with great effort and courage. We will strive to glorify this Dharma method and stop it from disappearing.”440

All the blessed buddhas applauded these sublime beings, saying, “Good! Good it is, sublime beings, that you will do that, [F.265.b] and that you will strive to prevent this Dharma method and the lineage of the Three Jewels {TK241} from disappearing. In this way you {K157} will worship the blessed buddhas of the three times.”