The Ratnaketu Dhāraṇī
Chapter 5

The millions of māras then thought, “We should adorn the gates of the city through which the Blessed One is to enter, as well as the earth surrounding them, with sublime and magnificent ornaments in the same manner as the gods, nāgas, and yakṣas have adorned the surroundings of the city.”

With his mind, however, the Blessed One knew the thoughts of the millions of māras,[F.227.a] and he manifested a miracle such that through the twelve gates of the city, twelve blessed buddhas entered the city of Rājagṛha. The millions of māras then, while hovering in the sky, adorned the city gates, the area around them, the city walls, its trees, and the surface of the earth with magical ornaments of the māra realm, as well as countless other magnificent miraculous manifestations set in the finest and most beautiful arrangements. Some of the millions of māras transformed into guises ranging from that of Brahmā to those of great sages. {TK131} From their perch in the sky, they placed various flowers, incense, scented powders, garlands, gold, silver, jewels, and pearls on the windows, ledges, and turrets of the mansions in the city, as well as in the trees. They also cast down a rain of cloth, cotton, linen, and ornaments, played many instruments, and venerated the Blessed One with songs of praise, extolling his qualities. The Blessed One then entered Rājagṛha’s city gates, adorned as they were with a supremely extensive and elevating display made in such a novel, incredible, and miraculous fashion.

As he entered, he touched the threshold of the city gate with the big toe of his right foot. As soon as he did so, the entire great trichiliocosm shook in six different ways. This earthquake was felt by Śakra, Brahmā, Sūrya, Candra, the world protectors, and Maheśvara, as well as all leaders of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas, and also by the gods of the earth, water, oceans, cities, [F.227.b] and countryside. It was also felt by all the men, women, {TK132} boys, and girls and all the retinues of the divine great sages up to the Unexcelled Heaven. The earthquake immediately mobilized all these majestic beings to gather at the area surrounding the city of Rājagṛha. From the ground below and the sky above, they cast flowers and incense powder, suitable to the season, toward the Blessed One.

The Blessed One then scattered the flowers, powders, and so forth into each of the ten directions in order to venerate and honor the buddhas in all the buddha fields‍—pure as well as impure,295 empty as well as not empty‍—that are as numerous as the atoms in existence. The following verses then rang out from the flowers, powders, and ornaments in those buddha fields:

Then the bodhisattva great beings, hearers, and great hearers who were settled in mental composure in the grove of Veṇuvana gazed at the Teacher. They saw that the Blessed One was at the gate of the city of Rājagṛha, calm and collected. [F.228.a] All these bodhisattva great beings and great hearers also saw the ranks and formations {TK134} on the edges at the Blessed One’s sides.

The sound of the verses that came from the flower and powder decorations then rang out in the buddha fields‍—pure and impure, empty and not empty‍—as numerous as the atoms existing throughout the ten directions. When the bodhisattva great beings and hearers in those buddha fields heard the sound, they thought, “How pleasing this sound is. How enjoyable, delightful, satisfying, and pleasant it is. Its great qualities are indeed worthy of praise. Now, whence have this sound and this rain of flowers and powders come?” The bodhisattva great beings and great hearers thus halted their individual virtuous activities in utter amazement.

The blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni then entered into an absorption called corresponding to the causes of the Buddha’s ornaments and jewelry. As soon as he entered this absorption, {TK135} an immense display appeared throughout this entire Sahā world and all the buddha fields throughout the ten directions. They all became just like the future thus-gone Samantadarśin’s buddha field, which is called Pure and Unstained. In all the buddha fields with their world systems as numerous as atoms, throughout the ten directions, that were all unconstructed296 yet marvelously adorned, the blessed, thus-gone Śākyamuni appeared‍—clearly, precisely, and brilliantly‍—entering the city gates of Rājagṛha. [F.228.b] As the bodhisattva great beings and great hearers in those buddha fields heard these sounds, they were intrigued. Gazing in all directions, they all saw the Sahā world‍—not very far away. Through the domain of the Buddha, they also saw the divine, miraculously created ornaments.

The bodhisattva great beings and great hearers then thought, “We should go to see and examine the presence of that great assembly and the qualities of the buddha field. We should go to see, venerate, and serve the thus-gone Śākyamuni. {TK136} There we will definitely receive our prophecies of unsurpassed and perfect awakening!”

Through the thus-gone Śākyamuni’s miraculous power, bodhisattva great beings and great hearers as numerous as the atoms in all the buddha fields throughout the ten directions then disappeared from their own buddha fields and arrived instantaneously in this Sahā world. When the countless, limitless bodhisattva great beings, who were as numerous as the atoms in all the buddha fields, arrived from each of the ten directions, they filled the earth and the sky above this buddha field entirely. Due to the power of the cause that is in accord with these bodhisattva great beings’ roots of virtue, they set out venerating the thus-gone Śākyamuni.

In order to venerate the Blessed One, some bodhisattva great beings covered the entire buddha field {TK137} with a rain of various flowers, while others cast down showers of pearls, and so forth. In order to venerate the Blessed One, yet others cast down showers of gold, silver, beryl, [F.229.a] crystal, emerald, coral, white sandalwood, uraga sandalwood, and the powdered leaves of the palm tree, thus filling the sky. In order to venerate the Blessed One, others cast down a rain of dangling and swaying ornaments and various cloth and linens. In order to venerate the Blessed One, some held up jeweled parasols, banners, and flags. In order to venerate the Blessed One, some anointed the earth with various scents. Some tossed jeweled garlands. Some played instruments and cymbals. Some sang and danced. Some played music. Some cleansed the earth with scented water. Some bore jeweled vessels containing jewels to the Blessed One. Some {TK138} filled jeweled vessels with scented water, decorated them with flowers, fruits, and leaves, and bore them to the Blessed One. Some decorated jeweled trees with divine cloth, jewelry, flowers, and fruits and held them high.

Some transformed themselves into the guise of Mahābrahmā and prostrated to the Blessed One with palms joined together. Standing there, they made extensive offerings in the manner just mentioned. Some transformed themselves into the guise of lions, prostrated to the Blessed One, and took their places. Drawing on the Blessed One’s miraculous power and the strength of their own roots of virtue, the beings there were able to perceive one another’s forms unimpededly with their own eyes. The Blessed One then entered the city of Rājagṛha through the transformative power of the gods of the great māra realm, as well as his own297 applications of mindfulness, right exertions, bases of supernatural power, faculties, strengths, limbs of awakening, [F.229.b] paths, and eighteen unique qualities of a buddha. {TK139} He then proceeded to a lotus that was right in the center of the road, touched the head of the flower with his right palm, and picked it up. As he plucked the lotus, it vibrated, which caused all the encircling mountains, greater encircling mountains, Mount Sumeru, the great oceans, and all the māra realms in this buddha field to shake. The celestial palaces, abodes, beds, and seats in the māra realms also shook violently. All the māra boys and girls and their retinues there were terrified and worried and said to one another, “Since our celestial palaces do not shake for no reason, perhaps Māra, our king, has passed from his domain? What if we are also to die and pass from our home? We should definitely go to see what is happening!”

Once they saw what had happened, they thought, “If this buddha field is influenced by the five degenerations, who has then ornamented it so? Who has made it so pleasant?”

Then, as the māras and their servants were standing in that place, they saw the thus-gone Śākyamuni seated there‍—shining, {TK140} gleaming, brilliant, and adorned with the thirty-two marks of a great being. They did not recognize even a single one of the many other beings of various forms, colors, characteristics, and shapes that existed in the whole trichiliocosm, including this entire buddha field. Yet they saw each of those beings exerting themselves in venerating the Blessed One.

It then occurred to them, “We must by all means go to see the thus-gone Śākyamuni, pay our respects to him, and ask him where our leader and his servants have gone.” {K108}298 [F.230.a]

299The billion māras together with their retinues arrived in the presence of Blessed Śākyamuni and took their seats.300 Māra, the evil one, bowed with folded hands in the direction of the Blessed One and said:

The Blessed One replied:

The evil one said:

The Blessed One replied: {K109}

The Blessed One then looked with his buddha eye at the entire buddha field and, seeing it completely filled with beings that live on earth and in the sky, recited the following stanzas:

When through the power of the Blessed One’s merit, {TK146} his strength of fearlessness, and the influence of his merit according to his roots of virtue {K112} he chanted these verses with the unimpeded sound of his voice, his words of the maṇḍala of space were heard throughout the ten directions in worlds‍—with and without the five degenerations‍—equal in extent to the infinite grains of sand in the Gaṅgā. Immediately, infinite hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of beings in every buddha field obtained faith and undefiled joy. They proceeded irreversibly to unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Some attained absorption, acceptance, or different dhāraṇīs. Those who were gathered in this buddha field obtained the level of irreversibility when they heard the Blessed One’s words, syllables, and meaning. Infinite numbers of beings attained renunciation according to one of the three vehicles.322

Jyotīrasa, the bodhisattva great being,323 magically created the stairs, [F.231.b] made of the seven precious gems324 and shaded with flowers, for ascending to the lotus throne and, with hands folded325 in the direction of the Blessed One, implored:

The Blessed One then climbed atop the lotus throne via the magically emanated staircase and took his seat at the center of the lotus. Gazing in all ten directions, the Blessed One {TK148} then addressed the evil Māra: “O Māra, evil one, you are the reason that the Dharma teaching of the Great Collection was taught here today, whereby countless infinite beings will be liberated and freed from the misery of being in the womb, as well as from aging and death. They will cross over the four rivers. [F.232.a] They will travel the peaceful path. They will realize that wisdom that is equal to space. Evil Māra, because you have set the proliferation of these beings’ roots of virtue in motion, you should rejoice! Evil Māra, you should request me to teach the Dharma. Then I shall teach the Dharma so that those in your Māra world may be able to cross the rising river.

Then Māra, the evil one, spoke the following verse:

The Blessed One responded:

Māra, the evil one, became furious with the Blessed One. Disturbed and distressed, he wished to turn back but now noticed he was bound by a fivefold noose. He wished to cry out in fear, but was unable. Through the power of his anger, he blew out incredibly hot breath to kill the Blessed One. Yet the Blessed One transformed it into a most exquisite flower, which he then blessed so that it became a very pleasing parasol in the space directly above the crowns of the heads of all the blessed buddhas dwelling, flourishing, and teaching the Dharma in all the buddha fields throughout the ten directions. The bodhisattva great beings in each of those buddha fields asked their respective blessed buddhas, “Where have these flower parasols come from? And due to whose magical power?”

The blessed ones answered the bodhisattva great beings, saying, “Noble children, there is a world called the Sahā world.329A thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha called Śākyamuni made aspirations in the past to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood within that buddha field, which is rife with the afflictions and the five degenerations and where he now teaches the Dharma. This thus-gone one is about to give an 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.

“This exposition completely destroys the forces of the entire dominion of Māra and elevates all the strengths, the types of fearlessness, and the domains of a buddha. It ensures the continuity of the teachings of the buddhas and the lamp of the Three Jewels. {TK152} It activates the blessings of his diligence [F.233.b] to increase all roots of virtue. It destroys all enemies and obstructers. It pacifies the ordinary, the inauspicious, disputes, bad dreams, evil omens, famine, the mass of fears, struggle, warfare, captivity, fighting, arguments, drought, unseasonable heat and cold, storms, heat waves, sickness, and unpleasant sounds. It motivates all the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and human and nonhuman beings. It summons and motivates the warrior caste. It engages the four castes in the service of Dharma. It sets ablaze the torch of insight and teaches a direct path. It motivates all the households, towns, cities, villages, districts, countryside, royal cities, and hinterlands. It aligns constellations, planets, nights, days, months, fortnights, and years.330 It ensures good harvests and an abundance of flowers, fruits, grains, and medicinal herbs. It accomplishes all manufacturing and business ventures and supervisory331 tasks. It pacifies all the faults of body, speech, and mind. {K114} It increases insight, mindfulness, intelligence, interest, courage, stability, patience, and eloquence. It awakens the unobstructed vision of all phenomena. It blesses the Dharma tradition with the four noble attributes. It elucidates the Great Vehicle. It nurtures bodhisattva great beings and gives comfort to them. It blesses the vajra-like minds of those at the stage of irreversibility. It makes beings realize the acceptance that phenomena are unborn.332 It establishes beings in realization consistent with {TK153} the tenth bodhisattva level. It cares for beings that require guidance. It turns the wheel [F.234.a] of Dharma. It covers all beings with great compassion. It engages them in the practice of the perfections. It establishes them on the unsurpassed path. It rains Dharma. It satisfies all beings with the essence of Dharma. It completes the fully awakened intention of the buddhas. It brings freedom from the domain of the four māras. It places beings in the expanse of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates.333

“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,334 was given, blessed, and rejoiced at, upon each other’s giving it, by all the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas of the past. Whatever blessed buddhas now dwell and pass their time in the ten directions, teaching the Dharma there, they all give, bless, and rejoice in each other’s offering of this exposition. In the future, whatever thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas will dwell in other worlds {TK154} in the ten directions, they all will also {K115} give, bless, and rejoice in each other’s offering of this exposition.”

Hearing this, all the bodhisattva great beings who dwelled in these buddha fields asked their respective buddhas, “What is this exposition, O Blessed One, that we haven’t heard before [F.234.b] and that is a treasure trove of so many qualities, that is endowed with inconceivable qualities, that grants unobstructed vision of all phenomena, . . .335 and that pacifies? Please, O Blessed One, give this exposition that completely destroys the forces of the entire dominion of Māra . . .336 and places beings in the expanse of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates. Give it out of compassion for the world, for the benefit and happiness of many people. It will surely be in the interest of great numbers of beings, bringing benefit and happiness to gods and humans alike.”

The blessed buddhas replied to the bodhisattvas, {TK155} “O noble children! We also are going to the Sahā world where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Śākyamuni dwells. Similarly, whatever blessed buddhas now dwell and pass their time in the ten directions in their respective worlds, they are all going along with their retinues of bodhisattvas and congregations of hearers to the Sahā world where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Śākyamuni dwells. {K116} Together with the thus-gone Śākyamuni they will give, bless, and rejoice in each other’s offering of this exposition [F.235.a] in order to benefit all beings by stopping them from committing evil acts, fully establishing them in wholesome conduct, and filling them with unsurpassed wisdom.

“Once all these blessed buddhas have gathered today in the Sahā world along with their retinues of bodhisattvas and congregations of hearers, they will give this exposition there. So, if any of you wants to hear this exposition and to worship the blessed buddhas, as innumerable as the grains of sand in the river Gaṅgā, {TK156} who are abiding together at the same time337 in the same buddha field, and if any of you want to hear their teachings and to see the domains of all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, gods, māras, and the marvelous ornamentation of all the buddha fields, and if any of you want to see a gathering of buddhas such as has never been seen or heard of, let us now go together to the Sahā world where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Śākyamuni dwells.”

The bodhisattva great beings replied to their respective buddhas, “If this is so, O venerable Blessed One, we shall go together with you, our thus-gone one, to the Sahā world where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha Śākyamuni dwells, {K117} in order to hear this exposition that we have not heard before. [F.235.b] We shall worship there, all at the same time and on the same occasion, in the same buddha field, infinite numbers of blessed buddhas living and spending their time there. We will request them to teach us the Dharma. We will see the Sahā world adorned with the miraculous displays originating from the four bases of supernatural power, and that great gathering in a marvelous array. And if we manage to get a place in that buddha field while the dhāraṇī included in this exposition is being recited, we will be able to honor, praise, serve, and worship the buddhas and the bodhisattva great beings who have gathered there.”

Then each of the blessed buddhas in his respective buddha field spoke to his own retinue of bodhisattva great beings and congregation of great hearers: {TK157}

“Do not be anxious, noble children, or have any doubts about whether there will be enough space available in that world to accommodate everybody. Why so? Because the blessed buddhas have an infinite ability to bring beings to maturity‍—an ability that derives from their skill in the wisdom of equality particular to their buddha fields. Because, O noble children, the thus-gone Śākyamuni has such great skillful means, he has the ability to expand space. {K118} Noble children, imagine that he is able to accommodate in a single mustard seed all the beings, who depend for existence on physical elements and sense faculties, taken together from their respective realms, even if each and every one of them were as big as Mount Meru. Each of them would have ample room for themselves and none would even arrive in one another’s field of vision. Even if the bodies of all beings were placed in a single mustard seed, they would not appear to shrink, nor would the seed appear to grow. The thus-gone Śākyamuni, noble children, is indeed endowed with such skill in means.

“And furthermore, O noble children, whatever solidity there is in existence constitutes the earth element. The thus-gone Śākyamuni could place [F.236.a] all of it within a single particle of dust, and this particle, with all of the earth element having entered there, would not appear to expand, nor would the earth element appear to shrink. With such skill in means is the thus-gone Śākyamuni endowed.

“Again, O noble children, anything that appears as wet constitutes the water element‍—the thus-gone Śākyamuni could place all of it on a single hair tip, {TK158} and this hair tip, with all the water element having entered there, would not appear to expand, nor would the water element appear to shrink. With such skill in means is the thus-gone Śākyamuni endowed.

“And further, O noble children, whatever of the wind element is known to exist, the thus-gone Śākyamuni could place all of it within a single pore. This entire element of wind, {K119} even though contained within a single pore of skin, would be able to move around, provided with ample room as if within its own usual sphere of activity.

338“Again, O noble children, anything that appears as hot constitutes the fire element. The thus-gone Śākyamuni could place anything relating to the fire element that has arisen, is arising, or will arise within a single particle of dust. Even if the entire fire element was gathered there in a single particle, it would still be able to function within that single particle, provided with ample range as if within its own usual domain.

“And further, O noble children, whatever buddha fields there are in the ten directions, the thus-gone Śākyamuni could place all of them, together with all the beings there and the four great elements, on a single hair tip.

“Then, in that infinitely small space, all those beings and the great elements would be able to go about their usual business and move around as if in their own usual spheres of operation, provided with sufficient space. They would not get into each other’s way, and this infinitely small space would not appear to expand, nor would they appear to shrink. With such skill in means is the thus-gone Śākyamuni endowed.

“And further, O noble children, the thus-gone Śākyamuni can know the six sense bases, conduct, grasping, aspirations, blessings, ranges of speech, sounds, phonemes, expressions of language, actions or endeavors that involve the three predispositions,339 aggregates, analytical minds, and the range of methods for gathering accumulations of all the beings of the three times, in a single instant. {TK159} He is able to know anything at all about any being from the far reaches of the past to that which generates the rebirths in saṃsāra of any of the six kinds of beings throughout the three times, [F.236.b] as well as their deaths, births, and what occurs for each of them. He can know the extent of the particles of earth. He can know how beings pass the moments and hours throughout the three times. He can know every pore of all beings throughout the three times.340 He can know the extent of the enjoyments, behaviors, and experiences of happiness and suffering of all beings throughout the three times. The thus-gone Śākyamuni can know all this within a single instant. {K120}

“The thus-gone Śākyamuni is able to comprehend the three times up to their farthest limit effortlessly and without ideas or concepts, because he is endowed with this kind of clairvoyant wisdom that is miraculous in character. The thus-gone Śākyamuni is endowed with such immeasurable means to bring beings to maturity through equanimity, O noble children, because of his skill in wisdom that derives from his buddha domain.”

When these characteristics were elucidated, infinite and uncountable hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas from the respective retinues of the thus-gone ones from all the different directions reached the perfection of insight, based on their previous aspirations.341