The Quintessence of the Sun
Conclusion

Then the elder Ājñātakauṇḍinya said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please bless the nāgas! Please make this Dharma teaching, which involves the conduct of teaching about the inconceivable karmic action, blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One said, “As long as the great stūpas in this four-continent world still contain beings who diligently engage in practice, this Dharma teaching will continue to be practiced on the four continents. What are those great stūpas? Here in Jambudvīpa, many past buddhas, bodhisattvas, solitary buddhas, and hearers have continuously resided at this stūpa‍—the sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support‍—and they will continue to reside here in the future. The perfect buddhas of the past have entrusted this sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support to Varuṇa, to ensure that the great teachings remain for a long time. I also entrust it to him. He will joyfully ripen those persons who abide by the Dharma and diligently engage in practice. He will also protect those donors and benefactors who strive to serve those who abide by the Dharma.”

The nāga king Varuṇa replied, “Respected Blessed One, that is correct! [F.234.a] The thus-gone Krakucchanda entrusted to me the protection of this sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support. He has also entrusted to me the protection of those who exert themselves in sameness and abide by the Dharma, as well as the donors and benefactors who strive to serve those who exert themselves in sameness and abide by the Dharma. I will protect both those groups as requested, for as long as the sacred Dharma blazes. Similarly, the thus-gone ones Kanakamuni and Kāśyapa entrusted that task to me, to ensure that that Dharma way continues to blaze. In the same way, following the command of the Blessed One, I will now protect the persons in this sacred site of wise sages called Complete Support who exert themselves in sameness and abide by the Dharma, as well as the donors and benefactors who strive to serve and revere those persons who exert themselves in sameness and abide by the Dharma. As long as those hearers reside here without assistance, I will protect them all!”

“Excellent, nāga, excellent!” said the Blessed One. “Through these blessings, those great benefactors will make my Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “In Godānīya, on Dust Mountain, there is the sacred site of wise sages called Bright Colors. [. . .] I entrust its protection to the nāga king Endowed with Jewel Garlands.”

“Respected Blessed One, that is correct!” replied the nāga king Endowed with Jewel Garlands. “The thus-gone Krakucchanda entrusted to me the protection of this sacred site of wise sages called Bright Colors. [F.234.b] [. . .] As long as those hearers reside there without assistance, I will look after them all!”

“Excellent, nāga, excellent!” said the Blessed One. “Through these blessings, those benefactors will make my Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “In Pūrvavideha, on Langana Mountain, there is the sacred site of wise sages called Emergence of Sages. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Moon Protector.”

The nāga king Moon Protector replied, “[. . .] For that long, I will look after them!”

The Blessed One then said, “In Uttarakuru, on Victorious Joy Mountain, there is the sacred site of wise sages called Stacked Incense. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Body-Piercing Needle. I also entrust to him the protection of those persons who exert themselves in sameness and abide by the Dharma, as well as the donors and benefactors who strive to serve and revere those monks who exert themselves in sameness and abide by the Dharma.”

The nāga king Body-Piercing Needle replied, “Respected Blessed One, that is correct! In the past, the thus-gone Krakucchanda also entrusted to me the protection of this sacred site of wise sages called Stacked Incense as well as those who abide by the Dharma. Kanakamuni and Kāśyapa have done the same, and I have supported the Dharma way. In the same way, following the command of the Blessed One, I will now protect that entire sacred site of wise sages called Stacked Incense!”

“Excellent, nāga lord, excellent!” said the Blessed One. “Through these blessings, those great benefactors will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!” [F.235.a]

The Blessed One then said, “In Godānīya, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Source of Light Rays. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Gajaśīrṣa. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “In Pūrvavideha, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Lotus Flowers Like Banyan Trees. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Wealth Giver. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “In Uttarakuru, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Light Rays of Stacked Incense. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Moving in Places. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “Within the great ocean, in the dwelling place of the nāga king Sāgara, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Radiating Diamond Light. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Sāgara. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “On the summit of Mount Sumeru, in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Essence of Blooming Flowers. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Airāvaṇa. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “Here in Jambudvīpa, at the place called Nandivardhana, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Cave of the Elders. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Jackal. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

The Blessed One then said, “In Vaiśālī, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Completely Stable. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Vāsuki. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

“In Kapilavastu, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Fragrance of the Golden Lamp. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Anavatapta. [F.235.b] [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In Magadha, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Vast. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Given by the Mountain. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In Mathurā, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Thick Clouds. I entrust its protection to both nāga kings Jackal and Movement. [. . .] They will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In the country of Kosala, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Pure Victor. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Kṛmi. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“Beyond Guhā, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called True Fragrance of Mucilinda. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Mucilinda. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In Gandhāra, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Provisions for the Path of Seeing. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Elapatra. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In Kashmir, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Saffron Summit. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Hullura. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In the land called Fetching Water, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Essence of Illumination. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Dangler. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“In China, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Light of Nārāyaṇa. I entrust its protection to the nāga king Samudradatta. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time! [F.236.a]

“In the land of Khaṣa, at the place called Breast of the Earth near Mount Gośṛṇga, along the bank of the Gomatī river, there is also the sacred site of wise sages called Gomasālagandha. I entrust the protection of that sacred place to the nāga king Given by a Householder. [. . .] He will make the Dharma way blaze for a long time!

“Many supreme wise sages have continuously resided at those great stūpas in the past, as have many bodhisattva great beings, solitary buddhas, great hearers, and sages who had developed the five higher perceptions. Those great stūpas have been blessed by all those powerful beings renowned for their great strength who were born in this buddha realm, and these places have been entrusted to them so that they may generate roots of virtue for the sake of sentient beings who are afraid and weary of saṃsāra. In that way, all the blessed buddhas and bodhisattva great beings who have appeared in the countless buddha realms in the ten directions have considered, thought about, and blessed those twenty great stūpas in order to exhaust the karmic actions of sentient beings. Similarly, all the blessed buddhas and bodhisattva great beings who in the future will appear in the countless buddha realms in the ten directions will consider, think about, and bless those twenty great stūpas. In the future, all the most excellent victorious ones who will appear in this buddha realm will reside in and bless those twenty great stūpas for the sake of sentient beings and in order to exhaust their karmic actions. [F.236.b] All the bodhisattva great beings, solitary buddhas, great hearers, and sages who have developed the five higher perceptions will also reside in and bless those twenty great stūpas for the sake of sentient beings and to exhaust their karmic actions. I will entrust their protection to those beings renowned for their great strength. In the same way, I now entrust those twenty great stūpas to you in accordance with the names you have heard. Protect those places for the sake of those sentient beings who are weary of saṃsāra! Look after them to ensure that the Dharma does not vanish!”

All the nāgas who had been entrusted to protect those twenty sacred places replied, “Respected Blessed One, we nāgas are severely intoxicated by the obscurations of lethargy and sleep. If we count according to human time, just one of our nights of sleep lasts for twenty-one human years. If those sacred sites of wise sages were threatened by danger caused by gods, humans, fire, or water while we sleep, those great stūpas could be destroyed. Since we would be asleep and intoxicated, we would be unable to prevent their destruction. This would be a great fault against all the thus-gone ones of the three times!” [F.237.a]

The Blessed One then said to twenty-eight yakṣa leaders, “Take care of those great stūpas, those sacred sites of wise sages that the victors always keep in mind. Look after them and protect them!”

The twenty-eight76 great yakṣa leaders agreed to protect the sacred sites of wise sages as requested, just like those who resided there in the past. However, they did not agree to protect the sacred place of Gomasālagandha.”

At that moment, the nāga king Given by a Householder said, “Respected Blessed One, I could take up the protection of that great stūpa, the sacred site of wise sages called Gomasālagandha that is located at the place of Breast of the Earth near Mount Gośṛṇga, along the bank of the Gomatī river. However, in that region, there are no lands, villages, cities, or towns, nor are there any other places inhabited by humans. There are only bodhisattva great beings, solitary buddhas, great hearers, and sages who have mastered the five higher perceptions and the magical powers who have arrived from other regions, other four-continent worlds, and other buddha realms. They have used their miraculous powers to arrive at Gomasālagandha, that sacred site of wise sages, to worship it, but afterward they will leave again. Respected Blessed One, I have just witnessed that none of the yakṣa leaders are eager to protect that place. So now I am left wondering whether this should not be regarded as a bad place.”

The Blessed One replied, “Nāga lord, do not say such things! In the land of Khaṣa there are twenty thousand powerful beings who see the truth and are renowned for their great powers. [F.237.b] They will perform worship day and night at that great stūpa Gomasālagandha, the sacred site of wise sages. Furthermore, nāga lord, three thousand years after the thus-gone Kāśyapa passed into perfect nirvāṇa, Breast of the Earth was home to a country called Rough Stone. It was filled with many humans and other beings, and everyone lived happily and joyfully. Five hundred thousand sages who were worthy of gifts, reveled in the concentrations, and wished for the unsurpassed vehicle resided in that place. At that time, humans craved food. For the sake of food, they accused the sages of engaging in sexual intercourse and threw dust and ashes at them. Hence, the sages eventually left the country Rough Stone. When they saw that the sages had left, those beings rejoiced and were overjoyed. Do you remember how furious you became, and how you deprived them of their water by drying out the rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, springs, and wells in their country? In that land, the fire god also became angry and extinguished the fires of those beings, leaving them tormented by hunger and thirst. After they died, those beings were soon born in isolated places where they remained for a long time. I will now go to Gomasālagandha and reside for seven days at that sacred site of wise sages so that a hundred years after I pass into parinirvāṇa there will be villages, cities, towns, countries, and mountain hamlets at Breast of the Earth. There will be resources and possessions for sentient beings who follow the Great Vehicle, everyone will live happily and joyfully, and the place will be filled with many humans and other beings.” [F.238.a]

The Blessed One then asked the yakṣa leader Famous, “Famous, do you remember?”

“Respected Blessed One,” replied Famous, “I remember how in the past the thus-gone Kāśyapa spent seven days in a single sitting at Mount Gośṛṇga, resting in the happiness of liberation. After those seven days had passed, when he arose from that absorption, he remained at Gomasālagandha, that sacred site of wise sages. I remember those who protected him during that time, as well as those who guarded the pippalī trees. I also remember those who exerted themselves in serving his hearers, those who exerted themselves in the absorptions, and those who protected the people who abided by the Dharma, as well as those who guarded the pippalī trees.”

The nāga king Given by a Householder exclaimed, “Respected Blessed One, as long as there are hearers without assistance, I shall protect them! Until the time of Maitreya, I shall always protect that great stūpa Gomasālagandha from the troubles caused by water, fire, yakṣas, and kumbhāṇḍas!”

“Excellent, nāga lord, excellent!” replied the Blessed One. “Through such blessings, those friends and benefactors will make my Dharma way blaze for a long time!”

At that moment, the six hundred million bodhisattva great beings who had arrived and gathered from other buddha realms of the ten directions to listen to the great teaching of The Quintessence of the Sun said, “Respected Blessed One, [F.238.b] we shall also remain within this four-continent world! We shall fill those sacred sites of wise sages with offerings ranging from flowers to flags and with gold of various degrees of refinement! We shall uphold this Quintessence of the Sun‍—the dhāraṇī mantra that purifies karmic action‍—and reveal it to others! We shall teach it extensively! We shall reflect on and abide by the dhāraṇī mantra that the Blessed One has taught! To perfect the path of awakening and the six perfections, we shall purify ours and others’ karmic obscurations! Ten million māras have assembled here today, as have an innumerable and limitless number of gods, nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. The Blessed One has placed the protection of all those great stūpas, those sacred sites of wise sages, in the hands of the nāgas and the yakṣas. However, since the minds of the māras, the gods, the kinnaras, and the asuras have changed, the Blessed One declared, ‘I now entrust the protection of those sacred sites of wise sages to pure beings.’ But perhaps the Blessed One is not aware that now or in the future other beings such as humans might harm, demolish, and destroy those great stūpas. That would not be good!”

The Blessed One replied, “Excellent, noble sons, excellent! But do not be afraid! Do not be scared! The perfect buddhas of the past have blessed all those great stūpas, those sacred sites of wise sages, [F.239.a] and they have entrusted their protection to the nāgas and yakṣas. Similarly, I now entrust the protection of all those great stūpas, those sacred sites of wise sages, to the nāgas and yakṣas. Why do I do so? I entrust the protection of those great stūpas, those sacred sites of wise sages, to the nāgas and yakṣas in order to purify the karmic obscurations of those who have obtained the eight unfree states, to create the causes of the happiness of emancipation, to generate the conditions and the manifestation of everything needed to sustain sentient beings, to cause the growth of medicinal plants and forests, to make a variety of foods ripen, and to pacify untimely winds and rain. Furthermore, whether in the past or in the future, all the great stūpas where the thus-gone ones are born are sacred places for the world with its gods. The same is true for those places where they exert themselves in concentration in the forest of ascetics, awaken to perfect buddhahood, and turn the wheel of Dharma. The same is true for those places where thus-gone ones’ Dharma bodies or born emanations are located, where the thus-gone ones’ hearers who abide by the Dharma reside, and where my Dharma way remains. I also entrust the protection of those great stūpas to the māras, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and asuras. [F.239.b]

“Furthermore, I will now confer upon you the great teaching that generates faith in and repels77 all bhūtas. It is known as the great teaching that accomplishes absorption and repels hostile beings. It has been taught and blessed by all the thus-gone ones of the past, who rejoiced thereby. It has generated faith in and repelled hostile beings, and it has caused them to engage in virtue. Similarly, all the future thus-gone ones will teach it and bless it, and they will rejoice thereby. It will generate faith in and repel hostile beings, and it will cause them to engage in virtue. This great teaching is the outcome of the four bases of miraculous displays. It is the great lord of accomplishment that repels all hostile beings. It frees beings from great disciplined observances. It causes one to engage with great wisdom. It causes one to remember a great amount of learned knowledge. It frees beings from great methods. It definitely subjugates the great enemies. It generates faith in those who show great hostility. It heals severe diseases. It repels great terrors. It enables one to cross great wildernesses. It causes one to see the great truths. It causes one to reach great acceptance. It makes one enter the ocean of great wisdom. It causes one to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood.

“Good beings, this has been taught and blessed by all the buddhas. It accomplishes the absorptions that are the outcome of the four bases of miraculous displays. It repels all hostile beings and causes them to engage in virtue. It frees beings from great disciplined observances. [. . .] It causes one to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Now and in the future, if māras, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, kumbhāṇḍas, humans, or nonhumans attempt to harm, destroy, or demolish those great stūpas with water, fire, or any other hostile means, you should focus your attention on the thus-gone ones of the three times, and with a loving attitude toward all sentient beings you must recollect this great teaching, which accomplishes all absorptions and repels all hostile beings. If you do so, it will generate faith in their minds, and henceforth they will no longer attempt to destroy those places. Noble sons, in the world with its gods and all its beings, I have never seen anyone who did not turn away from negativity and abandon unwholesome actions after having heard this great teaching, which accomplishes all absorptions and repels all hostile beings‍—apart from those who hold on to past enmity.”

Oh! As this teaching was being expounded by the Blessed One, [F.240.b] the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, pretas, kumbhāṇḍas, piśācas, humans, and nonhumans who had sincere faith in the Blessed One were overjoyed and became ecstatic, and they developed utmost faith in him.

At that same time, through the miraculous powers of the Blessed One, the evil Māra himself heard in his abode this teaching that accomplishes absorption. When he heard it, intense appreciation, faith, and respect for the Blessed One arose in him. With tears in his eyes, he said to his retinues, “Listen to my words! The great nāgas and gods on that sacred and splendorous mountain site, which is filled with worms, have asked the wise sage, the sublime Victor who is endowed with supreme acceptance, qualities, and expression, for forgiveness. I will also go there and ask that peerless spiritual practitioner for forgiveness. I will go for refuge in him. Come with me and take refuge in that forgiving victor who possesses such great and incomparable love. Come and listen to his Dharma, which cannot be illustrated! Sever the web of your afflictions and enter the city of purity and fearlessness!”

The evil Māra and the eight hundred million members of his retinue then prostrated to the feet of the Blessed One and said:

The Blessed One replied to the evil Māra:

Filled with intense joy and faith, the evil Māra prostrated to the feet of the Blessed One and circumambulated him three times. He then sat down, gazing one-pointedly at the Blessed One.

The māra named Rough Radiating Light, who was present in the retinue, now prostrated, together with all the others from Māra’s realm, to the feet of the Blessed One and asked, “Respected Blessed One, concerning the eye, is the eye the cause of forms, or are forms the cause of the eye? [. . .] Is the mind element the cause of mental phenomena, or are mental phenomena the cause of the mind element?”

The Blessed One replied, “Noble son, the eye is not the cause of forms, nor are forms the cause of the eye. [. . .] The mind is not the cause of mental phenomena, nor are mental phenomena the cause of the mind. Yet, noble son, although the eye is empty of the eye, the eye consciousness nevertheless arises based on the eye. The cognition of forms arises through the condition of the eye, [. . .] and the mind consciousness arises through the condition of the mind. Through those conditions, the sense objects, up to mental phenomena, are cognized. When one observes the eye consciousness, it does not come from or go anywhere. As for the eye, it does not dwell anywhere outside, and it cannot be found anywhere in the three times. [F.241.b] The eye is beyond decrease, increase, convention, designation, collection, and foundation.

“To give an analogy, the sunbeams that enter the windows of a house when the sun rises in the morning appear to be resting on its walls. Yet the walls themselves are beyond any darkness, lightness, or concepts. The walls are not the light, and the light is not conditioned by the walls. Nevertheless, the light appears on the walls.78 That light is not the sun, nor is the sun is the light. When the sun sets the light disappears, yet it does not go anywhere‍—it is groundless. Still, the light is cognized through the condition of the sun, and it appears based on the appearance of form. Similarly, the cause of the six inner sense sources is not79 the six inner sense sources. The cause of the inner sense sources is not the outer sense sources either, because they are meeting each other. Their meeting is beyond movement, collection, and foundation. Because they are meeting each other and because they are not objects, outer and inner sense sources are beyond consciousness, convention, movement, collection, and foundation. Nevertheless, consciousness brings about cognition, and since consciousness is conditioned by formation, consciousness is also caused by80 formation.

“There are three types of formations: physical, verbal, and mental formations. What are the physical formations? Inhalation and exhalation are the physical formations. Inhalation and exhalation assume divisions:81 [F.242.a] since they are unequaled and unmistaken suchness, they do not belong to any category whatsoever, they are beyond freshness and staleness, they have the characteristic of being nonabiding, they are equal to space, and they move within space. The winds are not space, nor is space the winds. They mingle with each other, but each is not the domain of the other. Both are empty, inexpressible, and free of characteristics. They are beyond decrease and increase. They remain hither and thither, and they are the exalted limit of reality. Such are the physical formations. Therefore, the physical formations do not dwell within consciousness. They are beyond meeting, movement, and collection, and they are groundless. The same goes for consciousness. [. . .] And it is groundless.

“What are the verbal formations? They are concepts and analysis. What are concepts? They are that which causes inhalation and exhalation. They are created in accord with the mind.82 Concepts generate thoughts. They generate thoughts in terms of the characteristic of disintegration, they generate thoughts about purity, they generate thoughts that are based on the winds, and they cause them to cease.83 The winds of concepts develop84 momentarily. The winds do not become thoughts‍—neither of these two is the domain of the other. Both are free of characteristics, [. . .] inexpressible, and nonexistent like space. What is analysis? [F.242.b] Analysis is what causes the movement of the winds of inhalation and exhalation throughout the entire body with either aspect of cold or warmth. Analysis does not cognize contact and touch. Analysis and the winds are not each other’s domains. Both are mutually free of characteristics [. . .] and inexpressible.

“What are the mental formations? The mental formations are perception and intention. What is perception? It is the mind that understands phenomena to be a certain way. [. . .] At the time of inhalation, there is no exhalation. In this way perception becomes accustomed to formations. After they arise, the formations are exhausted. By perceiving them accordingly, the perception of formations is cultivated. This is what is meant by ‘perception.’ Perception is based on the winds, [. . .] and both are inexpressible. What is intention? Through intentions, [. . .] perception becomes accustomed to formations, one enters into faultless reality, and one transcends the level of ordinary beings. Becoming accustomed to birth and disintegration clears away formations from the mind so that the winds are no longer stirred. This is what is meant by ‘intention.’ Since the three types of feelings are abandoned, one comes to possess the support of wisdom‍—the unadulterated eye [. . .] and the unadulterated mind‍—and one becomes a noble one.

“Noble son, in that way, the cause of the forms that are observed is not the eye, the cause of the eye is not forms, [. . .] the cause of mental phenomena is not the mind, and the cause of the mind is not mental phenomena. They are not each other’s domains. They are beyond verbal designation, movement, abiding, and collection. [F.243.a] They are inexpressible, they remain hither and thither, and they are grounded in the limit of reality.”

Oh! As this teaching was given by the Blessed One, the māra Rough Radiating Light and twenty thousand members of the retinue of māras who had performed their duties under past victors achieved the concordant acceptance. At that time, countless gods and humans who had performed their duties under past victors also settled within the first concentration and in the other concentrations up to the fourth. Some settled within the first fruition, others in the fruitions up to the third one. Some planted the seeds of the hearers’ vehicle, some planted the seeds of the vehicle of conditions, and some gave rise to the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Within that retinue of nāgas, six quintillion nāgas gave rise to the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening that they had not previously generated. Throughout the entire buddha realm of Sahā, the great earth shook six times.

To worship the Blessed One, the bodhisattva great beings who had come to that place from the ten directions showered various rains of precious gems, fine fabrics, and flowers through the power of their different bodhisattva absorptions. They exclaimed, “This Assembly, which has never been heard before, this teaching on absorption, is truly amazing and marvelous! This is the second turning of the Dharma wheel of Śākyamuni! Respected Blessed One, we shall also remember this dhāraṇī mantra of this very extensive discourse‍—the great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun‍—and teach it to sentient beings in our respective buddha realms!” [F.243.b]

The māras, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, and piśācas who had assembled there were also truly amazed. They played different types of instruments and offered the Blessed One all kinds of precious gems, fine fabrics, Dharma robes, ornaments, flowers, garlands, perfumes, and ointments.

The nāga king Sāgara then said to the Blessed One, “Respected Blessed One, please look after us with affection! Please come to receive alms in our abode, the great ocean! There, my retinue and I will listen to this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun in its entirety‍—including its beginning, middle, and end‍—from the Blessed One.”

The Blessed One replied, “Nāga lord, the Thus-Gone One will not enter the great ocean at this time.”

Sāgara said, “Respected Blessed One, how much merit does a noble son or daughter who listens one-pointedly to this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun generate?”

The Blessed One replied, “Nāga lord, imagine that someone filled this entire four-continent world will all kinds of precious gems and offered it to the thus-gone ones. If another being listens with one-pointed attention to the complete great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun in its entirety, the amount of merit generated by the former being would not match even a hundredth, a thousandth, or a trillionth of the merit generated by the latter person. In fact, no number, fraction, analogy, [F.244.a] or illustration would come close. Nāga lord, such is the scale of the merit generated merely by hearing this Quintessence of the Sun!”

Sāgara then said, “Respected Blessed One, since you will not come to our great ocean at this time, if I write down this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun, now that I have heard it, and carry it with me, how many virtuous qualities will develop in the great ocean?”

The Blessed One replied, “Nāga lord, in all the places where this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun is written down in its entirety and carried, ten benefits will manifest. What are those ten? (1) The homes and lands in those places will be filled with plenty of wealth, grains, possessions, and valuables and with all kinds of precious gems. (2) Furthermore, the six hundred million bodhisattva great beings who have gathered to venerate those great stūpas will come to meet, revere, worship, and serve all the homes and lands where this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun is written down and worshiped. There, they will completely pacify all disputes, fights, epidemics, diseases, famines, and the two kinds of armies, as well as untimely winds, rains, and illnesses.”

At that moment, all six hundred million bodhisattva great beings exclaimed, “Respected Blessed One, we shall do so! In all the homes and lands where this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun is written down and worshiped, we shall completely pacify all disputes, fights, epidemics, diseases, famines, and the two kinds of armies, [F.244.b] as well as untimely winds and rains!”

The Blessed One then said, “Furthermore, (3) Śakra, Brahmā, the Four Great Kings, the twenty-eight yakṣa leaders and their retinues, Śrī Mahādevī, the great goddess Sarasvatī, the earth goddess Sthāvarā, and the medicine goddess Accomplished One and her retinue will continuously, day and night, look after and protect the homes and lands where this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun is written down.”

At that moment, Śakra, Brahmā, [. . .] the medicine goddess Accomplished One, and their retinues exclaimed, “Respected Blessed One, we shall do so! [. . .]”

“Furthermore,” said the Blessed One, (4) “beings who have revered many buddhas in the past, who are powerful and renowned for their great strength, and who are endowed with perfect generosity, discipline, and restraint will take birth in all those homes and lands [. . .]. (5) In those homes, sentient beings who are attached to the pleasures of the five senses will constantly exert themselves in the perfection of generosity. (6) They will delight in those who are suitable recipients of generosity. (7) Those places will be continuously pervaded by a rain of rich Dharma water. (8) The sentient beings living in those places will always exert themselves in following the paths of the ten virtuous actions. [F.245.a] (9) The sentient beings living in those places will always be loving, compassionate, and free of desires. Finally, (10) sentient beings living in all those homes and lands will leave the three lower realms behind and be born within the higher realms. Nāga lord, those ten benefits will manifest in the homes and lands where this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun is written down and repeatedly read in order to worship me, so there is no need to mention the benefit brought about by the persons who recite it, elucidate those Dharma teachings, and abide by the Dharma! Even if I were to describe such a mass of merit for a hundred eons, this would not be an easy task! Nāga lord, such is the depth of this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun. Such is the great quality and the great benefit of this great instruction of The Quintessence of the Sun!”

When the Blessed One had said this, the bodhisattva great beings who had come from all the buddha realms of the ten directions and all the māras, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, asuras, garuḍas, gandharvas, kinnaras, mahoragas, kumbhāṇḍas, pretas, piśācas, pūtanas, humans, and nonhumans rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One with great exhilaration, joy, and delight.