At that time the world-honored one addressed Bodhisattva Medicine King, and through him the others of the eighty thousand great men, saying: “Medicine King, do you see in this great assembly the immeasurable number of heavenly beings, dragon kings, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, and mahoragas, the human and nonhuman beings, and the monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, those who seek to become voice-hearers, who seek to become pratyekabuddhas, or who seek the buddha way? If these various kinds of beings in the presence of the Buddha listen to one verse or one phrase of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law and for a moment think of it with joy I will bestow on all of them a prophecy that they will attain supreme perfect enlightenment.”
The Buddha said to Medicine King: “In addition, if after the thus come one has passed into extinction there should be someone who listens to the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even one verse or one phrase, and for a moment thinks of it with joy, I will likewise bestow on him a prophecy that he will attain supreme perfect enlightenment.
Again if there are people who embrace, read, recite, expound, and copy the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, even only one verse, and look upon this sutra with the same reverence as they would the Buddha, presenting various offerings of flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for 200burning, silken canopies, streamers and banners, clothing and music, and pressing their palms together in reverence, then, Medicine King, you should understand that these people have already offered alms to a hundred thousand million buddhas and in the place of the buddhas have fulfilled their great vow, and because they take pity on living beings they have been born in this human world.
“Medicine King, if someone should ask what living beings will be able to attain buddhahood in future existences, then you should show him that all these people are certain to attain buddhahood in future existences. Why? Because if good men and good women embrace, read, recite, expound, and copy the Lotus Sutra, even one phrase of it, offer various kinds of alms to the sutra, flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for burning, silken canopies, streamers and banners, clothing and music, and press their palms together in reverence, then these people will be looked up to and honored by all the world. Alms will be offered to them such as would be offered to the thus come one. You should understand that these people are great bodhisattvas who have succeeded in attaining supreme perfect enlightenment. Pitying living beings, they have vowed to be born among them where they may broadly expound and make distinctions regarding the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law. How much more so is this true, then, of those who can embrace the entire sutra and offer various types of alms to it!
“Medicine King, you should understand that these people voluntarily relinquish the reward due them for their pure deeds and, in the time after I have passed into extinction, because they pity living beings, they are born in this evil world so they may broadly expound this sutra. If one of these good men or good women in the time after I have passed into extinction is able to secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the envoy of the thus come one. He has been dispatched by the thus come one and carries out the thus come one’s work. And how much more 201so those who in the midst of the great assembly broadly expound the sutra for others!
“Medicine King, if there should be an evil person who, his mind destitute of goodness, should for the space of a kalpa appear in the presence of the Buddha and constantly curse and revile the Buddha, that person’s offense would still be rather light. But if there were a person who spoke only one evil word to curse or defame the lay persons or monks or nuns who read and recite the Lotus Sutra, then his offense would be very grave.
“Medicine King, these people who read and recite the Lotus Sutra—you should understand that these people adorn themselves with the adornments of the Buddha; they are borne upon the shoulders of the thus come one. Wherever they may go, one should greet them with bows, with palms pressed single-mindedly together, with reverence and alms, with respect and praise, flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, paste incense, incense for burning, silken canopies, streamers and banners, clothing, delicacies, and the making of music. The finest alms that can be offered to a person should be offered to them. Great treasures should be scattered over them, the treasure hoards of heaven should be given them as gifts. Why do I say this? Because these people delight in expounding the Law. And if you listen to them for even a moment, you will be able to immediately achieve supreme perfect enlightenment.”
At that time the world-honored one, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:
If you wish to abide in the buddha way
and successfully gain the wisdom that comes of itself,
you should be constantly diligent in offering alms
to those who embrace the Lotus Sutra.
If you have a wish to quickly obtain
wisdom regarding all species of things,
you should embrace this sutra
and at the same time give alms to those who do so.
If someone is capable of embracing
202the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law,
know that such a person is an envoy of the Buddha
who thinks with pity of living beings.
Those who are capable of embracing
the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law
relinquish their claim to the pure land
and out of pity for living beings are born here.
Know that people such as these
freely choose where they will be born,
and so are able in this evil world
to broadly expound the unsurpassed Law.
You should offer the incense of heavenly flowers,
robes decked with heavenly treasures,
the wonderful treasure hoards of heaven
as alms to those who preach the Law.
In the evil world following my extinction
if there are those who can embrace this sutra,
you should press your palms together in reverence
and offer alms to them as you would to the world-honored one.
The choicest delicacies, all that is sweet and tasty,
along with various types of clothing
you should offer as alms to these Buddha sons
in hopes you may hear a moment of their preaching.
If there are those in a later age
who can accept and embrace this sutra,
they are my envoys sent out among the people
to perform the thus come one’s work.
If for the space of a kalpa
one should constantly harbor a mind destitute of good
and with angry looks should revile the Buddha,
one will be committing an offense of immeasurable gravity.
But if toward those who read, recite, and embrace
this Lotus Sutra
one should even for a moment direct evil words,
one’s offense will be far greater.
203If there is someone who seeks the buddha way
and for the space of a kalpa
presses palms together in my presence
and recites numberless verses of praise,
because of these praises of the Buddha
he will gain immeasurable blessings.
And if he lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra,
his good fortune will be even greater.
For the space of eighty million kalpas,
with the most wonderful shapes and sounds,
with that which is pleasing to smell, taste, and touch,
offer alms to the upholders of this sutra!
When you have offered alms in this manner
and have heard the teachings for even a moment,
then you will experience joy and good fortune,
saying, “I have gained great benefit!”
Medicine King, now I say to you,
I have preached various sutras,
and among those sutras
the Lotus is the foremost!
At that time the Buddha spoke once more to the bodhisattva mahasattva Medicine King, saying: “The sutras I have preached number immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions. Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand. Medicine King, this sutra is the storehouse of the secret crux of the buddhas. It must not be distributed or recklessly transmitted to others. It has been guarded by the buddhas, the world-honored ones, and from times past until now has never been openly expounded. And since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the thus come one is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?
“Medicine King, you should know that after the thus come one has entered extinction, if there are those who can copy, uphold, read, and recite this sutra, offer alms to it and expound it for others, then the thus come one will cover them with his 204robe, and they will also be protected and kept in mind by the buddhas who are now present in other directions. These people will possess the power of great faith, the power of aspiration, the power of good roots. You should know that these people will lodge in the same place as the thus come one, and the thus come one will pat them on the head with his hand.
“Medicine King, in any place whatsoever where this sutra is preached, where it is read, where it is recited, where it is copied, or where a roll of it exists, in all such places there should be erected towers made of the seven kinds of gems, and they should be made very high and broad and well adorned. There is no need to enshrine the relics of the Buddha there. Why? Because in these towers the entire body of the thus come one will already be present. All kinds of flowers, incense, necklaces, silken canopies, streamers and banners, music and hymns should be offered as alms to these towers and they should be accorded reverence, honor, and praise. If when people see these towers they bow in obeisance and offer alms, then you should know that these people have all drawn near to supreme perfect enlightenment.
“Medicine King, though there may be many people, those still living in the household and those who have left it, who practice the way of the bodhisattva, if they are not willing to see, hear, read, recite, copy, embrace, and offer alms to this Lotus Sutra, then you should know that these people are not yet practicing the bodhisattva way in a fitting manner. But if there are those who will listen to this sutra, then they are capable of practicing the bodhisattva way in a fitting manner. If among the living beings who seek the buddha way there are those who see or hear this Lotus Sutra, and who, having heard it, believe, understand, and embrace it, then you should know that these people can draw near to supreme perfect enlightenment.
“Medicine King, suppose there is a man who is parched with thirst and in need of water. On an upland plateau he begins digging a hole in search of water, but he sees that the soil is dry and knows that water is still far away. He does not cease his efforts, however, and bit by bit he sees the soil becoming damper, until gradually he has worked his way into mud. Now he is 205determined in his mind to go on, for he knows that he is bound to be nearing water.
“The way of the bodhisattva is the same as this. As long as a person has not yet heard, not yet understood, and not yet been able to practice this Lotus Sutra, then you should know that that person is still far away from supreme perfect enlightenment. But if the person is able to hear, understand, ponder, and practice the sutra, then you should know that he can draw near to supreme perfect enlightenment. Why? Because all bodhisattvas who attain supreme perfect enlightenment in all cases do so through this sutra. This sutra opens the gate of expedient means and shows the form of true reality. This storehouse of the Lotus Sutra is hidden deep and far away where no person can reach it. But now the Buddha, teaching, converting, and leading to success the bodhisattvas, opens it up for them.
“Medicine King, if there are bodhisattvas who, on hearing this Lotus Sutra, respond with surprise, doubt, and fear, then you should know that they are bodhisattvas who have only newly embarked on their course. And if there are voice-hearers who, on hearing this sutra, respond with surprise, doubt, and fear, then you should know that they are people of overbearing arrogance.
“Medicine King, if there are good men and good women who, after the thus come one has entered extinction, wish to expound this Lotus Sutra for the four kinds of believers, how should they expound it? These good men and good women should enter the thus come one’s room, put on the thus come one’s robe, sit in the thus come one’s seat, and then for the sake of the four kinds of believers broadly expound this sutra.
“The ‘thus come one’s room’ is the state of mind that shows great pity and compassion toward all living beings. The ‘thus come one’s robe’ is the mind that is gentle and forbearing. The ‘thus come one’s seat’ is the emptiness of all phenomena. One should seat oneself comfortably therein and after that, with a mind never lazy or remiss, should for the sake of the bodhisattvas and the four kinds of believers broadly expound this Lotus Sutra.
“Medicine King, I will send people conjured up by magic to 206other lands to gather together assemblies to listen to the Law. And I will also send monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen conjured up by magic to listen to the preaching of the Law. These people conjured up by magic will listen to the Law, believe and accept it, and abide by it without violation. If the preachers of the Law are in an empty and silent place, I will at that time send large numbers of heavenly beings, dragons, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, and others to listen to their preaching of the Law. Though I should be in another land, from time to time I will make it possible for the preachers of the Law to see my body. If they should forget a phrase of this sutra, I will appear and prompt them so that they are able to recite the text correctly and in full.”
At that time the world-honored one, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:
If you wish to put aside all sloth and remissness,
you must listen to this sutra.
It is hard to get a chance to hear this sutra,
and believing and accepting it too is hard.
If a person is thirsty and wants water
he may dig a hole in the high plateau,
but as long as he sees that the soil is dry
he knows that water is still far away.
But bit by bit he sees the soil grow damp and muddy
and then he knows for certain he is nearing water.
Medicine King, you should understand
that people are like this—
if they do not hear the Lotus Sutra,
they will be far removed from buddha wisdom.
But if they hear this profound sutra
which defines the teaching of the voice-hearer,
if they hear this king of the sutras
and afterward carefully ponder it,
then you should know that these people
are close to the wisdom of the buddha.
If a person expounds this sutra,
207he should enter the thus come one’s room,
put on the thus come one’s robe,
sit in the thus come one’s seat,
confront the assembly without fear
and broadly expound it for them, making distinctions.
Great pity and compassion are the room,
gentleness and patience are the robe,
the emptiness of all phenomena is the seat,
and from that position he should expound the Law for them.
If when a person expounds this sutra
there is someone who speaks ill of and reviles him
or attacks him with swords and staves, tiles and stones,
he should think of the Buddha and for that reason be patient.
In a thousand, ten thousand, a million lands
I will manifest my pure and durable body
and for immeasurable millions of kalpas
will expound the Law for living beings.
If after I have entered extinction
there are those who can expound this sutra,
I will send the four kinds of believers, magically conjured,
monks and nuns,
and men and women of pure faith,
to offer alms to the teachers of the Law;
they will lead and guide living beings,
assemble them and cause them to listen to the Law.
If someone thinks to do evil to the preachers
with swords and staves or with tiles and stones,
I will dispatch people magically conjured
who will act to guard and protect them.
If those who expound the Law
are alone in empty and silent places,
and in that stillness where no human voice sounds
they read and recite this sutra,
at that time I will manifest
my pure and radiant body for them.
208If they forget a passage or a phrase
I will prompt them so they will be thorough and effective.
If people endowed with these virtues
should expound to the four kinds of believers
and read and recite the sutra in empty places,
I will enable all of them to see my body.
And if the people are in empty and silent places
I will send heavenly beings, dragon kings,
yakshas, spirits, and others
to be assemblies and listen to the Law.
These people will delight in expounding the Law,
making distinctions and encountering no hindrance.
Because the buddhas guard and keep them in mind,
they will be able to bring joy to the great assemblies.
If you stay close to the teachers of the Law,
you will speedily gain the bodhisattva way.
By following and learning from these teachers
you will see buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands.