THE DHARMA FLOWER SUTRA SEEN THROUGH THE ORAL TRANSMISSION OF NICHIREN DAISHŌNIN
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The First Chapter on Meritorious Practice

The first important point, on the word “without”.

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō) states that the three words “implications”, “without”, and “bounds” in the title of this sutra, which is the prologue to the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō), when seen from the view of the doctrines, are 1) of the teachings derived from the external events of Shākyamuni’s life and work (shakumon), 2) the teachings of the original archetypal state (honmon), and 3) the observation of our own minds (kanjin) [which means to hold faith in the Fundamental Object of Veneration (gohonzon) and to be aware that it contains the psychological entirety of existence, as well as reciting the title and theme (daimoku) in front of it].

The word “without” points to the teachings derived from the external events of Shākyamuni’s life and work (shakumon). The reason is that the concept of one instant of thought containing three thousand existential spaces (ichinen sanzen), in theoretical terms, is placed in the forefront and is therefore the immutable principle of the real nature of existence (fuhen shinnyo) [which is the theory that each instant of mental activity contains one thousand dharmas without the three existential spaces whereupon sentient beings depend for an existence].

The external events of Shākyamuni’s life and work (shakumon) have to include the ideas of impermanence. Since this particular doctrine did not go into ideas about the eternity of life itself, it only asserts clearly that these dharmas [i.e., (jūnyoze) the ten ways in which dharmas make themselves present to any of our six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind)] abide in the way existence works, and the three existential realms (seken) eternally subsist as a part of life. This concept expresses only the principle of existence and is not a concept of eternity and all its pragmatic implications.

The word “relativity” (kū, shūnyatā) means emptiness and the non-substantiality of noumena, etc., but it is not the emptiness that is completely devoid of anything whatsoever. It is the emptiness and the non-substantiality of the relativity (kū, shūnyatā) of Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō, which means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u]) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence, enlightenment and unenlightenment] (Myōhō) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten [psychological] realms of dharmas [which is every possible psychological wavelength] (Kyō).

In this way, relativity (kū, shūnyatā) is the underlying mechanism of the all-inclusive, unobstructed accommodation of materiality and form (ke), relativity (kū, shūnyatā), and the middle way of reality as we perceive it (chū). In the context of the triple entity of the original archetypal gateway, they are not produced by any conditions and are pragmatic and eternal. [Existence has and will eternally continue.]

In the composition of the Universal Teacher Dengyo, On the Protection of the State, he writes that the Buddha entity of wisdom (hōshin, sambhoga-kāya) that belongs to all dharmas that were brought about by causation [that is to say, the historical Shākyamuni] represents a provisional enlightenment suspended in a dream, whereas the triple entity that came into being through no conditions whatsoever is the Buddha reality that existed before Shākyamuni was enlightened. [This implies the Buddha of the Sixteenth Chapter on the Lifespan of the Tathāgata in the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō).]

Now, Nichiren and those that follow him are people who reverently recite Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō, which means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u]) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence, enlightenment and unenlightenment] (Myōhō) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten [psychological] realms of dharmas [which is every possible psychological wavelength] (Kyō), and are the triple entity of the Buddha that was produced by conditions from before the time of the realisation of the Buddhahood of Shākyamuni.

The second important point, on the word “bounds”.

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Ongi Kuden) says that the word “bounds” belongs to the teachings of the original archetypal state. Here the word “bounds” has the implication of everything that is included in existence. Also, this word is used in the sense of trying to work out what its entirety is.

The essence of the teachings of the original archetypal state is a detailed discussion on the triple entity of the original Buddha – (1) hosshin Dharma-kāya, 2) hōshin, sambhoga-kāya, 3) ōjin, nirmāna-kāya – that did not come into existence through causation. This triple entity that did not come about through causation is not simply attributable to the Buddha [of the original archetypal state] alone.

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Ongi Kuden) goes on to say that every single dharma in the universe is the manifestation of the Buddha nature of the self-received wisdom body of the Tathāgata [which is to say that every item in existence, either big or small, is endowed with the Buddha nature].

Therefore, the teachings derived from the external events of Shākyamuni’s life and work (shakumon) clarify the theory of the immutable principle of the nature of existence (fuhen shinnyo), which consists of the concept that each instant of mental activity contains one thousand dharmas [i.e., a hundred psychological realms of dharmas (jikkai), multiplied by ten times the ways in which dharmas make themselves perceptible to our six sense organs (jūnyoze), without the three existential spaces upon which sentient beings depend in order to exist (san seken)].

The teachings of the original archetypal state continue from this point to explain that each and every dharma is eternally furnished with the triple entity of [materiality (ke), relativity (kū, shūnyatā), and the middle way of reality (chū) that is a combination of both (ke) and (kū)]. So those teachings of the original archetypal state imply that each and every dharma is completely endowed with the one instant of thought containing three thousand existential spaces (ichinen sanzen).

When we come to recognise and are aware of the wisdom to see that every single dharma, such as cherries, plums, peaches, and pears, in their respective individualities without any change whatsoever, are furnished with the three uncreated elements of materiality (ke), relativity (kū, shūnyatā), and the middle way of reality (chū), then this is the meaning of the word “bounds”.

Now, Nichiren and those that follow him are people who reverently recite Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō, which means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u]) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence, enlightenment and unenlightenment] (Myōhō) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten [psychological] realms of dharmas [which is every possible psychological wavelength] (Kyō), and are the people who are completely aware of the triple entity that pervades the totality of existence.

The third important point, on the word “implications”.

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Ongi Kuden) says that the ideogram for “implications” has a connection with the concept of the observation of the mind (kanjin). The reason is that the various Buddhist texts are made up of so many words, and their implications can only be arrived at through pondering over them. The words in these texts communicate their implications to the depth of our minds, which results in our understanding of the word “implications”. Then, if we go a step further, that which has implications without bounds is a single Dharma and is what is discussed in this sutra.

Giving rise to existence has the implications of what is given rise to and all of its boundlessness. This single Dharma is able to give rise to, and what is given rise to is, where the implications without bounds occur. This active and passive relationship exists between the Dharma Flower Sutra (The Sutra on the White Lotus Flower-like Mechanism of the Utterness of the Dharma) and the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō).

In the Second Chapter on Expounding the Dharma of the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō), it says, “The concept of that which is without distinguishing marks and is defined as being without characteristics (musō, i.e., kū) is the real aspect of all dharmas.”

[Since Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u]) the Utterness of the Dharma (entirety of existence) (Myōhō) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten (psychological) realms of dharmas [which is every possible psychological wavelength] (Kyō), it is understood as the enlightenment of all the Buddhas and how existence really works. It includes both subjectivity and objectivity and is seen as its underlying mechanism, which is expressed as relativity (kū, shūnyatā) on the Fundamental object of Veneration (gohonzon).]

From this single Dharma, the whole of existence comes into being. It is the source of existence and is Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō. In this way, the three ideograms for “Implications”, “Without”, “Bounds” are appropriated respectively to the teachings derived from the external events of the Buddha Shākyamuni’s life and work (shakumon), the teaching that belongs to the original archetypal state (honmon), and also the teaching of the observation of our respective minds (kanjin).

[This teaching (kanjin) is to become aware of the inherent reality of what our lives are, as opposed to the doctrinal study of the various texts. The observation of our respective minds consists of penetrating into the depths of our psyches, which can also be extremely unpleasant. But the object of such a practice is to finally discover that our real identities are life itself. All the possibilities for our enlightenment are contained in the title and theme (daimoku) (Nam) Myōhō Renge Kyō. If we are really capable of understanding this title and theme (daimoku), then we can really open our minds to the Buddha truth.]

The title of this sutra is referred to as Implications Without Bounds and is a single entity that cannot be a duality, since it embraces all the aspects of existence. Now, this Sutra on the Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō) serves as an introduction to the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō).

The fourth important point, on the ideogram for the concept of “perfect absorption” in the First and Introductory Chapter of the Dharma Flower Sutra.

The fifth important point, with regard to the perfect absorption into the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō).

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Ongi Kuden) says that the eight scrolls that comprise the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō) are all the perfect absorption into the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō), which indeed has a significance without limits. The significance without limits consists of the three axioms of materiality (ke), relativity and noumena (kū, shūnyatā), so that when we encounter these two together, they become the normal reality as ordinary people perceive it (chū). Also, this implies looking at existence in terms of materiality (ke), relativity (kū, shūnyatā), and the middle way of reality (chū), as an intellectual singularity.

As well as when dharmas make themselves perceptible to any of our sense faculties (nyoze sō), or their essence or the noumena of words we attach to them (nyoze shō), along with our appreciation of what dharmas really are (nyoze tai), since all dharmas have the Buddha nature, all things and beings are at the same time endowed with the three Buddha entities – [1) the entity of the highest aspect of the Buddha which is ineffable, unmanifested and non-substantial (hosshin, Dharma-kāya); 2) the entity of the wisdom of the Buddha (hōshin, sambhoga-kāya); 3) the Buddha as the appearance of all dharmas (ōjin, nirmāna-kāya)].

The Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō) also includes the three vehicles to enlightenment.

[1) Firstly, there is the first vehicle or means to a Buddha awakening for the people who exerted themselves to arrive at the highest stage of the individual vehicle (shōjō, hīnayāna), in which people should rightly understand the four noble truths (shitai, catur ārya satya) – i. all existence is suffering; ii. all suffering is due to selfish desires; iii. the suppression of selfish desires makes it possible to accomplish the realisation of nirvana; and iv. such a suppression can be brought about by practising the path of the Buddha teaching.]

[2) The second vehicle (engaku, hyakushibutsu, pratyekabuddha) consists of people who have become partially enlightened due to a profound search for the meaning of life and who also understand the chain of the twelve causes and karmic circumstances that run through the whole of sentient existence.]

[This chain (jūni innen, dvadashange pratiya samutpāda) comprises i. a fundamental unenlightenment (mumyō), ii. which is caused by natural tendencies and inclinations inherited from former lives (gyō), iii. the first consciousness after conception that takes place in the womb (shiki), iv. body and mind evolving in the womb (myōshiki), v. as well as the five organs of sense and the functioning of the mind (rokunyū), vi. contact with the outside world (shoku), vii. receptivity or budding intelligence from six to seven years onwards (jū), viii. the desire for amorous love at the age of puberty (ai), ix. the urge for a sensuous existence (shu), x. that forms the basis for future karma (yū), xi. the completed karma ready to be born again (shō), xii. which is facing in the direction of old age and death (rōshi).]

[3) The third vehicle (bosatsu) refers to the bodhisattvas who due to practice over a number of years have become altruists and strive to save humanity from itself through the teaching of the Buddha.]

[There is in fact only one vehicle to enlightenment. But, nevertheless, Shākyamuni made a distinction between these three vehicles mentioned above, in order to be able to bring these three classes of practitioners together in the Second Chapter on Expedient Means of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō). For us, who do the practices of the Kōmon School of Nichiren, there is only one bodhisattva vehicle for opening up our inherent Buddha nature with our persons just as they are.]
Finally, in this series of the three premises for enlightenment, there are also the three kinds of karma produced through our persons, mouths, and thoughts.

[In the sutric teachings prior to the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō), the three axioms of materiality (ke), relativity (kū, shūnyatā), and the middle way of reality as it is perceived by ordinary people (chū), were expounded as being three aspects of reality. In the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō), these three axioms are seen as inseparable and are referred to as “the all-inclusive three axioms” (ennyū santai). In the Recondite Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke Gengi), Tendai (T’ien T’ai) states that to understand the three axioms as three separate elements is a concept that belongs to a low-grade and coarse teaching, whereas the all-inclusive three axioms (ennyū santai) seen as a singularity are applicable to the Utterness of the Dharma (Myōhō) itself.]

[If we are to think of each item in this series of three as a wholeness, then this is a foundation for practising on the path to Buddhahood. Seeing this series of the three aspects of existence as inseparable from each other makes it possible to open up our inherent Buddha enlightenment. This is why in this Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō), which has the role of being an introduction to the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō), Shākyamuni declared that he had kept this truth back for forty years.]

The sixth important point, also with regard to the perfect absorption into the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō).

The Oral Transmission on the Meaning of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Ongi Kuden) says that the perfect absorption into the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō) includes the idea of the one instant of thought containing three thousand existential spaces (ichinen sanzen). Every single one of the realms of dharmas and existential spaces involves implications without bounds. Nevertheless, each one of these existential spaces in which we find ourselves cannot be anything other than the aspect of the single principle of the real aspect of all dharmas (shohō jissō).

Outside of the dissertation on the real aspect of all dharmas in the Second Chapter on Expedient Means of the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō), nothing else can exist. This is the reason why this sutra is to be regarded as a preface to the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō), in the sense that it is an introduction to the concept of the one instant of thought containing three thousand existential spaces (ichinen sanzen), and is the perfect absorption into the implications without bounds.

The words that we sentient beings vocalise both morning and evening, along with the two dimensions of the objectivity of the Fundament Object of Veneration and our subjective lives, are the perfect absorption into the Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō). This is Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō, which means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u]) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence, enlightenment and unenlightenment] (Myōhō) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten [psychological] realms of dharmas [which is every possible psychological wavelength] (Kyō).

Be it as it may, this Sutra on Implications Without Bounds (Muryōgi-kyō) is to be seen as an introductory sutric text and also as a preface to the Dharma Flower Sutra (Hokke-kyō).

I heard it in this way when the Buddha was staying in Ōshajo (Rājagrha) [the capital of Magadha, present-day Rajgir, Behar] on Spirit Vulture Peak (Ryojusen, Gridhakuta) with a large assembly of twelve thousand fully ordained monks and eighty thousand bodhisattvas. There were deva(ten) [that are like radiant, shining beings with extremely long lifespans], dragons (ryū, nāga) [rather like those in Far Eastern art], yasha (yaksha) [that are comparable to gnomes or dwarves], kendabba (gandharva) [that are the musicians of Indra that nourish themselves on fragrances], shura (ashura) [who are analogous to the titans in Mediterranean mythology or the giants and ogres of Northern European folklore], kinnara (kimnara) [that are celestial musicians at the court of Kuvera, the god of wealth, sometimes described as paradisiacal birds with human torsos], and magoraka (mahorāga) [that are enormous snakes that crawl on their chests].

There were monks, nuns, as well as both male and female devotees. Also there were sovereigns whose chariot wheels can roll everywhere without hindrance (tenrinō, chakravartin) and lesser sovereigns whose chariot wheels can roll everywhere (tenrinō, chakravartin), whose chariots were either of gold, silver, copper, or iron. There were sovereigns of kingdoms, princes of states, state ministers, people from various countries, ladies and gentlemen from various kingdoms with elders from various lands, each with their various suites surrounding them that amounted to a thousand myriads of persons.

They all went to where the Buddha was, bowing their heads in reverence to his feet, circumambulating him a hundred thousand times, burning incense, and scattering flowers. After making various offerings, they withdrew and sat to one side.

The names of the bodhisattvas were the Prince of the Dharma Mañjushrī (Monjushiri) [who is the left-hand attendant of Shākyamuni Buddha, mounted on a lion, and is also regarded as the personification of the Buddha wisdom], the Prince of the Dharma Virtuous Receptacle of Universal Authority (Daijitkuzō), the Prince of the Dharma Receptacle Devoid of Sadness (Mu’uzō), the Prince of the Dharma Receptacle of Universal Eloquence (Daibenzō), the Bodhisattva Maitreya (Miroku), the Bodhisattva Leading Guide (Dōshu), the Bodhisattva Sovereign Medicine (Yaku ‘ō), the Bodhisattva Superior Medicine (Yakujō), the Bodhisattva Banner of the White Lotus (Kedō), the Bodhisattva Light of the Banner of the White Lotus (Kakōdō), the Bodhisattva Sovereign of Incantations Without Restrictions (Darani Jizai ‘ō), the Bodhisattva Perceiving the Sound of the Existential Dimensions (Kanzeon), the Bodhisattva Access to Energy (Daiseishi), the Bodhisattva Perpetual Zeal (Jōshōjin), the Bodhisattva Supremely Precious Mudra (Hōinju), the Bodhisattva Accumulation of Treasures (Hōshaku), the Bodhisattva Precious Staff (Hōjō), the Bodhisattva Beyond the Three Dimensions Where Existence Takes Place (Otsusangai), the Bodhisattva Vimabhara (Bimabarra), the Bodhisattva Elephant Incense (Kōzō), the Bodhisattva Universal Elephant Incense (Daikōzō), the Bodhisattva Roar of the Lion King (Shishifunjin), the Bodhisattva Leonine Zeal (Shishishōjin), the Bodhisattva Courageous Sharp Strength (Yūeiriki), the Bodhisattva Leonine Ferocious Domination (Shishimyōbuka), the Bodhisattva Sublimity (Shōgon), the Bodhisattva Universal Adornment of the Spirit (Daishōgon, Mahāvyuha), along with eighty thousand such completely evolved bodhisattvas who had refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahāsattva).

These bodhisattvas were all versed in, and understood in its entirety, the highest and absolute nature of the Buddha (hosshin, Dharma-kāya) which is ineffable, unmanifested, and relativity (kū, shūnyatā) itself and had completely fulfilled the precepts of monastic morality, meditation that consists of the mind being concentrated upon one subject, and does not stray, as well as the wisdom that stems from such practices. They were emancipated along with having realised the vision and wisdom of being totally free from hang-ups. Their minds were motionless, on account of the meditation of fixing their thoughts on a single object without letting their minds wander, and they continually kept their minds in a state of samādhi [concentration].

Also, they were coolly composed and at ease with themselves, as well as being free from gnawing doubts. Their minds were pure, without any longings whatsoever. Also, they would never again return to ordinary, insane thinking. Instead, their minds were completely silent and immaculately pure, and entirely devoid of hidden intentions.

They had maintained this state of mind for myriads of hundreds of thousands of kalpas. All the boundless gateways to the Dharma were present in their thoughts, as well as their having an all-embracing wisdom and discernment. They had acquired an insight into all dharmas, as well as knowing what both phenomena and noumena consisted of.

Again, they were able to know desires according to their own natures and faculties and through their knowledge of incantations (dhāranī), as well as being endowed with an eloquence that knew no obstruction. They were able to turn the wheel of the Dharma, rotated by all the Buddhas, which they could follow with faith. Before doing so, they first let subtle drops of water fall, so as to moisturise the dust of desire, open up the gates of nirvana, and fan the winds of emancipation, so as to reabsorb the fevers of worldly passions, and beckon the freshness of the Dharma.

Furthermore, they imparted to all sentient beings the teachings of the chain of the twelve causes and karmic circumstances that run through the whole of sentient existence.

[This chain is composed of 1) a fundamental ignorance of not wanting to understand the way existence functions; 2) natural tendencies and inclinations inherited from former lives; 3) the first consciousness after conception that takes place in the womb; 4) body and mind evolving in the womb; 5) the growth of the five organs of sense and the functioning of the mind; 6) contact with the outside world; 7) receptivity or budding intelligence and discrimination from six to seven years onwards; 8) the desire for amorous love at the age of puberty; 9) the urge for a sensuous existence, 10) that forms the substance of future karma; 11) the completed karma ready to be born again, 12) which is facing in the direction of old age, sickness, and death.]

Thereby, through the future threat of old age, sickness, and death, they quenched the ferocious flames of the various kinds of suffering, by exposing them to the sunlight of wisdom. Then they poured out the unsurpassable universal vehicle (daijō, mahāyāna), so as to irrigate the good roots of sentient beings, as well as sowing the seeds, and produce the growth of the seedlings of enlightenment. By the sun and the moon of their wisdom, and the seasons of their expedient means, they were able to propagate the universal vehicle (daijō, mahāyāna), in order to guide ordinary people towards the realisation of the unexcelled, correct, and all-embracing enlightenment, so that they might abide in happiness, the subtle utterness of reality (mimyō shinjitsu) with unlimited compassion, and to bring about the rehabilitation of suffering sentient beings.

They were good friends of all sentient beings and helped them in their religious progress, and at the same time they created fields of happiness. They were also teachers that were called for by all sentient beings. They were preferential to their happiness, as well as their serenity, along with being a recourse of salvation, protection, and being persons upon whom they could all rely.

For all sentient beings everywhere, they were excellent guides and teachers, as well as being their spiritual masters. They were the eyes for those who were sightless, the ears for the deaf, or the nose and tongue for those who could not speak. For any individuals who were lacking or had damaged faculties, these bodhisattvas were capable of restoring them completely. Those who had serious mental problems were all restored to sanity.

They were captains, or rather, great captains who could transport large numbers of people across the river of living and dying to the shore of nirvana. They were sovereigns of the art of healing, or rather, great sovereigns of the art of healing. They were able to distinguish the various symptoms of illnesses and were thoroughly acquainted with different kinds of remedy, which they administered according to the particular illnesses of people. They were the masters who brought the passions and delusions of sentient beings into harmonious control. In fact, they were great masters who brought the passions and delusions of sentient beings into harmonious control. They never gave way to idleness nor neglect.

In the same way as those who train elephants and horses and manage those animals, along with ferocious lions and all the other wild animals who submit to their trainers’ authority, it was difficult for these bodhisattvas to fail. These bodhisattvas benefitted from the six kinds of practice, by which such persons are able to attain enlightenment [1) charity, 2) keeping the monastic precepts, 3) forbearance, 4) resolute practice, 5) meditation concentration, 6) wisdom]. They were firmly set upon the terrains of the Tathāgata, without ever straying from it. They remained firm in their resolution to extensively purify the psychological space for their Buddha realisation, so that they would attain the unexcelled, correct, and all-embracing enlightenment. Such were the unthinkably profound meritorious virtues of these bodhisattvas.

The names of the fully ordained monks in the assembly were Sharihotsu (Shariputra) whose wisdom was universal, Mokuren (Maudgalyayāna) whose mind was far-reaching, Shubodai (Subhūti) whose wisdom was the basis of his life, Makasennen (Mahākatyayāna), Mitaranshi Furuna (Purna Maitrāyanī-putra), Aniya Kyojinnyo (Ajñāta Kaudinya), Anaritsu (Aniruddha) who were endowed with the sight of the deva (ten), Ubari (Upāli) who strictly held to the rules of monastic discipline, Anan (Ānanda) who attended on the Buddha, Ragora (Rāhula) who was the son of Shākyamuni Buddha, Ubananda (Upananda), Rihata (Revata), Kohinna (Kapphina), Hakara (Vakkula), Ashuda (Mahāmandglyāyana), Shagada (Svāgata), and Zuda Daikasho (Mahākashapa) who was the foremost in ascetic practice, Urubinrakashō (Uruvilā Kashyāpa), Gayakashō (Gāya Kāshapa), Nadaikashō (Nadī Kāshyapa) along with other such ordained monks (biku, bhikshu) who amounted in all to twelve thousand persons who were all arhat (arakan) [a person who is free from all craving and rebirth, as well as being the ultimate stage of the individual vehicle (shōjō, hīnayāna)].

Thereupon, the completely evolved bodhisattva who had refused his own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahāsattva), who was called Bodhisattva Universal Adornment of the Spirit (Daishōgon, Mahāvyuha), took into consideration all the people seated in the assembly who were each in a state of concentration, stood up from the place where he was sitting, and in the company of eighty thousand other bodhisattva mahāsattva approached the Buddha. They all bowed towards his feet and walked around him in reverence a hundred thousand times.

Flowers of the deva(ten) wafted down, along with the odour of a celestial incense, garments of the deva (ten), necklaces of the deva(ten), as well as pearls of the deva (ten) that were beyond price. All these items whirled round and round in the upper heavens and in the middle of the sky and gradually came downwards. They clustered together in the four directions of the compass, so as to be an offering for the Buddha. There were pantry buffets of the deva(ten), well-stocked to the brim with dishes of a hundred celestial flavours, with which, on seeing their appearance, as well as smelling their fragrance, people became automatically satisfied.

Also, there were banners of the deva (ten), as well as tubular banners and awnings of the deva (ten). Furthermore, there were musical instruments, each being a masterpiece of its kind, that were set down in every direction, which spontaneously played a heavenly music so as to entertain the Buddha.

Then all the completely evolved bodhisattvas who had refused their own extinction into nirvana for the sake of the Buddha enlightenment of all sentient beings (bosatsu makasatsu, bodhisattva mahāsattva) kneeled in front of the Buddha, putting the palms of their hands together in reverence, and single-mindedly joined their voices together and praised the Buddha with the following metric hymn.

How all-embracing is the enlightenment
of this person who is wise,
good, upright, and correct
in all his character,
devoid of any uncleanliness or stain,
as well as being free of all obsessions,
the master who brings
the passions and delusion
of the deva (ten) and humankind
into harmonious control,
in the same way as those
who handle elephants and horses.
His way is the breeze of virtue,
or an all-pervading scent.
His mind is motionless;
his feelings are anchored;
and his thinking is quiet and set still.
His mind is extinguished;
his knowing and discrimination
are eliminated;
his psyche is silent.
For a long time now,
he has cast off meaningless dreaming,
along with wandering thoughts,
concepts, and concerns.
The Buddha abides in nirvana.
Besides, his five aggregates (go’on)
are totally non-existent,
as well as his body
no longer being aware
of whether something exists or not.
[The five aggregates are the following: 1) Physicality (shiki) is understood in Japanese as all that involves our five organs of sense – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and the body – which are the means with which we perceive the outside world. 2) Perception (ju) has the role of receiving outside information through the six organs of sense. This implies the five organs mentioned above, plus mind which is the faculty that coordinates the information received through the five senses. 3) Thought (sō) is the ability of turning things over in the mind of what has been sensed from the outside world. 4) Volition (gyō) is understood as that which induces a course of action, which, I will have to say, is always influenced by the experiences of our former lives or even the intervals between our deaths and rebirths. 5) Cognition (shiki) is the mechanism of how we conceive our respective lives.]
The Buddha’s existence is neither caused,
nor are there any concomitancies,
neither for himself nor anyone else.
It is neither square, nor round, nor long.
It neither emerges, nor does it sink down.
Neither does it come into being,
nor does it cease to exist.
It is neither seated,
nor is it lying down;
neither does it depart, nor stay.
It does not move, nor does it revolve;
neither does it remain silent.
It neither moves forwards,
nor does it step backwards.
Nor is it firm, nor is it ambiguous;
it is neither so, nor is it not so.
It neither gains, nor does it lose.
It is not this, nor is it that.
It neither comes, nor goes.
It is neither blue, nor yellow;
nor is it red, nor white.
It is neither scarlet, nor is it purple,
nor any other colour.
Neither has it any views
on the monastic precepts, meditation,
wisdom, or liberation.
The Buddha brings into effective use
his perfect absorption
into the one object
of his meditation (samādhi),
his six ubiquitous powers.
[These powers are 1) knowledge of the supernatural world, 2) the vision of the deva (ten), 3) the hearing of the deva (ten), 4) knowledge of the minds of others, 5) knowledge of all incarnations of himself and others, 6) the wisdom for ending all hang-ups and delusions, along with all religious or monastic realisations.]
He gives rise to compassion,
as well as having
the ten powers of the Buddha,
as well as being secure
with no fears whatsoever.
[The ten powers are knowing 1) what is right or wrong in every situation, 2) what the karma is of every sentient being past, present, and future, 3) all the stages of liberation through samādhi, 4) the powers and faculties of all beings, 5) the desires and moral direction of every sentient being, 6) the actual condition of every sentient being, 7) the direction and consequence of all dharmas, 8) the causes of good and bad in their reality, 9) the finality of all beings in nirvana, 10) the destruction of all delusion of every kind.]
He brings about the causes
and concomitancies
for the good karma of sentient beings,
by manifesting his indigo
and golden halo,
which is sixteen feet high,
bright and resplendent,
shining in all directions,
clear and transparent.
The tuft of hair between his eyebrows
is in the shape of a new moon.
And the light of the sun shines
from the nape of his neck.
His curly, blue-black hair is crowned
with the fleshy excrescence on his skull.
His eyes as clear as mirrors
move upwards and downwards.
His eyebrows stretch out into a blue-black line.
His mouth and cheeks
are in proportion.
His lips and tongue are a healthy red
like a carmine flower.
He has forty teeth
like snow-white gems.
His forehead is broad;
his nose is well-shaped;
and he has an open face.
On his chest
there is a svastika [Sanskrit svastika, su meaning “good”, asti meaning “to be” (well-being, good fortune), and ka as a suffix],
as well as his having
a lion’s torso.
The palms of his hands
and the soles of his feet
are adorned with wheels
that have a thousand spokes.
He has long forearms
with slender fingers.
His skin is delicate and soft,
and his body hair grows towards the right.
His ankles and knees
are really visible,
and his penis is tucked away,
secretly like that of a stallion.
His muscles are strong
with completely coherent joints.
His legs are sturdy
like those of a fallow deer.
He is equally attractive
either from the back or front
and is immaculately pure,
without a single blemish.
Mud does not stick to him;
nor does dust powder his person.
Such are the thirty
special features of a Buddha.
The eighty special markings
are also clearly apparent.
But, in reality,
the aspect of his person
neither exists,
nor does it not exist.
His real aspect
is that of no aspect at all.
And yet it is perceivable
and gives pleasure
to sentient beings.
Or they express their reverence
with complete devotion.
On account of this,
our overbearing qualities
and our selfishness
are all taken away.
Such is the unthinkably
wonderful manifestation
that Buddhas are able to accomplish.
Now, we as a multitude
of eighty thousand persons
all bow our heads and render homage,
as well as devoting our lives
and founding them on the person
who has extinguished
all conscious illusion,
who is the guide
that is good, compassionate,
and upright in his character,
as well as being unattached to dharmas
and the master who brings
the passions and delusions
into harmonious control.
We bow our heads
and take refuge in
the visible entity of the Dharma,
in which are gathered together
the monastic precepts,
the mental state where the mind
is concentrated
upon a single object
and does not wander,
as well as the wisdom, emancipation,
which the perceptive sagacity
of the Buddha bestows.
We bow or heads
and rely on,
as well as taking refuge in,
this manifestation
of the seeds of Utterness.
We also take refuge in
the Brahmanic sound that reverberates
like eight peals of thunder
and at the same time
is the subtlety of Utterness,
pure, as well as resounding
into the far distance [i.e., the Buddha’s voice].
The four fundamental truths
of the Buddha teaching (shitai, cātvāryāryasatyani) [which four fundamental truths are 1) any form of existence entails suffering; 2) the cause of suffering is delusions and desires; 3) nirvana is the dimension devoid of suffering; 4) the means for the attainment of nirvana is the eightfold correct path of the Buddha teaching – the eightfold correct path (Masshōdō, āryāshtāngika-marga) being i. correct view which refers to a correct way of understanding the four fundamental truths, ii. correct thinking which entails the ability to think in terms of the four fundamental truths, iii. correct speech which implies no false statements, iv. correct behaviour, v. correct livelihood that does not involve harming or killing sentient existence, vi. correct endeavour to make a genuine progress in an effort to attain enlightenment, vii. correct memory of things beneficial to enlightenment, viii. correct meditation],
as well as the six kinds of practice
whereby bodhisattvas
are able to attain enlightenment
[which six kinds of practice are 1) giving wholeheartedly, 2) keeping the monastic precepts, 3) forbearance under insult, 4) assiduous practice, 5) meditation, 6) Buddha-like wisdom],
along with the chain of the twelve causes
and karmic circumstances
that run through
the whole of sentient existence (Jūni-innen, dvādashanga-pratītya-samutpāda) [which twelve causes and karmic circumstances are 1) a fundamental unenlightenment as to the meaning of existence, 2) as well as tendencies and inclinations inherited from former lives, 3) the first consciousness after conception that takes place in the womb, 4) body and mind evolving in the womb, 5) as well as the five organs of sense and the functioning of the mind, 6) contact with the outside world, 7) receptivity or budding intelligence from six to seven years onwards, 8) the desire for amorous love at the age of puberty, 9) the urge for a sensuous existence, 10) that forms the substance of future karma, 11) the completed karma ready to be born again, 12) and facing in the direction of old age and death] –
these three all unfold
according to the karma
of sentient beings.
If people were to hear
about these three teachings,
then there would be nobody
whose mind would not become
open to them.
Also, the boundless passions
knotted into innumerable
lives and deaths
would all be cut away.
The people who listen
to these teachings [are either persons who have entered into the stream against all birth and death (shudaon, srotāpanna)]
[or a person who will return only one more time to the dimension of existence (shidagon, sakrdāgāmin)]
or perhaps a person who has become
partially enlightened
due to a profound search
into the meaning of existence
and is free from
troublesome worries (bonnō, klesha)
and whose state of mind
is eternal, unchanging, and pure.
Or perhaps such a person
may arrive at the mental state
of a bodhisattva
who is capable of perceiving
the real nature of existence
as it appears,
as well as its original state (hosshō, dharmatā).
Or such people
might become into possession
of boundless incantations (dhāranī)
or even to be able
to enjoy an eloquence
in propagating the Dharma
that knows no hindrance.
By reciting metric hymns (ge, gāthā)
that are extremely profound
and are the subtlety of Utterness (mimyō),
as well as enjoying
and capering
in the pool of the purity
of the Dharma,
or flying upwards
to show special abilities
to appear at will in any place
or to have absolute freedom,
whether such persons
plunge into water or fire,
they will come out unharmed.
Such are the characteristics
of the wheel of the Dharma.
It is pure, boundless,
and inconceivable,
to which we all together
bow our heads.
We return our lives to
and found them on
the person who set in motion
the wheel of the Dharma
at the appropriate time.
We bow our heads
and return our lives to
and found them on
the doctrine of the chain
of the twelve causes
and karmic circumstances
that run through the whole
of sentient existence (jūni-innen),
the fundamental truths
of the Buddha teaching (shitai),
and the six kinds of practice
whereby bodhisattvas
can attain enlightenment (ropparamitsu).
The World Honoured One
for innumerable kalpas
assiduously practised
all the meritoriously
virtuous observances
and is sovereign for us
who are human beings, deva (ten),
along with other
supernatural spirits.
This generally includes
every kind of sentient being.
The World Honoured One
was able to renounce
all that was difficult
to give up.
He gave up
wealth, treasures, wives, his son,
and even the capital city.
When it comes to the Dharma,
there was nothing
he would not spare,
even his head, eyes,
the marrow of his bones, his brain.
All was given for the benefit
of all sentient beings.
He respected everything –
what the Buddhas must not do,
which is not to destroy life
or cause harm to anything.
If people were to attack him
with either blades or wooden clubs,
or were to defame him,
or insult him,
he would never get angry.
Even if his body were to be oppressed,
through the corridor of kalpas
he would never fall into
a mental state of discouragement.
Both night and day he abides in
a state of samādhi.
[This is the practice of mental concentration, in which the reasoning process of the intellect is heightened, by the exclusion of extraneous thoughts, except for the subject of meditation. Thus, the practitioners approach the plane of pure thought, and thereby attain enlightenment (zen, dhyāna).]
He studies every possibility
of saving all sentient beings,
through the various methods
of the Dharma.
With his deeply penetrating
wisdom and discernment,
he is able to look into
the faculties of sentient beings.
This is the reason why
the Buddha’s power is unrestricted.
Again, we bodhisattvas
bow our heads in unison,
as well as taking refuge in
and relying on
the person who can carry out
all that is so difficult to perform.