Chapter 8

8.1Now Lord Śākyamuni addressed Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:

“The full topic of the cloth-painting procedure, Mañjuśrī, has now been taught by me for the benefit of those beings you foretold. They will succeed even with little skillful means. For their benefit I will now teach a sādhana method classified according to the type of activity, describing at length its different virtues. Listen to it well, [F.143.a] [F.160.a] and reflect upon it thoroughly. I will speak for the benefit of all beings.” {8.1}

8.2The divine youth Mañjuśrī, in turn, said to the Blessed One, “Good! It is good, O Blessed One, that you will give this eloquent exposition that illuminates our incisive meditation and causes the qualities of mantra practice to fully manifest. So do teach this method, Blessed One, if you think that the time is right. Do so out of compassion for us.” {8.2}

8.3Lord Śākyamuni looked then at the entire assembly and smiled. At that moment rays of blue, yellow, and translucent crystalline light issued from the mouth of Lord Śākyamuni. As soon as these rays issued forth, they illuminated the entire assembly and dimmed the worldly realm of the great trichiliocosm, including the abodes of all the māras. This included the light of the entire multitude of stars, celestial bodies, mountain ranges, and the moon and the sun, those two luminaries of great power and might, which were also dimmed by the light of Śākyamuni’s rays. They lost their radiance and did not illuminate the worlds. They did not shine and appeared dark. The rays dimmed also the jewel light of all gems, mantras, and medicines and then disappeared back into Lord Śākyamuni’s mouth. {8.3}

8.4Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, the great being, was present at that time in the midst of this great gathering. Seated, he rose from his seat in his beautiful form pleasing to beings, prostrated at the Blessed One’s feet, and said this to him:

“It is not without a cause or a reason that the blessed buddhas smile. What is the cause, Blessed One, what is the reason for your smile?” {8.4}

8.5Being thus asked, the Blessed One said to Bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, “It is so, Vajrapāṇi, it is so. It is exactly as you say. The smile of the tathāgatas does not happen without a cause or a reason. There is a cause, [F.143.b] [F.160.b] there is a reason: future beings will take up and follow this king of the lords of sūtras, this root manual of Mañjuśrī, which arose out of the tenth bodhisattva level, Cloud of Dharma‍—a collection of skillful methods such as ritual practices that involve knowledge- vidyā s and practicing the right conduct. Future beings will study this manual in full, memorize it, spread it by word of mouth, and put their faith in it. {8.5}

8.6“Having written it down in the form of a book, they will worship it with sandalwood powder, ointments, incense, flower garlands, parasols, flags and banners, or other different means, in particular with the music of various instruments and cymbals. Through that they will attain a continuous mental state of inner rejoicing that makes their bodily hair bristle with joy. Learning about the power and efficacy of vidyā s, they will be thrilled, rejoice, and will take up the right conduct. I predict that all of them will become blessed buddhas, established in supreme, perfect awakening. It is for this and no other reason that the victorious ones smile. {8.6}

8.7“To start, one who observes his samaya of, who has completed the preparatory rites for, and who has been ritually initiated into this king of manuals should choose either the root mantra, heart mantra, subsidiary heart mantra, or another mantra, whether of one syllable or another one as desired and go to a large forest. There one should recite the mantra three million times, living on fruits, water, roots, or leaves. This constitutes the preliminary practice. {8.7}

8.8“One should then climb to the top of a mountain and position the superior painting so that it faces the west. Then, sitting on a bundle of kuśa grass and facing east, one should offer, below the painting, one hundred thousand white lotuses smeared with white sandalwood and saffron to Lord Śākyamuni and all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyeka­buddhas, and noble śrāvakas. One should burn camphor incense according to one’s means and make offerings to the gods and nāga s [F.144.a] [F.161.a] of whatever flowers are available. {8.8}

8.9“Then, at the midnight hour, on a bright full moon night, the completely full moon of the prātihāra fortnight, one should dig, in front of the painting, a fire pit in the shape of a lotus and kindle the fire using white sandalwood sticks. One should blend together saffron and camphor and offer it into the fire one thousand and eight times, [or as many times] as one can. [In this way] one becomes ritually protected. {8.9}

8.10“Then rays of light emanate from Lord Śākyamuni, encircle the painting, and envelop it with blazing light. The practitioner, in a form pleasing to beings, should then circumambulate the painting three times clockwise, bow to all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyeka­buddhas, and noble śrāvakas, and take the painting into his hands. {8.10}

8.11“As soon as one grasps the end of the cloth where the practitioner had been painted earlier, one will fly upward. In the snap of a finger, one will ascend to the realm of Brahmā. One will reach the world sphere called Kusumāvatī, where dwells Tathāgata Saṃkusumita Rājendra. There he upholds, maintains, and expounds the Dharma. One will see there Noble Mañjuśrī in person and will hear his Dharma discourse. One will also see many hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas and attend upon them. One will live for one thousand great eons, enjoying freedom from old age and death. {8.11}

8.12“The painting also remains there and is blessed by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas; one can clearly feel the blessing. One will be able to visit hundreds of thousands of buddhafields, display hundreds of thousands of bodies, and develop many magical powers. Noble Mañjuśrī will become one’s spiritual friend, and one will be destined to attain awakening.” {8.12} [F.144.b] [F.161.b]

8.13This concludes the eighth chapter of this extensive Mahāyāna sūtra that forms a garland-like basket of bodhisattva teachings. This chapter constitutes the detailed first chapter on the ritual involving the supreme sādhana method.