Summary
s.1The Inquiry of the Girl Sumati features an eight-year-old girl named Sumati, “Keen Intellect,” who asks the Buddha Śākyamuni a series of questions about what is necessary to gain a variety of positive outcomes, like a beautiful body and an auspicious, peaceful death. The Buddha replies by expounding a series of sets of four dharmas that a bodhisattva can cultivate to produce these outcomes. Sumati then promises to put them all into practice exactly as he has taught them. Her confidence prompts Maudgalyāyana and Mañjuśrī to question her motives and understanding. She responds with several acts of truth that confirm her aspiration to achieve awakening as a buddha and result in several wonders, including a great earthquake. Sumati’s dialogue with Mañjuśrī explores the nature of reality and the reality of gender, among other topics, and leads Sumati to transform herself into a man and confirm the conditions of her future awakening as a buddha. The Buddha then himself confirms not only her future awakening but also that of several monks in the audience.
s.1《須摩提女經》以一位八歲的女孩妙慧為主角，她的名字意為「銳利的智慧」。妙慧向佛陀釋迦牟尼提出一系列問題，詢問如何獲得各種美好的結果，例如擁有美麗的身體和安詳、吉祥的往生。佛陀回答時闡述了一系列四法的組合，菩薩可以通過修持這些法來產生這些結果。妙慧隨後承諾完全按照佛陀的教導去實踐。她的堅定信心促使目犍連和文殊菩薩質疑她的動機和理解。她通過多次真實的誓言來回應，這些誓言確認了她追求成就佛陀覺悟的願望，並導致多個瑞相的出現，包括大地震動。妙慧與文殊菩薩的對話深入探討了現實的本質和性別的真實性等主題，最終引導妙慧將自己轉化為男身，確認了她未來成就佛陀覺悟的條件。佛陀隨後親自確認了不僅妙慧未來的覺悟，還有在場多位比丘的未來覺悟。