The Questions of Sāgaramati
Chapter Twelve: Blessings

The bodhisattva Sāgaramati then requested the Blessed One, “Blessed One, given that the awakening of the thus-gone ones encounters many obstacles and much opposition, please carefully grant your blessings, Blessed One, such that through the blessings of the Thus-Gone One, these sūtras will not fade, but grow; that they will be upheld and read; that their teachers will not have to vie with māras and gods of the class of māras; that this sublime Dharma may long remain; and that these sūtras will be preserved, kept safe, and accepted.”

The Blessed One said to the bodhisattva Sāgaramati, “Any being who retains such a sūtra as this, Sāgaramati, and teaches it, accepts it, and practices it diligently and develops roots of virtue, will hold the power of discipline and the blessings of this Dharma teaching. Therefore, Sāgaramati, listen well and bear what I say in mind: these words will summon the Four Great Kings. So that this Dharma teaching is protected and so those who teach it are accepted, these words that summon the Four Great Kings who work in earnest must be spoken. Sāgaramati, what are the summoning words? They are:

Sāgaramati, these are the summoning words. They should be used in earnest, so the Four Great Kings are summoned [F.110.b] and this Dharma teaching is protected and its teachers accepted.

“When Dharma teachers chant this mantra while spreading love throughout the four directions and bringing the Four Great Kings to mind, the Four Great Kings will be summoned by the mantra.”

Then the Four Great Kings, who were present in the assembly, rose from their seats. They joined their hands in the direction of the Blessed One and bowed to him, saying, “Blessed One, we, the Four Great Kings, will collectively protect this Dharma teaching and care for its teachers, wherever it is taught with a proper mind, such that they are not obstructed or harmed in any way.”

The Blessed One said, “Moreover, Sāgaramati, the words that summon Śakra, lord of the gods, must be spoken. These words will summon Śakra, lord of the gods. What are the words that summon Śakra, lord of the gods? They are:

Sāgaramati, these are the words that summon Śakra, lord of the gods. They will summon Śakra, lord of the gods.

“Dharma teachers should chant these mantra syllables and then wash themselves with the cleansing and purifying ritual, wear fine clothes, toss flowers to the east, recollect all the buddhas, have great compassion for all beings, [F.111.a] and then take their seat on a lion throne. Then, considering Śakra, lord of the gods, they should say, ‘Kauśika, please come and strengthen the assembly. Enact the fruition of this mantra.’ When they do so, because of the purity of their intention and the purity of their discipline, immediately Śakra will come and enter the assembly and enact the fruition of the mantra.”

Then Śakra, lord of the gods, who was present in the assembly, pledged to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I will be present near Dharma teachers in order to uphold and preserve this Dharma teaching. I will strengthen their assembly. I will enact the fruition of this mantra. Blessed One, I will extensively and faithfully relay this Dharma teaching to the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Why will I do this? Because it demonstrates the bodhisattva deeds of the blessed buddhas of the past, present, and future. Blessed One, I will honor the Dharma of the blessed buddhas of the past, present, and future; thus, I will teach this Dharma teaching extensively and faithfully.”

Then the Blessed One offered his approval to Śakra, lord of the gods: “Kauśika, excellent! It is excellent that you utter the lion’s roar in order to uphold the sublime Dharma. That is your task. Lord of the gods, if you contemplate this Dharma teaching, know that the gods will be victorious, and the asuras will be defeated.

“Moreover, Sāgaramati, the following mantra that destroys the māras and gods of the class of māras [F.111.b] must be chanted. Thereby, this mantra will destroy the māras and gods of the class of māras. What is this mantra? It is:

“Sāgaramati, these syllables destroy māras and eliminate afflictions. Dharma teachers should chant these syllables while seated on a Dharma throne, pervading the entire assembly with a love that is formed by awakening, and while arousing the notion of themselves as physicians, the Dharma as medicine, the Dharma audience as patients, the Thus-Gone One as a sublime being, and the way of the Dharma as something that persists. When they bring forth this mantra and teach the Dharma, no māra or god of the class of māra will be able to come within a hundred leagues to cause confusion. Even if they do come near, they will be unable to cause obstacles.”

The evil māras then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, when the bodhisattva Sāgaramati sent us to the world Adorned with Every Pleasure, the sublime beings there manifested their blessings, magic, and miracles for us. [F.112.a] Blessed One, from this day hence we will spurn all the works of Māra. We will be present wherever this Dharma teaching is given‍—in any town, village, city, or temple where it is taught. We will be humble, respectful, and deferential to receive it.”

The Blessed One said, “Excellent, excellent, evil ones. As this respect for the Dharma ripens, you will gradually give up all the works of Māra. You will attain the same Dharma that these sublime beings attain.

“Moreover, Sāgaramati, the mantra that summons Brahmā, master of the Sahā world, must be spoken. Once Brahmā has been summoned with this summoning mantra, he will come before Dharma teachers. What is this mantra? It is:

“Sāgaramati, Dharma teachers should chant these words that summon Brahmā, master of the Sahā world, live a pure life, and have non-aggressive minds, calm faculties, guarded mindfulness, a pure seal, [F.112.b] pure physical actions, isolated verbal actions, stable minds, good patient deeds, refined discipline, well-applied diligence, reliable learning, cultivated mental pliancy, sharp faculties of insight, and diligent proper engagement. They should retain the mind of awakening, have fully cultivated love, arouse joy in all beings through their stable great compassion, sit on the lion throne in order to liberate all beings from suffering, and deliver Dharma discourses while remembering Brahmā, master of the Sahā world. Then, as soon as they bring him to mind, Brahmā and his Brahmā gods will arrive.

“Sāgaramati, the following things will happen when Brahmā is seen arriving: the entire assembly will change to having a loving mind, their faculties will not decline, they will not harm one another, they will esteem the Dharma and Dharma teachers as teachers and masters, they will join their palms, their minds will be one-pointed, they will be mentally engaged without distraction, they will act with perseverance, they will be mentally engaged, and with their whole minds they will be conscientious and attentively listening. These Dharma teachers will attain the scriptures they had not previously received and the teachings they had not previously heard. Know that it is into their assembly that Brahmā, master of the Sahā world, will come.”

Then Brahmā, master of the Sahā world, who was present there, said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I live in the Brahmā world. However, I will give up its concentrations and limitless bliss states to be present in the assemblies where this Dharma teaching is given. [F.113.a] Such Dharma teachers will accomplish eight qualities. What are they? (1) They will accomplish mindfulness in order to not forget the teachings they have heard. (2) They will accomplish intelligence in order to realize the profound Dharma. (3) They will accomplish realization in order to fully comprehend the meaning. (4) They will accomplish eloquence in order to cut through all doubt. (5) They will accomplish perfect teachings in order to satisfy with all manner of languages and explanations. (6) They will accomplish the guarding of the vinaya in order to outshine the entire assembly. (7) They will accomplish the light of Dharma in order to teach inferior beings. (8) They will accomplish the gateway of emancipation in order to engage in all of this and to accomplish the Dharma. Blessed One, such Dharma teachers will accomplish these eight qualities. So that these Dharma teachers may be guarded and protected, and so that the sublime Dharma may remain for a long time, through the blessings of the Thus-Gone One, I will ensure that as this Dharma teaching is spread, all māras and obstructers will be destroyed.”

The bodhisattva Sāgaramati then requested the Blessed One, “Blessed One, please grant your blessings so that in the final age after the Thus-gone One has passed into complete nirvāṇa, this Dharma teaching will reach the hands of beings who have formed roots of virtue, be placed in treasuries, put into writing, and not fade.”

The Blessed One understood the bodhisattva Sāgaramati’s request and sent forth a burst of light from his ūrṇa hair that filled the worlds of the great trichiliocosm with a brilliant glow. This caused all the grasses, trees, herbs, [F.113.b] forests, stones, pebbles, and everything else in the worlds of the great trichiliocosm to appear in the form of the Thus-Gone One. In the jeweled pavilion, all the appearances that had been blessed as offerings also appeared in the form of the Thus-Gone One.

All these forms of the Thus-Gone One then proclaimed in unity, “Hark! This Dharma teaching is blessed by the blessed Śākyamuni. Anything that is blessed by a blessed one is blessed by all blessed ones. Anything that is blessed by all blessed ones cannot be obstructed by māras. Even if māras, their supporters, and their servants as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges were to try to obstruct it, they could not obstruct this Dharma teaching. Why is this? It is possible that the earth could crack open, that the oceans could evaporate, that the mountains could crumble, that the wind could be captured, that the sun and moon could plummet to the earth, that space could show itself as form, that fire could become water, that water could become fire, that the four elements could transform into other elements, that the minds of all beings could function as one, and that the earth and sky could get stuck together‍—yet, it is impossible that the blessings of the thus-gone ones could be agitated, shaken, or disturbed by anyone.”

Then the Blessed One placed his hand upon Venerable Ānanda’s crown, saying to him, “Ānanda, you must uphold the sacred Dharma to ensure it will last a long time. You must uphold this Dharma teaching and keep it, recite it, master it, and teach it broadly and genuinely to others!” [F.114.a]

Then the bodhisattva Sāgaramati asked the Blessed One, “When there are bodhisattvas here who have attained the mindfulness and intellect of the truth seen by the Blessed One, which is as difficult to fathom as the ocean or a great sea, why is the monk Ānanda, with his partial understanding, to be entrusted with this Dharma teaching?”

“Sāgaramati,” responded the Blessed One, “the monk Ānanda will not uphold this sūtra by arousing his own strength of intellect. He will uphold it through the Thus-Gone One’s blessings. Sāgaramati, any being who hears this Dharma teaching from the monk Ānanda will be gladdened, and attain faith and supreme joy. It will occur to them, ‘It is through the Thus-Gone One’s blessings that this hearer is upholding and teaching this sūtra; such are the unfathomable and incredible blessings of the Thus-Gone One.’ ”

Then some of the gods and men in the assembly thought, “How is it that the bodhisattva Sāgaramati is endowed with this degree of mindfulness while Venerable Ānanda, who is the most knowledgeable of all those taught by the Thus-Gone One, is not?”

Venerable Mahākāśyapa knew the thoughts of the assembly with his own mind. So, while casting his gaze over the assembly, he asked the Blessed One, “The bodhisattva Sāgaramati is endowed with perfect mindfulness. Is Venerable Ānanda not also? He is the most knowledgeable of all the learned taught by the Thus-Gone One.”

“Kāśyapa,” answered the Blessed One, “what do you think about the claim that the dispositions of beings contained within buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the river Ganges are myriad‍—more so than the elements of earth. Kāśyapa, are the dispositions of beings myriad?” [F.114.b]

“Blessed One, they are myriad. Well-Gone One, they are limitless,” said Kāśyapa.

“Kāśyapa,” the Blessed One continued, “imagine that all those beings attained a human body all at once and that each of them possessed all the power of mindfulness and recollection that the monk Ānanda possesses. Even then, they still would not equal even a fraction of the power of mindfulness and recollection produced by the bodhisattva Sāgaramati. No analogy could ever describe it. Kāśyapa, the bodhisattva Sāgaramati retains the teachings of all the blessed buddhas of the ten directions. When one thus-gone one teaches the Dharma, it does not lessen or increase the Dharma teaching of a second thus-gone one. Kāśyapa, I will draw an analogy: A rain the depth of a chariot axle could fall upon the great ocean, but one body of water will not lessen or increase a second body of water. Even though the ocean absorbs all the flow of all rivers, it does not grow or shrink. Kāśyapa, likewise, though the bodhisattva Sāgaramati retains the Dharma teaching of all the blessed buddhas, the Dharma teaching of one thus-gone one does not lessen or increase the Dharma teaching of a second thus-gone one. There is no increase or decrease to the strength of recollection he has aroused.”

When this teaching was given, eight thousand beings developed the mind directed toward unsurpassed and perfect awakening, and proclaimed, “May we develop the strength of recollection to the same degree as the bodhisattva Sāgaramati!”

The entire assembly then tossed earthly and divine flowers toward the Blessed One and the bodhisattva Sāgaramati. [F.115.a]

The bodhisattva Padmavyūha then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how much merit will a noble son or daughter develop when they hear this Dharma gateway and trust it, or when they retain it, keep it, read it, recite it, understand it, or apply it earnestly?”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses in response to the bodhisattva Padmavyūha:

Then the Blessed One said to the bodhisattva Sāgaramati, “Sāgaramati, this Dharma way, this Dharma seal, this Dharma compilation, this Dharma division has been explained, is being explained, and will be explained by all the blessed buddhas of the past, present, and future. Sāgaramati, with respect and reverence, you must fully accomplish it.”

Once the Blessed One had spoken, the bodhisattva great being Sāgaramati, the entire bodhisattva assembly, the saṅgha of monks, and the world of gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas all rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had taught.