The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1)
Chapter Four: The Benefits of the Inexhaustible Casket Dhāraṇī

“Nāga Lord, at one point in the past, even longer than a countless eon ago, at a point so long ago that it defies reckoning or fathoming, there was an eon called Action. At that time there was a world called Constellation of Unique Attributes in which the Blessed Buddha Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor appeared. He was a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfect buddha, someone learned and virtuous, [F.146.a] a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed charioteer who guides beings, and a teacher of gods and humans. The world Constellation of Unique Attributes was at that time well-off, vast, and happy, had abundant harvests, was delightful, had many inhabitants, and was filled with gods and humans. It was a four-continent world as large as the billion four-continent worlds in this buddha realm. Thus, one billion such four-continent worlds constituted the Blessed Thus-Gone One Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor’s world Constellation of Unique Attributes. The extent of this world was immeasurable. In this world shone the light of precious ever-luminous vajra jewels. This world was draped with a net of jewels, hung with many silken banners, adorned with hoisted parasols, banners, and standards, and draped with great canopies. At night the sound of thousands of instruments resounded from the firmament unplayed, unstruck. The sounds of instruments and song could be heard clearly by the entire trichiliocosm. Such instruments and song did not reinforce desire, nor did they inflame attachment, aggression, delusion, and the afflictions. Rather peace, absolute peace, Dharma joy, and satisfaction issued from these sounds. By simply hearing them, all gods and humans attained mindfulness, peace, joy, and bliss, [F.146.b] and they were no longer harmed by the afflictions. Additionally, the world was flat like the palm of a hand, soft and pleasing to the touch like fabric made from feathers of the kācilindi bird. The lower realms and poor migrations were not to be found in that world. Rather, its gods and humans lived in complete purity. For the most part, everyone was inspired toward vastness and had entered the Great Vehicle. Practitioners of the vehicles of hearers and solitary buddhas were scarce. All manner of enjoyments arose simply by being imagined in the mind. These gods and humans all experienced pleasures and enjoyments‍—none suffered or was poor. The humans situated there were similar to the gods of the Heaven of Joy in their enjoyments and pleasures. The lifespan of this thus-gone one was counted as33 67.2 million years. The lifespan of the humans there was the same. Nobody failed to live out their lifespan. There were 7.2 billion bodhisattvas in the assembly of this thus-gone one; his saṅgha of hearers was immeasurable.

“Nāga Lord, at that time there was a universal monarch, a powerful lord of the four great continents named Inexhaustible Merit. King Inexhaustible Merit had 840 trillion goddess-like queens and women at his disposal. Four among them were the most sublime of his queens. They were named Vimalā, Vimalaprabhā, Purity, and Joyful Maiden. They had eighty-four thousand sons that each had the strength of a mighty being. Their bodies had twenty-eight marks. They had all entered the Great Vehicle. Nāga Lord, King Inexhaustible Merit lived in a great city called Presence of Joy. The eastern, western, [F.147.a] northern, and southern edges of the city measured sixty-four leagues each. The Blessed Thus-Gone One Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor was born in this great city Presence of Joy. King Inexhaustible Merit's palace in this great city was built out of the seven precious substances. Within it were eight million four hundred thousand avenues and city gates. Alongside each avenue and city gate were eighty-four trillion households. The city was surrounded by seven rings of fences, railings, palm trees, and nets of bells, large and small. It was also surrounded by ten thousand pleasure gardens. Seven concentric moats encircled the city, each of which was filled with water with the eight qualities and covered with the most fragrant blue, pink, red, and white lotuses. Swans were constantly honking. This great city was in this manner replete with unfathomable ornate qualities. The Blessed Thus-Gone One Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor was staying in a monastery built for him by King Inexhaustible Merit in the grove Supreme Incense Light. With his retinue of children, queens, relatives, and dependents, King Inexhaustible Merit served this thus-gone one with all manner of pleasing and pleasurable substances and enjoyments for a hundred thousand eons.

“Nāga Lord, King Inexhaustible Merit and his retinue then went before the Blessed Thus-Gone One Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor, bowed their heads toward him, and sat together. Acknowledging their arrival, [F.147.b] the Blessed One said, ‘Great king, if one has four qualities, one will become a Dharma lord, a kṣatriya who has been crowned king, and will excel in virtuous qualities. What are these four? They are having faith such that one pursues virtues and can humbly go before the noble ones; having passion for the Dharma such that one yearns for the Dharma and is absolutely overjoyed about it; generating thoughts that constantly consider the truth, discriminate the impermanent nature of phenomena, realize the defects of conditioned phenomena, and are mindful of the fact that all possessions are subject to change; and being conscientious so as to never abandon the intention of the mind set on awakening, cling to any sense pleasure, or allow one’s roots of virtue to degenerate, but rather cause them to increase further. Great king, if one has these four qualities one will become a Dharma lord, a kṣatriya who has been crowned king, and will excel in virtuous qualities.’

“Then King Inexhaustible Merit asked the Thus-Gone One Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor, ‘Blessed One, what qualities do bodhisattvas require to achieve mastery over the Dharma?’

“The Blessed One responded, ‘Great king, if they have eight qualities, bodhisattvas will achieve mastery over the Dharma. What are these eight? They are possessing the five playful and undefiled higher knowledges of beings; possessing unbounded, unimpeded, and unmoving insight; subsuming all within wisdom, engaging in purification, and possessing the four unconditioned bases of miraculous absorption; [F.148.a] possessing insight, wisdom, view, and the four correct discriminations devoid of all afflictive emotions; being blessed by a buddha and possessing the strength of being blessed with such unimpeded blessings; possessing the inexhaustible merit of the oceanic seal of absorption; pleasing all beings, exerting oneself for all the qualities of buddhahood, and possessing the dhāraṇī of pure recollection; and proceeding exactly according to the Dharma, following the Dharma of the single principle, abiding in the nondual limit of reality, and attaining the acceptance that phenomena are unborn. Great king, if bodhisattvas have these eight qualities, they will achieve mastery over the Dharma.

“ ‘Great king, additionally there is a dhāraṇī called the jeweled casket. If bodhisattvas attain it, they will achieve mastery over the Dharma.’

“The Thus-Gone One then taught on the jeweled casket dhāraṇī, making extensive classifications, for a hundred thousand years. King Inexhaustible Merit gave up all his royal duties and listened to the Dharma, without distraction or competing pursuits, alongside his supporters and retinue. For that period of one hundred thousand years, they had no desirous, malicious, or violent thoughts, nor did they entertain any thoughts about children, wives, political dominion, possessions, or lovely things. Rather, they happily dwelled in trust in the Dharma and the intention of the mind set on awakening. With great love, their minds viewed all beings the same way [F.148.b] and, donning the armor of great compassion, they solely concerned themselves with listening to the Dharma. Not only did they hear the sublime Dharma from the Blessed One for a hundred thousand years, they also trained in the root of this very jeweled casket dhāraṇī. For seven million eons they practiced in order to exit saṃsāra. They purified the karmic obscurations amassed over ten thousand eons. A hundred thousand buddhas appeared before their eyes. They took hold of enough roots of virtue to directly see a trillion buddhas. They developed the roots of virtue to attain the dominion of a universal monarch and become śakras, brahmās, and world protectors as many times as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. They achieved the dhāraṇī of hearing called pure recollection. With this dhāraṇī of hearing, they became the true holders of the speech of hundreds of buddhas. The young ones and their mothers reached the acceptance of phenomena concurring with reality. Eighty-four thousand of the queens developed the mind set on awakening. Eighty-four thousand women reached acceptance. Nine trillion gods and men developed the mind set on awakening. Three trillion two hundred billion practitioners of the hearer vehicle purified the Dharma eye that beholds phenomena. Sixty million monks liberated their minds from defilements without perpetuation. Abandoning his kingdom, with no interest in the normal desires of gods and humans, King Inexhaustible Merit instead pursued unsurpassed and perfect awakening. Motivated by his faith, he went forth into the homeless life. Hearing that he had gone forth, all his princes also went forth. Hearing that they had gone forth, [F.149.a] the people of the realm and the six hundred thousand members of his retinue also went forth. The four most sublime queens of the king’s harem also went forth.

“Nāga King, these purified beings who had developed roots of virtue in this manner now lived in constant enthusiasm for those teachings. Nāga Lord, if you are assuming that the universal monarch Inexhaustible Merit of that time was someone else, if you are skeptical, critical, or doubtful about this, do not be. Why? Because, Nāga King, you are the one who was the universal monarch Inexhaustible Merit at that time. Nāga Lord, if you are assuming that you do not know the people who were those princes and princesses, do not think this way. Why? Because they were precisely these bodhisattva great beings gathered here in this assembly. Nāga Lord, what do you think? If you think that the jeweled casket dhāraṇī that the Thus-Gone One Divine King of Brahmā’s Splendor taught to King Inexhaustible Merit is something unknown to you, do not think this way. Why? Because the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī was at that time known as the jeweled casket.

“In this way, Nāga Lord, the Thus-Gone One sees with unobstructed buddha eyes, and thus he teaches to beings a Dharma that arises from earlier causes. Nāga Lord, you have heard this inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī from many thus-gone ones. You have repeatedly heard the meaning of this dhāraṇī from many hundreds of thousands of buddhas. This is why you presently have such recollection, intelligence, realization, abundant eloquence, insight, and wisdom. [F.149.b] Nāga Lord, all who merely hear the name of this inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī or hear it introduced will definitely attain inexhaustible eloquence. Why? Because it accords with the cause that is this dhāraṇī.

“Nāga Lord, in future times, whenever anyone practices this dhāraṇī protection spell for renunciation, it should be viewed solely as a result of the blessings of the Thus-Gone One. Nāga Lord, this dhāraṇī is the doorway to eighty-four thousand collections of Dharma. It engages in eighty-four thousand actions. It follows eighty-four thousand absorptions. This inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī is the root of eighty-four thousand types of dhāraṇī. Nāga Lord, the great rain of Dharma that the bodhisattvas shower without obstruction or impediment throughout the ten directions by means of the four correct discriminations comes from a cause that accords with the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī. Nāga Lord, I will now teach the words that engage and connect with the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī, the words of the protection spell of the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, and garuḍas:

“Nāga Lord, these words protect and guard the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī. If Dharma preachers recite them, they will achieve thirty-two kinds of fearlessness. What are these thirty-two kinds of fearlessness? They are (1) achieving fearless learning because they genuinely delight others, (2) achieving fearless teaching because their words are unconfused, (3) achieving fearless communication because their words are not repetitive, (4) achieving fearless inquiry because they understand language accurately, (5) achieving fearless eloquence because they display blessings, (6) achieving fearless recollection because they possess a mind that retains, (7) achieving fearless intelligence because they please others’ intelligence, (8) achieving fearless understanding because they swiftly put doubts to rest, (9) achieving fearless attitude because they do not consider others’ perspectives, (10) achieving fearless lack of confusion because they use words correctly, (11) achieving a fearless lack of artifice because their discipline is pure, (12) achieving a fearlessly smiling face because their patience is pure, [F.150.b] (13) achieving a fearless steadfastness because their promises are unimpaired, (14) achieving fearless words that are suitable to be heard because they do not seek dispute, (15) achieving fearless and powerful words because they please the assembly, (16) achieving fearless insight because they discuss the profound Dharma, (17) achieving fearless investigation because they are not arrogant, (18) achieving a fearless lion’s roar because they defeat all opposing factions, (19) achieving fearless irreproachability because they teach Dharma without expecting financial remuneration, (20) achieving fearlessly virtuous teachings because they can discern what should be practiced, (21) achieving fearless blamelessness because they are not reviled by the learned, (22) achieving the fearless application of sources34 because they do not contradict the sūtras, (23) achieving fearless and proper exhortation because they exhort others in timely ways, (24) achieving unmistaken fearlessness because they practice what they preach, (25) achieving fearless humility because they bow toward all beings, (26) achieving fearless and inexhaustible words and statements because of retaining what they have heard before, (27) achieving the fearless ability to answer anyone’s questions because they have realized the immeasurable Dharma, (28) achieving the fearless ability to please the entire assembly because they have purified themselves, (29) achieving the fearless defeat of māras and obstructors because they know all the afflictions, (30) achieving fearless great love because they have no aggression in their minds, (31) achieving fearless great compassion because they protect all beings, [F.151.a] and (32) achieving fearless awakened wisdom because they act as Dharma kings.

“Therefore, Nāga Lord, bodhisattva great beings that hear about, are inspired toward, and accomplish the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī will achieve these thirty-two kinds of fearlessness. Because these thirty-two kinds of fearlessness are continuous, they culminate in the attainment of the fourfold fearlessness of the thus-gone ones. Because they have these types of fearlessness, they proclaim the lion’s roar of the thus-gone ones to the world with its gods. Because they can predict all beings’ questions, they can also discern their situations. No beings whatsoever of any class will be able to oppose what accords with the Dharma of the Thus-Gone One or put an end to his teaching of the Dharma. Therefore, Nāga Lord, bodhisattvas should apply themselves to the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī.

“Nāga Lord, what does it mean to apply oneself to the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī? To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to not apply oneself to eye, form, or visual consciousness; to not apply oneself to ear, sound, or auditory consciousness; to not apply oneself to nose, scent, or olfactory consciousness; to not apply oneself to tongue, taste, or gustatory consciousness; to not apply oneself to body, tactile sensations, or corporeal consciousness; and to not apply oneself to mind, mental phenomena, or mental consciousness.

“Nāga Lord, moreover, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to not apply oneself to form, to not apply oneself to the arising of form, to not apply oneself to the abiding of form, [F.151.b] and to not apply oneself to the ceasing of form. Likewise, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to not apply oneself in the same way to sensation, ideation, and formations. Likewise, it is to not apply oneself to consciousness, to not apply oneself to the arising of consciousness, to not apply oneself to the abiding of consciousness, and to not apply oneself to the ceasing of consciousness.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the emptiness of form and to apply oneself to the emptiness of form without thought. Likewise, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the emptiness of sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness and to apply oneself to the emptiness of these without thought.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to form’s lack of marks and to apply oneself to form’s lack of marks without thought. Likewise, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness’ lack of marks and to apply oneself to their absence of marks without thought.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the wishlessness of form and to apply oneself to the wishlessness of form without thought. Likewise, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the wishlessness of sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness and to apply oneself to the wishlessness of these without thought.

“To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to unconditioned form and to apply oneself to unconditioned form without thought. Likewise, it is to apply oneself to unconditioned sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness and to apply oneself to these without thought. [F.152.a]

“To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to unborn and nonoccurring form and to apply oneself to unborn and nonoccurring form without thought. Likewise, it is to apply oneself to unborn and nonoccurring sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness and to apply oneself to these as unborn and nonoccurring without thought.

“To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to void form and to apply oneself to void form without thought. Likewise, it is to apply oneself to void sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness and to apply oneself to these as void without thought.

“To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to form’s inherent purity and to apply oneself to form’s inherent purity without thought. Likewise, it is to apply oneself to the inherent purity of sensation, ideation, formations, and consciousness and to apply oneself to the inherent purity of these without thought.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the elements as the realm of phenomena and to apply oneself to the realm of phenomena without thought, to apply oneself to the sense sources as being inherently emptiness and to apply oneself to that inherent emptiness without thought. To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to all phenomena as dependent origination and to apply oneself to imputed dependent origination without thought, to apply oneself to all phenomena as being nonabiding and to apply oneself without clinging [F.152.b] to that nonabiding, to apply oneself to all phenomena as thusness and to apply oneself without clinging to thusness, to apply oneself to all phenomena as situated in the limit of reality and to apply oneself to that limit of reality without thought.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the understanding of the attachment of beings who indulge in attachment and to apply oneself to the realm of phenomena without attachment or binding ties. To apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the understanding of the aggression of beings who indulge in aggression and to apply oneself to the realm of phenomena without aggression or binding ties.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the understanding of the delusion of beings who indulge in delusion and to apply oneself to the realm of phenomena without delusion or binding ties. Moreover, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the understanding of the mixed afflictions of beings who indulge in the afflictions equally and to apply oneself to the realm of phenomena without a discontinuation of mixed afflictions. In summary, Nāga Lord, to apply oneself to this dhāraṇī is to apply oneself to the understanding of the eighty-four thousand types of experience without any application within the realm of phenomena.

“Moreover, Nāga Lord, this is neither applying oneself nor not applying oneself to any phenomena, whether those phenomena entail applying oneself or not applying oneself. Why is this? Because this application is not an appearance, not an imputation, and not something that has marks. Therefore, this application is the application of reality. The application of reality involves neither drawing forth nor not drawing forth, [F.153.a] neither holding onto nor casting away, neither staying with nor leaving any phenomena. Therefore, this application is termed the application of reality. Nāga Lord, bodhisattvas that apply themselves in this way will attain this inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī.”

The Blessed One then expressed this in verse:

When the Blessed One taught the application of the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī and this selection of verses, twelve thousand nāgas of the Nāga King Sāgara’s retinue developed the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening. They aspired, “Blessed One, in the future, may we achieve the inexhaustible casket dhāraṇī and teach the Dharma to all beings exactly and exclusively as the Thus-Gone One has taught the Dharma here and now.” [B4]