The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara (1)
Chapter Eight: Nāga King Sāgara’s Prophecy

The four garuḍas, the kings of the birds, heard of the Thus-Gone One’s blessing and were displeased. With due haste, they made their way to where the Blessed One was. Arriving, they bowed their heads before the Blessed One, encircled him three times, and asked, “Blessed One, if we do not kill our prey, what shall we do?”

The Blessed One answered, “Friends, four types of food will lead one to be reborn as a hell being, an animal, or a resident of the realms of the Lord of Death. What are these four? Friends, any food that involves taking a being’s life, harming another being, or supporting oneself through taking the life of another is the first type of food that will lead one to be reborn as a hell being, an animal, or a resident of the realms of the Lord of Death. Furthermore, friends, any food that involves stealing, destroying another’s livelihood, or striking someone with a club, sword, weapon, or tool is the second type of food that will lead one to be reborn as a hell being, an animal, or a resident of the realms of the Lord of Death. Friends, any food that involves deceit, disrespect, or harming another, or that involves making a show of having genuine conduct while having degenerate behavior, [F.181.a] discipline, view, livelihood, or wrong and inappropriate qualities is the third type of food that will lead one to be reborn as a hell being, an animal, or a resident of the realms of the Lord of Death. Friends, any food that involves falsely claiming to be a teacher when one is not, claiming to be living appropriately when one is not, claiming to be a mendicant when one is not, or claiming to observe pure conduct when one is not, is the fourth type of food that will lead one to be reborn as a hell being, an animal, or a resident of the realms of the Lord of Death. Friends, I can teach the Dharma because I have genuinely desisted from partaking of these four types of food.

“Friends, to sustain one’s body, one should not take the lives of others. Why is this? Because all beings cherish and prize their lives. Therefore, friends, in order to protect oneself, to protect one’s next life, and to bring all beings happiness, learned persons should never take the lives of others or do anything untoward, even at the cost of their own lives.”

Then the four garuḍas, the kings of the birds, with each of their millions of servants, said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, we take refuge in the Thus-Gone One, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha of monks. We confess our previous misdeeds. Henceforth, we accept these vows: we will avoid scaring any class of nāga, and we will, for as long as the Blessed One’s sublime Dharma remains, continuously exert ourselves in venerating the Thus-Gone One.” [F.181.b]

In turn the Blessed One said to the four garuḍas, the kings of the birds, “Friends, in the scriptures of the Thus-Gone One Kanakamuni, you four were monks named Nanda, Mahānanda, Superior, and Superior Teacher. The four monks grew intoxicated with arrogance at their material gain, honor, and fame. They also grew intoxicated with arrogance at their relatives’ houses and the houses that distribute alms, and their discipline, behavior, and views were degenerate. Because of this, they disturbed and did harm to the disciplined monks. In this way, they did not restrain their body, speech, and mind but engaged in many misdeeds. Still, these four monks nevertheless offered much service to the Thus-Gone One Kanakamuni. Therefore, you did not go to hell but instead took birth here in the animal realm. Because previously you did not restrain yourselves, you have now taken many lives and engaged in many negative actions. You have frightened many beings.”

The Blessed One then created a miracle that enabled the four garuḍas, the kings of the birds, to remember their past lives in that moment. Thus they were able to remember being monks with the Thus-Gone One Kanakamuni and to recall the karma they accumulated.

They then said directly to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, the mind is wild, difficult to tame, and hard to control. At that time we were filled with craving, and so we failed to please the Blessed Thus-Gone One Kanakamuni. So henceforth, Blessed One, we will commit no negative actions, even if it means giving up our own lives.” [F.182.a]

The Blessed One then gave them a Dharma message that brought them much joy, saying, “Friends, you will be counted among the Thus-Gone One Maitreya’s first assembly.”

At this point, the Blessed One, having completed all his necessary activities for the benefit of beings in the ocean, said to Nāga King Sāgara, “Nāga Lord, come forward. Gather my seat and cushion. I am going back to my realm.”

The Blessed One then rose from his seat with his attendants and departed from the ocean via the jeweled staircase along with the great assembly, accompanied by much veneration, and displaying the eminence of a buddha. To the singing of song, he arrived at the shore of the ocean.

Luminous Maiden, an ocean goddess, then offered these verses of praise to the Blessed One:

After Luminous Maiden, a goddess of the ocean, offered the Blessed One these verses of praise, she said, “Blessed One, since you have departed, the ocean is no longer as beautiful. So please do teach [F.183.a] me something so that I can beautify the ocean. That would be wonderful, absolutely wonderful.”

The Blessed One then said to Luminous Maiden, goddess of the ocean, “Luminous Maiden, these ten qualities will become adornments. What are these ten? They are arousing a loving mind for the sake of perfecting the path of the ten virtuous actions, practicing great compassion for the sake of not harming any being, practicing joy that causes the mind to direct one’s intentions to unsurpassed and perfect awakening, performing all forms of giving, having stable diligence in making aspirations that create diverse ornaments, practicing mindfulness and awareness for the sake of perfecting all the roots of virtue, possessing and desiring the Dharma so that one’s previous virtues do not go to waste and so that one perfects insight, using beneficial things to arouse all manner of positive qualities in all beings, gaining deepening realization of nonduality, and achieving recollection of the Buddha through applying oneself to what the Buddha has mastered. Luminous Maiden, these ten qualities will become adornments.”

Then Luminous Maiden, goddess of the ocean, along with ten thousand goddesses, developed the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening. She then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, they are indeed ornaments of the ocean. Why is this? Blessed One, if the mind set on awakening is an ornament of all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm, why even mention the ocean? Thus, in order to adorn every buddha realm, we have developed the mind set on awakening. [F.183.b] Whether the Blessed Thus-Gone One lives or has passed into parinirvāṇa, as long as we live in the ocean, we commit to constantly exerting ourselves for the sake of protecting the sublime Dharma. Blessed One, whenever you go to a village, we commit to revealing this entire display. Whenever you deliver a Dharma lecture, we commit to manifesting the array in the courtyard.”

The Blessed One responded, “Luminous Maiden, in the same way, you have previously venerated ten thousand buddhas. You also manifested the array in their courtyard and protected their sublime Dharma. After this Fortunate Eon has passed, you will take rebirth in the Thus-Gone One Akṣobhya’s buddha realm, Abhirati, where you will exchange the attributes of a woman and achieve the attributes of a man. You will be prophesied to unsurpassed and perfect awakening by the Thus-Gone One Akṣobhya.”

When Luminous Maiden, goddess of the ocean, heard about this prophecy from the Blessed One, she was satisfied, pleased, delighted, and overjoyed. She adorned the Blessed One’s body with precious jewels and garlands of precious substances of similar value from the ocean. Joining her ten fingers and palms together, she spoke the following verses to the Blessed One:

Priyadarśana, the son of the Nāga King Sāgara, then said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, given that many gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans are venerating the Blessed One, if the Blessed One were to give me permission, I would commit to performing a small action in veneration of the Thus-Gone One. I would ask the Blessed One to rest in a mansion set up like the Vaijayanta Palace [F.184.b] with servants, which we would then carry to Vulture Peak Mountain.”

The Blessed One responded, “Noble child, if you see that the time is right, carry me there.”

Through the power of the Buddha and his own miraculous abilities, Nāga King Sāgara’s son Priyadarśana then conjured a mansion like the Vaijayanta Palace and installed the Blessed One there with servants. It then rose into the air, and while eighty-four thousand nāga girls played instruments, sang songs, and cast down a rain of flowers, myriad divine incense, and powders, the Blessed One was gradually carried to Vulture Peak Mountain.

Nāga King Sāgara and his children, wives, and servants then touched the Blessed One’s feet and begged the Blessed One’s forgiveness: “Blessed One, please forgive us for any way in which we did not serve you correctly. Why do we ask this? Blessed One, it is appropriate to venerate you with every kind of jewel that there is. The Blessed One is a precious and unsurpassed merit field for all beings, and it is fitting that he is venerated. Yet we are unable to provide or gather all that all beings in all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm have, even though the Thus-Gone One is worthy of such unlimited veneration. That is why we ask for your forgiveness. Blessed One, moreover, how should bodhisattvas venerate the Thus-Gone One?”

The Blessed One answered, “Nāga Lord, listen to how bodhisattvas should earnestly [F.185.a] venerate the Thus-Gone One. Purity of intention is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because it is not contrived or deceptive. Purity of motivation is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because it takes aim at all roots of virtue. The mind without aggression is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because it has an equanimous attitude toward all beings. Abandoning hypocrisy and flattery are veneration of the Thus-Gone One because they are pure conduct. Practicing what one preaches is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because it does not deceive the world. Satisfaction with the family of noble ones and not giving up the qualities of training that one has adopted are veneration of the Thus-Gone One because they are steadfast in their resolve. Delighting in solitude and spurning gossip are veneration of the Thus-Gone One because they tame the mind. Contemplation in accordance with what one has heard is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because it yields understanding that is accurate. Realization of the absence of self, a being, a life principle, a soul, and personhood is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because they are primordially unarisen. Understanding empty phenomena, realizing the absence of marks, and being free from wishes are veneration of the Thus-Gone One because they actualize the gateways of liberation. Understanding this conditionality and eliminating extreme views are veneration of the Thus-Gone One [F.185.b] because they eliminate the views of eternalism and nihilism. Acceptance of the nonarising and unborn is veneration of the Thus-Gone One because they are by nature unarisen. In this way, Nāga Lord, contrivances of body, speech, and mind are not pure veneration of the Thus-Gone One. However, where there is no contrivance of body, speech, and mind, that is pure veneration of the Thus-Gone One. Where there is no premeditation, no acceptance, no rejection, the purity of the three spheres,39 the equality of the three times, and the elimination of the three stains, where one does not depend on the three realms, enters the three gateways of liberation, and understands the three forms of knowing, these are veneration of the Thus-Gone One.”

Nāga King Sāgara said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, does veneration of the Blessed One with flowers, perfumes, incense, flower garlands, lotions, powders, parasols, banners, pennants, clothing, food, bedding, seats, healing medicine, provisions, cymbals, and instruments also count as veneration of the Thus-Gone One?”

The Blessed One answered, “Nāga Lord, through such unsurpassed veneration, one will be purified. However, such veneration is not completely final, immaculate, or pure. Still, Nāga Lord, such trainings in producing roots of virtue do lead to the liberation of the noble ones, which is better than not producing roots of virtue that are states of mind. Moreover, Nāga Lord, bodhisattvas possessing four qualities [F.186.a] venerate the Thus-Gone One. What are these four? They are gathering the accumulation of merit through not forgetting the mind set on awakening, gathering the accumulation of wisdom through the mind practicing great compassion, purifying buddha realms through the mind that is engaged in extraordinary diligence, and arousing acceptance through arousing the mind set on the profound and vast Dharma. Nāga Lord, bodhisattvas possessing these four qualities venerate the Thus-Gone One.”

When the priests, kṣatriyas, householders, village people, countrymen, and King Ajātaśatru and his ministers, inner retinue, gatekeepers, assembly, and merchants heard that the Blessed One had taken food in Nāga King Sāgara’s realm and returned to Vulture Peak Mountain, they came out from the city of Rājagṛha with seventy-two thousand beings, in addition to King Ajātaśatru’s retinue of thirty-two thousand, and proceeded to Vulture Peak Mountain. As they arrived, they bowed their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and sat to one side.

King Ajātaśatru then asked the Blessed One, “Blessed One, when the Thus-Gone One went into the ocean, what happened to the great mass of water that is normally there?”

The Blessed One answered, “Great king, when a monk enters the absorption of the fire element, he sees all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm filled with fire. At that point, where has all the water gone?” [F.186.b]

“Blessed One, the mind of one who has achieved the power of meditative absorption has this kind of capability.”

“Great king, if you accept that the mind of a hearer who has achieved the power of absorption and attainment is capable, do you not accept that a thus-gone one, who is always in a state of equipoise, who is skilled in all absorptions and attainments, who has power over the mind, who is the master of all phenomena, and who has power over phenomena, is also capable of the same? Great king, when I entered the ocean, the beings residing there perceived that I was in the water. However, beings living on dry land perceived that the ocean had evaporated. The light of the Thus-Gone One pervades all the realms of nāgas, gandharvas, and asuras, just as the arrays in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations are adorned with every kind of ornament. The beings in the ocean were even loving toward one another, had altruistic minds, and were without the minds of malice and harm.”

King Ajātaśatru then remarked to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, how amazing that the eminence of the blessed buddhas’ awakening and the bodhisattvas’ skill in means is so inconceivable and incredible! In this way Nāga King Sāgara could invite the Thus-Gone One in, and so doing accomplish an immeasurable benefit for beings. How long ago, Blessed One, did Nāga King Sāgara develop the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening? Having venerated the Thus-Gone One to this extent, how long [F.187.a] will it take for him to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood? What will the name of this perfect buddha be? What will his buddha realm be like?”

The Blessed One answered, “Great king, even longer than countless eons ago, an unfathomably and immeasurably long time ago, in the eon called Pleasant and Peaceful, a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfect buddha, someone learned and virtuous, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who guides beings, an unsurpassed being, a teacher of gods and humans named Radiant King of Pure Light, appeared in a world to the east called Pure View.40 Great king, it would be difficult for me to conclusively describe the layout of this world Pure View, even if my lifespan were to last for an eon. Great king, at that time there was a universal monarch named Divine Birth. He venerated the Blessed Thus-Gone One Radiant King of Pure Light for forty-two thousand years, relying on the roots of virtue. Once, in a dream as he was sleeping, he heard the following pair of verses:

“Great king, once the night in which the universal monarch Divine Birth heard these two verses was over, he went with his servants to meet the Blessed Thus-Gone One Radiant King of Pure Light. Arriving in his presence, they bowed their heads to the Blessed One’s feet, circumambulated him three times, and sat down before the Blessed One together with eighty-four thousand beings. Joining their palms, they formed the intention to develop the mind set on unsurpassed and perfect awakening. At that time, the universal monarch spoke the following verses:

“Great king, if you are wondering, equivocating, or doubting whether he who at that time was the universal monarch Divine Birth was someone else, do not do so. [F.188.a] Why not, great king? Because at that time Nāga King Sāgara was the universal monarch Divine Birth. Furthermore, that was the first time he developed the mind set on awakening.

“Great king, you asked, ‘How long will it take for Nāga King Sāgara to fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood?’ Listen to me, great king: in two hundred countless eons, in the eon called Glory of Flowers, Nāga King Sāgara will, in a world called Sound of Dharma, become a blessed one, a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfect buddha, someone learned and virtuous, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, a charioteer who guides beings, an unsurpassed being, and a teacher of gods and humans, a blessed buddha called Pure and Immaculate King Who Arises from an Infinite Assembly of Qualities.

“Great king, the world Sound of Dharma will be adorned with millions of precious materials, marked with gold of the Jambū river and various jewels, divided like a checkerboard, flat like the palm of one’s hand, soft and pleasing to the touch like the plumage of the kācilindi bird, vast and open, replete with millions of continents, prosperous, rich, happy, pleasant, and filled with gods and humans. The people there will have enjoyments and riches like the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. In the world Sound of Dharma will stand rows [F.188.b] of palm trees made entirely of jewels. From the leaves, flowers, and fruits of these palm trees will emanate billions of Dharma sounds.41 The sounds that resound throughout that world will be as follows: the sounds of the gods, of humans, of nonhumans, of emanations, of birds, and even of the wind. All such sounds will communicate the Dharma. Likewise, such sounds will communicate peace, utter peace, absolute peace, disengagement from pleasure, the qualities of buddhahood, the perfections, the means of attracting disciples, skill in means, disenchantment, the view that is free from attachment, emptiness, the absence of marks, the absence of wishes, and the unconditioned. This is why this world is called Sound of Dharma. Any god or human born in that world will only partake of the food that delights the Dharma, will be skilled in the higher knowledges, and will have no doubt about unsurpassed and perfect awakening.

“When the Blessed Thus-Gone One Pure and Immaculate King Who Arises from an Infinite Assembly of Qualities agrees to teach the Dharma, light will shoot from his body and illuminate all buddha realms. That light will also be the source of the Dharma teachings of ten billion buddhas. The humans and gods there will find joy and vast supreme ecstasy as they perceive the Thus-Gone One’s light and hear his Dharma teaching. [F.189.a] They will come before the Blessed Thus-Gone One Pure and Immaculate King Who Arises from an Infinite Assembly of Qualities and make immeasurable supplications to the Thus-Gone One. Through their miraculous power and higher knowledges, they will be seated cross-legged in the middle of the sky on lotus flowers studded with many gems. The Thus-Gone One will also sit upon a lion throne in the midst of space and teach the Dharma to the gods and humans. When he teaches the Dharma, many countless and immeasurable thousands of bodhisattvas will come to listen. Nobody in that world will be hostile to the Dharma. There will not even be anyone to whom the monikers evil māra or non-Buddhist can be applied. The lifespan of this thus-gone one will be ten eons. His bodhisattvas will be innumerable. In this manner, great king, the displays of that buddha realm will be unfathomable. The Dharma teachings will also be unfathomable. His assembly of servants and bodhisattvas will also be unfathomable.