The Good Eon
The engendering of the mind of awakening
Toh 94
Degé Kangyur vol. 45 (mdo sde, ka), folios 1.b–340.a
- Vidyākarasiṁha
- Palgyi Yang
- Paltsek
Imprint
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
First published 2022
Current version v 1.1.21 (2024)
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Table of Contents
Summary
While resting in a park outside the city of Vaiśālī, the Buddha is approached by the bodhisattva Prāmodyarāja, who requests meditation instruction. The Buddha proceeds to give a teaching on a meditative absorption called elucidating the way of all phenomena and subsequently delivers an elaborate discourse on the six perfections. Prāmodyarāja then learns that all the future buddhas of the Good Eon are now present in the Blessed One’s audience of bodhisattvas. Responding to Prāmodyarāja’s request to reveal the names under which these present bodhisattvas will be known as buddhas in the future, the Buddha first lists these names, and then goes on to describe the circumstances surrounding their birth, awakening, and teaching in the world. In the sūtra’s final section, we learn how each of these great bodhisattvas who are on the path to buddhahood first developed the mind of awakening.
Acknowledgements
Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the guidance of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Thomas Doctor produced the translation and Andreas Doctor, Anya Zilman, and Nika Jovic compared the draft translation with the original Tibetan and edited the text. The introduction was written by Thomas Doctor and the 84000 editorial team.
The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The generous sponsorship of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, Zhou Tian Yu, Chen Yi Qin, Zhou Xun, Zhao Xuan, Chen Kun, and Zhuo Yue, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.
Text Body
The Good Eon
The engendering of the mind of awakening
When the Blessed One had spoken these words, the bodhisattva Prāmodyarāja once more addressed him: “Excellent, O Blessed One, excellent. Now please make clear the identity of the blessed buddhas before whom these blessed buddhas of the Good Eon first gave rise to the mind of awakening. Please also state the roots of virtue that allowed them to venerate those buddhas [F.288.a] and give rise to the mind of awakening.”
In reply, the Blessed One spoke these words to the bodhisattva Prāmodyarāja: “Prāmodyarāja, listen carefully and keep my words in mind; I shall explain.”
“Respected Blessed One, so be it,” answered the bodhisattva Prāmodyarāja and he listened accordingly. Then the Blessed One spoke:
At that time the Blessed One spoke these verses:
“Prāmodyarāja, once in the past there was a thus-gone one by the name of Infinite Diligence, whose retinue numbered billions, and he taught this absorption. At that time there was a king known as Flower of Merit. The king heard that thus-gone one’s teaching and proceeded to speak as follows to his one thousand queens and one thousand sons: ‘I do not know the meaning of this exhaustive illumination of absorption. I do not know it, and I fail to understand. Nevertheless, we shall rejoice in these fine statements of the Thus-Gone One.’
“As the king thus rejoiced in that blessed one’s excellent statements and explanations on this meditative absorption, he cast aside eighty thousand eons of saṃsāra and looked beyond. He attained the recollection called heavenly bodies, and he indeed became free from doubt with respect to this teaching of awakening. By the roots of virtue ensuing from that, he went on to please three hundred thousand buddhas, and from each of them he received this absorption. Never again would he descend into error or inopportune states. [F.338.a] By this very cause, he accomplished perfect and complete buddhahood. He became perfectly and completely awakened.
“Prāmodyarāja, do not think that Flower of Merit, the king at that point and at that time, was someone else. At that point and at that time, the thus-gone Amitāyus was King Flower of Merit, and the thus-gone ones of this Good Eon were his one thousand sons. If simply rejoicing in this absorption has that much power, what can we say about reading this, receiving its scriptural transmission, and putting it into practice?
“Prāmodyarāja, once in the past there was a thus-gone one by the name of Nectar Joy whose retinue numbered hundreds of thousands. A universal monarch named Vast Mind offered that thus-gone one a palace shining with golden light, moistened by the sap of red sandalwood, and perfumed with the incense of myrobalan. For their enjoyment, he also offered each member of the saṅgha of monks the exact same gift. Moreover, he offered every one of them a pleasure garden. Thus, he came to hear this absorption from that blessed one.
“He then said to the best among the scholars attending that blessed one, someone by the name of Perfect Insight, ‘I must understand this absorption. But doing so is difficult as long as one remains in a household. I must by all means shave off my hair and beard, go forth from the household, and become a homeless mendicant. There can be no doubt about this.’ He then did shave off his hair and beard, don the saffron-colored robes, go forth from the household, and become a homeless mendicant. All his ten thousand sons and eighty-four thousand queens went forth at the same time, wishing to receive the various aspects of this absorption. [F.338.b] Knowing their thoughts, that blessed one proceeded to teach them this absorption in detail for a period of seven days. As they heard this teaching, they said to one another, ‘Alas, this absorption is difficult to behold. Nevertheless, we shall write this down carefully, and we shall uphold this.’
“Hence, they wrote down this absorption and made it their object of worship. They retained it and received its transmission. After they had passed away, they all came together again, and they pleased six hundred thousand buddhas. They kept hearing this absorption, and they all went forth and obtained this absorption. In accordance with their prayers and by these roots of virtue alone, they all attained awakening.
“Prāmodyarāja, do not think that, at that point and at that time, the universal monarch named Vast Mind was someone else. The thus-gone Dīpaṅkara was at that point and on that occasion the universal monarch known as Vast Mind, and the thus-gone Vilocana was the monk and attendant by the name of Perfect Insight. His ten thousand sons will remain unable to reach awakening for thirty-five eons, counting from the present one. Then will follow an eon called Great Renown, and during that single eon all of them will awaken to perfect and complete buddhahood. After the eon called Great Renown is over, the eighty thousand ministers will remain unable to reach awakening for eighty eons. Then will follow an eon called Star-Like, during which those eighty thousand ministers will awaken to perfect and complete buddhahood. [F.339.a] After the eon called Star-Like will follow three hundred eons during which no buddhas will appear. Then there will be an eon known as Array of Qualities, and during that time the eighty-four thousand queens will awaken to perfect and complete buddhahood. Prāmodyarāja, such are the fruits born by this absorption of the bodhisattvas.297
“Prāmodyarāja, in this way the superior wishes of the bodhisattvas are fulfilled. Without regard for your own body or life, pursue this absorption. If you wish to awaken to unexcelled and perfect buddhahood, then you should adhere to the practice of this absorption.”
At that point the Blessed One spoke these verses:
“Prāmodyarāja, compared to the amount of merit accomplished by a bodhisattva who has practiced the six perfections with comprehensive skill throughout one thousand eons, the merit that arises when hearing about this absorption and rejoicing is far greater—beyond all comparison.”
When the Blessed One gave this Dharma teaching, innumerable bodhisattvas gave rise to the mind of unexcelled perfect and complete awakening, and they all irreversibly attained unexcelled perfect and complete awakening. Moreover, eight hundred thousand gods and humans attained the pure Dharma eye that beholds phenomena immaculately and without stain. Since the eyes of those gods were now pure, they delighted in the Blessed One’s Dharma and scattered flowers throughout this trichiliocosm. [F.340.a] The trichiliocosm shook in six distinctive ways, and the sounds of divine drums filled the air. Prāmodyarāja, along with all the millions of other bodhisattvas, attained this meditative absorption.
When the Blessed One had said these words, Prāmodyarāja and all the other bodhisattva great beings—as well as the whole world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas—rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.
This completes the noble sūtra of the Great Vehicle, known as “The Good Eon.”
Colophon
This translation was produced by the Indian preceptor Vidyākarasiṁha and the translator Venerable Palgyi Yang. The translation was revised and finalized by the great translator-editor Venerable Paltsek.
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