The Songs of the Nāga Kings
The householder master builder then asked the superintendent, venerable Pūrṇa, “Pūrṇa, where is the Blessed One residing at present?”
The superintendent, venerable Pūrṇa, replied to the householder master builder, “Householder, to the north of here is the country of Kośala, within which, at the base of the majestic snow mountains, lies the city of Śrāvastī. There one finds the householder Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, a grove that formerly belonged to Prince Jeta, the son of the King of Kośala. That is where the Blessed One resides.”
“Householder, it is three thousand sixty-four leagues away.”
“Householder, for the Thus-Gone One there is no near or far. Householder, if the Blessed One so wishes, he can journey to billions of universes, more numerous than the grains of sand in uncountable Ganges rivers, in order to ripen sentient beings. Householder, the Thus-Gone One knows the thoughts and actions of all beings there. He knows them accurately, he sees them, he understands them, they appear directly to him. In the blink of an eye he knows the thoughts and actions of all beings. Householder, if the Thus-Gone One so wishes, he can journey to billions of realms with the mindset of benefiting all beings.”
“Pūrṇa, if I were to invite him to a fine meal in order to acquire roots of virtue, would the Thus-Gone One come here?”
“Householder, even if one is just giving a little, one should still invite the Thus-Gone One to a fresh meal. In order to embrace your roots of virtue, the Blessed One will come here together with his congregation of hearers.”
So the householder master builder, doing what venerable Pūrṇa had advised, fetched flowers, flower garlands, and incense. In the sandalwood courtyard and the roof of the temple he placed flower decorations and sprinkled perfume. He then faced in the direction where the Blessed One was dwelling, draped his shawl over one shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, and, with palms joined, he said, “Blessed One, please consider me with compassion! Thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha, please come here, together with your congregation of hearers, to accept a fine meal! [F.112.a] Blessed One, you who reside in Prince Jeta’s Grove, with your divine, non-human ear may you hear this invitation made by this householder master builder and agree to come here!”
In this way, the householder master builder earnestly invited the Blessed One. He then told all his servants, workers, employees, family members, kinsfolk, and companions, “All of you, listen! I have invited the Blessed One, the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha, together with his congregation of hearers, to a fine meal. You must now do everything you can to assist in this regard—everything that is in your power!”
All his friends, kinsmen, relatives, male and female servants, workers, and employees replied to the householder master builder, “Householder, you have gone mad! Householder, you’re confused! Who can invite the Blessed One for a fine meal without being able to see him? Householder master builder, you should invite the Blessed One properly.”
But the householder master builder told his friends, kinsmen, relatives, male and female servants, workers, and employees, “Friends, the Blessed One has obtained the boundless qualities of a buddha. Thus, he knows my thoughts and therefore he will also accept my invitation.”
Hearing this, they all felt delighted, joyful, happy, thrilled, and merry, and that very evening they began preparing plenty of the finest food and drink.
That afternoon, as the Blessed One arose from his meditative seclusion, he went into the bamboo courtyard. [F.112.b] At that time the bamboo courtyard was filled with many monks who had assembled there, including venerable Ānanda. The Blessed One then spoke to venerable Ānanda: “Ānanda, go to the city of Śrāvastī and summon all the monks in town back to this gathering place here with me.”
Venerable Ānanda obliged and, doing as the Blessed One had instructed, he went to the city of Śrāvastī, summoning all the monks in town back to the gathering place. When they were all back together with the Blessed One, Ānanda said, “Blessed One, all the monks who were in the city of Śrāvastī are now gathered here. Blessed One, they are all here now.”
So the Blessed One then went to the assembly hall, took his seat, and said to the monks, “Monks, in the city of Transcending Virtue there is a householder master builder who has invited the Buddha and the congregation of monks. I have accepted the invitation, so those monks among you who have miraculous abilities, please go now and fetch your ordination sticks.” At that point there was a group of five hundred monks who picked up their ordination sticks. The Buddha then spoke to them: “Monks, in order to delight others with a display of various miraculous abilities, you should journey there through the sky.”
“Blessed One, we will do that,” the monks replied, and they listened to the instructions of the Blessed One.
In the early morning when the night had passed, the Blessed One put on his lower garment, dressed in his Dharma robes, [F.113.a] and picked up his alms bowl. He then rose up into the air above Prince Jeta’s Grove and flew toward the city of Transcending Virtue. At that time in Rājagṛha there was a monk known as Valkalāyana, who lived in seclusion under a fig tree on the slopes of the Hill of Sages. During the first and last watch of the night he would never sleep but diligently practice, persevering in the practices related to the thirty-seven factors of awakening as well as the practices of tranquility and insight. As he was there practicing, he saw the Blessed One and the congregation of hearers traveling through the sky, as if they were majestic swans. Folding his hands in the direction of the Blessed One, he bowed down and prostrated to him.
The Blessed One then turned to venerable Valkalāyana and said, “Valkalāyana, come with us!” As soon as venerable Valkalāyana realized what the Blessed One was saying, he jumped right off the cliff into the gorge without any consideration for life and limb. As soon as he leaped into space, he obtained the six superknowledges.
Once there, the monks descended on the sandalwood courtyard and the temple in a display of various miraculous emanations. Some took on the form of lions, some the form of tigers; some were elephants, while others were in the shape of horses, bulls, nāgas, garuḍa kings, universal monarchs, and ministers. Some remained in their usual shape as monks. Some monks radiated blue lights, [F.113.b] while others radiated red, white, and purple lights from their bodies. Some caused a rain to fall, others made the wind blow. Some brought down a rain of gems, while others made it rain with gold, silver, and perfume. Some brought a cool breeze, others carried the ground on their shoulders, while yet others brought clouds with oceans of water. Some arrived in carriages, such as elephant carriages, horse carriages, nāga carriages, kumbhāṇḍa carriages, yakṣa carriages, and gandharva carriages. Still others performed other miracles, such as letting fires blaze and water pour from their bodies. It was amidst all of these miracles and many others that they descended upon the sandalwood courtyard and the temple.
The Blessed One assumed his own form adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty signs of a great being. He was beautiful, shining, with peaceful faculties and a peaceful mind. He was gentle and possessed a sacred tranquility. He was perfectly gentle and utterly tranquil. Brahmā, who is lord of the Sahā world; Śakra, who is lord of the gods; the four great kings; and thousands of gods from the pure abodes venerated him by bringing down a rain of nectar and māndārava flowers as he descended on the sandalwood courtyard and the temple. In this way the Blessed One along with his assembly of hearers caused all beings there to be overjoyed. The brahmins and householders in Transcending Virtue [F.114.a] all saw the Blessed One and his assembly of hearers descending from the sky and it seemed to them as if they were great majestic swans. Seeing this, tens of thousands of beings purified the eye of Dharma so that it became stainless and free of blemishes. Tens of thousands of beings, who had practiced with previous blessed buddhas, engendered the mind of awakening upon seeing the miraculous manifestation of the Buddha. As soon as they had engendered the mind of awakening, they developed acceptance that phenomena are unborn. The thousands of beings who had not previously engendered the mind of awakening, now did so. Upon seeing the miracles of the hearers, eighty thousand beings, who had previously been tamed by the hearers, now purified the eye of Dharma so that it became stainless and free of blemishes with regard to phenomena. As the tens of thousands of gods witnessed the Blessed One’s miracles, they purified the eye of Dharma so that it became stainless and free of blemishes with regard to phenomena. As tens of thousands of gods in the form realm purified the eye of Dharma so that it became stainless and free of blemishes with regard to phenomena, they obtained the result of a non-returner.
Paying heed to what Śakra, the lord of the gods, had instructed, he and six million other gandharvas paid respect to the Thus-Gone One with song and music. Their tunes and songs caused the nāga kings in the oceans so much joy, pleasure, and happiness that they ventured out from their abodes. As they left their realms, the main elements in the oceans began to churn. The nāga king Sundara and eight hundred million nāgas left the oceans in order to behold the Blessed One. [F.114.b] The nāga king Surasundara and nine hundred million other nāgas left the oceans in order to behold, venerate, and serve the Blessed One. The nāga king Sāgara and nine hundred million other nāgas left the oceans in order to behold the Blessed One. The nāga king Golden Crown and nine hundred million other nāgas left the oceans in order to behold the Blessed One. The nāga king Utpala Eye and nine hundred million other nāgas left the oceans in order to behold the Blessed One. The nāga king Nanda and nine hundred million other nāgas left the oceans in order to behold the Blessed One. Also to behold the Blessed One came the nāga king Upananda with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Anavatapta with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Elarāvaṇa with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Encompassing Son with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Dark Eyes with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Gautama with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Kambala with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Dhṛtarāṣṭra with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Nīlagrīva with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Golden Throat with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Terrifying with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Manasvin with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Vairocana with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Viraja with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Mahāprabha with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Pratāpana with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Bali with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Mahāmegha with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Mahācandra with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Blower of Wind with nine hundred million nāgas; [F.115.a] the nāga king Power Wielder with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Sūryagarbha with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Resilient One with nine hundred million nāgas; the nāga king Reflecting All with nine hundred million nāgas; and the nāga king Causing Downpour with nine hundred million nāgas. Apart from them, there was a further boundless number of quintillions of nāgas, each with a retinue of nine hundred million other nāgas, who rose from the oceans in order to behold the Blessed One.
These nāgas all stirred the oceans, while on land the monks caused a commotion in the cities, towns, marketplaces, and hillside villages. Then the earth began to quiver, tremble, quake, wobble, rock, sway, vibrate, shudder, and reel.
At that point the householder master builder personally began distributing bountiful and delicious food and drink to the Buddha and the congregation of monks until they were all pleased.
The Blessed One then warned the monks, “Monks, do not eat these alms! The disturbance by these nāgas has made the city of Transcending Virtue unsuitable.”
Once the Blessed One had accepted his meal, he flew into the sky like a great majestic swan. The Blessed One then discharged the gathering of monks and instead projected a boundless display of hundreds of thousands of emanations. For those nāga kings who wished to see the Blessed One, an emanation of the Blessed One appeared. And in order to ripen those nāga kings who did not have faith in the Blessed One and did not wish to behold him, [F.115.b] he projected a boundless display of quintillions of light rays, so that an infinite number of quintillions of nāgas gained acceptance that phenomena are unborn, and an equal number gained trust in the Buddha. As soon as they had gained trust in the Buddha, they passed away from their nāga existence and were reborn in the higher realms. As the Buddha had now tamed an infinite number of quintillions of nāgas, he partook of the meal offerings and flew again into the sky.
At that point in the area of Samapāṇitalajāta there lived an ascetic called Agnidatta, who witnessed the Blessed One flying through the sky. Seeing this, he felt strong devotion to the Blessed One and called out to him, “Blessed One, please grant me that ability! If you come to stay here with me, I will worship you!” The Blessed One knew the thoughts of the ascetic Agnidatta and, out of love for beings of the future, he put down his feet on a flat rock. Then the Blessed One said to the ascetic Agnidatta, “Priest, in order that you develop a trusting mind, this is a support for your worship.”
“Certainly, Blessed One,” Mahāmaudgalyāyana replied, thus obeying the request of the Blessed One. They proceeded to the shores of the lake where the nāga king Anavatapta resided.
When the nāga king Anavatapta realized that the Blessed One had arrived together with his community of hearers, he manifested five hundred seats made of the seven precious substances: gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, coral, and emeralds. [F.116.a] At the center of these five hundred seats he arranged a seat for the Blessed One made of the seven precious substances and covered it in a fine cloth of the nāgas. The nāga king Anavatapta, together with a retinue of nāga maidens, then went before the Blessed One.
When the Blessed One knew that Mahāmaudgalyāyana had finished his meal and washed his alms bowl and hands, he said to him, “Maudgalyāyana, please go and tell the elder Śāriputra that the teacher is asking for him.”
“Yes, Blessed One,” replied venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, and he did as the Blessed One had instructed.
The two of them first paid various compliments to each other before venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana said, “Venerable Śāriputra, our teacher is calling for you. Since our teacher is fond of you, you must come with me. Our teacher is asking you to go.”
Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana now transformed five of his fingers into needles and began stitching.
“We have to stitch your robe quickly!”
“Very well, then finish the stitching.” [F.116.b]
So venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana immediately completed the stitching and insisted, “Venerable Śāriputra, come on then, we are leaving now!”
“If you do not come, I will carry you with my strength.”
“Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, as soon as you can lift this belt with your strength I will know that you can also carry me.”
In the meantime, venerable Śāriputra had transformed his belt to weigh as much as seven worlds. So when venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana attempted to lift the belt by means of his magical powers, the entire trichiliocosm trembled, yet he was unable to lift the belt.
At that point many waves appeared on Anavatapta’s lake, which caused venerable Aśvajit to ask the Blessed One, “Blessed One, what is causing this great earthquake?”
The Blessed One replied to venerable Aśvajit, “It is a manifestation caused by the great hearers.”
When venerable Śāriputra arrived before the Blessed One, he prostrated to the Blessed One’s feet and took a seat. Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana arrived later, since venerable Śāriputra had attained miraculous abilities related to travel and therefore was the first to arrive before the Blessed One.The story of this playful contest between Mahāmaudgalyāyana and Śāriputra is also found in the narrative known as the Anavataptagāthā; see i.14 and The Chapter on Medicines, 9.1531 ff.
Then, since the Blessed One had caused all this to happen, the nāga kings of the ocean had come to see the Blessed One, and were now also in attendance. At this point the nāga king Sundarānanda said to the Blessed One, “If the Blessed One would grant me the opportunity, I have something to ask of the Thus-Gone One.”
“Sundarānanda, go ahead. For the sake of clarifying your question I will grant an opportunity for all to speak!” [F.117.a]
“Let me ask this of the teacher who grants happiness:
When acting, how should one act,
So that through the path of happiness one reaches nirvāṇa?
Well-Gone One, with your generosity, please teach this!
“Here in the nāga realm of
Anavatapta we request you,
Protector and Well-Gone One, please teach.
As a result of virtuous actions you are beautiful.
Through such goodness the Well-Gone One has come about.
“As you practiced in your previous existences,
You joyfully made all beings happy.
As you did such good deeds,
You have reached nirvāṇa through the paths of happiness.
“With the words of the teacher, I,
Sundara, became happy,
And immediately I knelt on the ground.
With boundless joy I am filled with devotion,
And prostrate to our guide, Light of the World.
“I prostrate to the teacher’s intelligent learning.
I prostrate to you who leaves all existences behind.
I prostrate to you who has the pure and fearless mind.
I prostrate to the unique words of the Well-Gone One.”
The nāga king Surasundara then spoke to the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“Your fine eyes shine with beauty.
Your virtuous mind is freed from disturbing emotions.
Your experience is one of stainless wisdom.
As you carried out activities, how were your perfect lives?
“In order to benefit the world and its gods,
Whatever you did, it was in search of awakening and peace.
Sacred and supreme being, please teach us
About your transcendent mind when you engaged in activity.
“Victorious One, you have overcome all stains and controlled your
faculties.
Your mind is free from the ties of desire.
We are followers of your realized mind.
With your peaceful and undisturbed mind, please teach us.
“Learned ones act virtuously,
And do not regress from that, even at the cost of their life.
Whenever you act, you are free of disturbing emotions,
And act virtuously with your body and speech.
You acted purely toward beings in saṃsāra.
Like a lotus blooming in a lake,
You are unstained, your awakening accomplished.
“The speech of the Well-Gone One,
Right now I bow to the ground,
And pay homage to the Buddha, the supreme among men.
“Sage, you benefit the three worlds.
I pay homage to your peaceful intelligence.
I will follow the example of your activities,
And give rise to the mind that never wavers from awakening.
“When practicing for the welfare of others,
I will disregard life and limb.
Bringing an end to suffering, I will become a buddha,
And attain unsurpassed awakening and peace.”
Knowing the thoughts of that nāga,
The Victorious One smiled, having conquered all enemies.
At that point as many buddha realms
As there are sand grains in the Ganges were bathed in light.
As the Well-Gone One smiled,
The gods in the sky called out their approval:
“Amazing! The Victorious One has overcome all stains and mastered the
faculties.
He is unequaled and unexcelled!”
Many buddha realms shook,
And the gods in the desire realm were puzzled.
Many assemblies of gods were delighted,
And paid homage to the Victorious One, the able ruler.
The teacher’s
hearer who was supreme in miraculous abilities,
“Blessed One, that boundless smile of yours,
Blessed Well-Gone One, what are its causes and circumstances?”
The Victorious One replied to clear away doubt:
“This nāga who is paying homage to me
Will become a buddha in the future.
“All these realms pervaded by light
Will become a single realm of that victorious one.
Hence, as he becomes such a victorious one,
Shall be taken across existence by this guide.
When the nāga heard this prophecy
He became utterly thrilled.
He floated upward to a height of eighty palm trees.
Floating in space, he surveyed the pure buddha realms in the ten directions,
And beheld countless excellent buddhas.
Seeing these buddhas, who are supreme among men,
He praised the victorious ones in this verse:
“Victorious ones, you benefit others and have conquered the enemy.
You have controlled
faculties and your speech is impeccable.
I salute you, radiant speakers of the truth!
I salute you, well-gone ones who speak words without confusion!”
At that point the nāga king Sāgara addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“I pay homage to you who relieves fear and has liberated speech!
When engaged in activity, whatever you have done
Has been free from fear, so that you liberate others.
Please teach me that path that relieves fear!
“Guide, your being is free from fear,
And you liberate others from fear as well.
When I hear your well-spoken words,
I will become insatiable in acting them out.”
As the nāga
Sāgara, the Great Sea,
Made this request to the teacher for the good of all,
He was timid and respectful,
As he sat before the lord of men.
The Guide, who knew his thoughts,
Was fearless in whatever he did.
Thus, to free others from fear,
He taught in a voice that possesses eight qualities.
Without any sticks or swords, he taught beings
The activities of awakening and what must be done.
Again and again he granted them fearlessness
From the threats of water, deserts, and warfare.
As he carried out these good deeds,
He was fearless and had reached awakening.
With a loving mind in composure,
He terrified even the most powerful and horrifying demon.
[F.118.b]
Who immediately knelt on the ground.
Peaceful and free from fear,
He saluted the Well-Gone One with joined palms:
“I salute the lord of existence!
I salute the one who is free from anguish and fear!
I also will liberate beings from anguish and fear.
I also will become a thus-gone one, a master free from anguish.”
Then the nāga king Golden Crown addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“Great sage, you have virtuous eyes and your senses are controlled.
You have crossed the ocean of existence and reached the other shore.
You have reached dry land and become a perfect being who has dried up craving.
For the sake of beings, I request you to teach!
“No matter what, I will become a well-gone one,
And abide by the teaching of the victorious one.
Not even a thousand demons shall wear me out.
Please teach us what must be done!”
As the leaders of the nāgas made such requests of the Guide.
Knowing the thoughts of the leaders of the nāgas,
He taught while his mind had abandoned all affliction:
“With a good motivation one surely comes to possess the Dharma.
Certainty must be gained with regard to the empty object.
Do not waver from the teaching that is victorious over existence,
And aspire to immeasurable awakening!”
When the nāga
Golden Crown, who possessed great miraculous abilities,
Heard the Buddha’s words, he had no doubt.
He developed an unflinching resolve for awakening,
And praised the one who has transcended all fears:
“You have crossed the ocean of existence and arrived at dry land.
You have no doubt and you have obtained an unmoving and stable state.
Within existence, you sit firm with your retinue,
Like the divine abodes on the king of mountains.
“I take refuge in this steadfastness,
And pledge to become myself like an unmoving mountain.
At that point, I will be beyond shaking,
But rest like an unmoving mountain.”
The exalted one, who read his mind,
Uttered this prophecy in a sweet-sounding tune:
[F.119.a]
“In the future, after eighty thousand eons,
You will become a buddha.
“You will become a victorious one through a pleasant path.
You will liberate billions of beings,
And establish them on the cool, pleasant, and peaceful path.”
When the nāga heard the Buddha’s words,
He felt a limitless joy and inspiration,
Which cleared him of all disturbing emotions.
He then prostrated to the exalted guide of beings.
Then the nāga king Utpala Eye addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“Perfect being, tamer of others, boundless splendor!
Your mind is peaceful and you have perfected peace.
In your liberation, you possess the peaceful qualities of
tranquility.
Skilled in peace, your speech is that of a well-gone one.
“Whatever your offspring, the bodhisattvas, do,
Omniscient one, quickly, destroy my doubt!”
When that nāga had addressed the Victorious One,
The Victorious One offered a teaching to King
Utpala Eye:
“Therefore, a skilled bodhisattva
Does not get distracted when engaged in activities.
One gains sacred awakening and becomes a buddha, the perfect hero.
“Realizing awakening with a peaceful mind,
The guide brings beings to peace.
As his mind is peaceful and undisturbed,
He causes the afflictions of beings to settle and become peaceful.”
Heard the well-spoken words of the victorious one,
All afflictions disappeared and his mind became peaceful,
And he engendered the mind set on supreme awakening.
He engendered the mind of awakening and praised the Victorious One:
With a mind perfectly at ease, I will become a buddha!”
[F.119.b]
Then the nāga king Nanda addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
Victorious One, perfect being, I ask you:
Since you abide in perfect awakening,
So
Nanda asked the leader, who has his being under control.
Perceiving the past existences of that nāga,
He understood that the nāga had accumulated virtuous karma.
Thus, the leader, who has his being under control, replied:
“In order to search for sacred wisdom, perfect awakening,
One must give, unstintingly and without miserliness,
One’s wealth and grains, and other bountiful objects,
Including one’s spouse and even oneself.
“Performing such wholesome actions,
One must bear great hardships.
Then one will master sacred wisdom and become a victorious buddha.
That is the result of practicing insight.”
Then the nāga king Upananda addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“I ask the guide of all beings,
Through what actions should your offspring, the bodhisattvas,
And attain the awakening of peace without disturbance?”
Thus the nāga asked the guide,
Who knows the genuine practice of
tranquility and insight.
Since the guide had become unimpeded in this practice,
He delivered this teaching of the well-gone ones:
“When bodhisattvas are engaged in activity,
They must rely equally on the strength of both of these practices.
In that case, for the sake of others, they will purify equally
“After many millions of eons they will awaken,
And take their seat in perfect realms.
This result will be praised for millions of eons,
Uninterruptedly by millions of buddhas.”
At that point, as the nāga king
Upananda
Heard this praise of the equality of the vehicles,
A boundless joy and happiness arose in him,
And he engendered the mind set on perfect awakening.
For the benefit of the world, the Buddha then gave a prophecy of awakening:
“In the future you will be a buddha,
[F.120.a]
You will liberate billions of beings.”
Then the nāga king Anavatapta addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“Well-Gone One, please teach how your offspring should act,
As they strive to be of help for others’ sake,
And work untiringly to attain the highest awakening.
Perfect and sacred man, please teach this!”
Thus the leader of men was asked by the nāga.
Knowing the nāga king’s mind,
The sage was not shy to speak of past endeavors,
And thus he addressed the doubts of the nāga king:
“If one wishes to engage in peaceful awakening,
One’s actions must be gentle and unimpaired.
One must be free from harming both oneself and others,
And be generous without miserliness—such is a victorious one.
“If one can act in such a fine way,
One will be gentle and compassionate to any being
Who longs for pleasure in saṃsāra.
By giving wealth to others, that summarizes the practice.
“If one can act in such a fine way,
One will never feel any suffering of birth,
But always joyfully bring happiness to others.
One will be free from negativity and join the abodes of peace.”
When the teacher had inspired the nāga in this way,
The nāga’s mind was filled with perfect happiness and joy.
Immediately he knelt on the ground,
And praised the Victorious One in these verses:
“Gautama, you are unequaled in all worlds!
You outshine others; Well-Gone One, you are resplendent.
Everyone, including the gods, admires your face.
With my palms joined, I take refuge in you.
“I engender the mind set upon supreme awakening.
Well-Gone One, just as you have wisdom,
And, Teacher, just as you have cleared away all doubts,
May I hear your teaching and clear away all the world’s doubts!”
Then, considering immeasurable awakening,
His teacher said with a joyful mind,
“To benefit the world you will become a guide—
Then the nāga king Elarāvaṇa addressed the Blessed One in these melodious verses: [F.120.b]
“You are the supreme refuge in endless worlds!
Victorious One, I ask you the following to clear away my doubt:
Through what activity will a bodhisattva
Truly come to meet the Buddha?”
When the nāga king asked this of the protector of the world,
The guide gave this teaching to benefit the world:
“One should know the afflictions in others,
And also the gentle mind.”
“Then, develop compassion to benefit others,
And act for the sake of supreme awakening.
Thinking, ‘How will I meet the Victorious One?’
One must be skilled in means.
“When victorious ones and well-gone ones pass into nirvāṇa,
One must make boundless offerings at their relics.
With a mind set upon liberation, one must make aspirations.
“If one is able to engage in such fine activity,
One will always meet the Buddha.
By worshiping the Victorious One,
One will reach the luminous joy of awakening.”
Upon hearing the well-spoken words of the Buddha,
With limitless joy, he was delighted,
And with a trusting mind he praised the Buddha:
“Leader who tames beings, I prostrate to you!
You clear away my uncertainty and doubt.
I will engender this mind for the sake of awakening.
In order to end suffering, I will become a buddha!”
The lord of men, who knew the thoughts
Of that nāga king, then gave a prophecy of his awakening:
“After eight hundred forty million eons of being engaged in activity,
You will become a buddha.
He will liberate billions of beings.
He will leave many relics,
And many beings will go to the higher realms.”
When the nāga heard the teacher’s words he was delighted,
And praised the guide who benefits the world:
“You benefit beings greatly!
I prostrate to the Buddha who brings an end to suffering!” [B12]
“For the sake of everyone, including the gods,
I ask of the guide who benefits beings:
In the course of training, what deeds led you
To realize what was not realized and become a victorious guide?”
Who, having dispelled all afflictions, replied,
“Virtuous deeds lead to pleasant results.
Having subdued the afflictions I am known as ‘victorious.’
“With utter admiration for all living beings
And the Buddha, I came to understand the mind.
When then I followed through in my actions,
I became a victor, an eternal being.”
When he heard the Victor’s words
He felt faith in all beings and prayed,
“Just as he was virtuous at that time,
And formed aspirations, may I become the same.”
The protector of the world then prophesied:
“You will become a buddha, supreme among men.
As you then liberate billions of beings
And carry out your activity, you will be praised as a victor.”
Delighted by what the Teacher had said,
The nāga developed faith in the Buddha and praised him:
“Homage to the Buddha who liberates beings!
Homage to the inconceivable Well-Gone One!”
Next the nāga king Kāla asked the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“O great sage, unfathomable, supreme refuge,
You are flawless and have attained supreme qualities,
And you dwell in your expertise in awakened peaceful action. I ask of you:
“How do the gentle ones dispel the afflictions?
How does one train in the excellence of the victors?
How to abandon the domain of evil?
How to engage in the domain of the buddhas?”
The nāga asked the Blessed One thus,
To teach what he clearly understood of the two paths:
How to engage in the domain of the well-gone ones
And how to abandon the domain of evil.
As the nāga lord had inquired in this way,
The Teacher was aware of his thoughts and replied,
“The unwise who entertain the idea of ‘beings’
Are in the domain of kinship with darkness.
[F.121.b]
“Those whose minds do not so dwell, for whom there are no beings,
Are engaged in the domain of the all-seeing state.
They conquer the kinsmen of darkness
And achieve the peaceful state of unexcelled awakening.”
Delighted by the Teacher’s words,
The nāga soon abandoned the domain of evil.
Pursuing the domain of the all-seeing buddhas,
He swiftly became victorious.
Next the nāga king Gautama presented a question to the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“Eminent helmsman, I ask you:
How, Guide, should your child practice
In order to cut off rebirth as a nāga, and instead
Produce the sprout of the way of the buddhas?”
When the nāga had asked this, the Well-Gone One,
Who was aware of his thoughts, responded,
“The Victor’s children act although there are no beings.
They never dwell in the mind of awakening.
“That is the realization of emptiness.
The wise give up signs and wishes.
The sagacious dwell without reference point.
This is how to produce the sprout of the buddha’s higher knowledge.”
The Guide’s words delighted the nāga,
Who then dwelt without reference point,
And cut the tight cord of evil that bound him.
The nāga then abided by the way of the buddhas.
The Sage of the World then prophesied his awakening:
“In the future you will become a buddha,
Your name, Victorious Liberation, renowned everywhere.
You will liberate beings under evil influence.”
The Guide’s words pleased the nāga,
Who brought his palms together and paid the Buddha homage:
“Since you have taught the path, I will follow the Buddha.
Homage to you, liberating field, supreme among men!”
Then the nāga king Kambala asked the following of the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“Powerful and immaculate as moonlight,
I ask you, O self-arisen, supreme man,
How should a child of the Guide practice
So as to engage with and be born into altruism?”
[F.122.a]
“If he pursues emptiness and absence of wishes,
Becomes free of the aggregates devoid of marks,
And comprehends the space-like Dharma,
The child will follow in the father’s footsteps.”
Delighted by the Teacher’s explanation,
He engendered a mind-state free of reference point.
Then the Sage of the World prophesied his awakening:
“Practicing in this manner
“And purifying supreme realms,
In the future you will become a buddha
Who is more famous than the moon,
And liberate beings who roam in existence.”
When the awakening of the nāga named
Kambala
Was thus prophesied by the wise Son of the Śākyas,
He became thrilled and overjoyed,
And praised the liberator of all beings:
“Great sage, I take you as my refuge.
I have no doubt that you are a buddha.
You hold the lamp for those in darkness
And show the way for the sightless.”
Next the lord of nāgas named Dhṛtarāṣṭra asked the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“O Guardian, great sage, doctor who gives sight
To the eyes of blind beings, I ask you:
Please say, O lord of humans, what allows one to traverse the path
Of freedom from the world, and reach the state of peace?”
The teacher of the path to liberation who possesses the strength of the
ten powers,
The guardian of the world and lord of humans, then replied,
“He who calms the path of suffering that has so long been tread,
And pacifies cyclic existence, will clearly reach nirvāṇa.”
When the nāga king heard of the peaceful path from the Teacher,
He felt genuine compassion for those who are suffering.
The nāga king gained a deep yearning for awakening,
And said, “I will become a guardian of beings and gain the strength of the
ten powers.”
He who possesses the qualities of the
ten powers then prophesied of the nāga lord:
“You will become a lion among men, an adversary of extremists.
With the sublime words of the Well-Gone One, you will guide and liberate
An infinite, unfathomable number of beings wandering in cyclic existence.”
[F.122.b]
When the nāga king heard the Teacher’s sublime words
He joyfully brought his ten fingertips together,
And out of respect for the lord of men, the protector of the world, the great sage,
He praised him with these unmistaken words:
“Supreme refuge, with your extraordinary mind, apex of peerless wisdom,
You are aware of the infinite thoughts of beings,
Their virtuous deeds, and the duration of that virtue—
Thus, lord of men, you are renowned throughout the world.”
Next the nāga king Golden Throat inquired thus of the Blessed One in these melodious verses:
“You who has the strength of the
ten powers and possesses the power of great strength,
Your virtuous mind, radiant, illuminates and is bereft of any evil.
Victorious over existence, with superior intellect you truly understand beings—
O Victor, please explain what immaculate, virtuous practice is.
“You who is flawless and supreme among men, how should your child practice
To gain the realization of the undisturbed, unshakably wise,
The knowledge of the unfathomably many flawless victors,
And the eyes of realization with which the Victor’s heirs benefit beings?
“Your intelligence is unfathomable; you are the master of learned gods and humans,
Surrounded by unfathomable millions of victors.
O wise one, please think at this time of the benefit for countless beings.”
The nāga thus requested the master of the
ten powers.
“With a mind that is unmistaken and pure, carefully analyze this.
My supreme children follow the Victor and achieve the end of old age and death.
The victors serve them and they are flawless and immaculate.
They understand the suffering of unfathomably many beings, and free them.”
When the lord of nāgas heard about the cessation of old age and death,
Spoken of by the master with the intelligence of the
ten powers, he was delighted.
With his mind set on awakening and helping beings, he praised the supreme Victor,
The one who benefits beings with the mind-set of a guide:
“You eliminate so many beings’ darkness, clouded vision, and cataracts,
Eradicating their suffering. Thoroughly dispelling their darkness,
Clouded vision, and cataracts with the ambrosial path,
With your flawless vision you teach virtue throughout the ten directions.
[F.123.a]
“You have come to a house similar to the nāga lord’s gold and silver mansion.
Extremely realized, you possess boundless qualities.
The eyes on your face shine with intelligence, like a thousand light rays.
Your great splendor of knowledge is unconfused, undisturbed, and irreproachable.
“I praise you who has the light of the
ten powers, with the words of beings.
Supreme Victor, I will awaken to blissful buddhahood
And then dispel the limitless suffering of wandering beings
Stricken by the invisible sufferings of aging and death—I will free them!”
“Clearing away bliss, peace, and immense and immaculate peace,
I will awaken by following the path of peace.
As realized by one hundred victors, I will immobilize
The force of
Māra and engage with those who do not know.”
Then the nāga king named Nīlagrīva asked of the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“Supreme Teacher, steersman for the untamed, I ask you:
O Guide, how should your child practice
To become free of unwholesomeness, at peace, stainless,
And free of affliction, and awaken to true buddhahood?
“When, O hero, your progeny hears
What the Guide says for the sake of beings,
I will become free of unwholesomeness, and both I and others
Will become buddhas, as doubts about awakening withdraw.”
He whose mind is without attachment to the entire world,
Who attained the power of not being afraid of anything,
And who is steadfast in the speech of a guide, replied,
“My children have no attachment for the three realms;
They carry out actions to benefit beings.
They are not born for the sake of the desire realm,
Nor the form or formless realms.
“The realm of nirvāṇa, immeasurable and unconditioned—
It ends and ceases the suffering of all.
Upholding this, they are not polluted by the world.
They meditate on the victorious lord of victors.
“As they carry out such positive actions,
They act without pollution or fear,
[F.123.b]
Living without harming themselves or others,
Until they fully awaken to unexcelled buddhahood.
“Such ripening is in tune with the initial actions:
Through immense hardships they awaken to buddhahood.
Yet this is invisible to sentient beings
Like gods, nāgas, humans, and
rākṣasas.”
Was delighted by the omniscient Buddha’s words.
He brought together his ten fingers and bowed his head
In homage to the Guide, the lamp of the world:
“I thus take refuge in the foremost of humans.
This child will follow after his father,
Reach the end, triumphant, awaken to buddhahood,
And liberate beings by destroying their suffering with the Dharma.”
The World Adept then prophesied his awakening:
“In the future, you will awaken.
Your name,
All-Seeing, will be renowned in all directions.
You will liberate beings from wandering existence.”
Then the nāga king Terrifying asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“Incredible steersman for the untamed,
O Teacher, I ask you what deeds you performed
Such that when the Victor surveys the land,
Countries appear before you?”
The Victor with his conviction in the Dharma, replied.
With his omniscient wisdom, aware of his thoughts,
Giving rise to an extraordinary mind-set,
The foremost of humans then explained,
“By carrying out actions that lead to happiness,
And by bringing the past to mind again and again,
I know what comes from their ripening;
In that vision appear places.”
Upon hearing the Victor’s sublime words,
The nāga king was overjoyed,
Felt the spiritual delight of the noble ones,
And, overcoming his pride, paid homage to the Buddha.
Then the nāga king Manasvin asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“You who show the way for those who have lost their path,
Guide who benefits the world, I ask you:
What actions did you constantly carry out before,
[F.124.a]
That you can remain in
tranquility according to your wish?”
The Victor and Guardian of the World responded.
The time for the nāga to be tamed had come,
So in order to benefit all beings,
And having vanquished the force of
Māra, the Guide explained,
“When I was training in the past
I never had thoughts that were improper or unfriendly,
Practicing that way for a long time.
“Similarly, at reliquaries of the victors
I arranged and offered garlands and jewels.
Carrying out such positive actions,
I never dwelled in afflicted mind-states.
I never even harmed another being.
These actions of mine, when ripened, led me
To be able to remain tranquil as long as I wish.”
Hearing the words of the great sage,
In a state of immeasurable happiness, he joyfully sat
In front of the Teacher and praised him in verse:
“You pacify the afflictions that arise in beings
And teach them how to calm their minds.
O Sage, you engage with the world while free of affliction.
I bow to the one whose mind is calm as moonlight.”
Then the nāga king Vairocana asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“What actions did you perform in the past,
O Sage, that made your body so untainted?
Please explain these matchless and astounding things—
Once I’ve heard, I’ll practice virtuous deeds!”
Asked the Guardian of the World,
Who replied, with sweet and pleasant words
With eight qualities, to remove all afflictions:
“When I was pursuing awakening in the past,
I never had an improper thought.
I never thought anything wicked,
But over and over acted out of utmost love.
“Because I did such virtuous things,
When I reached unexcelled awakening,
[F.124.b]
My body as the foremost human, victor, and sage,
And even my clothes, have never been blemished.”
Hearing how the Victor had gathered virtuous actions,
Bringing his ten fingers together, he bowed
His head to the Victor’s feet.
“Excellent! O Victor, you have already gone to the end.
You benefit in a vast and infinite way.
You liberate every being who is stricken with suffering
And who takes pleasure in existence.
“You are the doctor of knowledge for poisoned beings,
Providing the remedy to cure beings’ poison,
Eventually bringing them to nirvāṇa as if putting out a fire.
Thus do I bring my palms together and take refuge.”
Then the nāga king Haughty One asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“O Guide, what deeds did you perform
So that you gained such firm and utterly flat feet?
To hear an answer will bring me joy,
So please tell me, foremost of humans.”
Thus did the nāga king Haughty One ask
The Guide and Knower of the World.
Then the nāga king was delighted
“I achieved utter discipline in my conduct.
I also trained in utter discipline in conduct.
Because I performed such virtuous deeds,
I touch the ground with flat feet.”
Thus did the Omniscient One then explain.
The nāga
Viraja was delighted,
His mind filled with immeasurable joy.
He then paid homage to the foremost of humans:
“Excellent! Luminous Victor, you have overcome flaws,
And vanquished afflictions and the habits for them.
Just like an eclipse consuming the moon,
You have conquered the enemy and illuminated all directions.”
Then the nāga king Mahāprabha asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“In order to aid the whole world including the gods,
I ask you, O Guide, with your supramundane speech:
[F.125.a]
What deeds did you perform, most sublime of humans,
That led you, O Guide, to achieve knowledge of what is
impossible?”
“When I was practicing in the past,
I carried out deeds that led to happiness
With my body, my speech, and even my mind.
None of my actions ever led to pain.
“With pleasure, saturated by virtue,
I refined away all faults of the path of what is
impossible
With the path of the ten virtuous actions,
And conquered all afflictions related to the
impossible.”
Because the Guide performed these deeds, when passing from that life,
Then upon reaching the world of humans, he transcended,
And achieved unsurpassed knowledge of what is
impossible.
Could never be disturbed even by one quintillion demons.
Mind and afflicted concepts being liberated,
The Thus-Gone One fully knows all beings.
When the Guide had answered,
Thrilled, in a state of unfathomable elation,
He paid homage to the One with Transcendent Qualities:
“You with calm mind who has conquered doubts,
Who has crossed the swamp and reached dry land,
And as a great sage crossed over, now liberates beings.
Just as the sun dispels the darkness,
“Shines on, and illuminates forms,
So too does the Guide’s mind, liberated,
Put an end to beings’ abundant suffering—
I bow to the physician who grants eyesight!”
Then the nāga king Pratāpana asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“Golden Victor, what deeds did you perform
That led you to steadfastly penetrate knowledge of the three times?
I ask you this, you who have space-like wisdom—
Guide of beings, please explain this to me.”
Who had cut through apprehension and eliminated doubt,
The self-arisen victor was utterly aware
[F.125.b]
Of his thoughts, and bestowed a reply:
“Because I always applied myself to remembering virtue,
And carried out definite actions, I became happy.
Moreover, I always led others to understanding.
As much as I knew, I shared without greed.
“As I carried out deeds with such expertise,
When my body perished, I went to Others’ Emanations.
I stayed there among the gods who revel in the desire realm
Before descending and ending up as a human.
“I sported in knowledge of the three times,
Knowing myself as well as others,
And so I gained fine skin and intelligence.”
Thus did the Well-Gone One unobstructedly explain.
The great nāga felt fervent joy
And he became stable in unfathomable awakening.
With genuine tribute, he praised the Victor, the foremost of humans:
“You perceive the three times as having the same character,
And you understand karma and its ripening.
You understand beings’ unique types of happiness.
I pay homage to the Well-Gone One who gave up everything!”
Then the nāga king Bali asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“Foremost of humans, you who have supreme and infinite knowledge,
Flawless guardian, your mind utterly pure,
In order to quickly dispel my apprehensions and swiftly
Slay my doubts, will the Well-Gone One explain:
“What deeds did you perform in the past as a god and human?
How did you gain such knowledge?
How did you achieve unsurpassed awakening?
I present you my doubts—please do explain!”
As the nāga asked the Victor, the definite embodiment
Of the knowledge of the
ten powers, he promptly replied,
“I first thought, ‘How should I engage in human behavior
And with a virtuous outlook pursue awakening?
“ ‘How can I practice with a joyful mind?
How can I understand the way all beings are affected by suffering,
And how they end up falling to the lower realms,
Blackened by myriad afflictions?’
“I then developed compassion for sentient beings from the core of my heart,
And I thought, ‘I will free these beings from suffering,
[F.126.a]
I will set them on the supreme path to liberation,
I will close off the negative paths to the lower realms.
“ ‘I will teach the peaceful, supreme path,
And grant them peaceful awakening via the joyful path.
And for a long while I will fulfill people’s aims.’
“Thus did I engender compassion in a steadfast way.
Then the Great Sage trained as a novice,
Giving away my head, eyes, and flesh,
Heroically traversing the path of the well-gone ones.
“When I was practicing as a human in the past,
I understood things to be like a dream.
Aware of these virtues as a human,
I exerted myself in venerating the one with the
ten powers.
“Feeling immeasurable faith in the Guardian,
I wondered how I too could become a guardian of all beings.
How could I lead these destitute beings
“With these roots of virtue as a basis,
I trained in the deeds carried out by the guides.
Over one quintillion eons
I taught the supreme path to those who were lost.
“Training thus in the practices of great beings,
I perceived my past actions as a human.
Aware that actions are performed like in a dream,
I kept that in mind and also taught it to others.”
When he heard the words of the one with
ten powers,
The mighty nāga was delighted.
Bringing together his ten fingers at his crown, he bowed down
And praised the Victor in order to achieve peaceful awakening:
“Arousing faith in the Guide,
I will make it so that beings who are lost
And in the darkness reach peaceful awakening.”
Then the nāga king Mahāmegha asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
Self-arisen Guide, I ask you this:
How should a child of the Teacher strive
To reach peaceful, flawless, supreme awakening?”
[F.126.b]
The Great Sage who has limitless qualities
And supreme wisdom, then explained to his son
How a bodhisattva achieves unexcelled awakening
Through the power of effortful diligence:
“Let me describe briefly how in the past,
When I was practicing for awakening,
I applied diligent force for the sake of beings
And through the force of diligence reached awakening.
“In the past when I was a human,
He had the seven precious things, and children
Numbering one million who were his offspring.
“At that time this world was flourishing,
And there was a buddhafield called Lord of Rabbits,
In which there was a self-manifest supreme human
“The supreme human’s community of
hearers
The supreme Well-Gone One’s descendent followers
Were free of afflictions such as hatred and arrogance.
“The supreme human’s bodhisattvas
Then also numbered eighty million.
They had practiced with unfathomably many victors
And were to attain awakening for the sake of beings.
“One of the Guide’s bodhisattvas
He was a great sage who conquered the force of evil
And served as chief of the community.
“At that time there was also a god
For the Guide and foremost Victor when he was about to
Attain supreme awakening, so that he would not reach it.
“Throughout the whole earth with all its qualities,
Including the oceans, he manifested many women—
Fine, replete with sublime qualities,
They spoke in a charming and beautiful way.
“They had gorgeous eyes and walked in a lithe and careful way.
Their arms were even, the color of an elephant’s trunk.
For a long time they had upheld religious conduct.
Their breasts were firm and lovely.
“Their voices were sweet, their eyes like lotus flowers,
Their teeth were lined in marvelous rows,
Their lips were gorgeous, the color of coral,
Their faces and cheeks were beautiful.
[F.127.a]
“The color of their faces was stolen from the flawless moon;
They smiled and uttered pretty words.
Their way of walking was beautiful, like supreme elephants in rut.
They were modest and had forsaken foolishness.
“With firm breasts and lithe limbs
Their bodies were like those of the antelope king,
Excellent bodies, slender and smooth,
And led others like the king of antelopes.
“They had flat feet that slid as they walked,
These tantalizing maidens.
Whatever
Māra did anywhere,
Accompanied by these crimson damsels,
“
Māra would be in front displaying his evil noose.
The kinsmen of darkness could not affect
“Or create obstacles for him.
As countless, incredibly innumerable emanations
“With bodies of infinite proportions reviled him:
‘Shoot him with spears and lances!’
‘Quick—smash his brains under a mountain!’
‘Steal the life force right from his heart!’
“ ‘We will soon make you pass on and decease!’
‘We will not let you live a moment longer!’
‘Once you savor these sensual delights,
You will not harm our dominion!
And do not spread the Victor’s teachings!’
Then magically emanated donkeys appeared,
Some with one head and some with two,
Some were holding spears and lances,
And others irately brandishing snakes.
“They all made loud noises in front of him.
Some manifested in the form of
yakṣas,
With single or double bodies and three arms,
Or quadruple bodies with one arm.
“Then some manifested with one body,
[F.127.b]
Then some manifested with four heads,
Then some manifested with single bodies,
“Of donkeys, goats, cats, and tigers,
Each making its own sound.
The donkey heads bleated like goats;
The goat heads brayed like donkeys,
“Some goats roared like elephants or neighed like horses.
Certain donkeys made all sorts of sounds.
Some goats made all types of sounds as well;
Countless terrifying sounds were cried.
“Then in an attempt to approach the Well-Gone One,
Elephant heads shouted countless insults,
While other elephants made donkey sounds,
As did horses and elephants.
“Although they made a plethora of sounds,
Not a pore on the Well-Gone One’s body moved.
Horses roared like elephants,
And monkeys neighed like horses.
“Although monkeys made countless sounds,
Not a pore on the Well-Gone One’s body flinched.
Donkeys mooed, and birds neighed.
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even make a pore on his body flinch.
Then tigers squealed like pigs,
And cows and birds hissed like snakes.
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even make any disturbance for him.
Cats and foxes squealed like pigs.
“And although buffaloes growled like tigers,
They could not disturb the Knower of the World.
Cows made tens of millions of infinite
Sounds of different animals.
“Yet they could not affect the Guide,
Or even create any disturbance for him.
Brayed like donkeys, and neighed like horses.
“Although bears roared like lions,
Not even a pore on the Benefiter of the World flinched.
While elephants neighed like horses.
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even create any disturbance for him.
While certain parrots bawled like calves,
“And others made real parrot calls.
Jīvaṃjīvaka birds sang their songs,
Kalaviṇka birds made their own cries—
In the darkness of night came words of deference.
“Lovely peacock calls were heard,
As were the cries of
Cañcā.
Calves spoke in tones of reverence,
And kalaviṇka birds made lovely calls.
“Wolves howled their harsh cries—
Still, the Victor’s mind was not distracted.
Snakes roared like elephants,
And elephants hissed like snakes.
“And yet they could not affect the Guide,
Or even cause him any disturbance.
Chickens screamed like hawks,
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even cause him a disturbance.
Horses brayed like mules,
And
Cañcā made the sounds of eagles.
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even cause him any disturbance.
Elephants shrieked like owls, called like
Cañcā,
And made sounds of birds, bulls, and storks.
“Vultures cried like jṛmbha birds,
Birds and bulls made sounds of kettle drums,
Geese made all types of sounds,
Cuckoos made all different sounds of
yakṣas.
Certain beings made all types of sounds with a single mouth.
They made the respective sounds with a single mouth,
In a single instant making infinite sounds.
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even cause him a disturbance.
Nāgas let down a rain of stones from their mouths
And a fierce shower of weapons,
“But they could not affect the Guide,
Or even cause him any disturbance.
Yakṣas rained down stones from their mouths
As well as a blazing shower of fire
“And a rain of mountains and dust,
But they could not disturb the Well-Gone One.
And showers of blazing flames and weapons.
“But they could not affect the Guide,
[F.128.b]
Or even cause him any disturbance.
Then the evil
Māra took on
A terrifying appearance and made threats.
“But arousing his limitless power of perseverance,
He withstood the force of the demons and realized awakening.
The Self-Manifest One intimidated the demon horde
And sat cross-legged at the base of the supreme tree without leaving.
“Like chaff carried off by the wind, he vanquished them,
And reached supreme awakening, understanding all lives.
Then the earth shook in six ways.
The menacing hordes looked for safety,
“Like birds carried off by a storm,
Conquered by the Well-Gone One’s brilliance.
Then the variety of faces manifested
“All the sounds they made with their mouths
Were all destroyed by the brilliance of the power of
User of Evil.
As I was able to vanquish the demonic maidens,
I also made the maidens become old.
The barrage of emanations the god sent at the supreme Well-Gone One
Was overpowered by the Guide of the World.
All eight hundred thousand divine maidens;
Tamed, they remained unwavering in awakening.
Then the troublemakers felt in pain,
‘I will liberate these beings.
So, I will muster diligence
And conquer these obstinate demons.
“ ‘Having pursued the immaculate, supreme peace of awakening,
My descendants will train in the same way.
I will strive for many millions of beings
And never for happiness for myself.
“ ‘With no other thought, like someone whose hair is on fire
Strives to put it out, I shall persevere.
Thus in pursuit of supreme peace,
Put your thoughts to this!’ ”
Then the nāga king Mahācandra asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“Helmsman and Teacher of humans and gods,
Guide of all beings including the gods,
I ask you: how did the Well-Gone One,
[F.129.a]
Self-born and mindful, attain unsurpassed awakening?”
The sagacious guide who has conquered existence,
The Victor and supreme person, explained
How the self-born Guide, the Well-Gone One,
Tricked
Māra and reached nirvāṇa:
Unwholesome migration in cyclic existence will cease.
Whatever ignorant beings become attached to,
They experience no happiness and instead meet pain.
“I brought to mind the suffering in cyclic existence
Of the unmindful who lack understanding of cyclic existence;
Confused, they do not know the way to liberation,
And take pleasure in the realm of affliction and evil.
“In their wrong, misguided state of mind,
They take the impermanent to be permanent, suffering to be pleasure,
That which lacks a self to have one, and the impure to be pure.
They are never free from the realm of affliction and evil.
“Recognizing how they migrate because of their errors,
When I was training, for the sake of beings,
I applied mindfulness to becoming awakened.”
When the nāga heard about the application of mindfulness,
He felt yearning for immeasurable awakening.
The nāga
Mahācandra then praised the helmsman of the untamed,
The Victor who applied mindfulness:
“Homage to the guide of unmindful beings,
The one who abides by the power of mindfulness!
Having felt yearning for immeasurable awakening,
He has taught the way to unwaning mindfulness.
“Having felt yearning for immeasurable awakening,
I will reach the abode of mindful awakening.
I will vanquish and forsake the force of evil and the legions of evil.
I will liberate beings bound tightly by evil.”
With his wisdom of applying mindfulness,
The Victor was aware of what the nāga was thinking.
In order to benefit beings, the Guide prophesied
“O nāga lord, in the past you served
Eight hundred million previous buddhas.
In the future you will serve one hundred million buddhas
In pursuit of the peace of awakening.
“Eventually you will reach unfathomable awakening.
You will weaken the force of evil immensely,
And transmute the force of evil into the way of the victors.”
When they heard the Buddha’s marvelous words,
Ten million nāgas were introduced to supreme awakening,
Penetrating awakening with their minds as never before.
They delighted in the Buddha’s marvelous speech.
Then the nāga king Gatherer asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
How can one practice with mind undeluded
To conquer the force and legions of
Māra,
And achieve the peace of unexcelled awakening?”
“Never waver from a happy attitude,
Forsake afflictions and the force of
Māra,
And carry out the practice of the victors, resting in equanimity—
Then will you swiftly achieve the peace of awakening.”
The nāga was delighted with this answer,
Set his resolve on the awakened state of the victors,
Escaped from the realm of
Māra in equanimity,
And praised the Guide in terms of concentration:
“You know the proper from the improper domain.
Anyone you teach, O Guide of the World,
Becomes free from the domain of
Māra.
Homage to you whose mind is free from attachment!
“From this day forward, I will engage in the domain
Of the victors and forsake the domain of
Māra.
I will liberate beings from the domain of
Māra,
And lead them to the domain of the Blissful.”
Aware of the nāga lord’s thoughts,
The supreme person prophesied his awakening,
And a full ten million nāgas involved with affliction
And the domain of
Māra reached the state of full abiding.
Then the nāga king Power Wielder asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“How can people who train in insight
Practice non-attachment to sense pleasures,
And achieve unfathomable, flawless awakening?”
“Those who know that everyone is illusory
Are no longer bound by the ropes of evil.
[F.130.a]
Yet seeing beings still bound by
Māra,
They feel compassion and engage in the supreme austerities.”
Hearing the Teacher’s words, the nāga was delighted,
His mind elated with immeasurable joy.
He praised the Victor for his wisdom,
And roused his mind to strive for awakening.
Aware of the nāga lord’s thoughts,
The Guide prophesied his supreme awakening.
Ten million nāgas set themselves on supreme awakening,
And the Knower of the World prophesied them all to awaken.
Then the nāga king Sūryagarbha asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“O skilled Guide, please tell me—
What method can a bodhisattva
Employ in practice to not regress from awakening?
Foremost of humans, please explain this to me!
“O Well-Gone One, supreme person, when people
Hear from you how to keep their mind from regressing,
They will venture to become skilled in methods,
And will carry out their practice undauntedly.”
“Have compassion for ignorant beings
Who are degenerate and enter onto bad paths;
Exert yourself, for the sake of beings,
In the teaching of the perfect Buddha, forsaking the self.
“When you understand the identity of things,
You will forsake the self and become undaunted.
When you know phenomena to be unmoving,
You can teach that understanding to others.
“Do not be afraid or apprehensive
To relinquish your wife, sons, or daughters.
Then, without dwelling on anything,
You will abide by the perception of the absence of self.
“Revealing the absence of self in the aggregates,
You will attain sublime happiness, which is transcendent.”
At that moment innumerable tens of millions of beings
Came to maturity, feeling joyful and dauntless.
Overjoyed by the Teacher’s words, the nāga
Took refuge in the Buddha sincerely,
Formed the resolve in his heart for awakening,
And the Knower of the World prophesied his awakening.
“Well-Gone One, how should your child practice
To easily achieve awakening to buddhahood?
Please tell me how to advance to the unfathomable
Just as the Sage swiftly did.”
The Victor and foremost human, definitively awakened
By means of his self-manifest wisdom, replied,
“If you practice for awakening properly,
You will never meet with the suffering of beings.
“If you act altruistically out of love, no matter where you are,
Your loving attitude will never be bewildered.
In love, no suffering will occur,
And you will not waver from the practice of subduing faults.
“As you practice, you will also teach all beings:
‘Cultivate love!’ ‘Don’t be distracted!’
‘Conquer your faults with a tranquil mind!’
“Engaging in wholesome actions,
As you carry out your training, you will not suffer.
You will swiftly reach boundless awakening,
And your whole following will be in harmony.”
Delighted by the Teacher’s words,
The nāga gave up wrongdoing with a tranquil mind,
Subdued wrongdoing with love in his heart,
And formed the resolve to awaken.
The Victor, who knew the past and future, was aware
Of his thoughts—how he had tamed his afflictions with pure intention
And utterly established himself in purity—
And prophesied the nāga’s supreme awakening:
“Eighty quintillion eons from now,
Due to your loving kindness, you will be a victor
Venerated by gods and men.”
Overjoyed, his mind elated,
He bowed his head at the feet of the Victor,
And praised the Victor with these verses:
“In your utterly pure mind all faults are totally subdued.
You have conquered delusion and vanquished
Māra.
You have the compassion to benefit all sentient beings,
And you have forsaken the poison of wrongdoing—homage to you!”
“What method should one use when practicing
So as not to fall under the sway of the realm of
Māra,
But be protected by all the buddhas?
O Well-Gone One, great sage—O Buddha, I ask this of you!”
The Victor was aware of his thoughts,
And so with his all-seeing wisdom free of attachment,
His hundred marks of merit, and his altruistic compassion,
The Buddha, skilled in power, replied,
“If you constantly apply mindfulness,
You will not fall under the sway of affliction and
Māra.
If you constantly practice mindfulness with purity of mind,
Then you will not be led into the influence of
Māra.”
Hearing the Victor’s excellent speech,
The nāga was delighted by the Teacher’s words.
He praised the Well-Gone One with a clear mind
And pure and irreproachable language:
“You have conquered birth in existence and are full of love.
Perceiving how beings are following bad paths,
You eliminate doubt and with a joyful mind
Lead beings onto the path prescribed by the victors.
“Hearing these words, I vow
To practice in pursuit of the Victor’s teachings.
I will conquer the forces and legions of
Māra,
Become free from the phenomena of suffering, and reach buddhahood.”
Then the nāga king Causing Downpour asked the Blessed One in the form of a song in verse:
“Supreme and loving refuge of beings,
All-seeing, compassionate, eminent Victor,
How should one practice toward flawless awakening?
With your assemblage of
ten powers and wisdom, I beseech you:
“O Protector of the World, please extinguish my doubts!”
Aware of the thoughts of all beings,
The Well-Gone One delighted the nāga, saying,
“To understand your mind, train in steady diligence,
Just as the Well-Gone One has taught.
To understand your mind, gain conviction.”
Hearing of the path taught by the Victor, he remained there,
His mind elated, having removed all doubt.
With joy he knelt on the ground
And praised the Guide who benefits the world:
“Having eliminated all affliction, you are unsurpassed.
[F.131.b]
There is no one like you, let alone superior.
You delight the minds of beings irreproachably—
Well-Gone One, homage to your tremendous awakening!”
The Blessed One was aware of the thoughts of all these nāga kings. He understood their karma and he understood their aspirations. Having benefitted the whole world including gods, humans, and demigods greatly, he then said to the monks, “Behold, O monks. After these nāga kings heard the Discipline from the Thus-Gone One, they display signs of discipline. They display signs of kindness, signs of adherence, signs of being guides, signs of leadership, and signs of reaching the end. They have altruistically set their intentions on unexcelled and perfect awakening. All these nāga kings will benefit beings and pass beyond suffering by means of the vehicle of unexcelled and perfect awakening.”
