Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
Chapter 10: The Buddha of the Fragrant Land
At that time Sariputra thought to himself: ‘ ‘ The meal time draws nigh; where should those Bodhisattvas take their meal?” Then Vimalakirti knowing his thought thus spoke to him: “The Eightfold Liberation is preached by Buddha and thou shouldst receive and practice it; why shouldst thou think of material food when thou desirest to hear the law ? But if thou wouldst eat, wait for a space, when I shall be able to obtain such food as thou hast never tasted before.”
Then Vimalakirti having entered into a Samadhi, manifested to the great assembly a country called Sarvagandhasu-gandha, which is situated in the upper regions beyond the Buddha-countries exceeding in number even the sands of forty-two Ganga rivers; and. there is in that land a Buddha living at present, known as Gandhakuta, and the perfume of that land is most excelling even the perfume of men and deities of the worlds of all the Buddhas in all the ten quarters. There in that land neither the name of Sravaka nor of Pratyekabuddha is heard; there is only a great assembly of Bodhisattvas. The Buddha preaches the law to [those Bodhisattva]. Everything in that land is made of perfume. All over the land towers and terraces are built of perfume. People walk on a perfume-ground: All the gardens are of perfume. The savoury perfume of food fills the countless worlds in all the ten quarters.
At that time the Buddha [Gandhakuta] was seated himself to partake of food with the Bodhisattvas. There were also present many deities each called Gandhavyuha; all of them having cherished the thought of supreme enlightenment, did homage to each one in this great assembly.
Then Vimalakirti asked the Bodhisattvas: “O sirs, who is able to bring here the food of that Buddha?”
All the assembly remained silent through the supernatural power of Manjusri. Vimalakirti said: ‘‘How pitiful, O ye Bodhisattvas, are ye not ashamed of yourselves?”
Then Vimalakirti, without raising himself from his seat, manifested in the presence of the assembly an incarnate Bodhisattva, whose form, splendour, and dignity were magnificent, far surpassing any in the assembly. He then spoke to the Bodhisattva and said: “ Go thou there in the quarters on high, beyond the Buddha-countries exceeding even in number the sands of forty-two Ganga rivers, to the country named Sarvagandhasugandha, where a Buddha named Gandhakuta now dwells, seated at table to take refreshments together with the Bodhisattvas, and on thy arrival tell him these words of mine saying: ‘Vimalakirti touching thy feet with his bowed head greets thee with all reverence and wishes to inquire whether thou art assailed with few ailings, few illnesses, and whether thy spirits are in good condition as ever. He prays that thou bestow upon him a portion of thy food if thou canst spare it, that he might perform a religious work in the Saha world, enabling all those who find pleasure in the inferior law only, to open their eyes to the great religion, thus helping to spread the fame of Tathagata throughout [the world].’ ”
Then at that time the incarnate Bodhisattva ascended on high in the presence of the assembly, and every one in the assembly could see him. reach the country of Sarvagan-dhasugandha and greet that Buddha touching the feet with his bowed head and speak thus: “ Vimalakirti touching thy feet with his bowed head greets thee with all reverence and wishes to inquire whether thou art assailed with few ailings, few illnesses, and whether thy spirits are in good condition as ever. He prays thee to bestow upon him some portion of thy food if thou canst spare it, that he might perform a religious work in the Saha world, enabling all those who find pleasure in the inferior law only, to open their eyes to the great religion, thus helping to spread the fame of Tathagata throughout [the world].” The great men in that country having beheld this incarnate Bodhisattva praised him saying that they had never seen the like before, and asked the Buddha: “Whence cometh this superior man ? Where is the Saha world ? What does it mean to find pleasure only in the inferior law ?”
The Buddha replied and said: “In the lower region beyond the Buddha-countries even equal to the number of the sands of forty-two Ganga rivers there is a world called Saha; and there dwells a Buddha called Sakyamuni now in the wicked age of five corruptions; he teaches the doctrine for the sake of those who find pleasure in the inferior law only. There is a Bodhisattva called Vimalakirti, who, abiding in the Inconceivable Emancipation, preaches the law for the sake of the Bodhisattvas; now he specially sends this incarnate Bodhisattva to us, to praise my name and this land in order to help the Bodhisattvas there to increase virtue and merit.
The Bodhisattva asked: “What wonderful virtue is possessed by him who is able to make an incarnate Bodhisattva fearless in virtue and endowed with such supernatural power ?” Buddha said: “ Great indeed [is his virtue] ! He sends the incarnate Bodhisattva to all the ten quarters in order to perform religious work and benefit all beings.
Then Gandhakuta Tathagata having filled up a perfumebowl with perfume-food gave it to the incarnate Bodhisattva. Then those nine millions of Bodhisattvas shouted together saying: “We would go to the Saha world in order to do homage to Buddha Sakyamuni, and see those Bodhisattvas led by Vimalakirti.”
Buddha said: “ Go ye [Bodhisattvas]. Keep back the fragrance of your bodies lest those beings feel attachment [towards you] in their minds. Again you should abandon your real forms lest those who seek to be Bodhisattvas in that land should cherish [the feeling of] self-abasement. Again, you should not be contemptuous of them and thus create a hindrance-thought; and why? All the lands in all the ten quarters are [equal] even as the sky, but only for those beings who find pleasure in the inferior law Buddhas do not manifest their lands of purity.”
Then the incarnate Bodhisattva, having received that bowl of food accompanied by those nine millions of Bodhisattvas through the grace of the Buddha and Vimalakirti, disappeared from that world and in an instant returned to the house of Vimalakirti.
Then forthwith nine millions of lion-thrones magnificent as before were manifested by Vimalakirti, and all those Bodhisattvas seated themselves thereon. Then the incarnate Bodhisattva handed Vimalakirti that bowl filled with perfume-food; the fragrance of the food filled the entire city of Vaisall and all the three great Chiliocosms.
Then Brahmans and wealthy householders of Vaisall inhaling the fragrance were gratified both in body and in mind and praised saying that they had never inhaled the like before. At that time Candracchatra, a leader of wealthy householders, followed by eighty-four thousand men, came into the house of Vimalakirti. Beholding in that chamber the multitude of the Bodhisattvas and lion-thrones, so high and so broad and so magnificent, and being pleased in mind, he seated himself on one side and greeted that great multitude of the Bodhisattvas and great disciples. [Besides], all the gods of earth, the gods of the sky, and the gods of the worlds of Form [and Formlessness], all inhaling the fragrance, came into the house of Vimalakirti.
Then Vimalakirti spoke to those great Sravakas led by Sariputra and said: “ Sirs, eat of the food of Tathagata which has the flavour of immortality (amrta); it is born of the great compassion [of Tathagata]. Eat not with a divided mind, or it shall not be digested.” There were some Sravakas who thought to themselves: ‘ The food is but little, and would it be possible for each one in this great assembly to share it?”
The incarnate Bodhisattva said: “Measure not the infinite virtue and wisdom of Tathagata by the finite virtue and wisdom of the Sravaka; though the four great oceans might become dry, yet this bowl of food would never be exhausted. All men [in all the W’orlds] may eat of it even as much as a quantity equal to Mount Sumeru, and for a period lasting a Kalpa, yet it could never be exhausted. And why ? The food spared by one who is infinitely endowed with the virtues of discipline, meditation, wisdom, liberation, and knowledge of liberation, could never be exhausted.”
Then that bowl of food satiated all the assembly, yet remained as before not in the least impaired in quantity. All those Bodhisattvas, Sravakas and deities who ate of this food were gratified in body and felt happy just as did those Bodhisattvas of the world called Sarvasukhamandita; and from all the pores of their skin an excellent fragrance issued forth which was as that from the trees in the world known as Sarvagandhasugandha.
Then Vimalakirti asked the Bodhisattvas from Sarvagandhasugandha: “ How does the Tathagata Gandhakuta preach the law?” They replied: “ The Tathagata in our country preaches without words; he enables all beings to attain the virtue of discipline only by means of perfume. The Bodhisattvas, each sitting under a lofty tree, inhale the excellent perfume and enter Samadhi called the mine of virtues. Those who enter this Samadhi are endowed with all the virtues of Bodhisattva.”
Then the Bodhisattva asked Vimalakirti: “In what manner does the world-honoured Sakyamuni preach the law here?” Vimalakirti replied: “Beings of this world are very self-willed and difficult to teach. Therefore, Buddha preaches to them in severe words in order to subdue them: the unhappy regions such as hell, the animal world, and the world of hungry spirits are the regions for the ignorant; Evil deed is the result of evil deed; evil speech is the result of evil speech, evil thought is the result of evil thought; murder is the result of murder; robbery is the result of robbery; adultery is the result of adultery; lying is the result of lying; duplicity is the result of duplicity; abusing is the result of abusing; idle word is the result of idle word; covetousness is the result of covetousness; anger is the result of anger; misconception is the result of misconception; avarice is the result of avarice; the breach of precepts is the result of breach of precepts; quick temper is the result of quick temper; slothfulness is the result of slothfulness; distraction of mind is the result of distraction of mind; ignorance is the result of ignorance; so with initiation into disciplinary life, living disciplinary life, violation of disciplinary life, what ought to be done, what ought not to be done, the obstacles, absence of the obstacles, guiltiness, purity or impurity, passion or passionlessness, right or wrong, the created or the uncreated, the world or Nirvana.—with these divers doctrines he subdues the minds of all beings and conquers them; because they are as difficult to subdue as those of monkeys. Just as severe pain which penetrates even to the bone is to be inflicted upon an elephant or a horse in order to bring it to complete subjection as it is so obstinate and difficult to subdue, even so severe words must be spoken to discipline those beings who are obstinate and difficult to subdue.”
Those Bodhisattvas having heard these words praised him saying: “We have never heard the like before; Sakyamuni, the world-honoured one, concealing his infinite power of independence which is never restricted, and manifesting only those things desired by the poor delivers them [from suffering], and also these Bodhisattvas of this world who are never wearied and always ready to condescend to become poor, are born in this land of Buddha cherishing infinite great compassion.”
Vimalakirti said; “It is even as you say that the Bodhisattvas of this world are firm in their great compassion towards all beings; and the happiness which is bestowed on all beings by them throughout their lives, is of greater worth than all the deeds wrought in your land during hundreds of thousands of Kalpas. And why ? In the Saha world there are ten kinds of goodness which are never found in other lands of purity. What are they ? (1) To treat the poor with charity, (2) to treat the trespassers with pure discipline, (3) to treat the angry with patience, (4) to treat the indolent with diligence, (5) to treat the distracted with meditation, (6) to treat the ignorant with wisdom, (7) to save those who are in the eight difficulties by the law which removes them, (8) to save those who find pleasure in the Hīnayāna by the law of the Mahayana, (9) to save those who are destitute of virtue by a stock of merit, and (10) ever to perfect all beings with the Fourfold Acceptance,—these are ten kinds of [goodness].”
Then those Bodhisattvas said: ‘ ‘ How many laws ought to be practised by a Bodhisattva in this world in order to be perfect in deeds and to be reborn in the pure land ? ’ ’ Vimalakirti said: “A Bodhisattva who would be perfect in deeds and be born in the pure land must practise the eightfold law in this world. What is the eightfold law ? (1) To bestow happiness on all beings without expecting reward, to endure all suffering for the sake of all beings, and to bestow on them all the stock of merit one has achieved; (2) to bring his mind down to the minds of those beings ever in perfect humiliation; (3) to regard Bodhisattvas as if they were Buddhas themselves; (4) not to cherish doubt in his mind when listening to a scripture which he never heard before; (5) not to contradict Sravakas; (6) not to be jealous of the honour given to them, not to be arrogant over the benefit enjoyed by oneself and thereby subdue one’s own mind; (7) ever to reflect upon his faults and never talk about others’ shortcomings; and (8) ever to seek a stock of merit with intent mind,— this is called the eightfold law.”