The “Chapter of the Measure of Life  of the Tathagata”
of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma
(Myôhô renge kyô) Chapter 16

Ancient Scrolls of the Hokekyo
(Property Kyoto Museum)

Chapter sixteen (Ju-ryô hon)
 

Translation by H. G. Lamont
 
 

At that time the Buddha announced to the various bodhisattvas

as well as all the great assemblies, “Good sons.  You should

believe and understand the Tathagata’s words of sincerity and

truth.”  Again He announced to the great assemblies, “You should

believe and understand the Tathagata’s words of sincerity and

truth.”  And again He announced to the various great assemblies,

“You should believe and understand the Tathagata’s words of sincerity

and truth.”  At this time the great assembly of the bodhisattvas with

Maitreya at their head pressed their palms together and addressed

the Buddha, “World-honored One. We only pray that You would preach

 them.  We will receive with faith the Words of the Buddha.”  Having

thus addressed Him thrice, they again said,  “We only pray that

You would preach them.  We will receive with faith the words of the

Buddha.”  At that time the World-honored One, knowing that the

various bodhisattvas had invited him without ceasing, announced

to them, “You hear clearly of the Tathagata’s Secret Hidden Divine

Pervasive Powers.  The humans and devas as well as asuras of all

the worlds say, ‘The present Shakyamuni Buddha, having gone forth

from the palace of the Shakya Clan, not far gone from the town of

Gaya,  seated at the Place of Enlightenment has obtained Anuttara-

samyak-sambodhi.’  However, good sons, since I truly attained

Buddhahood it has been immeasurable, limitless hundreds of

thousands of myriads of tens of millions of nayutas of kalpas.  For

example, it is like five hundreds of thousands of myriads of tens of

millions of nayutas of great trichilio-cosms and supposing there is a

person who pulverizes them into dust atoms and, having passed five

hundreds of thousands of myriads of hundreds of thousands of nayutas

of asamkheyas of countries in the eastern direction, he drops one

atom and thus proceeding to the east he would exhaust these dust

atoms; you various good sons, what is in your minds?  Could one,

reflecting on and calculating these worlds, know their number or

not?”  The Bodhisattva Maitreya and the others together addressed

the Buddha, “World-honored One.  These various worlds are

immeasurable and limitless; they are not something which numerical

reckoning understands; likewise they are not something which the

power of the mind can reach.  All Shravakas and Pratyekabuddhas

reflecting with their Wisdom Without-Outflow cannot know their

numerical limit.  Though we abide in the stage of Avivartika

(Non-backsliding), in this matter it is something we cannot attain to.

World-honored One.  Worlds such as these are immeasurable and

limitless.”  At that time the Buddha announced to the assembly

of great bodhisattvas, “You various good sons.  Now I am going to

proclaim to you with clarity: Of these various worlds, if one completely

made atoms of the ones to which atoms adhered as well as those to

which they did not adhere, with one atom as one kalpa, the time since

I attained Buddhahood surpasses these by hundreds of thousands

of myriads of tens of millions of nayutas of asamkheyas of kalpas.

Since then I have been ever in this Saha World preaching the

Dharma and converting. Likewise in hundreds of thousands of myriads

of tens of millions of nayutas of asamkheyas of countries elsewhere

I have guided and benefited the mass of beings.  You various good

sons.  During this intermediate time I have preached as the Buddha

Nentô (Dîpamkara) and others.  And, furthermore, I have also said

they have entered Nirvana.  All such as these I have distributed by

expedients.  You good sons.  If there are beings who come to where

I am, I contemplate by means of the Buddha Eye the sharpness or

dullness of their various faculties of faith and so on and, in accordance

with how they should be saved, everywhere I preach my name to be

different and my age to be great or little, and, furthermore, I also

manifest myself and say I am going to enter Nirvana, and, furthermore,

preaching the Subtle Dharma by various types of expedients have

been able to cause the mass of beings to give rise to joyful minds.

You various good sons.  When the Tathagata sees that the mass of beings

are those poor in virtues, heavy with defilement, who rejoice in the

Lesser Dharma, for these people I preach that when I was young I

went forth from the household life and obtained Anuttara samyak-

sambodhi.  The time since I really attained Buddhahood is as long

ago and distant as that.  It is just in converting the mass of beings by

expedients and causing them to enter the Buddha Way that I

create such a preaching as this.  You good sons.  The Sutra Canons

which the Tathagata expounds are all for saving the mass of beings.

I either preach my own body or preach the body of another or show

my own body or show the body of another or show my own matter

or show the matter of another.  The various words I preach are all

true and not empty.  What is the reason?  The Tathagata knows and

sees the appearance of the Three Worlds in accordance with reality:

there is no Birth-and-Death, whether backsliding or emerging;

likewise there is neither existence in the world nor extinction;

they are not real; they are not void, they are not thus; they

are not different.  It is not as the Three Worlds see the Three

Worlds.  In such matters as these the Tathagata sees clearly and

is without error.  Because the various beings have distinctions

of various types of natures, various types of desires, various

types of actions, and various types of recollections, I, desiring

to cause the various good karmic roots to be produced, preach

various kinds of dharmas by considerable causalities, parables,

and words.  The work of the Buddha which I perform I have never

once abandoned even for a brief time.  Thus the time since I attained

Buddhahood is very great, long and distant.  My life is immeasurable

asamkheyas of kalpas and I abide forever and am not extinguished.

You good sons.  The life which I achieved by originally practicing

the bodhisattva way is now not yet extinguished.  And it is twice

the above number.  However, though it is not now real extinction,

yet I thereupon proclaim, ‘I am going to take extinction.’  The

Tathagata thus converts the mass of beings by expedients.  What

is the reason?  If the Buddha were to abide for a long time in

the world, people poor in virtue would not plant good karmic

roots.  Being poor and lowly and greedily attached to the five

desires, they would fall into the midst of the net of thought

and wrong views.  If they saw the Tathagata ever present and

not extinguished, they would then give rise to arrogant licentiousness

and nourish a disdainful idleness and could not produce the thought

that I am difficult to encounter nor the mind of reverence.  For

this reason the Tathagata preaches by expedience: ‘The Bhikshus

should know: it is difficult to encounter the Buddhas’ coming

forth in the world.”  What is the reason?  Of the various people

poor in virtue, having passed through immeasurable hundreds of

thousands of tens of thousands of hundreds of thousands of kalpas,

there are those who see the Buddha and those who do not see.  Because

of this fact I say these words: ‘Bhikshus!  It is difficult to be

able to see the Tathagata.’  These beings having heard such words

will necessarily produce the thought that I am difficult to

encounter and nourish affectionate longing in their hearts and,

adoring the Buddha, will then plant good karmic roots.  For this

reason although  the Tathagata is not extinct, yet He says that

He is extinct.  Furthermore, good sons, with the various Buddhas,

the Tathagatas, the Dharmas all are thus.  Because they are for

saving the masses of beings, they are all true and not empty.

 It is like an excellent physician, wise and perspicacious,

evidently practiced in prescriptions and skillfully curing the

multitudes of illnesses.  That person has many sons whether

ten, twenty, and even as much as a hundred or more.  Because of

connections with affairs, he goes far off to another country.

The sons later drink another’s poison drugs, the poison becomes

evident and they are in agony and confusion, rolling over on the

ground.   At this time the father comes back and returns to his

house.  Of the sons, having drunk the poison, there are some who

lost their original minds and some who have not lost them.  Seeing

their father from afar, they all rejoice greatly and, bowing and

kneeling, make inquiry: ‘Well have you returned in safety.  We are

foolish and stupid and have swallowed poison drugs.  We request that

you cure us and give us life again.’ The father seeing the sons in

agony like this, seeks according to various prescriptions good

medicinal plants which all are fully endowed with color, fragrance,

and beautiful taste, and pounding and sifting, he combines them

and gives it to his sons and has them swallow it, pronouncing these

words: ‘This great excellent medicine is all fully endowed with

color, fragrance, and beautiful taste.  You should swallow it.  It

will rapidly eliminate your agonizing sufferings and you will have

no sorrows.” Those among the various sons who have not lost their

minds see that this excellent medicine is good in both color and

fragrance and at once swallow this, their illness is completely

eliminated and they are cured.  As to the remainder who have lost

their minds, although on seeing their father coming they also

rejoice and make inquiries and request him to heal their illness,

yet when he gives them the medicine, they are unwilling to swallow

it.  What was the reason?  It is because, since the influence of

poison penetrated deeply and made them lose their original minds,

they say to themselves about this medicine with good color that

it is not beautiful.  The father forms this idea: ‘These sons should

be pitied.  Ruined by the poison, their minds are all wrong-headed.

Although they saw me and rejoiced and sought to be saved and cured,

a good medicine such as this they were not willing to swallow.  I

now am going to set up an expedient to cause them to swallow this

medicine.’  Thereupon, he speaks these words: “You should know I

am now decrepit and old and the time of my death has already

arrived.  This good, excellent medicine now I leave here.  You

should take and swallow it.  Do not worry that you will not be

cured.’  Having given these instructions, he again goes to another

country.  He sends a messenger to return and announce: ‘Your father

is already dead.’  At that time the sons, having heard that their

father has departed in death, are great troubled in mind and form

this recollection:  ‘If our father were here, he would take pity

upon us and save and protect us.  Now he has left us and died in

another country far away.’  They think to themselves, they are

orphaned and exposed and have no further refuge.  Ever nourishing

sad feelings, their minds awaken and they recognize this medicine

is beautiful in color, fragrance, and taste and at once swallow it.

The illnesses from the poison are all cured.  When the father hears

that the sons were already able to be cured, he then comes back

shortly and lets all of them see him.  ‘Good sons! How is it in your

opinions: could there be a person who could declare this excellent

physician guilty of vain falsehood?’  ‘No, World-honored One.’

The Buddha said, ‘I am also like this: since I attained Buddhahood,

it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds of thousands of tens

of thousands of hundreds of thousands of nayutas of asamkheyas of

kalpas.  For the sake of beings, by the power of expedience I say, “I am

about to become extinct.”  Yet again there are none who can declare

according to the Dharma that I am guilty of vain falsehood.”  At that

time the World-honored One, desiring to expound again this doctrine,

preached these verses: (The part below is called the Verses of Most

Distant Past (Kuon ge) Since I obtained Buddhahood The number

of kalpas that have passed Is immeasurable hundreds of thousands

of myriads Of  tens of millions of hundreds of trillions of asamkheyas.

I have ever been preaching the Dharma, Teaching and converting

numberless tens of millions of beings, Causing them to enter the

Buddha Way; Since then it has been immeasurable kalpas.  For the

sake of the masses of beings I perform an expedient and manifest

Nirvana, Yet in reality I do not become extinct; I ever abide here

preaching the Dharma. Although I ever abide here, By various

Divine Pervasive Powers, I cause the wrong-headed masses of beings,

Though close by, not to see me. The masses see My Extinction, And

widely make offering to my relics, And all of them, nourishing

affectionate longing, Produce the mind of adoration.  When the

masses of beings have already submitted and believed, Are simple

and upright with minds gentle and pliant And with single mind

desire to see the Buddha, Not sparing their bodily lives, At that

time I as well as the assemblies of monks Together come forth at

the Spiritual Eagle Mountain (Ryôjusen).  I at that time say to the

masses of beings, ‘I am ever here, not extinguished Yet by the power

of expedience I manifest extinction and non-extinction.  When in other

countries there are masses of beings, Those who reverence and believe

with joy, I likewise among them Preach the Supreme Dharma for them.’

You, not hearing this, Merely say to yourselves that I am extinguished.

When I see the masses of beings, They are drowning in the sea of

suffering.  Therefore I do not manifest My Body, To cause them to

produce adoration.  Because of their hearts’ affectionate longing

Then I come forth and preach the Dharma for them.  My Divine Pervasive

Powers are like this.  For asamkheya [countless numbers] of kalpas

I have ever been at the Spiritual Eagle Mountain (Ryôjusen) As well

as at various other abodes, The masses of beings see the kalpas

exhausted, When they are burned by the great fires; This land of

mine is peaceful and secure; Gods and humans ever fill it.  Gardens

and forests and various halls and pavilions, With various types

of jewels adorned; On the jeweled trees many flowers and fruits,

Wherein the masses of beings take their pleasure and rejoice.  The

gods strike the celestial drums, Ever making instrumental music,

Raining mandara flowers, Scattering them over the Buddha and the

great assemblies.  Though My Pure Land is not destroyed, Yet the

masses see it burned up, Worrisome fears and agonizing sufferings

And such things all filling it up.  These beings of various sins,

Because of the causes and conditions of their evil karma, Though

they pass through asamkheyas of kalpas, Do not hear the name of

the Three Jewels.  Those who have performed merit, Who are gentle

and pliant, simple and upright, Then all see my body, Staying

here, preaching the Dharma.  Sometimes for these masses I preach

the Buddha's Life is immeasurable.  To those who who see the Buddha

only after a long time, I preach for them that the Buddha is

difficult to encounter.  The power of my wisdom is like this; The

illumination of the Light of My Wisdom is immeasurable; My Lifespan

is immeasurable kalpas: They are what I obtained by performing

karma for a long time.  You, those who have wisdom, Do not produce

doubts about this.  You should cut them off and cause them to end

forever: The Buddha's Words are true and not empty.  It is like

the physician who by skilled expedience, For the sake of his sons

gone mad, Though in reality he exists, yet he  says he dies, And

there are none who can declare it is a vain lie.  I likewise am the

Father of the World, The One who saves from the various sufferings

and travails.  Because the unenlightened worldlings are wrong-headed,

Though in reality I exist, I say I am extinguished; Because by seeing

me constantly, They would produce an arrogant and licentious mind,

Self-abandoned, attached to the five desires, And would fall among

the Evil Ways of Rebirth.  I ever know the masses of beings Proceeding

on the Way or not proceeding on the Way; According to what will save

them, I preach for them all sorts of Dharmas. I Myself ever form

this thought: ‘By what shall I cause the masses of beings To be able

to enter the Supreme Way And rapidly achieve the Buddha Body?’

 
 
 
 

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(Formatted here by Steven Polito; Translation and
Copyright © 1994-2001 Hamilton Graham Lamont)