VIMALAKIRTI SUTRA
Translated by Imperial Edict
Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva of Yao Qin
— o O o —
Chapter Ten
THE BUDDHA OF FRAGRANCE
At that time, Sariputra thought to himself, “The noon meal time is approaching. What will these bodhisattvas eat?”
Vimalakirti, knowing his thought, said to him, “The Buddha taught the eight liberations, which you have received and practiced. Why mix thoughts of food while listening to Dharma? If you wish to eat, wait a moment. I will let you obtain a meal never before known.”
Then Vimalakirti entered samadhi. By spiritual power he showed the great assembly, in the upper direction beyond Buddha-lands as many as the sands of forty-two Ganges rivers, a world named All-Fragrance, where the Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation presently abides.
The fragrance of that land surpasses all fragrances of humans and devas in all Buddha-worlds of the ten directions. There are no names of sravakas or pratyekabuddhas there. There is only a pure assembly of great bodhisattvas, and the Buddha teaches Dharma to them.
In that world, everything is made of fragrance-palaces. They walk upon fragrant ground. Gardens and groves are all fragrant. The fragrance of their food pervades immeasurable worlds in the ten directions.
At that moment, Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation and the bodhisattvas were seated together about to take their meal. There were heavenly sons, all named Fragrant-Adornment, who had all generated the mind of unsurpassed, complete enlightenment and were making offerings to that Buddha and the bodhisattvas. The entire assembly here saw this clearly.
Then Vimalakirti asked the bodhisattvas, “Noble ones, who can go there to obtain the Buddha’s meal?”
By Manjusri’s majestic power, all remained silent.
Vimalakirti said, “Noble assembly, do not be ashamed.”
Manjusri said, “As the Buddha teaches: do not slight those still learning.”
Thereupon Vimalakirti, without rising from his seat, manifested before the assembly a bodhisattva of radiant major and minor marks, with surpassing majesty. He said to this transformed bodhisattva:
“Go to that upper region, beyond forty-two Ganges-sands of Buddha-lands, to the world called All-Fragrance, where the Buddha Fragrance-Accumulation is seated with bodhisattvas about to eat. When you arrive, say these words in my name:
“‘Vimalakirti bows at the World-Honored One’s feet, with immeasurable reverence, and inquires: Is your rising, resting, and conduct peaceful? Are you with little illness and little affliction? Is your strength secure and at ease?
“He humbly requests a portion of the World-Honored One’s remaining food, to perform Buddha-work in the Saha world, so those who delight in lesser dharma there may be led into the vast great path, and so the Tathagata’s name may be widely heard.'”
Then before the assembly the transformed bodhisattva rose into the upper direction, and all saw him depart. Reaching the All-Fragrance world, he bowed at that Buddha’s feet and spoke exactly those words.
The great bodhisattvas there, seeing this transformed bodhisattva, exclaimed at what had never been seen before: “From where has this superior one come? Where is this Saha world? Why are there beings called ‘those who delight in lesser dharma’?” They then asked their Buddha.
The Buddha said:
“In the lower direction, beyond forty-two Ganges-sands of Buddha-lands, there is a world called Saha. The Buddha there is Sakyamuni, now present in an evil age of five defilements, expounding the path for beings who delight in lesser dharma.
“There is a bodhisattva there named Vimalakirti, abiding in inconceivable liberation, teaching Dharma to bodhisattvas. Therefore he sent this emanation here to praise my name and extol this land, so that bodhisattvas there may increase their merit.”
Those bodhisattvas asked, “What kind of person is he, that he can create such an emanation with such fearless virtue-power and spiritual mastery?”
The Buddha replied, “His power is immense. Throughout all ten directions he sends emanations to perform Buddha-work and benefit beings.”
Then Tathagata Fragrance-Accumulation filled a bowl from the All-Fragrance world with fragrant rice and gave it to the transformed bodhisattva.
At that time, nine million bodhisattvas together voiced: “We wish to go to the Saha world, to make offerings to Sakyamuni Buddha and also to see Vimalakirti and the bodhisattva assembly.”
The Buddha said, “You may go. But gather in your bodily fragrance, so beings there do not give rise to confusion and attachment. Also, relinquish your original forms, lest those seeking the bodhisattva path there become ashamed. And do not despise them or generate thoughts of obstruction.
“Why? The Buddha-lands of the ten directions are all like empty space. Buddhas, in order to transform beings who delight in lesser dharma, do not fully display their pure lands.”
Then the transformed bodhisattva, having received the bowl of food, together with those nine million bodhisattvas, by the Buddha’s power and Vimalakirti’s power, instantly disappeared from that world and in a moment arrived at Vimalakirti’s house.
At once Vimalakirti manifested nine million lion-thrones, magnificently adorned as before, and all those bodhisattvas sat upon them.
The transformed bodhisattva then offered the full bowl of fragrant rice to Vimalakirti. The fragrance spread throughout the city of Vaisali and the entire trichiliocosm.
Brahmins, householders, and others in Vaisali, smelling that fragrance, felt joy and ease in body and mind and praised it as unprecedented.
Then a great householder named Moon-Canopy, with eighty-four thousand people, came to Vimalakirti’s house. Seeing many bodhisattvas there and lion-thrones lofty, broad, and adorned, they rejoiced greatly, bowed to the bodhisattvas and great disciples, and stood to one side.
Earth spirits, sky spirits, and devas of the desire and form realms also, smelling the fragrance, came and entered Vimalakirti’s house.
At that time Vimalakirti said to Sariputra and the great sravakas:
“Noble ones, partake of this nectar-flavored rice of the Tathagata, infused with great compassion. Do not eat it with narrow, limited minds, lest it not digest.”
One sravaka wondered, “This rice is so little-how can this great assembly all eat?”
The transformed bodhisattva said:
“Do not use the small merit and small wisdom of sravakas to measure the Tathagata’s immeasurable merit-wisdom. The four seas may be exhausted, but this rice cannot be.
“Even if all people formed rice-balls as large as Mount Sumeru and ate for an entire kalpa, it still would not be exhausted. Why? What remains from the meal of one complete in inexhaustible morality, samadhi, wisdom, liberation, and liberation-knowledge can never be exhausted.”
Thus the rice from that bowl fully satisfied the entire assembly and still was not used up.
Those bodhisattvas, sravakas, devas, and humans who ate it felt body and mind peaceful and joyful, like the bodhisattvas of all adorned blissful lands. Moreover, every pore of their bodies emitted wondrous fragrance, just like the fragrances of trees in the All-Fragrance world.
Then Vimalakirti asked the bodhisattvas from All-Fragrance:
“How does Tathagata Fragrance-Accumulation teach Dharma?”
They answered:
“In our land, the Tathagata does not teach through letters and speech. He uses fragrances to enable devas and humans to enter disciplined conduct. Each bodhisattva sits beneath fragrant trees. Smelling this wondrous fragrance, they immediately attain samadhi called Treasury of All Virtues. Having attained this samadhi, all bodhisattva merits become complete.”
Those bodhisattvas then asked Vimalakirti:
“How does Sakyamuni, the World-Honored One here, teach Dharma?”
Vimalakirti replied:
“Beings in this land are stubborn and hard to transform. Therefore the Buddha uses strong words to tame them. He says:
“This is hell; this is animal realm; this is hungry ghost realm.
These are difficult states; these are births of fools.
This is wrong action of body; this is its retribution.
This is wrong action of speech; this is its retribution.
This is wrong action of mind; this is its retribution.
“This is killing; this is its retribution.
This is stealing; this is its retribution.
This is sexual misconduct; this is its retribution.
This is false speech; this is its retribution.
This is divisive speech; this is its retribution.
This is harsh speech; this is its retribution.
This is frivolous speech; this is its retribution.
“This is greed; this is its retribution.
This is anger; this is its retribution.
This is wrong view; this is its retribution.
This is stinginess; this is its retribution.
This is breaking precepts; this is its retribution.
This is hostility; this is its retribution.
This is laziness; this is its retribution.
This is scattered mind; this is its retribution.
This is delusion; this is its retribution.
“This is establishing precepts; this is upholding precepts; this is violating precepts.
This should be done; this should not be done.
This is obstruction; this is non-obstruction.
This is offense; this is freedom from offense.
This is purity; this is defilement.
This is with outflows; this is without outflows.
This is wrong path; this is right path.
This is conditioned; this is unconditioned.
This is worldly; this is nirvana.
“Because these people are hard to tame and their minds are like monkeys, the Buddha uses many methods to control their minds; only then can they be trained.
“It is like untamed elephants and horses: only after severe discipline that reaches to the bone are they subdued. So too with stubborn beings difficult to transform: only through all these sharp and urgent teachings can they enter discipline.”
Hearing this, the bodhisattvas from that world all exclaimed:
“Unprecedented! Sakyamuni, the World-Honored One, conceals his immeasurable sovereign power and uses teachings suited to those who enjoy lesser dharma, thereby liberating beings. These bodhisattvas also bear toil with humility, and through immeasurable great compassion are born in this Buddha-land.”
Vimalakirti said:
“The bodhisattvas of this land have firm great compassion for beings, exactly as you said.
“Indeed, one lifetime of benefiting beings in this world exceeds what is done by good practice in other pure lands for hundreds of thousands of kalpas.
“Why? Because this Saha world has ten wholesome practices not found in other pure lands.
“What ten?
“1. Using generosity to gather the poor.
2. Using pure precepts to gather those who break precepts.
3. Using patience to gather the angry.
4. Using vigor to gather the lazy.
5. Using meditation to gather the distracted.
6. Using wisdom to gather the ignorant.
7. Teaching methods to remove the eight difficulties.
8. Using Great Vehicle Dharma to guide those attached to lesser vehicle.
9. Using wholesome roots to aid those without virtue.
10. Constantly using the four means of embracing to perfect beings.”
That is the ten wholesome practices.
Those bodhisattvas asked:
“How many dharmas must a bodhisattva perfect in this world so that his conduct is faultless and he is born in a pure land?”
Vimalakirti replied:
“A bodhisattva who perfects eight dharmas in this world will have faultless conduct and be born in a pure land.
“What eight?
“1. Benefiting beings without seeking repayment.
2. Bearing all suffering on behalf of all beings.
3. Giving all one’s accumulated merit to beings.
4. Equal-heartedness toward all beings, humble and unobstructed.
5. Regarding all bodhisattvas as Buddhas.
6. Hearing sutras not previously heard without doubt.
7. Not opposing sravakas; not envying others’ offerings; not exalting one’s own gain; always taming one’s own mind.
8. Constantly examining one’s own faults, never speaking of others’ shortcomings, and single-mindedly seeking all virtues.”
“These are the eight dharmas.”
When Vimalakirti and Manjusri finished teaching these dharmas in the great assembly, hundreds of thousands of devas and humans generated the mind of unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, and ten thousand bodhisattvas attained the patience of non-arising dharmas.