Subhuti’s name means “empty-born” because when he was born the family treasuries were discovered to be empty. His father consulted a diviner who told him this was an extremely auspicious sign and so he was also known as “good and auspicious”. Then, exactly seven days after he was born, the wealth reappeared in the treasuries and he became known as “good appearance”.
Subhuti is the one who understands the most deeply about emptiness. In Vajra Sutra, Venerable Subhuti is representing the incumbent in the dharma assembly, which means that he is on behalf of the masses to call upon the Buddha to lecture on the Vajra teachings.
Subhuti, ‘Born-of-Emptiness’, will in a future age serve and behold three hundreds of myriads of millions of nayutas of Buddhas, making offerings of the ten kinds of offerings: incense, flowers, lamps, beads, canopies, banners, clothing, food and fruit, music, and joined palms, paying reverence, venerating, and praising them, ever cultivating the Brahman conduct, and perfecting the Bodhisattva Way, the Six Penetrations and Ten Thousand Practices.
In his final body, he will become a Buddha called Name Appearance Thus Come One, one worthy of offerings, of proper and universal knowledge, one whose understanding and conduct are complete, a well-gone one who understands the world, an unsurpassed lord, a taming and regulating hero, teacher of gods and humans, Buddha, World Honored One.
His eon will be called Possessing-Jewels. His country will be called Giving Birth to Jewels, his land will be level, with crystal for soil, and jeweled trees for adornments. It will be without hills or gullies, stones, thorns, filth or excrement. Jeweled flowers will cover the ground, purifying it entirely. The people of his land will all dwell on jeweled terraces or in precious, fine towers. The assembly of Hearers will be limitless and boundless, so that they cannot be known by resort to number or analogy. The assembly of Bodhisattvas will number in the countless thousands of myriads of millions of nayutas.
His life span as a Buddha will last for twelve minor eons. The Proper Dharma will dwell there for twenty minor eons. The Dharma Image Age will also dwell there for twenty minor eons. This Buddha will constantly dwell in empty space, speaking Dharma for the multitudes and crossing over limitless Bodhisattvas and Hearers.