Sutra_[The Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva]_6

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CHAPTER VI
The Thus Come One's Praises


At that time the World Honored One emitted a great bright light from his
entire body, totally illuminating Buddhalands as many as grains of sand in
billions of Ganges Rivers.

His strong voice reached to all the Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas in those
Buddhalands, as well as to the gods, dragons, ghosts and spirits, humans,
non-humans and others, saying, "Listen today, as I praise Earth Store
Bodhisattva, Mahasattva, who displays an inconceivable awesome spiritual
strength and compassionate power throughout the Ten Directions as he rescues
and protects beings when things happen to them as they suffer for offenses
they have committed.
　　
　　
After I pass into Nirvana, all of you Bodhisattvas, Mahasattvas and all of
you gods, dragons, ghosts, spirits, and others should use vast numbers of
expedient means to protect this Sutra and to cause all beings to realize the
bliss of Nirvana."

After that was said a Bodhisattva named Universally Expansive arose in
the assembly, placed his palms together respectfully, and said to the
Buddha, "We are now about to witness the World Honored One praise Earth
Store Bodhisattva's inconceivably great awesome spiritual virtue.
　　　
　　
We hope the World Honored One will also aid beings in the future Dharma
Ending Age by telling us about how Earth Store Bodhisattva benefits people
and gods and about the working out of cause and effect. That will help the
gods, dragons, and the rest of the Eightfold Division, along with beings of
the future to receive the Buddha's teaching respectfully."

At that time the World Honored One said to the Bodhisattva Universally
Expansive, to the Fourfold Assembly, and others, "Listen attentively, listen
attentively. I will briefly describe to you how Earth Store Bodhisattva's
virtuous deeds keep benefiting people and gods."

Universally Expansive replied, "Excellent, World Honored One. We are happy
to listen."
　　
　　
The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Universally Expansive, "If, in the future,
good men or good women who, upon hearing Earth Store Bodhisattva,
Mahasattva's name, place their palms together, praise him, bow to him, or
gaze in worship, they will overcome thirty eon's worth of offenses.
　　　
Universally Expansive, if good men or good women gaze upon and bow but once
to painted or drawn images of the Bodhisattva or images made using clay,
stone, lacquer, gold, silver, copper and iron, they will be reborn one
hundred times in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and will eternally avoid
falling into the Evil Paths.

If their blessings in the heavens come to an end and they are born in the
human realm, they will become national leaders who suffer no loss of
benefits.
　
　　　

"There may be women who dislike having female bodies. Suppose they
whole-heartedly make offerings to images of Earth Store Bodhisattva that are
paintings or are made using clay, stone, lacquer, copper, iron, or other
materials.

If they continually make such offerings day after day without fail, using
flowers, incense, food, drink, clothing, colored silks, banners, money,
jewels, and other items as offerings, when those good women finish their
current female retributions, then throughout hundreds of thousands of eons
they will never again be born in worlds where there are women, much less be
one, unless it be through the strength of their compassionate vows to
liberate beings.
　

Based on the strength of their offerings to Earth Store Bodhisattva and the
power of their meritorious virtues, they will not be born into female bodies
throughout hundreds of thousands of eons.
　　　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, women who are ugly or prone to sickness
will dislike those problems. If they gaze at and bow to images of Earth
Store Bodhisattva with sincere resolve for even just a few minutes, then
throughout millions of eons, they will always be born with full and perfect
features.
　
If those woman who are ugly do not dislike having female bodies, then
throughout billions of lives they will always be born as women of royal
lineage, or will marry into royalty, or will become daughters of prime
ministers, prominent families, or great Elders.
　


They will be of upright birth and full-featured. They will receive such
blessings from having sincerely beheld and worshipped Earth Store
Bodhisattva.
　
　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, there may be good men or good women who
are able to play music, sing, or chant praises, and make offerings of
incense and flowers before images of the Bodhisattva or who are able to
exhort one or more others to do likewise.

Now and in the future, such people will be surrounded day and night by
hundreds of thousands of ghosts and spirits who will even prevent bad news
from reaching their ears, much less allow them to be personally involved in
any accidents.
　　　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future, evil people, evil spirits,
or evil ghosts may see good men or good women taking refuge with,
respectfully making offerings to, praising, beholding, and bowing to images
of Earth Store Bodhisattva.

Those beings may make the mistake of ridiculing such acts of worship, saying
that they are of no merit. They may sneer at those good people, condemn them
behind their backs, or get a group or even one other person to have even as
little as one thought of condemnation.

Such beings will fall into the Avichi Hell and the extreme misery they will
undergo as retribution for their slander will not end even after the
thousand Buddhas of the Worthy Eon have passed into tranquility.

Only after that eon will they be reborn among the hungry ghosts, where they
will pass a thousand more eons before being reborn as animals. Only after
another thousand eons will they obtain human bodies, but they will be poor
and lowly with incomplete faculties, and their evil karma will cause them to
suffer mental afflictions. Before long they will fall into the Evil Paths
again.

Universally Expansive, such are the retributions that will undergo those who
ridicule and slander others' acts of worship. How much worse will the
retributions be if besides their slandering, they have other evils views.
　
　　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future, men or women may be
bedridden for years and in spite of their wishes be unable either to get
well or to die. At night they may dream of evil ghosts, or of family and
relatives, or of wandering on dangerous paths. In numerous nightmares they
may roam with ghosts and spirits.

As days, months, and years go by, such people may weaken and waste away, cry
out in pain in their sleep, and become progressively depressed and
melancholy.

Those things happen when the force of karma has not yet been determined,
which makes it difficult for them to die and impossible for them to be
cured. The ordinary eyes of men and women cannot recognize such things.
　
　　　
"In that situation some people should recite this Sutra aloud once before
images of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

They should also offer possessions which those sick people cherish, such as
clothing, jewels, gardens, or houses. They should speak distinctly to the
sick people saying, 'Now before this Sutra or these images, we are offering
these items on behalf of these sick people.' They may offer sutras or
images, or commission images of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, or build stupas or
monasteries, or light oil lamps, or give to the Eternally Dwelling.

They should tell the sick people three times about the offerings that are
being made, informing them so they both hear and understand what is being
done.
　
　　　
"If their consciousnesses are already scattered and their breathing has
stopped, then for one, two, three, four, and on through seven days, others
should continue to inform them clearly and to read this Sutra aloud.

When those people's lives end, they will gain liberation from all heavy and
disastrous offenses they committed in previous lives, even offenses
warranting Fivefold Relentless Retribution. They will be born in places
where they will always know past lives.

How much greater will the karmic reward be if good men or good women can
write out this Sutra themselves or commission others to do so. If they can
carve or paint images themselves or commission others to do so, the benefits
they receive will be great indeed!

"Therefore, Universally Expansive, if you see people reading and reciting
this Sutra or even having a single thought of praise for it, or if you meet
someone who reveres it, you should employ hundreds of thousands of
expedients to exhort such people to be diligent and not retreat.

In both the present and the future they will be able to obtain billions of
inconceivable meritorious virtues.
　　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, beings in the future may, while dreaming
or drowsy, see ghosts, spirits, and other forms that are either sad,
weeping, or worried, fearful, or terrified.

Those are all fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters,
husbands, wives, and relatives from one, ten, a hundred, or a thousand lives
past who have not yet been able to leave the bad destinies.

They have no place from which to hope for the power of blessings to rescue
them, and so they try to communicate with their closest descendants, hoping
that those relatives will use some skillful means to help them get out of
the Evil Paths.
　
　
"Universally Expansive, using your spiritual powers, exhort those
descendants to recite this Sutra with sincere resolve before the images of
Buddhas or Bodhisattvas or to request others to recite it, either three or
seven times.

When the Sutra has been read aloud the proper number of times, relatives in
the Evil Paths will obtain liberation and never again be seen by those who
are dreaming or drowsy.
　
　　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, people of low station, and those who are
slaves, or who are bonded, or who are deprived of their freedom in other
ways may be aware of their past deeds and wish to repent of them and to
reform.

If while beholding and bowing to Earth Store Bodhisattva's image with
sincere resolve for seven days they are able to recite his name a full ten
thousand times, then when their current retribution ends, those people will
always be born into wealth and honor for thousands lives. How much the more
will they avoid any of the sufferings of the Three Evil Paths.
　
　　"Moreover, Universally Expansive, in the future in Jambudvipa when the
wives of Kshatriyas, Brahmans, Elders, Upasakas, and those of other names
and clans are about to give birth to sons or daughters, the family members
should recite this inconceivable Sutra and recite the Bodhisattva's name a
full ten thousand times during the seven days before the birth of their
children.

If those infants, whether male or female, were destined to undergone a
terrible retribution for things done in past lives, they will be liberated
from those retributions. They will be peaceful, happy, easily raised, and
will have long lives.

If those children were due to receive blessings, then their peace and
happiness will increase, as will their lifespans.

　　　　
"Moreover, Universally Expansive, on the first, eighth, fourteenth,
fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, twenty-eighth,
twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of the lunar month, the offenses of beings
are tabulated and their gravity assessed.

"Every single movement or stirring of thought on the part of beings of
Jambudvipa creates karma and offenses. How much more is that the case when
they （blatantly)unrestrainedly indulge in killing, stealing, sexual
misconduct, false speech and hundreds of thousands of other kinds of overt
offenses.
　
　　　"If they are able to recite this Sutra once on those ten vegetarian
days, before the images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or worthy one and sages,
then there will be no disasters for within a radius of one hundred yojanas.


The relatives of those who recite, both old and young, now and in the
future, will be apart from the Evil Paths throughout hundreds of thousands
of years.
　　

If they can recite this sutra once on each of these ten vegetarian days,
then there will be no accidents or illnesses in the family, and there will
be food and clothing in abundance.
　

"Universally Expansive, you should know of the beneficial deeds done by
Earth Store Bodhisattva as he makes use of his indescribably many billions
of great awesome spiritual powers.

　　　The beings of Jambudvipa have strong affinities with this Bodhisattva.
If they hear the Bodhisattva's name, see the Bodhsattva's image, or hear but
a few words, a verse, or sentence of this Sutra, then they will enjoy
particularly wonderful peace and happiness in this present life.

Through hundreds of thousands of ten thousands of future lives, they will
always be handsome or beautiful, and they will be born into honorable and
wealthy families."

　　　　
Having heard the Buddha, Thus Come One, praise Earth Store Bodhisattva in
that way. Universally Expansive Bodhisattva knelt, placed his palms
together, and again addressed the Buddha, saying, "World Honored One, I have
long known that this Bodhisattva has both inconceivable spiritual powers and
mighty vows. I have questioned the Thus Come One so that beings in the
future will know of these benefits. I receive this answer most respectfully.
　
　　　
World Honored One, how should this Sutra be titled and how should we
propagate it?"

The Buddha said to Universally Expansive, "This Sutra has three titles:
the first is The Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva;
it is also called Earth Store's Past Conduct; and
it is called Sutra of the Power of Earth Store's Past Vows.
　

Because this Bodhisattva repeatedly makes such great and mighty vows
throughout long eons to benefit beings, you should all propagate this Sutra
in accord with his vows."

After Universally Expansive had heard that, he placed his palms together
respectfully, made obeisance, and withdrew.



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