Chapter XI

The Appearance of a Jeweled Stupa

At that time there appeared before the Buddha a seven-jeweled stupa, five hundred yojanas in height and two hundred and fifty yojanas both in length and width, which emerged from the ground and hovered in the air. It was adorned with various jewels, had five thousand railings, and thousands of myriads of chambers. It was decorated with innumerable flags and banners and hanging jeweled necklaces, and myriads of koṭis of jeweled bells hung from the top. The fragrance of tamāla leaves and sandalwood trees exuded from all sides of the stupa, covering the world. The banners and umbrellas were composed of the seven jewels such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, mother- of-pearl, agate, pearl, and ruby; and they rose as high as the palaces of the world-protectors of the four quarters.

The thirty-three devas rained down heavenly māndārava flowers in hom- age to the jeweled stupa. The other thousands of myriads of koṭis of humans, and such nonhumans as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas also respected, honored, revered, and praised the precious stupa by offering all kinds of flowers, perfumes, necklaces, flags, banners, and music.

Then a tremendous voice issued forth in praise from the jeweled stupa, saying: “Splendid, splendid! O Śākyamuni! The Bhagavat teaches the Lotus Sutra to the great assembly: the instruction for bodhisattvas and treasured

lore of the buddhas, which is the wisdom attainable by every sentient being! 32c Just so! Just so, O Śākyamuni Bhagavat! What you teach is true!”

Thereupon the fourfold assembly saw the great jeweled stupa hovering in the air and also heard the voice that issued forth from the stupa. They all were pleased with the teaching and marveled at this unprecedented experi- ence. They stood up from their seats, honored Śākyamuni with their palms pressed together, and withdrew to one side.

167The Lotus Sutra

At that time there was a bodhisattva mahāsattva called Mahāpratibhāna who, realizing that the devas, humans, and asuras of the entire world were puzzled, addressed the Buddha saying: “O Bhagavat! Why has this jeweled stupa emerged from the earth? And why has this voice come forth from it?”

Then the Buddha told Bodhisattva Mahāpratibhāna: “The Tathāgata is in this jeweled stupa. In the remote past, immeasurable, incalculable thou- sands of myriads of koṭis of worlds away in the east there was a land called Ratnaviśuddha. In that land there was a buddha called Prabhūtaratna. When this buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path in his previous lives he made a great vow, saying:

If I become a buddha, after my parinirvāṇa if the Lotus Sutra is being taught anywhere in all the lands of the ten directions, my stupa shall appear there so that this sutra may be heard, and in order that I may bear testimony to it and praise it with the word “Splendid!”

“After the Buddha had perfected the path and immediately before his parinirvāṇa, he addressed the monks among the great assembly of devas and humans, saying:

After my parinirvāṇa anyone who wishes to pay me homage should build a great stupa!

“If there is anyone teaching the Lotus Sutra anywhere in the worlds of the ten directions, this buddha makes a jeweled stupa emerge out of the ground in that place through his transcendent powers and the power of his vow. He is in the stupa giving praise with the words, ‘Splendid, splendid!’

“O Mahāpratibhāna! The Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna has now emerged from the earth, within his stupa, so that he may hear the Lotus Sutra and give praise with the words, ‘Splendid, splendid!’”

At that time Bodhisattva Mahāpratibhāna spoke to the Buddha through the Tathāgata’s transcendent powers, saying: “O Bhagavat! We all want to see this buddha’s form.”

The Buddha answered Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Mahāpratibhāna, say- ing: “This Buddha Prabhūtaratna made a great vow, saying:

Whenever my jeweled stupa appears in the presence of a buddha in order to hear the Lotus Sutra, if that buddha wants to show my form

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to the fourfold assembly he should gather into one place all his mag- ically created forms that are teaching the Dharma in the worlds of the ten directions. After that my form will appear.

“O Mahāpratibhāna! I shall now gather all my magically created forms who are teaching the Dharma in the worlds of the ten directions.”

Mahāpratibhāna spoke to the Buddha, saying: “O Bhagavat! We also strongly wish to see the Bhagavat’s magically created forms, to honor and pay homage to them!”

Then the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white hair between

his eyebrows; and they immediately saw the buddhas in five hundred myr-

iads of koṭis of nayutas of lands in the eastern direction equal in number to 33a the sands of the Ganges River. In these lands the soil was of crystal and adorned with treasure trees and jeweled garments; and these lands were full

of innumerable thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas. Jeweled drapes

were hung everywhere and were covered with jeweled nets. All the buddhas

in these lands were teaching the Dharma in most harmonious voices. They

also saw immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas, filling

all the lands and teaching the Dharma to sentient beings.

The other directions to the south, north, and west, the four intermediary directions, and the upper and lower regions were also illuminated by the ray of light emitted from the tuft of white hair between the Buddha’s eyebrows; and they were also exactly like this.

Then all the buddhas in the ten directions each addressed the assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: “O sons of a virtuous family! We will now go to the place where Śākyamuni is in the sahā world and pay homage to the jeweled stupa of the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna.”

At that time the sahā world was immediately purified; the earth was of lapis lazuli, adorned with jeweled trees, its roads laid out like a chessboard and bordered with golden cords; and there were no villages, towns, cities, oceans, rivers, mountains, streams, forests, or groves. Very precious incense was burning, māndārava flowers were spread everywhere on the earth, and it was covered with jeweled nets and drapes from which jeweled bells hung. With the exception of this assembly the devas and human beings were all moved to other lands.

Chapter XI

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