At that time the World-honored One, after pronouncing this verse, addressed all the great assembly, uttering words like these: "This my disciple Maha-Kashayapa in the world to come shall do homage to three hundred myriad kotis of the world-honored buddhas, serving, revering, honoring, and extolling them and widely proclaiming the infinite great Law of the buddhas. In his final bodily state he will become a buddha, whose name will be called Radiance Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Men, Buddha, World-honored One, whose domain is named Radiant Virtue, and whose kalpa is named Great Magnificence. The lifetime of [that] buddha will be twelve minor kalpas, his Righteous Law will abide in the world for twenty minor kalpas, and the Counterfeit Law will also abide for twenty minor kalpas. His domain will be beautiful, devoid of dirt, potsherds, thorns, and unclean ordure; its land will be level and straight, with no uneven places, neither pitfalls nor mounds, its ground of lapis lazuli, lines of jewel trees, golden cords to bound the ways, strewn with precious flowers, and purity [reigning] everywhere. In that domain the bodhisattvas will be infinite thousand kotis, with shravakas numberless. No Mara deeds will be there, and though there are Mara and Mara's people, they all will protect the Buddha-law."
At that time the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"I say to you bhikshus
That with my Buddha-eyes
I see that this Kashyapa
In the world to come
After innumerable kalpas,
Will become a buddha,
And that in the world to come
He will serve and pay homage to
Three hundred myriad kotis
Of world-honored buddhas;
For the sake of the Buddha-wisdom
He will purely practice the brahma-life,
Serving the highest
And most honored of men,
Putting into practice all
The peerless wisdom,
And in his final bodily state
Become a buddha.
His land will be pure,
With lapis lazuli for ground,
Abundance of jewel trees
Lining the roadsides,
Golden cords to bound the ways,
Rejoicing the beholders,
Ever-pervading fragrance,
Rare flowers strewn everywhere,
Every kind of rarity
Adding to its splendor;
Its land will be level,
Free from mounds and hollows.
Many bodhisattvas,
Of untold numberAnd gentle mind,
Will attain great transcendent powers
And reverently keep the Buddha's
Great-vehicle sutras.
His multitude of shravakas,
Of faultless final form,
Sons of the Law-king,
Will be beyond count;
Even the eyes of the gods
Cannot know their number.
That buddha's lifetime will be
Twelve minor kalpas;
His Righteous Law will abide in the world
For twenty minor kalpas;
The Counterfeit Law will abide
For twenty minor kalpas.
Such will be the history of
The Radiant World-honored One."
Thereupon Maha-Maudgalyayana, Subhuti, Maha-Katyayana, and others all tremblingly folded their hands with one mind, and gazing up into the World-honored One's face, not for an instant lowering their eyes, with united voice spoke thus in verse:
"Great Hero, World-honored One,
Law-king of the Shakyas!
Out of compassion for us
Grant us the Buddha-announcement!
If thou dost know the depths of our minds
And predict our future destinies,
It will be like pouring sweet dew
To change the heat to coolness,
Like one from a famine land
Suddenly finding a royal repast,
Yet cherishing doubt and fear,
Not daring at once to eat,
But when instructed by the king,
Then daring to eat.
Thus it is with us;
While minding Hinayana error,
We know not how to obtain
The supreme wisdom of the Buddha.
Though we hear the voice of the Buddha,
Who says we shall become buddhas,
Our hearts are still anxious and afraid,
Like him who dare not eat.
But if we receive the Buddha's prediction,
Then shall we be happy and at ease.
Great Hero, World-honored One!
Thou dost ever desire to pacify the world;
Be pleased to bestow our prediction,
Like bidding the famished to feast!"
Thereupon the World-honored One, knowing the thoughts in the minds of those senior disciples, addressed all the bhikshus: "This Subhuti, in the world to come, shall do homage to three hundred myriad kotis of nayutas of buddhas, serving, revering, honoring, and extolling them, practicing the brahma-life, and perfecting the bodhisattva-way. In his final bodily state he will become a buddha whose title will be Name Form1 Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Men, Buddha, World-honored One, whose kalpa is named Possessing Jewels, and whose domain is named Jewel Producing. His land will be level and straight, with crystal for ground, adorned with jewel trees, devoid of mounds and pits, gravel, thorns, and unclean ordure, the earth covered with precious flowers, and purity [reigning] everywhere.
All the people in that land will dwell on jeweled terraces and in pearly palaces. Shravaka disciples will be innumerable and limitless, they can be made known neither by figures nor by metaphors, and the bodhisattva host will be numberless thousand myriad kotis of nayutas. The lifetime of [that] buddha will be twelve minor kalpas, his Righteous Law will abide in the world for twenty minor kalpas, and the Counterfeit Law will also abide for twenty minor kalpas. That buddha will always dwell in the empyrean, preaching the Law to living beings and delivering innumerable bodhisattvas and shravakas."
At that time the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:"All you host of bhikshus!
I have something to tell you.
All with one mind
Listen to what I say!
My senior disciple
Subhuti
Will become a buddha
Whose title will be Name Form.
He will serve numberless
Myriad kotis of buddhas,
And following the practice of the buddhas,
Will become perfect in the Great Way.
In his final bodily state
He will obtain the thirty-two signs,
And be erect and beautiful
As a mountain of jewels.
The domain of the buddha
Will be peerless in pure splendor,
So that all who behold [it]
Will love and delight in it.
The buddha in its midst
Will save innumerable beings;
In his Buddha-law
Many will be the bodhisattvas,
All of keen faculties,
Who roll the never-receding wheel.
His domain is ever
Ornate with bodhisattvas;
His shravaka host is
Beyond expression and count,
Who all attain the three clear [views],
Perfect the six transcendent [faculties],
Abide in the eight emancipations,
And are greatly awe-inspiring.
That Buddha preaches the law,
Revealing himself in infinite
Supernatural transformations
Beyond conception.
Gods and people
As the sands of the Ganges in number
All with folded hands
Hearken to that buddha's words.
That buddha's lifetime will be
Twelve minor kalpas,
His Righteous Law will abide in the world
For twenty minor kalpas,
And the Counterfeit Law will also abide
For twenty minor kalpas."
At that time the World-honored One again addressed all the assembly of bhikshus, [saying]: "Now I announce to you that this Maha-Katyayana, in the world to come, will worship and serve eight thousand kotis of buddhas with many kinds of offerings, revering and honoring them. After those buddhas are extinct he for each [of them] will erect stupas a thousand yojanas in height, of equal length and breadth, five hundred yojanas, composed of the precious seven--gold, silver, lapis lazuli, moonstone, agate, pearl, and carnelian--and will serve those stupas with garlands of flowers, perfume,2 sandal powder,3 burning incense, silk canopies, flags, and banners. After this he will again similarly serve two myriad kotis of buddhas; and, having served these buddhas, he will complete his bodhisattva-way and become a buddha whose title will be Jambunada Golden Light4 Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Men, Buddha,
World-honored One. His land will be level and straight, with crystal for ground, adorned with jewel trees, with golden cords to bound the ways, its ground covered with wonderful flowers, and purity [reigning] everywhere, so that beholders rejoice. The four evil conditions will not be there--hells, hungry spirits, animals, and asuras--[but] gods and men will be many, and infinite myriad kotis of shravakas and bodhisattvas will adorn his domain. The lifetime of that buddha will be twelve minor kalpas, his Righteous Law will abide in the world for twenty minor kalpas, and the Counterfeit Law will also abide for twenty minor kalpas."At that time the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"All of you host of bhikshus!
Listen to me with one mind!
The words that I speak
Are true and infallible.
This Katyayana
Will, with various kinds
Of excellent offerings,
Pay homage to buddhas.
After the buddhas are extinct
He will erect stupas of the precious seven
And also, with flowers and perfumes,
Pay homage to their relics;
In his final bodily state
He will obtain the Buddha-wisdom
And accomplish Perfect Enlightenment.
His land will be pure.
And he will save innumerable
Myriad kotis of the living,
Being worshiped by all
In every direction.
His buddha-luster
None can surpass,
And his buddha-title will be
Jambunada Golden Light.
Bodhisattvas and shravakas
Free from all existence,
Numberless, uncountable,
Will adorn his domain."
Thereupon the World-honored One again addressed the great assembly, [saying]: "Now I announce to you that Maha-Maudgalyayana will, with various kinds of offerings, serve eight thousand buddhas, revering and honoring them. After the extinction of these buddhas he for each [of them] will erect stupas a thousand yojanas in height, of equal length and breadth, five hundred yojanas, composed of the precious seven, gold, silver, lapis lazuli, moonstone, agate, pearl, and carnelian, and will serve them with garlands of flowers, perfume, sandal powder, burning incense, silk canopies, flags, and banners. After this he will again similarly serve two hundred myriad kotis of buddhas, and then become a buddha, whose title will be Tamalapattra Sandal Fragrance Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct,
Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Men, Buddha, World-honored One. His kalpa will be named Joyful and his domain named Glad Mind. Its land will be level and straight, with crystal for ground, adorned with jewel trees, strewn with pearly flowers, and purity [reigning] everywhere, so that beholders rejoice. There will be gods, men, bodhisattvas, and shravakas, countless in number. The lifetime of that buddha will be twenty-four minor kalpas, his Righteous Law will abide in the world for forty minor kalpas, and the Counterfeit Law will also abide for forty minor kalpas."
Thereupon the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim the teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:"This my disciple
Maha-Maudgalyayana,
After casting aside this body,
Will see eight thousand
Two hundred myriad of kotis
Of world-honored buddhas,
And, for the sake of the Buddha-way,
Will serve and revere them.
Among these buddhas,
Ever practicing the brahma-life
For innumerable kalpas,
He will keep the Buddha-law.
After these buddha are extinct,
He will erect stupas of the precious seven,
Displaying afar their golden spires,
And, with flowers, perfumes, and music
Pay homage to
The stupas of the buddhas.
Having gradually accomplished
The bodhisattva-way,
In the domain Glad Mind
He will become a buddha,
Styled Tamalapattra
Sandal Fragrance.
The lifetime of that buddha
Will be twenty-four kalpas.
Constantly to gods and men
He will preach the Buddha-way.
Shravakas will be innumerable
As the sands of the Ganges,
Having the three clear [views], the six transcendent [faculties],
And awe-inspiring powers.
Bodhisattvas will be numberless,
Firm in their will, and zealous
In the Buddha-wisdom,
Who never backslide.
After this buddha is extinct,
His Righteous Law will abide
For forty minor kalpas
And the Counterfeit Law the same.
[You] my disciples
Of perfect powers,
Five hundred in number,
All will receive their prediction
To become buddhas
In the world to come.
Of my and your
Development in previous worlds
I will now make declaration.
