Then the Buddha addressed the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ever Zealous: "If any good son or good daughter receives and keeps this Law-Flower Sutra, or reads, or recites, or expounds, or copies it, that person will obtain eight hundred merits of the eye, twelve hundred merits of the ear, eight hundred merits of the nose, twelve hundred merits of tongue, eight hundred merits of the body,
and twelve hundred merits of the mind; with these merits he will dignify his six organs, making them all serene. That good son or good daughter, with the natural pure eyes received at birth from his parents, will see whatever exists within and without the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, mountains, forests, rivers, and seas, down to the Avici hell and up to the Summit [of Existence], and also see all the living beings in it, as well as see and know in detail all their karma causes and rebirth states of retribution."
Thereupon the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"If one, in the great assembly,
With fearless mind,
Preaches this Law-Flower Sutra -
Hearken to his merits.
That man will obtain eight hundred
Surpassing merits of vision;
Because of these endowments
His eyes will be entirely serene.
With the eyes received from his parents
He will see all the three-thousandfold world,
Within and without, Mount Meru,
Sumeru and its Iron Circle,
And the other mountains and forests,
Great oceans, rivers, and waters,
Down to the Avici hell,
Up to the Summit of Existence;
The living beings in its midst
All will be seen by him;
Though not yet having attained divine vision,
His eyes of flesh have powers like these.
"And again, Ever Zealous! If any good son or good daughter receives and keeps this sutra, or reads or recites or expounds or copies it, he will obtain twelve hundred merits of the ear. With this serene ear he will hear, in the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, downward to the Avici hell, upward to the Summit of Existence, within and without, all various words and sounds, the sounds of elephants, of horses, of cows, of carriages, of wailing, of lamentation, of conchs, of drums, of gongs, of bells, of laughter, of speech, of men, of women, of boys, of girls, of the lawful, of the unlawful, of suffering, of pleasure, of common people, of holy men,
of comfort, of discomfort, of gods, of dragons, of yakshas, of gandharvas, of asuras, of garudas, of kimnaras, of mahoragas, of fire, of water, of wind, of the hells, of the animals, of hungry spirits, of bhikshus, bhikshunis, of shravakas, of pratyekabuddhas, of bodhisattvas, and of buddhas - essentially speaking, whatever sounds there may be within and without the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world; though he has still not obtained the heavenly ear, yet by the natural pure ears received at birth from his parents all these he will hear and know. And thus he discriminates all these various sounds without harm to his organ of hearing."
Thereupon the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"His ears, received from parents,
Are serene and untainted.
By these ordinary ears he hears
The sounds in the three-thousandfold world,
The sounds of elephants, horses, carts, and oxen,
The sounds of gongs, bells, conchs, and drums,
The sounds of lutes and harps,
The sounds of pipes and flutes,
The sounds of pure and lovely song;
He can listen without being under their control.
He hears the sounds of countless kinds of men,
And can understand all he hears;
He hears also the sounds of gods,
And mystic voices of singing;
Hears sounds of men and women,
And sounds of youths and maidens.
In mountains, streams, and gorges,
The sounds of kalavinkas,
Jivakajivakas and other birds,
All these sounds he hears.
The bitter pains of the hosts in hell
And the sounds of their sufferings;
The hungry spirits driven by hunger
And the sounds of their importunity;
The asuras and others
Inhabiting the ocean shores,
When they converse together,
Bellow forth their cries.
Such a preacher as this,
Calmly dwelling amidst this,
Hears from afar all these sounds
Without harm to his organ of hearing.
In the worlds in all directions,
Birds and beasts cry to each other,
And the preacher here abiding
Hears them in every detail.
All the Brahma heavens above,
From those of Light Sound1 and Universal Purity2
To the heaven [called] the Summit of Existence -
The sounds of their conversation
The preacher here abiding
Hears in every detail.
All the host of bhikshus
And of bhikshunis
Reading or reciting the sutra,
Or preaching it to others,
The preacher here abiding
Hears them in every detail.
Again there are the bodhisattvas
Who read and recite this sutra Law
Or preach it unto others,
Collating and expounding its meaning -
All such sounds as these
He hears in every detail.
The buddhas, great and holy honored ones,
Transformers of all living beings,
Who, in their great assemblies,
Proclaim the mystic Law -
He who keeps this Law-Flower
Hears in every detail.
In the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world,
Its sounds within and without,
Downward to the Avici hell,
Upward to the Summit heaven,
All these sounds he will hear
Without harm to his organ of hearing,
And because his ears are acute,
He can discriminate and know them all.
He who keeps this Law-Flower,
Though not yet possessed of heavenly ears
And only using his natural ears,
Has already such merits as these.
"Moreover, Ever Zealous! If any good son or good daughter receives and keeps this sutra, or reads, or recites, or expounds, or copies it, he will attain eight hundred merits of the nose; and by means of this serene organ, in the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, zenith and nadir, within and without, he will smell all kinds of fragrance, the fragrance of sumana flowers, of jatika flowers, of mallika flowers, of campaka flowers, of patala flowers, of red lotus flowers, of blue lotus flowers, of white lotus flowers, of flowering trees, of fruit-bearing trees, of sandalwood, of aloes, of tamalapattras, of tagaras, and of thousands of myriads of blended perfumes, powdered, granular, or in unguents. He who keeps this sutra, while abiding in this place, can discern all these. Again, he will discern the odors of all living beings, the odor of elephants, of horses, of cattle, goats, and so on; of men, of women, of youths, of maidens, and of grass, trees, bushes, and woods; near or far, whatever odor there be, he will perceive it all and discern without mistake.
He who keeps this sutra, though abiding here, will also perceive the odor of the gods in the heavens, of parijata and kovidara, of mandarava flowers, of maha-mandarava flowers, of manjushaka flowers, of maha-manjushaka flowers, of all kinds of powdered sandalwood and aloes, and of many mingled flowers - all the odors exhaled from such mingled celestial perfumes he will never fail to perceive and know. And he will perceive the odor of the bodies of gods, the odor of Shakra Devendra in his Surpassing Palace, indulging his five desires and disporting himself joyfully; or when he is in his Wonderful Law Hall preaching the Law to the gods of the Trayastrimsha; or when he wanders for pleasure in his gardens; also the odor of the bodies of the other male and female gods; from afar will he perceive them.
Thus proceeding to the Brahma world, up to the Summit of Existence, he will also smell all the odors of the bodies of the gods. Besides, he will smell the incense burned by the gods; and the odor of shravakas, of pratyekabuddhas, of bodhisattvas, and of the bodies of buddhas - from afar will he smell all these and know where they abide. Though he smells these odors, yet his organ of smell will not be harmed nor mistaken; and if he wishes to define them to others, his memory will not err."
Thereupon the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"The nose of this man being serene,
[The odor of] everything in this world,
Be it fragrant or be it fetid,
In full detail he smells and knows.
Sumana and jatika,
Tamalapattra and sandal,
Aloes and cinnamon,
Odors of flowers and fruits,
Odors of all the living,
Odors of men and women:
The preacher, dwelling afar,
Smells them and knows their place.
All-powerful wheel-rolling kings,
Minor wheel-rollers and their sons,
All their ministers and courtiers:
He, by smell, knows their place.
The jewels they wear upon them,
The treasures [hidden] in the earth,
The precious queens3 of wheel-rolling kings:
He, by smell, knows their place.
From the things adorning people,
Their clothes and necklaces,
And the perfumes they use for anointing,
He, by smell, knows their persons.
The gods, whether walking or seated,
Their playing and magic powers,
He who keeps this Law-Flower,
By smell, can know in detail.
The scent of tree flowers and fruits
And the fragrance of ghee oil:
He who keeps this Law-Flower,
Abiding here, well knows their place.
Mountain gorges and cliffs,
Diffusion of sandal-tree blossoms,
And all the beings there dwelling
He, by smell, can perfectly know.
The oceans within the iron rim,
The living within their lands:
He who keeps this sutra
By [their] smell knows their place.
Asuras, male and female,
And all their tribe and followers,
When they quarrel or play together
He, by smell, is able to discern.
Prairies or ravines where [roam]
Lions, elephants, tigers, wolves,
Bisons, buffaloes, and their kind:
He, by smell, knows their place.
If there be a woman with child,
Who discerns not yet its sex,
Male, female, organless, or inhuman,
He, by smell, can discern it.
By his power of smell
He knows if the newly pregnant
Will succeed or not in being
Joyfully delivered of happy children.
By his perceptive power of smell
He knows the thoughts of men and women,
Their minds of lust, foolishness, or anger,
And also knows the doers of goodness.
All the treasures hidden in the earth,
Gold, silver, and jewels
Heaped in copper vessels,
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
All sorts of [jeweled] necklaces,
Of price beyond all knowledge -
By smell he knows their value,
Their source, and their location.
The flowers of the [various] heavens,
Mandaravas, manjushakas,
And parijata trees,
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
The palaces of the heavens,
Whether upper, middle, or lower,
Adorned with every precious flower,
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
The heavenly gardens, groves, surpassing palaces,
Studies, and Wonderful Law halls,
And those who take their pleasure in them,
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
Whenever the gods are hearing the Law,
Or indulging the five desires,
Coming, going, walking, sitting, lying -
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
The garments the goddesses wear,
Adorned and perfumed with beautiful flowers,
As they ramble about for pleasure,
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
So is it in turn ascending
Even up to the Brahma worlds;
Those in meditation and out of it
By smell he can clearly distinguish.
From the gods Light Sound and Universal Purity
To the god Summit of All Existence,
From their birth to their disappearance:
By smell he can all distinguish.
All the host of bhikshus
Ever progressing in the Law,
Whether seated or walking about,
Reading and reciting the sutra,
Or, beneath trees in the forest,
Devoting themselves to meditation -
The keeper of [this] sutra, by smell,
Knows their every location.
Bodhisattvas firm of will,
In meditation, or reading the sutra,
Or preaching the Law to others -
By smell he can all distinguish.
The world-honored in every direction,
By all beings revered,
Who pity all and preach the Law -
By smell he can all distinguish.
The living who, in a buddha's presence,
Hear the sutra and rejoice together,
And act according to the Law -
By smell he can all distinguish.
Though not yet possessed of a bodhisattva's
Faultless, Law-begotten organ of smell,
Yet this keeper of the sutra
First obtains this faculty of smell.
"Further, Ever Zealous! If any good son or good daughter receives and keeps this sutra, and either reads, or recites, or expounds, or copies it, he will obtain twelve hundred merits of the tongue. Whatever pleasant or unpleasant, sweet or not sweet, bitter or astringent things meet his tongue will become of the finest flavor, like celestial nectar; nothing will be unpleasant. If, in the assembly, he uses his organ of the tongue to preach, it will send forth a profound and beautiful voice that can enter their hearts, giving them pleasure and joy; and celestial sons and daughters, Shakras, Brahmas, and the gods, hearing what this profound and beautiful voice proclaims and the order of his discourse, will all come and listen to him;
dragons also and female dragons, yakshas and female yakshas, gandharvas and female gandharvas, asuras and female asuras, garudas and female garudas, kimnaras and female kimnaras, mahoragas and female mahoragas will all come to hear the Law, to approach, revere, and pay homage to him; bhikshus also and bhikshunis, upasakas and upasikas, kings and princes with their ministers and followers, minor wheel-rolling kings and great wheel-rolling kings with their seven treasures and their thousand princes and with their internal and external retinue, riding in their palatial chariots, will all come to listen to his Law. Because this bodhisattva so excellently preaches the Law,
Brahmans, citizens, and the people in his country will follow, attend on, and pay homage to him to the end of their bodily life. And shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas will always delight to see him. In whatever quarter this man abides, the buddhas will all preach toward him, and he will be able to receive and keep all the Buddha-law and also to utter the profound and beautiful sound of the Law."
Then the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"Pure is this man's organ of tongue,
Never receiving ill flavors:
Whatsoever he eats,
All becomes as nectar.
With lovely voice, profound and pure,
In the assembly he preaches the Law;
With reasonings and parables,
He leads on the minds of the living.
All his hearers rejoice
And make him the best of offerings.
Gods, dragons, and yakshas,
Asuras and others,
All with reverent minds
Come in company to hear his Law.
If this preacher desires
To make his lovely voice
Fill the three-thousandfold world,
He is able at will to achieve it.
Great and minor wheel-rolling kings
With their thousand princes and followers,
With folded hands and reverent minds,
Constantly come to hear his Law.
Gods, dragons, and yakshas,
Rakshasas and pishacakas
Also with joyful mind
Constantly rejoice to come and worship.
Brahma and Mara,
Ishvara and Maheshvara
And all such heavenly host
Come constantly to him.
Buddhas and disciples,
Hearing the sound of his preaching,
Ever mind and protect him,
At times revealing themselves to him.
"Further, Ever Zealous! If any good son or good daughter receives and keeps this sutra, and either reads, or recites, or expounds, or copies it, he will obtain eight hundred merits of the body; he will obtain a pure body like pure crystal which all the living delight to see. Because of the purity of his body, the living beings of the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, as they are born or die, superior or inferior, fine or ugly, born in good or in bad conditions,
all will be displayed in [his body]. And Mount Iron Circle, Mount Great Iron Circle, Mount Meru, Mount Maha-Meru, and other royal mountains, and the living beings in them, will all be displayed in [his body]. Downward to the Avici hell, upward to the Summit of All Existence, all things and living beings will be displayed [in his body]. Shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas preaching the Law will all display their forms and images in his body."
Then the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
"If [anyone] keeps the Law-Flower Sutra,
His body will be utterly pure,
As that pure lapis lazuli;
All the living will delight to see it.
And as in a pure, bright mirror
Every image is seen,
The bodhisattva, in his pure body,
Sees everything in the world.
He himself alone sees clearly
What others do not see.
In the three-thousandfold world
All the common multitude,
Gods, men, asuras,
Beings in hell, demons, animals -
All such forms and images
Appear there in his body.
The palaces of the gods,
To the Summit of All Existence,
The Iron Circle and Meru,
Mount Maha-Meru,
Great oceans and waters,
All appear in his body.
Buddhas and shravakas,
Buddha-sons, bodhisattvas,
Alone or preaching among the multitude,
All appear [in him].
Though not yet possessed of the flawless,
Mystic, spiritual body,
Yet in his pure ordinary body
Everything is revealed.
"Further, Ever Zealous! If any good son or good daughter, after the extinction of the Tathagata, receives and keeps this sutra, or reads, or recites, or expounds, or copies it, he will obtain twelve hundred merits of thought. With this pure organ of thought, on hearing even a single verse or sentence he will penetrate its infinite and boundless meanings. Having discerned those meanings, he will be able to preach on that single sentence or verse for a month, four months, even a year. And that which he preaches, according to its several meanings, will not be contrary to the truth.
If he refers to popular classics, maxims for ruling the world, means of livelihood, and so forth, all will coincide with the True Law. The beings in the six destinies of the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, whatever is passing through their minds, whatever are the movements of their minds, whatever arguments are diverting their minds - he knows them all. Though such a one has not yet obtained faultless wisdom, yet his organ of thought will be pure like this. Whatever he ponders, estimates, and speaks, all will be the Buddha-law, nothing but truth, and also that which former buddhas have taught in the sutras."
Then the World-honored One, desiring to proclaim this meaning over again, spoke thus in verse:
"The thought of this man is pure,
Lucid, acute, unturbid;
By this mystic organ of thought
He knows all laws, high, low, and mean;
On hearing a single verse
He penetrates its infinite meanings,
And orderly preaches them as Law
For a month, four months, or a year.
All the living creatures of
This world, within and without,
Gods, dragons, human beings,
Yakshas, demons, spirits, others,
Those in the six destinations:
Whatever they may be thinking -
In reward for keeping the Law-Flower,
Instantly he knows them all.
The numberless buddhas of the universe,
With their hundreds of felicitous signs,
Who preach to all the living -
He hears and retains it all.
He ponders the infinite
And preaches the Law without limit,
Never forgets or makes a mistake,
Because he keeps the Law-Flower.
Knowing the form of all laws,
Perceiving their ordered meaning,
Comprehending the terms and words,
He explains them according to knowledge.
Whatever this man preaches
Is the Law of former buddhas;
And because he proclaims this Law,
He is fearless of the throng.
A keeper of the Law-Flower Sutra
Has an organ of thought like this.
Though not yet possessed of faultlessness,
He has such a foretoken as this.
This man, keeping this sutra,
Stands firm on a rare foundation;
By all living beings rejoiced in,
Beloved and reverenced,
He is able, with thousands of myriads
Of kinds of skillful expressions,
To interpret and preach to them
Through keeping the Law-Flower Sutra.
