Tejaguṇarāja
Chapter 30
Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Therefore, young man, you should train in this way, thinking, ‘I will abandon even the pleasures of the kingship of a divine cakravartin and enter homelessness.’
30.2 “Young man, having entered homelessness you should maintain the disciplines of mendicancy, live in solitude, and develop perfect mildness and patience.
30.3 “Young man, you should apply yourself diligently, as if your hair and clothes were on fire, and listen to the samādhi, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, learn it, understand it, keep it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.
30.4 “Young man, you should always, like a rhinoceros, dwell without a companion in the forest.”956 [F.95.b]
30.5 Thereupon the Bhagavān, in order to explain this topic,957 gave a detailed teaching on this episode from the past by chanting the following verses to the youth Candraprabha:
30.6
“I remember many hundreds of eons ago
There was a guide of limitless renown.
Multitudes of humans, devas, and nāgas made offerings to him.
He was a jina named Tejaguṇarāja. {1}
30.7
“During that time there formed a community
Of a hundred and sixty million bhikṣus with higher cognitions,
Who had completely attained the power of the discernments,
Who practiced the austerity of the disciplines of mendicancy, and who had peaceful minds. {2}
30.8
“At that time there were in this Jambudvīpa
One billion seven hundred and sixty million towns,
And each of them was five yojanas wide,
And was particularly supreme, made of the seven precious materials. {3}
30.9
“At that time, all of those perfect towns
Were adorned by many hundreds of parks,
And all those parks were adorned
With fresh flowers and fruit, like massed clouds. {4}
30.10
“Those perfect parks were adorned
With various beautiful trees with edible fruits—
Covered with jackfruits, mangos, rose apples, and breadfruit,
And with hundreds of karnikara, magnolia, and puṇṇaga trees. {5}
30.11
“At that time, flocks of birds in banyan trees would sing—
Hundreds of cuckoos, avadavats, and peacocks,
And flocks of many other birds were heard:
The songs of parrots,958 partridges, and snipes. {6}
30.12
“There was the supreme sound of the songs of bees and partridges
That equaled that of Dhṛtarāṣṭra,959 the king of geese.
They had bright, multicolored bodies, brilliant with great hues,
And sang delightful, beautiful, charming songs. {7}
30.13
“At that time, there were gatherings of these birds,
There were the songs of avadavats, peacocks, and parrots,960
Cuckoos, mynas, and a variety of other birds—
Various kinds of songs from many birds. {8}
30.14
“They dwelt in those hundreds of parks
Where there were the blossoms of karnikara,
Gardenia, aśoka, and kachnar trees,
As well as red lotuses, blue lotuses, night lotuses, and white lotuses. {9}
30.15
“They were beautified by lotus flower ponds
That were adorned by a hundred thousand lotuses.
There were beautiful, exquisite lotus ponds [F.96.a]
Adorned by the fragrance of the most delightful scents. {10}
30.16
“At that time, the king in this Jambudvīpa
Was the lord of men whose name was Dṛdhadatta.
He had five hundred sons
Who were handsome and beautiful to see. {11}
30.17
“At that time the kingdom was peaceful and happy,
Free of calamities, and filled with joy and peace.
Jambudvīpa was adorned by many flowers.
It was identical to a paradise, with no difference. {12}
30.18
“At that time there was a jina, one with the ten strengths,
Without bad actions, who taught this supreme samādhi:
‘The beings within existence are like dreams.
There is no one who is born and no one who dies. {13}
30.19
“ ‘There is no being to be found, and no soul,961 or person.962
These phenomena are like dreams963 or a plantain tree;964
Like illusions, the same as lightning in the sky;
Like the moon on water, the same as a mirage.965 {14}
30.20
“ ‘There is no person who dies in this world,
Who departs and goes to another world.
But the karma that has been created is not destroyed.
It will ripen as good and bad results within saṃsāra. {15}
30.21
“ ‘It is neither eternal nor is it annihilated.
There is no accumulation or presence of karma,
Yet if it has been created there is no way to avoid encountering it,
While that which is created by others will not be experienced. {16}
30.22
“ ‘There is no passing away or returning.
There is no existence of all things, yet neither are they nonexistent.
There is no pure engagement with the locus of a view.
There is no conduct of beings and no engagement with peace. {17}
30.23
“ ‘The conduct of the sugatas, the qualities of the jinas,
Are birthlessness, peace, and the absence of attributes.
The supreme leaders, the buddhas, have these strengths and retentions,
And the strength of the ten strengths. {18}
30.24
“ ‘The supreme good qualities, the accumulation of qualities,
Are the supreme qualities, wisdom, retentions, strengths,
The supreme manifestation of miraculous powers,
And the attainment of the five966 supreme higher cognitions. {19}
30.25
“ ‘There is no essence here to be known whatsoever.
There is no coming, no going; that is the subtle967 mode of phenomena.968
The essence of phenomena has no movement whatsoever,
Thus the mode of phenomena is the mode of no movement. {20}
30.26
“ ‘The natural mode is not in the accumulation of words.
This mode, this nature, does not dwell anywhere. [F.96.b]
The natural mode is without dwelling, is nondependent.
It is the level of peace, the stainless domain of the jinas. {21}
30.27
“ ‘It is the mode of peace, complete peace, total peace.
That mode does not dwell anywhere.
It always accompanies the nature of things.
It is subtle,969 difficult to see, and an unfluctuating state. {22}
30.28
“ ‘It does not fluctuate but continues to be itself.
It is a continuing nature that neither stays nor comes.
This continuing nature cannot be described.
It is the empty, unfluctuating continuity of phenomena. {23}
30.29
“ ‘It is taught in words but it is not the mode of words.
The mode of the nature of words is the mode of phenomena.
The aggregation of words has no location anywhere,
And that mode of its nature is the mode of phenomena. {24}
30.30
“ ‘The words that describe the mode are not the mode of being.
The nature of phenomena is a mode of subtle970 meaning.
Though words are spoken, that is not the mode of being;
Words cannot be found and neither can the mode of being. {25}
30.31
“ ‘There is no endlessness, nor an end, nor a mode in between.
There is no existence nor nonexistence, nor a partial mode.
The knowledge of that mode of nature
Is the same in the teachings of all the supreme jinas. {26}
30.32
“ ‘The stainless, pure, ultimate state—
Peace, complete peace, without stain, free of stain—
There are no concepts or pride in the state of peace
That is taught by the Jina, the one with perfect compassion. {27}
30.33
“ ‘In this there is no usage of letters.
It is a vast mode, a vast mode of meaning.
The buddhas honor it; the jinas praise it.
The appearance of the Dharma is a subtle mode. {28}
30.34
“ ‘The unequaled sugatas remain in that
Stainless, vast treasure of the Dharma.
They teach the stainless, precious Dharma,
The ultimate truth of emptiness, the subtle971 mode of meaning.’ 972 {29}
30.35
“When King Dṛdhadatta heard
That the supreme human was teaching this samādhi,
He then973 came into the presence of the compassionate Jina
Accompanied by eighty quintillion others. {30}
30.36
“The sovereign over men felt veneration for the Jina
Who was endowed with the strengths, and bowed down to his feet.
While he stayed in front of the one with the ten strengths,
Filled with joy, he placed his ten fingers together in homage. {31}
30.37
“The Jina, who was perfect, with control over his senses,
Perceived the king’s pure conduct. [F.97.a]
The supreme human knew his aspiration
And taught him this supreme samādhi. {32}
30.38
“When the king had heard this ultimate truth
He experienced a vast, superior joy.
He gave up all of the four continents.
He abandoned pleasures and left his home. {33}
30.39
“When the king gave up the world and entered homelessness
For the sake of enlightenment and to become a jina,
All the people in this Jambudvīpa974
Gave up all sensory pleasures and entered homelessness too. {34}
30.40
“At that time there was a vast assembly with the ten strengths.
There were many diligent bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs.
At that time, herbs grew without ploughing,
And devas came to serve and attend to them. {35}
30.41
“The three orange Dharma robes manifested,
Perfectly cut and sewn, without parallel,
Unsullied, stainless, adorned, beautifully golden,
Arising from the Buddha’s qualities and the power of merit. {36}
30.42
“See, young man, look how that supreme king
Gave up the entire world and entered homelessness.975
In the age of destruction there will be many beings
Who will have few possessions but will not leave their homes.976 {37}
30.43
“There will be many in chains and suffering punishments,
Who are abused, threatened, and have unwished-for suffering.
There will be many who will have to endure harm from royal families,977
Who will have very few possessions and no food in their homes. {38}
30.44
“They will have very short lives and no wealth.
They will be very careless and have no power of merit.
They will be stupid, and unskilled in any craft.
They will be in poverty with nothing in their homes. {39}
30.45
“They will be impure and desire the wives of others.
They will be envious and extremely rash.
They will be degenerate and behave badly—
Yet they will say, ‘I am going to be a buddha.’978 {40}
30.46
“They will make deceptive promises and be brazen, saying,
‘I am wealthy and I will give the wealth of the Dharma to the world.’979
They will cause harm, be hypocritical and dishonest—
Yet they will say, ‘I am going to be a buddha.’ {41}
30.47
“They will delight in killing, binding, and attacking others;
They will have bad conduct, and be cruel and aggressive.
They will have no gratitude, be divisive and violent— [F.97.b]
Yet will say, ‘I am a noble practitioner of bodhisattva conduct.’ {42}
30.48
“They will become angry with anyone
Who they hear teaching bodhisattva conduct.
When they hear something that is stupid980 and mistaken
They will repeat those blameworthy words a hundred times.981 {43}
30.49
“Young man, having heard these words of mine,
Do not follow982 those others.
If you wish to reach the highest enlightenment
They are not to be trusted, even in a dream. {44}
30.50
“One could recount for hundreds of eons the many qualities
Ascribed to the austere disciplines of mendicancy,
But without possessing those qualities
One will not attain the peace of the highest enlightenment. {45}
30.51
“Always be good and gentle.
Always have pure conduct and a serene mind.
Continually maintain pure conduct,
And before long you will attain the supreme samādhi. {46}
30.52
“Do not be proud and do not be harsh.
Always have a mind that is serene.
Eliminate all pride, arrogance, and hiding of your faults,
And attain this supreme samādhi. {47}
30.53
“Always remember the Jina’s qualities.
The color of perfect gold, shining brightly,
Like the sky at night filled with stars:
The Sage’s body is filled with signs. {48}
30.54
“The descendant of Manu who remembers the moon of the Sage
While walking, sitting, standing, or lying down
Will always have the Teacher present before him,
And he will have vast happiness.983 {i}
30.55
“Holding many powders and ointments,
And excellent parasols, banners, canopies, and flags,
Always make offerings to the Sugata
And this supreme samādhi will soon be attained. {49}
30.56
“Holding many musical instruments
And excellent, exquisite984 incense, garlands, and flowers,
Make offerings always to the Jina’s stūpas
And this supreme samādhi will soon be attained. {50}
30.57
“With many kinds of excellent songs and dance,
With amusements and performances made with a pure mind,
With excellent lights and incense,
Always make excellent offerings to the unequaled one.985 {i}
30.58
“With hundreds of paṇava drums and loud mṛdaṅga drums,
With paṭaha drums, lutes,986 the excellent sound of flutes, [F.98.a]
With the qualities of music of various kinds of melodious sounds,
Make an offering to the Guide with a pure mind. {51}
30.59
“Create beautiful images of the Buddha,
Perfectly made of precious materials,987
That are attractive and extremely beautiful,
And this supreme samādhi will soon be attained. {52}
30.60
“Make excellent images that are fashioned
From gold or silver, and also sandalwood,
That are attractive and extremely beautiful,
And this supreme samādhi will soon be attained.988 {i}
30.61
“Make images that are fashioned of clay,
Or stone, or wood, or painted,
That are attractive and extremely beautiful,
And this supreme samādhi will soon be attained.989 {ii}
30.62
“Always remain in the solitude of forests,
Forsaking the joys of villages and towns.
Be without a companion, like a rhinoceros,
And this supreme samādhi will soon be attained. {53}
30.63
“I am the Lord of the Dharma; you are my son.
Train in this samādhi practice of mine.
I was at that time Dṛdhadatta, the world-renowned
Ruler over the descendants of Manu.990 {54}
30.64
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I made offerings to countless buddhas in the past.
I always maintained pure conduct
And I honored those with the ten strengths.991 {55}
30.65
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
In the past I gave up my sons and wives.
I gave away my supreme, excellent head, legs,
Arms, and eyes without ever being disheartened. {56}
30.66
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I gave away wealth and grain,
Hundreds of male and female slaves, and many jewels,
And satisfied numerous beggars. {57}
30.67
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
In the past I gave away great quantities
Of pearls, crystals, gold, conches, ammonite stones,992 beryls,
Perfectly pure jewels, and a mass993 of coral, {58}
30.68
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I gave away vast amounts of excellent jewelry
Of various kinds, such as perfect strings of pearls,
Lion jewelry,994 and nets of jewels. {59} [F.98.b]
30.69
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
In the past I gave away many millions
Of fine, excellent clothes that were perfectly clean,
Made of the finest silk and cloth and beautified by gold threads. {60}
30.70
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I gave away various kinds of elephants, horses, chariots,
And my own beloved sons and women,
Without ever experiencing any unhappiness. {61}
30.71
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
Whenever I saw people who were very poor,
Who were in distress and suffering because of their need,
I freed them from their poverty. {62}
30.72
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I have in the past given to beggars
Trillions of995 horses, elephants, and chariots
Draped in nets of precious jewel adornments. {63}
30.73
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I have in the past joyfully and with compassion
Given away many trillions
Of excellently decorated parks. {64}
30.74
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I have in the past given away beautifully adorned
Villages, towns, regions, and market towns,
And having given them felt continuous joy. {65}
30.75
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I have in the past given to those who requested them
Heaps of jewels as large as Sumeru
And a similar amount of clothes and adornments. {66}
30.76
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I have made those who are very poor rich,
I have protected those who were in great distress,
And I have made happy many who were enduring suffering. {67}
30.77
“When I was a sovereign over this world
And saw the suffering of the population,
I felt compassion and wished them to be happy,
And gave my kingdom to them. {68}
30.78
“Young man, the marvelous things that I have done,
And the hardships I have undergone for many hundreds of eons,
I would not be able to complete recounting them
Even in a quintillion eons. {69}
30.79
“Seeking this peace, this supreme samādhi,
I underwent astonishing hardships.
The people without faith in the Sugata’s conduct
Will have minds that become crazed and polluted. {70}
30.80
“Young man, I declare this to you: [F.99.a]
Have faith in me; my words are not untrue.
The Sugata does not speak words that are false.
The compassionate Jina always speaks the truth. {71}
30.81
“These many different kinds of practices
I will have carried out for many996 eons.997
However I attain this supreme samādhi
I will then free millions of beings from suffering.998 {72}
30.82
“In the moment that I have attained
This samādhi, the path of great wisdom,
Having attained this supreme samādhi
I will see numerous millions of buddhas. {73}
30.83
“I will have attained infinite miraculous powers,
And my emanations will go to hundreds of realms,
And there I will ask the compassionate ones
Many quintillions of questions. {74}
30.84
“The sugatas will give me answers
For my quintillions of questions,
And having obtained them I will remember them all
And I will not forget even a single word. {75}
30.85
“Having listened to the answers to those
Quintillions of correct questions,
I will teach the stainless state of peace
And establish many beings on the path of wisdom. {76}
30.86
“I will remain in this samādhi
And train in it for many hundreds of eons,
And will first bring many quintillions of beings
On to the highest stainless path. {77}
30.87
“Those who have not seen the previous sugatas
Who have taught this stainless way
Will not be able to have faith
In the supreme samādhi of emptiness, the ultimate truth. {78}
30.88
“The people who have faith, are wise, and know the practice,
Are always joyful when they hear
The way that is correct and profound,
And do not become frightened or terrified. {79}
30.89
“They hold the supreme enlightenment.
They have been reborn as my sons.
They are like fig-tree flowers,
And I practice for hundreds of eons for their sake. {80}
30.90
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Have no fear of falling into unfortunate existences,
Are always free of the eight disadvantageous states,
And will see numerous millions of buddhas. {81}
30.91
“They who have this supreme samādhi in their hands, [F.99.b]
I prophesy, will have unending understanding,
And like the kind Jina999 who has infinite fame,1000
They will accomplish many benefits for beings. {82}
30.92
“They who possess this samādhi
Will have understanding and memory,
High wisdom, will retain what they have heard,
And will possess vast confidence of speech. {83}
30.93
“They who possess this samādhi
Will receive the offerings of devas,
Will be continually revered by humans,1001
And will be constantly protected by the hosts of spirits.1002 {84}
30.94
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Do not die in fire or water,
Are not harmed by poison or weapons,
And cannot be reached by enemies. {85}
30.95
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will always dwell in forest bowers,
Where they will be constantly attended by devas,
And where many yakṣas will be their servants. {86}
30.96
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will have wisdom that is as vast as the ocean,
Will describe without impediment the qualities of the Sage,
And make known correctly the qualities of the Buddha. {87}
30.97
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will have endless, boundless learning
That is beyond measure, like space,
And will hold the torch of wisdom that dispels darkness. {88}
30.98
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will always be gentle, will speak appropriate words,
Will be beloved in the midst of their followers,
And their speech will be like the lion’s roar. {89}
30.99
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will be like healing physicians,
The support, protector, and refuge of many,
And will bring illumination to the worlds. {90}
30.100
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will not take pleasure in sexual intercourse.1003
They will enjoy śamatha and reach the bliss of dhyāna.
With a peaceful voice1004 they will speak of peace. {91}
30.101
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will not take pleasure in conceptualization,
Will be free of the entire multitude of concepts,
And those wise ones will constantly be in meditation. [F.100.a] {92}
30.102
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will attain extraordinary vision
And will see the infinite jinas.
They will be leaders with infinite sight. {93}
30.103
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will have the sweet and melodious voice of a crane,1005
The sound of the avadavat and a drumbeat,1006
And a singing sound and gentle voice. {94}
30.104
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will have a voice that is like resounding thunder.
Their gentle speech will be like the song of a goose
And their voice will have the fifty aspects of speech.1007 {95}
30.105
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will speak with an inconceivable voice
That has the pleasant sound of the various aspects of speech
For numerous quintillions of eons. {96}
30.106
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will not have attachment to food,
Will not delight in alms bowls or dharma robes,
But with few desires they will be content and abstinent. {97}
30.107
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Do not praise themselves
And never criticize others.
They always delight in dhyāna and have a subtle mind. {98}
30.108
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Always examine themselves,
Do not look for mistakes in others,
And the entire world does not impede them. {99}
30.109
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Have pure conduct and untroubled minds,
Are never deceitful or dishonest,
Are always gentle, and always delight in liberation. {100}
30.110
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Are always motivated to generosity,
Take no delight in avarice,
And always have correct conduct. {101}
30.111
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Are handsome, good looking, and attractive.
Their bodies shine like the purest gold
And have the thirty-two primary signs of a great being. {102}
30.112
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Always have an attractive appearance,
Are observed and beloved by many people, [F.100.b]
And those people never have enough of gazing upon them. {103}
30.113
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Always delight, gladden, and enchant
Devas, nāgas, and likewise the yakṣas,
Who enter towns1008 and praise them.1009 {104}
30.114
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Always have Brahmā, Śakra, and many powerful deities
Acting as their attendants,
But there is no pride in their mind. {105}
30.115
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Have no fear of the lower existences.
They have no fear of the disadvantageous existences or bad rebirths.
They are completely free of all fear of bad rebirths. {106}
30.116
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Have no doubts or uncertainties
On hearing in detail the supreme Dharma of the Buddha,
And they follow that profound wisdom. {107}
30.117
“They who possess this supreme samādhi,
Whatever subtle Dharma teachings they hear
They attain perfect mastery of them all,
And gain their power and detailed reasoning. {108}
30.118
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Constantly think, ‘I will always act in accordance
With what the Jina’s words have taught,’
And attain unique, supreme retention. {109}
30.119
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Will, when the time of their death comes,
Have before them the compassionate Amitābha
And his host of bhikṣus.1010 {110}
30.120
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Are those who have attained the retentions,
Have perfect mastery over the treasure of the Dharma,
And possess the unceasing words of eloquence. {111}
30.121
“They who possess this supreme samādhi,
With peaceful conduct and peaceful1011 minds
Will be an illumination for beings
Wherever those holders of the Dharma go.1012 {112}
30.122
“They attain the ten bhūmis:1013 Perfect Joy,
Stainless, Shining, Brilliance, Difficult to Master,
Manifest, Gone Far, Unwavering,
Perfect Understanding, and Clouds of Dharma.1014 {i}
30.123
“Those heroes attain the ten powers:1015
Life,1016 karma,1017 materials,1018 and devotion,1019
And the strengths of aspiration,1020 miracles,1021 and birth,1022 [F.101.a]
Dharma,1023 mind,1024 and likewise great wisdom.1025 {ii}
30.124
“They who possess this supreme samādhi
Are skilled in the various aspects of the supreme Dharma treasure,
Have attained the perfect power of the dharmakāya,
And cut through the doubts of all beings.1026 {113}
30.125
“If all beings were compassionate bhagavāns,
And were sugatas until existence comes to an end,
And if someone were to make offerings to them for many hundreds of eons
Or for more eons than there are sand grains in the Ganges, {114}
30.126
“And if in this latter time of destruction
Someone were to hear this samādhi
And say only the words ‘I rejoice in this!’
The previous merit would not be a fraction of this accumulation. {115}
30.127
“Young man, whoever has this practice of peace,
This supreme samādhi, the ultimate truth of emptiness,
Propagates it and creates copies of it,
That one is a dharmabhāṇaka with wisdom.” {116}
30.128
Conclusion of the thirtieth chapter, “Tejaguṇarāja.”
