The Buddha’s Smile
Chapter 14
Then the youth Candraprabha rose from his seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, and, kneeling on his right knee, [F.46.b] with palms placed together he bowed toward the Bhagavān and said to him,568 “Bhagavān, it is marvelous that the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha has taught the equality that is the nature of all phenomena, which is the samādhi that all bodhisattvas train in.
14.2 “Bhagavān, it was thus, in this training, that the Bhagavān trained for a long time, and accomplished the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood. Bhagavān, that gives me confidence to speak.569 Sugata, it gives me confidence to speak.”
14.3 The Bhagavān said, “Young man, if you think the time has come, be confident to speak.”
Since the Bhagavān had granted the youth Candraprabha this opportunity, Candraprabha spoke the following verses of praise directly to the Bhagavān.
14.4
“You saw beings tormented by suffering,570
Constantly overpowered by desire and anger,
And developed the aspiration to attain enlightenment:
‘May I become a buddha who liberates beings!’ {1}
14.5
“Hero,571 for many millions of eons, constantly,
You practiced generosity, self-restraint and self-control,
Patience, correct conduct, and similarly diligence,
And your acts of generosity were vast and infinite. {2}
14.6
“Without ever any sadness in your mind
You gave away your legs, arms, and even your life,
And similarly, without attachment you gave away
Gold, silver, sons, wives, and your kingdom. {3}
14.7
“Your conduct was stainless and pure.
You made a gift of yourself without ruining your conduct.
You controlled well your body, speech, and mind.
Sugata who has a self-restrained mind, I pay homage to you. {4}
14.8
“Delighting in patience, residing on the path of patience,
Even though your body was cut into pieces you were not angered;572
Through your meditation on love, milk flowed from you.
Marvelous Sugata, I pay homage to you. {5}
14.9
“You possess the strength of the ten strengths.
With wisdom free of attachment you know all phenomena. [F.47.a]
With compassion, Lord of Dharma, you benefit the world.
Through your kindness you wish to benefit beings. {6}
14.10
“You know emptiness and that there are no such beings,
And likewise you see that the world’s beings have lost that path.
You have realized that the nature of phenomena is selfless
And that though you bring beings to liberation, there is no such liberation. {7}
14.11
“With discrimination you reject all carelessness.
You have conquered the infinite, powerful māras.
Enlightened at buddhahood, you have vast, infinite wisdom.
You teach the supreme Dharma of completely pure peace. {8}
14.12
“The sky with its moon and the stars may fall,
The earth with its mountains and towns may be destroyed,
The element of space may change into something else,
But you will never speak an untrue word. {9}
14.13
“You have seen the suffering of beings
Who take joy in the perception of objects.
You teach the profound peace, emptiness,
In which there is no perception of objects. {10}
14.14
“Great hero, you trained
For countless millions of eons
In the training of nonperception,
And so you are free of error. {11}
14.15
“Just as you have trained in the Dharma,
In that way you teach the Dharma.
Yours is not the level of foolish beings,
And neither is it the level of all the tīrthikas. {12}
14.16
“Those who have the conception of a self,
They are unwise beings who are in error.
You know that phenomena have no self,
And so you are free of any error. {13}
14.17
“You speak the truth, great hero;
You are established in the true Dharma.
Lord, you remain within truth, within veracity,
And you speak words that are true. {14}
14.18
“Your conduct has been true,
Just as you have prayed for.
You have the consequence of that true conduct
And you speak words that are true. {15}
14.19
“You have perfected true conduct.
You have trained in the summit of truth.
You have truly practiced with a true motivation.
I pay homage to you who have true wisdom. {16}
14.20
“There is no equal to your wisdom.
Your words of wisdom illuminate.
You have attained unique wisdom.
I pay homage to you who speak words of wisdom. {17}
14.21
“You have meditated on kindness
And become a friend to all beings. [F.47.b]
You are as unshakable as Sumeru.
You are completely stable and unwavering. {18}
14.22
“Teacher, your following is vast.
You have attracted these followers.
Sugata who has profound wisdom,
Make your voice resound within this assembly. {19}
14.23
“The voice of the Buddha is a lion’s roar.
You walk with the gait of a lion.
You defeat all the tīrthikas
Like a lion defeats jackals. {20}
14.24
“Hero who subdues the unsubdued,
The unsubdued are subdued by you.
They become friends who are reliable,
Inseparable, and pleasant to be with. {21}
14.25
“You see the beings who are suffering
Because they maintain the view of a self.573
You teach the Dharma of no-self
In which there is neither like nor dislike. {22}
14.26
“The foolish who are untrained
Take up the wrong paths.
You show them the path
That the guides have followed. {23}
14.27
“Whoever holds to the concept of a self,
They will remain in suffering.
They do not know selflessness,
Within which there is no suffering. {24}
14.28
“You teach the Dharma with words that are without error.
Lord of the World, you make no error.
You are one who speaks words that are never incorrect.
I pay homage to you, who bring freedom from suffering. {25}
14.29
“In the sky there are many quintillions
Of devas, nāgas, and yakṣas.
They all feel joy in the Guide
When they hear the meaningful words of the Bhagavān. {26}
14.30
“Your words are mild, gentle, and pleasing,
Timely, melodious, appropriate, and beloved.
You have the countless qualities of speech
That benefit and bring liberation to many beings. {27}
14.31
“Countless hundreds of thousands of musical instruments
Are all played melodiously and simultaneously,
But the Sugata with one word eclipses them all
With his unique, divine, beloved voice.574 {28}
14.32
“Avadavats575 and flocks of birds576 with beautiful songs,
With their beautiful songs that are pleasing to everyone—
All of the songs of these many flocks of birds577
Cannot equal a fraction of the Buddha’s speech. {29} [F.48.a]
14.33
“Deva maidens with beautiful voices
And with melodious music and songs,
And the sound of lutes, paṭaha578 drums, bherī drums,579 and conches,
Cannot equal a fraction of the Buddha’s speech.580 {i}
14.34
“The songs of cuckoos, parrots, and mynas,
Of cranes, peacocks, and kiṃnaras—
All these beautiful, melodious sounds
Cannot equal a fraction of the Buddha’s speech.581 {30}
14.35
“Delightful, melodious, beautiful, enjoyable,
Exquisite, peaceful voices singing praises—
All such voices singing simultaneously
Are not as delightful as the Tathāgata’s perfect speech. {31}
14.36
“The light from all luminous beings,
From devas,582 humans, kings, and asuras,583
And from all beings in the three existences,
Are eclipsed by one light ray from the Sugata. {32}
14.37
“The Sugata’s body is like a blossomed flower
With the various adornments of all the special signs.
A pure and clear accomplishment of hundreds of merits,
The body of the Jina shines on the entire world. {33}
14.38
“The sound of conches and of paṇavas,584
And the sound of bherī drums585 and kimpalas586—
All those beautiful and delightful sounds
Cannot equal a hundredth of the Buddha’s voice. {34}
14.39
“The sounds of quintillions of musical instruments,
Clear and beautiful voices like those of the devas,587
And the delightful voices of male and female devas588
Cannot equal a hundredth of the Buddha’s voice.589 {35}
14.40
“Flocks of a multitude of birds—cranes, peacocks,
Shelducks, cuckoos, geese, and snipe—
May simultaneously sing their songs, but they
Cannot equal a hundredth of the Buddha’s voice.590 {36}
14.41
“The voices of nāgas, yakṣas, asuras, mahoragas,
Devendra,591 Brahmā, and the lords of the devas—
All the lovely and beautiful voices in the three existences
Cannot equal a hundredth of the Buddha’s voice. {37}
14.42
“The light of Brahmā and lords of the devas, [117]
The light of the sun and precious jewels,
The many different kinds of light—
All those lights are eclipsed by the brilliance of the Jina’s light.592 {38}
14.43
“Your body, speech, and mind are perfectly pure.
The purity of your wisdom is unstained by the three existences. [F.48.b]
Lord of men, you have the wealth of qualities, precious qualities.
Self-arisen one, through all your qualities, you are without equal.” {39}
14.44
In that way the youth spoke those words with great joy,
Praising the one with ten strengths, the speaker of truth.
He said, “By offering to the measureless,593 unquantifiable Buddha
May I also become a buddha like Śākyamuni!” {40}
14.45
Knowing his perfect conduct, the Sugata,
The Lord of humans, the one with wisdom free of attachment, smiled.
Maitreya, the senior son of the one with ten strengths, asked him,
“For what reason did the Guide smile? {41}
14.46
“The earth has shaken in six ways.
The devas and nāgas in the sky are filled with joy.
They are gazing at the Buddha with great delight and happiness.
I pray to the unconquerable Sugata that you elucidate this to them. {42}
14.47
“You have a supreme being’s wisdom,
Which is not the level of the Bhagavān’s śrāvakas.
You who have pure wisdom beyond examples, wise one,
Tell594 us the entire reason, Jina, why you smiled.595 {43}
14.48
“You are the Śākya lion, possessor of the ten strengths, the Guide,
The chief of humans, the one who has reached the perfection of wisdom.596
You have eliminated intractable desire, anger, and ignorance.
To you who shine with intense light, I ask this question: {44}
14.49
“Seeking the supreme, highest enlightenment,
You, the Guide, practiced for millions of eons
As numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges.
For what reason did you show a smile? {45}
14.50
“Seeking the supreme, highest enlightenment,
You, the Teacher, gave away your arms and legs.
You gave away sons, wives, companions, and relations.
Sage, for what reason did you show a smile? {46}
14.51
“You gave away horses, elephants, and chariots,597
Slaves, jewels, silver, and pearls.598
When you practiced the sublime conduct
There were no jewels or wealth that you did not give away. {47}
14.52
“You have the supreme wisdom in the three existences.
You know the conduct of all beings. [F.49.a]
You are skilled in knowing their natures, minds, and aspirations.
For what reason did you smile? {48}
14.53
“Who made the offering to you, best of men?
For whom has vast merit been created?
Who has gained that excellent conduct?
Sage, for what reason did you smile? {49}
14.54
“The earth has shaken in six ways.
Millions of lotuses have appeared on the ground.599
They shine and have millions of excellent petals.
They are the color of gold, beautiful and delightful. {50}
14.55
“Present here are the heart sons of the Jina
Who show the greatest bodhisattva miracles.
Many600 dharmabhāṇakas have gathered here.
Guide, I ask my question for their sake. {51}
14.56
“The sound of bherī drums,601 conches, and gongs,602
Of quintillions of instruments has resounded.
That music was heard coming from the sky,
But compared to that the Sugata’s speech is inconceivable. {52}
14.57
“Many flocks of birds have gathered,
Cranes,603 geese, avadavats,604 and cuckoos.
They have sung their perfect, beautiful songs,
But they do not equal a fraction of the Buddha’s speech. {53}
14.58
“Who in the past with generosity, self-restraint, and self-control
Has served well for many millions of eons?
Who has made offerings to you, supreme among men?
For what reason did you smile? {54}
14.59
“Who in the past, having shown you the greatest veneration,
Asked you, supreme among men, the question,
‘How can I attain the enlightenment of buddhahood?’
For what reason did you smile? {55}
14.60
“Those with the ten strengths in the past,
The sugatas of the present and the future,
And you, supreme among men, know all.
Therefore for the benefit of beings I ask this question. {56}
14.61
“You know the thoughts in the minds of beings
And all beings’ infinite ways of conduct;
You know the aspirations that humans have.
Therefore I ask this question to you, supreme among men. {57}
14.62
“Those who are practicing the supreme conduct,
Who are adept in causes, reasons, and discipline,
They ask, ‘How does one attain the Buddha’s wisdom?’
Therefore, supreme human, I ask this question. {58}
14.63
“There are those who meditate on the field of experience of those with the ten strengths:
The subtle Dharma that is difficult to perceive, [F.49.b]
And emptiness and peace that is unequaled and inconceivable.
For their sake, Guide, I ask you this question. {59}
14.64
“Those who meditate on love and compassion
For all the countless beings in the world,
Without their having the concept of beings—
Supreme human, for their sake I ask this question. {60}
14.65
“Those who have inconceivable, unequaled wisdom,
They are never known to have any grasping.
They have reached the perfection of the mind’s field of activity.
Lord, it is for their sake that I ask this question. {61}
14.66
“You have reached the perfection of conduct and wisdom’s qualities.
You have unequaled knowledge of the three times.
You will never make an error.
For what reason did you smile? {62}
14.67
“Śāriputra, Aniruddha, and Kolita,
And the other śrāvakas of the Sugata,
Do not have that wisdom.
It is the unsurpassable field of activity of the buddhas. {63}
14.68
“You have reached the perfection of power over all phenomena.
You have ascended through the practice of the training.
Guide, you have developed compassion.
You who know the ultimate truth, release your voice! {64}
14.69
“You have had, in the past for many millions of eons,
The goal of being the ultimate refuge and protector,
And have inquired, supreme human, with just that intention;
Guide, tell us the result of that today. {65}
14.70
“Yakṣas, rākṣasas, kumbhāṇḍas, and guhyakas
Are gazing upon the supreme among humans.
They are all respectful, their palms together in homage,
In order to listen to the elucidation from the great being. {66}
14.71
“Many bodhisattvas with miraculous powers
Have come from millions of buddha realms.
These senior sons, born form the minds of the sugatas,
Are all respectfully present, their palms together in homage. {67}
14.72
“Gandhahasti with millions of bodhisattvas
Has come into your presence from the east,
From the famous world of Akṣobhya’s realm
For this question, Lion of the Śākyas, supreme human. {68}
14.73
“Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta
Have come before you with millions of bodhisattvas
From the supreme realm of Sukhāvatī [F.50.a]
For this question, Lion of the Śākyas, supreme human. {69}
14.74
“In the past for many millions of eons
They have served countless sugatas
As numerous as the sand grains in all the oceans,
Seeking this supreme sublime wisdom. {70}
14.75
“Mañjughoṣa is present, his palms together in homage.
He has been praised and extolled by all the buddhas.
He has reached the perfection of all good qualities
And is renowned throughout the worlds in all directions. {71}
14.76
“They have practiced in millions of buddha realms.
It is very rare to see such beings.
They have the qualities of sons of the buddhas and excellent training,
And are all present, with their palms together respectfully in homage. {72}
14.77
“There is no one here other than worthy recipients.
That is what these wise ones605 are like,
The holders of the Dharma treasures of all teachers.
Guide, release your gentle speech.606 {73}
14.78
“The jinas, the guides, the supreme humans
Have never been seen to smile without a reason.
Grant us your supreme speech, which is like the beat of a drum.
What is the reason that we saw you smile? {74}
14.79
“The supreme beings resound like thunder,607
Geese, cuckoos, peacocks, and swans,608
And they emit the melodious music of the devas.
Liberator of beings, elucidate with your words. {75}
14.80
“You develop kindness, you increase joy,
You teach wisdom, you eliminate ignorance,
You realize the meaning, you expand wisdom,
And you have purified for quintillions of eons. {76}
14.81
“You have realized the nature of things with certainty,
You have taught the meaning in words that end suffering.
You have routed the teachings of all tīrthikas.
You meditate on emptiness, the absence of being, and the absence of a soul. {77}
14.82
“You are adorned by thousands of merits.
You have practiced with hundreds of thousands of buddhas,
Are praised by hundreds of thousands of devas,
And hundreds of thousands of Brahmās pay homage to you. {78}
14.83
“Yakṣas, rākṣasas, and kumbhāṇḍas have faith in you. [F.50.b]
You have liberated nāgas, mahoragas, and garuḍas.
You are constantly without any attachment.
Speak the words609 that are the result of good actions. {79}
14.84
“All the jinas that have passed into nirvāṇa,
Those who will live in the future, and those now present,
You know them all without impediment.
Guide, you are sublime because of all your qualities. {80}
14.85
“This earth that supports beings, with its mountains
And oceans, has been shaken in six ways.
The devas have thrown down flowers from the sky.
There has arisen the beautiful aroma of the incense of the devas. {81}
14.86
“Desire, anger, and darkness of the mind have been completely eliminated.
Conduct has become completely pure and the mind has become completely pure.
There is delight in complete peace, emptiness, and the absence of attributes.
There is the sound of the lion’s roar, the sound of the compassionate ones. {82}
14.87
“You have the confidence of speech, and great renown.
You have perfected wisdom, the wisdom of the jinas.
Compassionate one, there is no one like you in this world.
Tell us, for what reason did you smile? {83}
14.88
“The songs of peacocks, cuckoos, and avadavats,
And likewise the beautiful song of the partridge,610
All those pleasant sounds simultaneously
Do not equal a fraction of the Sugata’s speech. {84}
14.89
“Bherī drums, mṛdaṅgas, and similarly paṇavas;
Conches, flutes, and similarly lutes:
The simultaneous sound of a thousand instruments
Does not equal a fraction of the Sugata’s speech. {85}
14.90
“The divine, sublime sound of thousands of instruments
And the beautiful songs of deva maidens,
The excellent songs that bring delightful sounds to the mind,
Do not equal a fraction of the Sugata’s speech. {86}
14.91
“With one sound you benefit the world
As it resounds to those with different aspirations,
Each person thinking, ‘The Jina is speaking to me.’
For what reason did you smile? {87}
14.92
“The music of the devas and the music of the nāgas,
And also the melodious music of the kiṃnaras,
Are never able to pacify the kleśas.
The Buddha’s speech always dispels the kleśas. {88}
14.93
“You create joy but not joy in desire.
You create love and not a mind of anger.
You create wisdom and not a mind of stupidity. [F.51.a]
The Buddha’s speech eliminates all stains. {89}
14.94
“The sound of your voice does not go beyond your followers.
It cuts through everyone’s hundreds of doubts.
It is never too quiet nor too loud.
The Sage’s voice teaches everyone equally and easily. {90}
14.95
“This earth with its mountains and forests may perish,
And so may the waters of the ocean.
The moon and the sun may fall to the earth,
But the Jina’s speech will never change. {91}
14.96
“Your voice has all the qualities of pure speech.
Your beautiful voice is a gentle lion’s roar.
Compassionate one, you have the voice of Brahmā.
For what reason did you smile? {92}
14.97
“You know the minds and conduct
Of all the beings in the world,
Those in the past, the future, and the present.
Tell us the reason why you smiled. {93}
14.98
“All of the jinas, the compassionate ones,
They who have reached the perfection of power and wisdom,
The jinas whose faces are like stainless moons,
Have never smiled without a reason. {94}
14.99
“If for millions of eons one were to describe your unequaled qualities,
Which are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges,
One would not be able to describe them fully.
Teach us the reason why you smiled.”611 {95}
14.100
Conclusion of the fourteenth chapter, “The Buddha’s Smile.”
