The Elucidation of the Buddha’s Smile
Chapter 15
At that time the Bhagavān spoke these appropriate verses to Bodhisattva Maitreya:
15.2
“This youth, Candraprabha,
Has praised the Buddha with unequaled joy.
He described the unique superior qualities of the buddhas.
All the time he is reciting their praises.612 {1}
15.3
“In this very city of Rājagṛha in the past
He has seen ten thousand million buddhas.
In the presence of all those jinas
He asked about this supreme samādhi of peace. {2}
15.4
“He has always been my son,
Practicing this supreme bodhisattva conduct.
He has always had the confidence of speech,
And always he has been practicing celibacy. {3} [F.51.b]
15.5
“In the very fearful future times
You, Ajita, will be my witness.613
Always remaining in a state of celibacy,
He will make this samādhi widespread. {4}
15.6
“Those who seek entry into this sublime samādhi,
Through that path will attain enlightenment.
He will be adopted by many millions of buddhas
And he will make supreme offerings to those guides. {5}
15.7
“I prophesy that, remaining in wisdom,
Candraprabha’s conduct will be exceptional.
In the future times there will be no obstacle
To his celibacy or to his life. {6}
15.8
“He will know millions of buddhas as clearly
As five myrobalan plums in the palm of the hand.
And he will make offerings in the future to even more,
As numerous as sand grains in the Ganges. {7}
15.9
“Eight hundred million devas and nāgas,
And seven hundred billion yakṣas,
In future times will be zealous
And make offerings to the supreme among humans. {8}
15.10
“He will make offerings to the supreme human
And will practice this unsurpassable wisdom.
In a future time he will become a Lord of the World,
A jina by the name of Vimalaprabha.”614 {9}
15.11
The young man was overjoyed
On hearing this prophecy about himself.
Candraprabha floated up to the height of seven palm trees
And remaining in the sky he made this declaration: {10}
15.12
“O Jina, you who teach the supreme Dharma,
You have the power of a lord of liberating wisdom.
You remain in the certainty of supreme wisdom
And cannot be defeated by adversaries. {11}
15.13
“You have abandoned attachment and reached liberation.
You have no attachment to existence, which is devoid of things.
You have no conceptualization whatsoever.
You have the wisdom of nonattachment toward the three existences. {12}
15.14
“You are unstained by any conceptualization.
You are free of all conceptualized views.
You have meditated perfectly on the path that has no location.
You cannot be defeated or hindered615 by anyone. {13}
15.15
“You have no residence in the three realms.
You are free from the floods616 and the knots.617
You have cut through the bondage of the creepers of craving.618 [F.52.a]
You are free of existence and are devoid of existence. {14}
15.16
“You know the nonexistence that is the nature of phenomena.
You make understood in words that which cannot be described.
Just as the lion destroys the jackal,
You defeat the unwise tīrthikas. {15}
15.17
“I have obtained today the highest treasure,
The treasure of the Dharma taught by the Sugata.
I am freed from falling into any of the lower existences.
I will never have doubts that you are my guide. {16}
15.18
“He placed upon my head his hand,
Which was shining, beautiful, the color of gold.
He gave me the consecration to be a supreme leader of humans,
With the world and its devas as witnesses.” {17}
15.19
Conclusion of the fifteenth chapter, “The Elucidation of the Buddha’s Smile.”
