Lotus Sūtra | Ch. II | Skilful Means

Lotus Sūtra | Ch. II | Skilful Means

At that time the Bhāgavat arose tranquilly with insight out of samādhi and addressed Śāriputra:

“Profound and immeasurable is the wisdom of the Buddhas. The gate to their wisdom is hard to enter and difficult to understand. None of the Śrāvakas and Pratyeka Buddhas may be capable of understanding it. Why is this?

The Buddhas have closely attended innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of other Buddhas. They have exhaustively carried out practices with courage and persistence under uncountable numbers of Buddhas, their names becoming universally renowned.

They have perfected this profound and unprecedented Dharma, and their intention in adapting their explanations to what is appropriate is difficult to understand.

“O Śāriputra! After attaining Buddhahood I expounded the teaching extensively with various explanations and illustrations, and with skilful means (Upāya) led sentient beings to rid themselves of their attachments. Why is this? Because all the Tathāgatas have attained perfect mastery of skilful means, wisdom, and insight.

“O Śāriputra! The wisdom and insight of the Tathāgatas is extensive, profound, immeasurable, and unhindered. They are possessed of power, fearlessness, meditation, liberation, and samādhi that is profound and endless. They have completely attained this unprecedented Dharma.

“O Śāriputra! The Tathāgatas can, through various methods, skilfully illuminate the Dharma with gentle speech and gladden the hearts of the assemblies.

“O Śāriputra! To put it briefly, the Buddhas have attained this immeasurable, limitless, and unprecedented Dharma. Enough, O Śāriputra, I will speak no further. Why is this? Because the Dharma that the Buddhas have attained is foremost, unique, and difficult to understand. No one but the Buddhas can completely know the real aspects of all dharmas—that is to say their character, nature, substance, potential, function, cause, condition, result, effect, and essential unity.”

Thereupon the Bhāgavat spoke these verses to explain this meaning again:

The Heroes of the World are inconceivable, Neither devas, humans, nor any other sentient beings Are able to comprehend them.

No one is able to discern the power, fearlessness, Liberation, samādhi, and Other attributes of the Buddhas.

Formerly, under innumerable Buddhas, They have fully accomplished their practices And the Dharma, which is profound and excellent, Hard to perceive and difficult to understand.

Having pursued these practices For innumerable koṭis of kalpas, I attained the result on the terrace of enlightenment And understood completely.

I and the Buddhas of the 10 directions Know such matters, Such as the great results and rewards, And the meaning of various aspects and characteristics.

It is impossible to explain this Dharma; The powers of speech fail.

No other sentient being is able to understand it, Except for those bodhisattvas Who, in their belief, are willing to understand.

Even the multitude of the Buddha’s disciples, Who have formerly paid homage to all the Buddhas, Who have put an end to all their corruption And are bearing their last bodies, Are not able to understand it.

Even if this whole world Were filled with those such as Śāriputra, And they tried together to comprehend it, They still would not be able to understand completely The wisdom of the Buddhas.

Again, even if the worlds of the 10 directions Were filled with such disciples as Śāriputra,
And they tried together to comprehend it, They still would not be able to completely understand.

And even if the worlds of the 10 directions Were filled with Pratyekabuddhas, As numerous as bamboo trees in a grove, Who had keen wisdom And were bearing their last bodies, Free from corruption,

Even if they tried together single-mindedly, For innumerable kalpas, To comprehend the wisdom of the Buddhas, Still they would not understand it in the least.

Even if the worlds of the 10 directions Were packed as thick as stalks of rice, Flax, bamboo, and reeds With bodhisattvas, recent aspirants to enlightenment, Who had paid homage to innumerable Buddhas—

Though they fully understood the meaning and could expound the Dharma, Even with this subtle wisdom, If they tried together single-mindedly to comprehend, For as many kalpas as the sands of the Ganges River, They still would not be able to know The wisdom of the Buddhas.

Even if bodhisattvas, As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, Who had reached the stage of non-retrogression, Tried together single-mindedly to comprehend it, Still they would not be able to know.

The Buddha, still speaking to Śāriputra, said:

I have already attained the profound and subtle Dharma That is incorruptible And beyond all comprehension. Only I and the Buddhas of the 10 directions know this.

O Śāriputra! You should know that the words Of the Buddhas are never inconsistent.

You should trust fully in the Dharma That the Buddha expounds; The Dharma of the Bhāgavat Has been in existence for a long time.

I will now definitely expound the truth.

I address myself to the Śrāvakas and those seeking the Pratyekabuddha vehicle.

It was I who caused them to become free from the bondage of suffering, and to attain Nirvana.

I have revealed the teaching of the 3 vehicles with the power of the skilful means of the Buddhas So as to free the sentient beings from their various human attachments.

At that time it occurred to the great assembly of twelve hundred Śrāvakas, Arhats free from corruption, beginning with Ājñātakauṇḍinya, and the other monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen who had set out to become Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas:

“Why has the Bhāgavat just now so earnestly praised skilful means?

For what reason has he declared that the Dharma that the Buddhas have attained is very profound and difficult to understand?

Why has he said that their intention in adapting their teaching to what is appropriate is so difficult to comprehend that all the Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas are not able to understand it?

“As long as the Buddha taught the meaning of the single liberation we thought we had attained that Dharma and achieved Nirvana. But now we do not understand what he means.”

At that time Śāriputra, aware of the confusion of the 4-fold assemblies and himself also feeling confused, addressed the Buddha saying:

“O Bhāgavat! For what reason and on what grounds have you so earnestly praised the unique skilful means of the Buddhas and the profound and subtle Dharma that is difficult to understand?

Never before have I heard such a thing from the Buddha. Now Bhāgavat, I entreat you to explain this because the 4-fold assemblies are confused.

O Bhāgavat! Why have you so earnestly praised the Dharma that is profound, subtle, and difficult to understand?”

Thereupon Śāriputra, wanting to further explain what he meant, spoke these verses:

O Great Seer, Sun of Wisdom!

Now, after a long time, You have taught this Dharma, saying,

- I have attained the inconceivable Dharma, That is to say, power, fearlessness, Samādhi, meditation, and liberation.

No one has ever questioned the Dharma That I attained on the terrace of enlightenment. No one has ever questioned my intentions, So difficult to conceive.

Without being asked You explained it by yourself And praised the path you have practiced, saying,

The wisdom the Buddhas have attained Is extremely subtle! The Arhats free from corruption And those seeking Nirvana Have all fallen into confusion.

Why has the Buddha said this?

Those seeking to become Pratyekabuddhas, Monks, nuns, devas, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, and the others Glanced at each other in confusion And looking toward the Best of Humans asked:

O Buddha! We entreat you to explain why this is so!

The Buddha has said that I am the foremost Among the Śrāvakas, yet now I am confused About my own knowledge and unable to understand.

Is it the ultimate Dharma? Is it a path to be practiced?

The sons born from the mouths of the Buddhas Stand waiting with palms pressed together, Looking at the Buddha.

I entreat you to proclaim the truth, Speaking in the finest voice!

The Devas, Nāgas, and others, As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, As many as eighty thousand bodhisattvas Who are seeking Buddhahood, and noble emperors Who have come from myriads of koṭis of countries, Are all standing respectfully with palms pressed together Asking how to accomplish the path.

Then the Buddha addressed Śāriputra, saying:

“Enough, enough! Speak no more! If I explained this matter, the Devas and Humans in all the worlds would be astounded.”

Then Śāriputra again addressed the Buddha:

“O Bhāgavat! Please explain it!

I entreat you to explain it, because in this assembly there are innumerable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of incalculable sentient beings, sharp in faculties and possessed of wisdom, who have previously encountered the Buddhas.

When they hear the teaching of the Buddha they will trust, believe, and accept it.”

Thereupon Śāriputra spoke in verse to explain this again:

O King of the Dharma, the Best of Humans!

I entreat you to explain it. Please explain it without hesitation! In this assembly there are innumerable sentient beings Who will trust and accept it.

Then the Buddha again tried to dissuade Śāriputra, saying:

“If I explain it, the devas, humans, and asuras in all the worlds will be astounded, and arrogant monks will certainly go to their downfall.”

At that time the Bhāgavat again spoke in verse:

Enough, enough! Speak no more!
The Dharma that I have attained
Is excellent and incomprehensible.
Though the arrogant hear it,
They will never accept it.

And again Śāriputra addressed the Buddha, saying:

“O Bhāgavat! Please explain it! Please explain it!

In this assembly there are people like me and others, numbering into the hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of beings, who have been led and inspired by the Buddhas in their former existences.

Such people will certainly trust, believe, and accept it. And they will benefit, profit, and receive solace from it for a very long time.”

Thereupon Śāriputra spoke these verses to elaborate on what he meant:

O Best of Humans! Please teach the ultimate Dharma!

I am the eldest son of the Buddha. Please illuminate and explain it!

Innumerable beings in this assembly Will certainly trust and accept this Dharma, Because the Buddha in former existences Led and inspired such people.

All of them will attentively listen and accept, Their palms pressed together, To the words of the Buddha.

I entreat you to illuminate and explain it For the assembly of 12 000 people like me, And the others seeking Buddhahood.

When they hear this Dharma They will bring forth great joy.

Then the Bhāgavat spoke to Śāriputra, saying:

“You have now persistently asked me 3 times. How could I possibly not explain it to you? Therefore listen carefully and pay close attention! I will now illuminate and explain it.”

When he said this, 5 000 monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen in the assembly immediately got up from their seats, bowed to the Buddha, and left.

What was the reason for this?

Because the roots of error among this group had been deeply planted and they were arrogant, thinking they had attained what they had not attained and had realized what they had not realized. Because of such defects they did not stay.

And the Bhāgavat remained silent and did not stop them.

Then the Buddha addressed Śāriputra:

“My assembly here is free of useless twigs and leaves; only the pure essence remains.

“O Śāriputra! Let the arrogant ones go! Listen carefully and I will explain it to you.”

Then Śāriputra replied: “Indeed, O Bhāgavat, I greatly desire to hear it.”

Then the Buddha addressed Śāriputra:

“Only very rarely do the Buddha Tathāgatas teach such a True Dharma as this, as rarely as the Uḍumbara flower blooms.

“O Śāriputra! Trust and accept what the Buddha teaches! My words are never false.

“O Śāriputra! The real intention of all the Buddhas in adapting their explanations to what is appropriate is difficult to understand. Why is this?

Because I have expounded the teachings with innumerable skilful means and various kinds of explanations and illustrations.

Yet this Dharma is beyond reason and discernment. Only the Buddhas can understand it. Why is this? Because the Buddha Bhāgavats appear in this world for one great purpose alone.

O Śāriputra! Now I will explain why I said that the Buddha Bhāgavats appear in this world for only one great purpose.

“The Buddha Bhāgavat appears in this world to cause sentient beings to aspire toward purity and the wisdom and insight of the Buddhas.

They appear in this world to manifest the wisdom and insight of the Buddhas to sentient beings.

They appear in this world to cause sentient beings to attain the wisdom and insight of a Buddha’s enlightenment.

They appear in this world in order to cause sentient beings to enter the path of the wisdom and insight of a Buddha.

“O Śāriputra! For this one great reason alone the Buddhas have appeared in this world.”

The Buddha addressed Śāriputra, saying:

“The Buddha Tathāgatas lead and inspire only Bodhisattvas.

 All the acts of a Buddha are always for one purpose. The Buddhas manifest their wisdom and insight solely to inspire sentient beings to enlightenment.

“O Śāriputra! A Tathāgata teaches sentient beings the Dharma only through the Single Buddha Vehicle. There is no other, neither a second nor a third.

“O Śāriputra! The true nature of all the Buddhas of the 10 directions is exactly like this.

“O Śāriputra! All the Buddhas of the past expounded the teachings for the sake of sentient beings, using incalculable and innumerable skilful means and various explanations and illustrations.

These teachings were all for the sake of the Single Buddha Vehicle. All these sentient beings, hearing the Dharma from the Buddhas, finally attained omniscience.

“O Śāriputra! All the future Buddhas who will appear in the world will expound the teachings for the sake of sentient beings, using incalculable and innumerable skilful means and various explanations and illustrations.

These teachings will all be for the Single Buddha Vehicle. All sentient beings who hear this Dharma from these Buddhas will ultimately attain omniscience.

“O Śāriputra! All the Buddha Bhāgavats of the present, in immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of Buddha worlds of the 10 directions,

teach the Dharma to sentient beings using incalculable and innumerable skilful means with various explanations and illustrations to benefit many of them and cause them to feel at peace.

These Dharmas are all of the Single Buddha Vehicle. All the sentient beings who hear the Dharma from these Buddhas will ultimately attain omniscience.

“O Śāriputra! These Buddhas lead and inspire only Bodhisattvas, because they want to teach sentient beings with the wisdom and insight of the Buddha,

to enlighten sentient beings with the wisdom and insight of the Buddha, and to cause sentient beings to enter the path of the wisdom and insight of the Buddha.

“O Śāriputra! I too am now like this.

Having understood the various desires and deep-rooted inclinations of sentient beings, I teach the Dharma according to their capacities through the power of skilful means, using various explanations and illustrations.

 “O Śāriputra! I do this in order to cause them to attain the omniscience of the single Buddha vehicle.

“O Śāriputra! Since there is no second vehicle in the worlds of the 10 directions, how could there be a third!

“O Śāriputra! The Buddhas appear in the troubled world of the 5 defilements, which are

Therefore, O Śāriputra, in the period of the decadent kalpa, because sentient beings are filthy, greedy, jealous, and develop roots of error, all the Buddhas illuminate the 3 [vehicles] with the power of skilful means in order to teach the single Buddha vehicle.

“O Śāriputra! If any of my disciples declare that they are Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas, and do not listen or comprehend that all the Buddha Tathāgatas teach only the bodhisattvas, they are not disciples of the Buddhas, nor are they Arhats or Pratyekabuddhas.

 “Again, O Śāriputra! If there are any monks or nuns who would declare that they have attained Arhatship, that they are bearing their last bodies and are destined for complete Nirvana, and yet who have not sought highest, complete Enlightenment, they should be considered arrogant people.

“Why is this? Because there is no case in which a monk who has actually achieved Arhatship does not believe in this Dharma, except after the Buddha has entered Parinirvāṇa and there is no Buddha present.

“What is the reason for this? Because after the Parinirvāṇa of the Buddha it is hard to find people who preserve, recite, and understand the meaning of the sutras like this. But if they should meet other Buddhas they will immediately understand this teaching.

“O Śāriputra! You should wholeheartedly accept and preserve the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddha Tathāgatas are never false. There are no other vehicles, only the Single Buddha Vehicle.”

Thereupon the Bhāgavat, wanting to elaborate the meaning of this further, uttered these verses:

In the 4-fold assembly there were 5 000 Monks and nuns who were excessively proud,
Laymen who were arrogant, And laywomen who were unaccepting.

They did not see their own defects, Being faulty in self-discipline, And clung to their shortcomings; these of little wisdom have already left.

Through the virtuous dignity of the Buddha The dregs of the assembly have departed. Having little virtue, These people were incapable of accepting this Dharma.

Free of useless twigs and leaves, Only the pure essence of this assembly remains.

O Śāriputra, listen carefully!

All the Buddhas teach the Dharma That they have attained Through the immeasurable power of skilful means, For the sake of sentient beings.

Completely knowing their intentions, Their various ways of practice, Their wishes and capacities, And the good and bad karma Of their previous lives,

The Buddha gladdens all sentient beings  With the power of words and skilful means, Using examples and illustrations.

The Buddha teaches by means of sutras, verses, Stories of his past deeds, and of past events, Miraculous tales, explanatory tales, Allegories, poems, and exegeses.

The Buddha teaches Nirvana to those with dull faculties, Who are satisfied with lowly aspirations And attached to birth and death, Who have not practiced the profound path
In the presence of innumerable Buddhas And are confused by suffering.

Having devised this skilful means I enable them to enter the wisdom of the Buddhas.

But I have never said That all of you would attain The path of the Buddhas. I have never said this Because the occasion never arose.

Now is precisely the right time for me To teach definitively the Mahāyāna.

I apply these 9 kinds of teachings according to the capacities of sentient beings. I teach these sutras because they are the basis for entering the Mahāyāna.

I teach the Mahayana sutras to those heirs of the Buddhas who are pure in mind, mild, and receptive, Have keen faculties, and who have practiced the profound path under immeasurable Buddhas.

I predict that such people Will attain the path of the Buddhas In their future lives, Because they keep the Buddhas in mind With profound thoughts And practice pure conduct.

Hearing that they shall attain Buddhahood They will be filled with great joy; Because a Buddha knows their intentions He teaches the Mahayana.

Those Śrāvakas or bodhisattvas, Who have heard even a single verse Of the Dharma that I have taught, Will all become Buddhas. There can be no doubt about it.

In the Buddha worlds of the 10 directions There is only the Dharma of the Single Vehicle.

Apart from the skilful means of the Buddhas, There is neither a second nor a third [vehicle]. A Buddha merely uses provisional words In order to lead sentient beings.

All the Buddhas appear in the world To teach the wisdom of the Buddhas. Only this one thing is real, The other two are not true.

In the end, A Buddha does not save sentient beings through an inferior vehicle.

The Buddhas themselves Abide in the Mahayana;

The Dharma that they have attained, Is adorned with meditation, wisdom, and power; And through these they save the sentient beings.

I would be ungenerous If I were to lead and inspire even a single person Through an inferior vehicle, Having attained the highest path, The universal Dharma of the Mahayana. This is simply not possible.

If anyone takes refuge in the Buddha, The Tathāgata will not deceive him.

A Tathāgata has neither stinginess nor jealousy And has detached himself From the evils of the phenomenal world.

That is why the Buddhas of the 10 directions Are the only ones who have no fear.

Having a body adorned with the marks of a Buddha, Emitting a ray of light that illuminates the worlds And revered by immeasurable sentient beings, I teach the signs of the true aspects Of the phenomenal world.

O Śāriputra! You should now know That originally I made a vow To make all sentient beings my equal Without any difference.

Now I have already fulfilled this vow That I made in the past. I will lead and inspire all sentient beings And cause them to enter the path of the Buddhas.

If I met sentient beings And taught them till the end the path of the Buddhas, Those with little understanding Would be confused and perplexed And would not accept the teaching.

I know that these sentient beings Have never cultivated the roots of good merit.

They are attached to the desires of the five senses, Disordered by delusion and passion, And have fallen into the 3 troubled states of being Because of these desires.

They are wandering through the 6 transmigratory states, Tormented by every kind of suffering. They are continually being born as tiny embryos In one world after another.

These people of few qualities and little merit are afflicted by various sufferings. They enter into the jungle of 62 false views, Such as “This exists” or “This does not exist.”

They are so firmly and deeply attached to false teachings That they cannot get rid of them.

They are arrogant, proud, deceitful, and dishonest. They have heard neither the names
Nor the True Dharma of the Buddhas For thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas.

Such people are difficult to save. That is why, O Śāriputra, I devised the method of teaching
The way to extinguish all suffering through Nirvana.

Even though I taught Nirvana, It is not the true extinction.

Every existing thing from the very beginning Has always had the mark of quiescence. The heirs of the Buddhas who practice this path Will thereafter become Buddhas in the future.

With the power of skilful means I have presented the teachings of the 3 vehicles.

Yet all of the Bhāgavats Teach the path of the Single Vehicle. This great assembly Should now rid itself of confusion. The words of the Buddhas are not inconsistent.

There is only the single vehicle; there is no other.

In the past innumerable kalpas There appeared immeasurable and incalculable Buddhas, Hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis in number, Who have attained Parinirvāṇa.

All the Bhāgavats Taught the characteristics of all dharmas With the power of innumerable skilful means, Using various examples and illustrations.

All these Bhāgavats Taught the Dharma of the single vehicle, Led and inspired immeasurable sentient beings, And enabled them to enter the path of the Buddhas.

Understanding the deepest desires of the entire world Of the devas, humans, and other beings, The Great Sage Lord has illuminated The highest meaning With diverse skilful means.

All those sentient beings Who encountered and heard the teaching Of the Buddhas of the past,  And who accumulated various merits  Through acts of giving (dāna), integrity (śīla), perseverance (kṣānti),  Diligence (vīrya), meditation (dhyāna), and wisdom (prajñā)
(i.e., the 6 perfections) Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

And after the Parinirvāṇa of the Buddhas, Those sentient beings with well-governed minds Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

After the Buddhas attained Parinirvāṇa, All those who paid homage to the relics,

Who made myriads of koṭis of stūpas Extensively and beautifully adorned with gold, silver,
Crystal, mother of pearl, agate, ruby, Lapis lazuli, and pearl;

Those who made rock Stūpas, Stūpas out of sandal, aloe, deodar, and other woods, As well as brick, tile, mud, and other materials;

All those who made Buddha Stūpas Out of piles of earth in desolate places; And even children in play Who made Buddha Stūpas out of heaps of sand—

All such people have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

And all those who made images of the Buddhas Carved with their extraordinary marks Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

All those who made Buddha images Out of the 7 treasures, Decorated with brass, copper, pewter, lead, tin, iron, wood, mud, glue, lacquer, and cloth, Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

All those who made or had others make Buddha images Painted with the one hundred embellishing Marks of merit, Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

This even includes children in play Who have drawn a Buddha image With a blade of grass or a twig, Brush or fingernail.

Such people, having gradually accumulated merit And perfected great compassion, Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas. Leading and inspiring the Bodhisattvas, They save countless sentient beings.

All those who paid homage to Stūpas, Sculpted or painted images, Honouring them with flowers, perfumes, Banners, and canopies;

Those who paid homage with all kinds of sweet music—With drums, horns, conches, pipes, flutes, lutes, harps, Mandolins, gongs, and cymbals;

Those who joyfully praised the qualities of the Buddhas With various songs or Even with a single low-pitched sound, Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

Those who, even with distracted minds Have offered a single flower to a painted image
Will in time see innumerable Buddhas.

Or those who have done obeisance to images, Or merely pressed their palms together, Or raised a single hand, or nodded their heads, Will in due time see immeasurable Buddhas.

They will attain the highest path And extensively save innumerable sentient beings. They will enter Nirvana without residue Just as a fire goes out after its wood is exhausted.

Those who, even with distracted minds, Entered a Stūpa compound And chanted but once, “Homage to the Buddha!” Have certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

Anyone who heard this teaching, Either in the presence of a past Buddha Or after their Parinirvāṇa, Has certainly attained the path of the Buddhas.

The future Bhāgavats, Tathāgatas, Immeasurable in number, Will teach the Dharma with skilful means.

All the Tathāgatas Will save sentient beings With immeasurable skilful means, Causing them to enter the wisdom of the Buddhas That is free from corruption.

Of those hearing this Dharma There will be no one Who will not become a Buddha.

The original vow of the Buddhas Was to cause all sentient beings to universally Attain the very same Buddha path That I have practiced.

Even though the Buddhas of the future Will teach hundreds of thousands of koṭis Of innumerable paths to the Dharma, Their teachings will actually be For the sake of the single vehicle.

All the Buddhas, the Best of Humans, Know that all dharmas are ever without substance
And that the Buddha-seeds germinate Through dependent origination.

That is why they will teach the Single Vehicle.

Having realized on the terrace of enlightenment That the state of the Dharma Is permanent and unchangeable in this world, The Leaders will teach with skilful means.

The present Buddhas of the 10 directions, As numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, Revered by devas and humans, Appear in the world and teach this Dharma To make sentient beings feel at peace.

They know the utmost tranquillity, And although they teach various paths With the power of skilful means, Their teachings are actually for the Buddha vehicle.

Knowing the character of sentient beings—Their deep intentions, past acts, Wishes, persistence, and strength, Their keen or dull faculties—

The Buddhas teach with skilful means Using various explanations, illustrations, and words,
In accordance with the capacities of sentient beings.

Now I too reveal the path of the Buddhas Through various paths to the Dharma To make sentient beings feel at peace.

Through the power of my wisdom I know the dispositions and desires of sentient beings, And explain various teachings with skilful means, Enabling them all to obtain joy.

O Śāriputra!

You should know that through the Buddha-eye I see beings wandering in the 6 states of existence Who are poor, deprived of merit and wisdom, Who are entering into the bitter path of birth and death, And are suffering repeatedly and without end.

They are deeply attached to the desires of the 5 senses, Just as yaks are attached to their tails.

Obstructed by greed, they are blind and cannot see. They do not seek the Buddha who has great power, Nor the Dharma that cuts off suffering.

Deeply immersed in false views, They try to eliminate suffering through suffering. I feel great compassion For such sentient beings.

Sitting on the terrace of enlightenment for the first time, Looking at the Bodhi tree And walking about, During those 21 days I was thinking thus:

The wisdom I have attained Is subtle and supreme. But the faculties of sentient beings are dull. They are attached to pleasures and blinded by delusion.

How can I save such beings?

Then Brahma and his devaputras, Śakra, The world-protectors of the 4 quarters, Maheśvara and the other devas, Together with a retinue of hundreds Of thousands of myriads of attendants, Paid their respects with palms pressed together And begged me to turn the wheel of the Dharma.

Then I thought:

If I only praise the Buddha vehicles, those beings who are submerged in suffering will not believe this Dharma.

Because they reject and do not believe the Dharma, They will fall into the 3 troubled states of being.

I would rather not teach the Dharma and instead immediately enter Nirvana.

Then I thought of the power of skilful means Practiced by past Buddhas. This path that I have attained should now also be taught as the 3 vehicles.

When I thought this, The Buddhas of the 10 directions appeared And with beautiful voices praised me saying:

O Śākyamuni! Splendid! O Supreme Leader, You have attained the highest Dharma, And yet still use the power of skilful means, Following all the other Buddhas.

We too have attained the best and utmost Dharma And with discretion have explained the 3 vehicles For the sake of sentient beings.

Those with little wisdom Seek inferior teachings And do not believe that they will become Buddhas.

That is why we use skilful means And with discretion teach of various results. Although we teach the 3 vehicles It is just for the instruction of the bodhisattvas!

O Śāriputra!

You should know That when I heard this profound And beautiful roar of the Noble Lions, I chanted with joy, “Homage to the Buddhas!” And I thought:

Since I have been born in this defiled world I will follow the other Buddhas And expound what they have expounded.

After contemplating this I set out for Vārāṇasī.

All dharmas have the tranquil character Of the Dharma:

This could not be expressed in words, So I taught the 5 monks Through the power of skilful means.

This I named: “Turning the Wheel of the Dharma,” And immediately the word Nirvana appeared in it And the different designations for Arhat (Buddha), Dharma, and Saṅgha.

From a great many kalpas ago I  have always taught like this:

I have praised and illuminated The teaching of Nirvana, Saying that it ends the sufferings Of birth and death.

O Śāriputra!

You should know that I see Immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis Of the Buddha’s heirs, Who, having set out for the Buddha path, And heard the Dharma explained with skilful means, Have respectfully come before the Buddha.

Then I thought:

The reason why the Tathāgatas appear is To explain the wisdom of the Buddhas. Now is precisely the right time for this!

O Śāriputra!

You should know that Those who have dull faculties and little wisdom, And those who are attached to mere signs and Are arrogant cannot accept this teaching.

Now I am happy and fearless. Having openly set aside skilful means, I will teach only the highest path To all the bodhisattvas.

Having heard this teaching The bodhisattvas and 12 000 Arhats, Freeing themselves from the web of doubt, Will all become Buddhas.

Just as the Buddhas in the 3 periods Of the past, present, and future, Teach the true nature of the Dharma, Now I too will expound the Dharma That is beyond conception.

All the Buddhas Appear in worlds far away And are difficult to meet. Even if they appear in this world It is difficult to hear their teaching.

Even in immeasurable, innumerable kalpas It is difficult to hear this Dharma, And those who are able to hear this Dharma are also hard to find.

They are just like the Uḍumbara flower which appears only once in a very long while And, beloved by all, Is considered a wonder among devas and humans.

Those who, hearing this teaching, Happily praise the Buddhas By uttering even a single word Have already paid homage to all Buddhas Of the 3 periods.

Such people are even more extraordinary Than the Uḍumbara flower. All of you, have no doubts!

I, the King of the Dharma, Now proclaim to the great assembly:

I lead and inspire the bodhisattvas Only with the path of the Single Vehicle;
I am here without disciples.

O Śāriputra and all of you!

The Śrāvakas and bodhisattvas should know That this True Dharma is the hidden essence
Of all the Buddhas.

In the troubled worlds of the 5 kinds of defilement, Sentient beings are only attached to various desires, And ultimately do not seek the path of the Buddhas.

In the future the impure will hear The Buddha teach the single vehicle, But they will be confused and will not accept it. They will reject the Dharma And fall into the troubled states of being.

To those who are modest and pure, And seek the path of the Buddhas, I will praise extensively The path of the single vehicle.

O Śāriputra!

You should know that the Dharma Of all the Buddhas is like this:

They teach the Dharma With myriads of koṭis of skilful means, According to the capacities of sentient beings; the inexperienced cannot understand this.

You have come to know with certainty the skilful means Of the Buddhas, the Teachers of the World, That are expounded in accordance With people’s capacities.

All of you, have no further doubts!
Let great joy arise in your hearts
And know that you will all become Buddhas!