Practices and Vows of
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva

Chapter Forty, New Edition

 

 

SUTRA: 

All the demon-armies, the yakshas, rākshasas, kumbhāndas, pishāchas, bhūtas, and so forth that drink blood and devour flesh, all these evil ghosts and spirits, will stay far away from this person. Or they will make a resolve to draw near and protect him.

Therefore, if a person recites these vows, he goes throughout the world without any obstruction, like the moon in the sky that emerges from clouds. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will praise him. All people and gods should venerate him. All living beings should make offerings to him.

This good man is well able to be reborn as a human and will perfect all of Samantabhadra’s merit and virtue. Before long, he will be just like Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, obtaining a subtle and wonderful physical body replete with the thirty-two hallmarks of a great man.

If he is born among humans or gods, he will always live in a superior family. He will totally destroy the evil destinies and he will be far apart from all bad friends. He will be able to vanquish all those on heterodox paths. He will be completely free from all afflictions. He’s just like the lion king, able to subdue all beasts. Such a person is worthy of receiving the offerings of all living beings.

COMMENTARY: 

All the demon-armies. In this world there are many heavenly demons and those on paths outside of Buddhism. Why don’t they show themselves? They hide away because the Buddha-dharma is in the world, but if there was no Buddha-dharma here, they would openly appear in the world.

What are these “demon armies?” The word “demon” in Chinese (魔) is derived from the Sanskrit mara, which means “murderer ” or “one fond of killing.” Mara likes to kill any living being he sees. The demonic armies include demon kings, demon citizens, demon children, and demon women. Demon women are especially beautiful; however they also delight in killing.

The yakshas can travel very fast. There are flying yakshas, yakshas that travel on the ground, and yakshas who travel in space. They are also called those that are brave and strong. They are brave and skilled in fighting and extremely cruel and evil. They have no other ability than harming human beings.

Rākshasas is a Sanskrit word which carries the meaning of “fearsome” ghost. Both the yakshas and rakshasas are mentioned in the Shurangama Mantra: yao cha jie luo he, (line 247), and luo cha si jie luo he, (line 248). Yao cha is yaksha, and luo cha si is rākshasa. Reciting the Shurangama Mantra prevents these demons from harming people and in fact causes them to protect people. Reciting yao cha jie luo he, luo cha si jie luo he can get rid of the misfortune of an untimely death. It prevents these very ominous and dangerous situations.

Kumbhāndas are barrel-shaped ghosts. They are also called ghosts that have the shape of a winter melon. And they are yen mei (spellbound when asleep) ghosts. They are skilled at yen mei. What is yen mei? When people are asleep, they cast a spell on them to prevent them from talking no matter how hard they try to talk. They can also paralyze people so that they can’t move or do anything at all.

Pishāchas are also a kind of ghost. This ghost is called a ghost that eats a person’s vital energy as well as the vital energy of the five grains.

Bhūtas, and so forth. Bhūtas are another type of ghost. I don’t remember if I explained this before. It means a ghost with a huge body. His body is extremely large. It’s as large as Mount Sumeru.

These two ghosts, bhūtas and kumbhāndas, are also found in the Shurangama Mantra: bu duo jie luo he, jiu pan cha jie luo he. The kumbhānda ghost is also called the ghost that rides in vehicles or on horses. Together with bhūtas they can prevent accidents and they can also get rid of disasters connected with city walls. For example, if a city’s walls are crumbling and you aren’t careful, you could be crushed to death. However, if you recite the Shurangama Mantra, you could prevent this disaster. In the same way, you can prevent car accidents, accidents on horseback, and other disasters. These two ghosts can protect people and get rid of these kinds of difficulties. In the Shurangama Mantra we find the names of these ghost kings, and if you recite this mantra, not only will they refrain from hurting you, they will protect you.

That drink blood and devour flesh, all these evil ghosts and spirits...These ghosts either drink people’s blood or they eat their flesh. These are evil ghosts and spirits. Will stay far away from this person. However, if you recite the ten great king of vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, then these evil ghosts will go far away from you.

Or they will make a resolve to draw near and protect him...If they do not wish to go far away from you, they may decide to draw near to protect you and become your Dharma protector. Therefore, if a person recites these vows, he goes throughout the world without any obstruction. A person who recites these ten great king of vows, will not be hindered wherever he travels in the world. He does not have any obstructions whatsoever. He will be able to destroy all obstructions.

One will be like the moon in the sky that emerges from clouds, like the bright moon appearing in the sky without being blocked or obstructed by clouds. You’ll be like the moonlight shining wherever you go. All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will praise him. In addition to this all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions will praise such a person, and all people and gods should venerate him. All humans and gods respect one who recites these ten great king of vows. All living beings should make offerings to him. All living beings should make offerings to the person who recites these ten great king of vows.

This good man, the good man who recites these ten great king of vows, is well able to be reborn as a human. In each life he will be able to attain a human form. And will perfect all of Samantabhadra’s merit and virtue. He will be able to cultivate and perfect the merit and virtue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Before long, he will be just like Samantabhadra, obtaining a subtle and wonderful physical body. He will very quickly obtain a subtle and wonderful body, like Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, replete with the thirty-two hallmarks of a great man, just like the fine features of the Buddhas.

If he is born among humans or gods, if he is born in the human realm or in the heavens above, he will always live in a superior family. Wherever he goes, the family in which he is born will always be a great one. It will be the most powerful, most noble, and the wealthiest family. He will totally destroy the evil destinies. He’s able to destroy all the four evil destinies of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras, and he will be far apart from all bad friends. Good friends will always draw near to him and bad companions will be left far behind.

He will be able to vanquish all those on heterodox paths. He will have the power to subdue all adherents of heterodox or non-Buddhist paths. He will be completely free from all afflictions. The worst problem that people have is all their afflictions, but now one can be liberated from all afflictions. He’s just like the lion king, able to subdue all beasts. He’s able to subjugate all animals. As soon as the lion roars, the myriad beasts are frightened. Such a person is worthy of receiving the offerings of all living beings. He will deserve to receive the offerings of all living beings.

SUTRA: 

Further, when a person is on the verge of death, at the very last kṣhaṇa-instant of life, when all his sense-faculties deteriorate, all of his family departs from him, and all of his power and influence are diminished and lost; when his ministers, great officials, everything in his inner and outer court, his elephants, horses, carts, and precious jewels, hidden treasures, and all things such as these can no longer accompany him, then this king of vows alone will never leave him. At all times, these vows will be before him guiding him. In a single kṣhaṇa -instant, he will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Upon arriving there, he will immediately see Amitabha Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva Who Contemplates With Self-Mastery (Avalokiteshvara), Maitreya Bodhisattva, and others. The physical features of these Bodhisattvas, who are all around him, are dignified and majestic; their merit and virtue perfect.

COMMENTARY: 

Further, when a person who reads and recites Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s ten great king of vows is on the verge of death, at the very last kṣhaṇa-instant of life, when all his sense-faculties deteriorate. A kṣhaṇa is a very, very short moment of time; and at the last kṣhaṇa, all of a person’s sense-faculties, his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, disperse. That is the moment when the sense-faculties scatter and deteriorate: the eyes can no longer see; the ears cannot hear; the tongue cannot taste; the nose can no longer detect smell; and the body loses the sense of touch. All the sense-faculties no longer function, and all of his family departs from him, the dying person. All of his relatives and friends separate from him, because he has already died.

And all his power and influence are diminished and lost. When a person dies, all his awesome virtue, power, and influence are completely lost including his ministers and great officials. If you are a king, then you have a prime minister and all kinds of great ministers, as well as

everything in his inner and outer court , great palaces, and countries. “Inner court” refers to wives and wealth, and “outer court” refers to all material wealth such as his elephants, horses, carts, and precious jewels, hidden treasures, and all things such as these can no longer accompany him. When you are on the verge of death, nothing will go along with you. Then this king of vows alone will never leave him. Only the ten great king of vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva will stay with you. Because they are in your Eighth Consciousness, there is no way they can leave you.

At all times, these vows will be before him, guiding him. In all places and at all times, they will be in front of him, so that in a single kṣhaṇa-instant, in a very short instant of time, he will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Upon arriving there, he will immediately see Amitabha Buddha. After arriving in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, one sees Amitabha Buddha.

Going west, the Land of Ultimate Bliss is trillions of Buddha-lands away. Amitabha Buddha is the Teaching-Master of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. His name is Sanskrit, and it means “measureless life” and “measureless light,” because both his life and his light are infinite; therefore he is called the Buddha of Measureless Light and Life.

Manjushri Bodhisattva ’s name means “wonderful virtues” and “wonderfully auspicious.” So this is Wonderfully Auspicious Bodhisattva. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is the Bodhisattva who is the host for this chapter, the Chapter on Samantabhadra’s Practices and Vows. The Bodhisattva Who Contemplates With Self-Mastery (Avalokiteshvara) is the Bodhisattva Who Observes the Sounds of the World (Guan Shi Yin). Maitreya Bodhisattva, and others. Maitreya Bodhisattva’s name in Sanskrit means “clan of kindness.” He is also called Ajita, which means “invincible;” no one can defeat him. In the future, Ajita Bodhisattva, who is Maitreya, will be the next Buddha in our Saha world, the fifth Buddha of the Worthy or Bhadra Kalpa.

When will Maitreya Bodhisattva become a Buddha? There are certain people of heterodox paths who say that he has already come into the world and become a Buddha. Actually Maitreya Bodhisattva’s appearing in the world is still a long way off. Quite a long time must pass before he becomes a Buddha. Presently our world is in a period of “kalpa decrease.” During this time the average lifespan of human beings decreases by one year every one hundred years and the average height of a human being also decreases by one inch. This continues until the average lifespan is ten years, and people are no more than a foot tall, about the size of today’s dogs. Although they will be small, their evil thoughts will be great. The smaller they become, the meaner they get.

At this time when the average human lifespan is ten years, a few days after people are born, they will understand sexual desire and will engage in sexual activity just like dogs and pigs do now. At that time, they will be able to kill one another with only a blade of grass. So people will kill each other. “I kill you, and you kill me.” This mutual slaughter will occur because there will be too many people in the world. They will be as numerous as ants. People will be everywhere. If a person survives and is not killed, he or she will still die at the age of ten.

From this point on, a period of increase will begin. The average human lifespan will increase by one year every hundred years, and the average height will also increase by one inch. When the average age reaches eighty-four thousand years, another period of decrease will begin. When the average age reaches eighty thousand years, Maitreya Bodhisattva will come into the world and become a Buddha. Therefore, those people on heterodox paths who say that Maitreya Bodhisattva is already in the world are talking as if in a dream.

The physical features of these Bodhisattvas, who are all around him, are dignified and majestic. The physical bodies of all these Bodhisattvas that he sees will be upright and dignified, and their merit and virtue perfect. These Bodhisattvas, with their perfect appearances and complete merit and virtue are all around him.

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