KSITIGARBHA PURVAPRANIDHANA SUTRA

[shian]

pic : Prthivi in male form



pic : female Prthivi (India)



pic : Prthivi female form (China)

Chapter 11: Protection of the Dharma by the Deities in Charge of the Land
At that time, Prthivi (Secure-Firm Deva) addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, I have now from long ago looked upon and worshipped incalculable numbers of Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, all of whom had great, inconceivable, miraculous power and wisdom to render universal deliverance to sentient beings. However, among all those Bodhisattvas, this Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha is the deepest and most serious with his vows and wishes. O World Honored One, this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha has a tremendous relationship of primary and secondary causes (hetupratyayas) with Jambudvipa. For example, Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara and Maitreya are also transformed into hundreds of thousands of forms in order to perform deliverance on the six paths of existence; but their vows will all ultimately have terminations and come to an end. However, this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha teaches and converts all sentient beings on the six paths of existence and has taken deep and sincere vows to continue to do this for kalpas as numerous as the grains of sand in hundreds of thousands of millions of Ganges Rivers. O World Honored One, I see that present and future beings, in the places where they choose to live on clean lands in the south, will construct shrines for him with earth, rocks, bamboo or timber, wherein they may mold, paint or even fashion with gold, silver, copper or iron the image of Ksitigarbha; and they will burn incense, make offerings and obeisance, and continuously praise him. Any abodes thus honoring him will gain all the ten benefits.
"What are these ten benefits? First, the land will be rich and fertile. Second, the household will always be safe. Third, the departed will ascend to heaven. Fourth, the living will enjoy ever greater longevity. Fifth, all their prayers will be answered. Sixth, there will be no calamities of either flood or fire. Seventh, waste will be averted. Eighth, bad dreams will cease. Ninth, all entries and exits will be protected by deities. Tenth, much sacred and holy association will take place. O World Honored One, such are the benefits to be gained by sentient beings at present and in the future should they be able to make offerings, such as I have just described, in the vicinity of their homes."
He continued to address the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, in future times, if some good men and good women should possess this Sutra and Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's image and if such people should, furthermore, turn and read the Sutra and worship this Bodhisattva, I shall always apply my miraculous power, day and night, to guard and protect such people so that flood, fire, hazard, thievery and major and minor accidents, as well as all other evil, will vanish entirely from their lives and disappear, never to return."
The Buddha told Prthivi, "You possess gigantic power, which few deities can emulate. And why so? Everything in the Jambudvipa Realm is under your protection. Even grass, trees, sand, rocks, rice paddies, hemp, bamboo, reeds, grain, rice and jewels-all of which come from the land-appear due to your power. Also, you often praise the beneficial things which Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha does. Your meritorious virtues and miraculous powers and deeds are hundreds of thousands of times greater than those of ordinary deities. In future times, should some good men and good women worship this Bodhisattva, read this Sutra, or should they be able to cultivate and practice even in accordance with only one thing in The Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows, you will apply your own miraculous power to support and protect them lest any news of calamity and other unpleasant things even reach their ears, far less happen to them. Not only will you protect such people, but also the retinues of Sakras and brahmans, as well as the retinues of the devas, will protect such people. How do they gain the support and protection of the Holy Ones? It happens just because they worship Ksitigarbha's image and read this Sutra of his fundamental vows. So, naturally, they will ultimately leave the sea of suffering and realize the happiness of Nirvana. For them to be able to do this, they need and deserve all your great support and protection."

[shian]

pic : Ksitigarbha



pic : Avalokitesvara

Chapter 12: The Benefits of Seeing and Hearing

At that time, the World Honored One emitted from his forehead hundreds of thousands of millions of great curl-mark lights: namely, the white curl-mark light, the great white curl-mark light, the auspicious curl-mark light, the great auspicious curl-mark light, the jade curl-mark light, the great jade curl-mark light, the purple curl-mark light, the great purple curl-mark light, the indigo curl-mark light, the great indigo curl-mark light, the blue curl-mark light, the great blue curl-mark light, the red curl-mark light, the great red curl-mark light, the green curl-mark light, the great green curl-mark light, the golden curl-mark light, the great golden curl-mark light, the felicitous cloud curl-mark light, the great felicitous cloud curl-mark light, the thousand wheel curl-mark light, the great thousand wheel curl-mark light, the precious wheel curl-mark light, the great precious wheel curl-mark light, the sun disc curl-mark light, the great sun disc curl-mark light, the moon disc curl-mark light, the great moon disc curl-mark light, the palace curl-mark light, the great palace curl-mark light, the sea cloud curl-mark light and the great sea cloud curl-mark light. Having emitted such curl-phenomena lights from his forehead, he intoned in his subtle, wonderful voice and said to the assembled congregation of eight categories of beings, which included devas and nagas and human beings and nonhuman beings, "Listen, for today in Tryastrimsas Palace I am going to commend and praise his beneficial deeds, his inconceivable deeds, which surpass all other sacred causes, and his deeds of nonretrogression from Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi, which Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha performed for the sake of human beings and devas."
As these words were being said, a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva in the congregation named Avalokitesvara rose directly from his seat, genuflected with palms joined and addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, this Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, with great mercy and compassion, has always had pity on sinful, miserable, suffering beings. In thousands of myriads of millions of worlds, he takes thousands of myriads of millions of transformational forms. I have heard you, O World Honored One, and innumerable other Buddhas, all in unison, singing the praises of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's meritorious virtues and inconceivable majestic, miraculous powers, revealing that even if all the past, present and future Buddhas should speak of and try to enumerate his meritorious virtues, they still would never exhaust them. Earlier, O World Honored One, you uttered a universal announcement to the congregation, saying that you wished to praise Ksitigarbha's beneficial deeds. I only hope that you, O World Honored One, for the benefit of all sentient beings of the present and the future, will praise Ksitigarbha's inconceivable deeds so that the eight categories of beings, including devas and nagas, can worship him and gain the bliss thereof."
The Buddha told Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, "You yourself have a tremendously strong relationship of primary and secondary causes (hetupratyayas) with the beings of the Saha World. No being-whether a deva or a naga, whether a male or a female, whether a deity or a demon, or even a miserable, sinful being on the six paths of existence_indeed, anyone who, on hearing your name or seeing your form, cherishes, admires and praises you, will definitely not retrogress from the unexcelled Path of Enlightenment and will always be reborn as a deva or a human being to enjoy wonderful happiness. And when such cause-and-effect is about to run its course, such beings will meet Buddhas to receive the predestination of themselves becoming Buddhas. At this time, you are showing great mercy and compassion, and you have pity on all the eight categories of beings, including devas and nagas, by your wanting to hear my proclamation of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's inconceivable beneficial deeds. So listen attentively, for now I am going to speak."
Avalokitesvara said, "Yes, indeed, O World Honored One, I shall be delighted to hear."
The Buddha told Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, "In the various worlds at present and in the future, whenever a heavenly being is at the end of his enjoyment of celestial bliss, there will manifest five kinds of decadent symptoms. Sometimes he may fall onto an evil path of existence. If such a heavenly being, whether a male or a female, at the time when such symptoms manifest, should see Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's image or hear Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's name and pay him one visit and make even one act of obeisance to him, then such a heavenly being will consequently enjoy even more celestial bliss, more great delight and will never again fall onto the three evil paths of existence as retribution. So, how much better even will those beings fare who see and hear Ksitigarbha and make donations and offerings with all sorts of incense, flowers clothing, food, jewels and necklaces! Countless and boundless will be the meritorious virtues and blissful benefits gained by them.
Furthermore, O Avalokitesvara, if a sentient being on the six paths of existence in present and future times should be able, at the end of his life, to hear the name of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha_if even just one invocation of the name reaches his ear-such a being will never again experience the suffering of the three evil paths of existence. How much better off even will be one who, at the end of his life, has parents or other relatives who use the value of his house, jewels, clothing and any other wealth in order to mold or paint Ksitigarbha's image! And how much better off even will that sick one be if, before he dies, he sees with his own eyes and hears with his own ears and thus knows that his relatives have used the value of his house, jewels, etc., in order to mold or paint Ksitigarbha's image for his benefit alone! If such a person, due to his karmic retribution, should ever contract a serious illness, he will recover and be well again because of that meritorious virtue, and his longevity will be enhanced. If, due to his karmic retribution, this person is, at the end of his life, still burdened with all his sinful and karmic hindrances, which deserve rebirth on evil paths, then, on account of this meritorious virtue, he shall be reborn as a human being or a deva after the termination of his present lifetime and enjoy extraordinary happiness with all his sinful hindrances entirely eradicated!
"Furthermore, O Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in future times, a boy or a girl, either at infancy or under the age of three, five or ten, may lose his or her parents or may even lose brothers or sisters and, having grown older, may remember his or her parents or other relatives and wonder onto what path of existence they may have fallen, into what world they may have been born or to what heaven they may have ascended. If, at such a time, this person is able to mold or paint Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's image or even hear his name or pay him just one visit or make only one act of obeisance to his image or make donations for one to seven days without once shirking his or her original intention, then the relatives of this person, who on account of their karma may have fallen onto evil paths of existence for a period lasting a number of kalpas, will-thanks to the meritorious acts accomplished and virtues practiced by their son or daughter or brother or sister while molding or painting Ksitigarbha's image for worship_will instantly be delivered and liberated so that they may be reborn among human beings or devas to enjoy extraordinary, wonderful happiness. If the relatives of this person, due to their own bliss, have already been reborn as human beings or devas to enjoy extraordinary, wonderful happiness, then they will, with this meritorious virtue, enhance their sacred causes and enjoy immeasurable happiness. If, furthermore, this person should be able to worship Ksitigarbha's image wholeheartedly for three seven-day periods and recite his name as many as ten thousand times, then the Bodhisattva will manifest his boundless entity to him or her, telling him the whereabouts of his or her relatives. Sometimes the Bodhisattva will manifest great miraculous power and personally lead this person, in a dream, to various other worlds to see his or her relatives. If such a person should, furthermore, be able to invoke this Bodhisattva's name one thousand times every day and repeat this continuously for a period of one thousand days, then the Bodhisattva will summon the deities and demons in charge of the land and command them to guard and protect this person throughout his or her life and provide him or her with plentiful and costly clothing, good food, and freedom from illness. Any unexpected hazard will never cross his or her threshold but, on the contrary, will be far distanced from this person. The Bodhisattva will touch this person's head and prophesy his predestination.
"Furthermore, O Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in future times, if good men and good women should wish to generate the mind of great, widespread compassion and mercy to deliver all sentient beings, wish to cultivate the unexcelled Bodhi, yearning to escape from and leave forever the three realms, and if these people, on seeing Ksitigarbha's image and hearing his name, should wholeheartedly take refuge in him or offer incense, flowers clothing, jewels, food and worship to him, then such good men and good women will soon see their wishes come true, never experiencing any obstructions whatsoever.
"Furthermore, O Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in future times, if any good man or good woman prays that in the present or the future hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of wishes for hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of things be fulfilled, he should just take refuge in, worship, make offerings to and praise Bodhisattba Ksitigarbha's image. Then all that he may have wished or prayed for shall be granted. Should he have a further wish, imploring, `O Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, with your great mercy and compassion, please support and protect me always!', then he will experience the Bodhisattva toucching his head in a dream and prophesying his predestination.
"Furthermore, O Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in future times, good men and good women may deeply treasure the Mahayana sutras, generating the inconceivable mind that wishes to read and recite them. However, in spite of their brilliant teachers' instruction, showing them how to learn the sutras by heart, they may forget them as soon as they recite them and may, thus, be unable to read and recite them aptly for months or even years. Such good persons have inborn karmic hindrances that are not yet eradicated, and, therefore, they are not yet able to acquire the technique of reading and reciting the Mahayana sutras. Such persons should, on hearing Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's name and on seeing Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's image, reverently proclaim his name with sincere hearts; furthermore, they should offer incense, flowers, clothing, food and all kinds of artifacts to the Bodhisattva. One cup of pure water should be placed in front of the Bodhisattva's image for one day and one night. Then, with their palms joined, the supplicants should pray and drink the water while turning their heads to the south; and they must maintain a wholeheartedly serious attitude as the water enters their mouths. Having partaken of the water, they must take care to avoid the five pungent plants, liquor, meat, lust, lying and killing for one to three seven-day periods. Thereafter, these good men and good women will then see Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha manifest his boundless form in their dreams, sprinkling holy water on their heads. When awakened from their dreams, such persons will be endowed with such keen wit that any sutra, having once reached their ears, will be firmly committed to memory by them with not one gatha or even one sentence ever again being missed or forgotten by them.
"Furthermore, O Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in future times, some people may be wanting in clothing and food, have their prayers go unanswered, be constantly ill, encounter much bad luck, have much disquiet in their households, have their relatives separated or dispersed, have all kinds of unexpected things happen to harm their persons or have many specters arise in their dreams. If such people, on hearing Ksitigarbha's name and seeing Ksitigarbha's image, should invoke his name wholeheartedly and reverently ten thousand times, then those unpleasant things will gradually disappear; and they will, thereafter, enjoy peace and happiness, have plenty of clothing and will even experience peace and happiness in their slumber and dreams.
"Furthermore, O Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, in future times, some good man or good woman, either to earn a living in public or private business or in the event of a birth, a death or an emergency, may have to climb a mountain, enter a forest, ferry across a river, a lake or a tremendous body of water or take some other sort of dangerous route. Such a person ought, first, to invoke Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's name ten thousand times. Then, wherever he passes, the demons and deities in charge of the land will guard and protect him. He will always enjoy peace and happiness, whether walking, standing, sitting or reclining. Furthermore, even if he should chance to meet tigers, wolves or lions, or if he should chance to be exposed to any kind of poison or be confronted with any other kind of danger whatsoever, no harm at all will come to him."
The Buddha, then, in conclusion, said to Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, "This Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha has a tremendous cause-and-effect relationship with the beings of Jambudvipa. The record of all the beneficial deeds performed by Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha-and which have been both seen and heard by sentient beings-could not be exhausted even though one were to talk about them for hundreds of thousands of kalpas. Therefore, O Avalokitesvara, by means of your miraculous power publish and circulate this Sutra so that all sentient beings in the Saha World will continuously enjoy peace and happiness for hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of kalpas."
Then the World Honored One offered the following gathas, reciting thusly:
"I see Ksitigarbha's majestic, miraculous power,
Hardly exhausted though spoken of for kalpas numerous as sand grains in the Ganges River.
Seeing him, hearing him, worshipping him, even for an instant,
Will benefit human beings and devas in innumerable ways.
If someone-either male or female, either naga or deity-at the end of his retribution has fallen onto evil paths,
Then he should wholeheartedly take refuge in this Mahasattva,
So his lifespan will be increased and his sinful hindrances eradicated.
Someone may lose his parents, who cared for and loved him,
And not know in what paths of existence their spirits fare,
Or may have brothers or sisters, elder or younger, or other relatives,
Whom he has not seen since his birth and childhood.
But if he molds or paints this Mahasattva's image
And dwells on it in worship, never taking his eyes away,
And invokes his divine name continuously for three weeks,
Then this Bodhisattva will manifest his boundless entity,
Revealing the realm where the supplicant's relatives are reborn.
And even if fallen onto evil paths of existence, they will soon escape
from and leave such paths.
If it is possible for the supplicant not to retrogress from his original determination,
Then he will be touched on his head and receive the sacred predestination.
If anyone wishes to cultivate the unexcelled Bodhi,
Or even wishes to escape from and leave the suffering of the Three Realms,
And if this person has already made up his mind to be compassionate,
He should first concentrate on and worship this Mahasattva's image.
Then all his wishes will soon come true,
And never again will any karmic hindrance curb or stop them.
Someone may make up his mind to read the sutras,
Wishing to deliver all deluded ones to reach the Other Shore.
However in spite of this wish, so inconceivably compassionate,
He soon forgets what he reads, and much is wasted and lost.
It is because this person has karma to block and delude him
That he cannot commit Mahayana sutras to memory.
He ought, then, to offer Ksitigarbha incense and flowers,
Clothing, drink, food and all sorts of interesting artifacts,
And should place pure water in front of this Mahasattva's image,
And, after one day and one night, pray reverently and drink the water.
He must make up his mind to be serious and sincere, carefully guarding against the five pungent plants,
Carefully avoiding liquor, meat, lust and false words,
Carefully refraining from killing-all for three weeks' time.
Concurrently, he must also, without cessation, think on and invoke this Mahasattva, chanting his name.
Soon he will see in his dreams the Boundless One!
Then, on waking, he will discover his hearing is purified
So that all the teachings of the sutras, once reaching his ears,
Will never be forgotten, not even for thousands of myriads of lifetimes.
It is because this Mahasattva is so inconceivably compassionate
That he causes his supplicants to gain this kind of wisdom.
Those sentient beings who are poor, indigent, sick and infirm,
Whose households turn decadent, whose relatives are scattered,
Who, in slumber and in dreams, are disturbed,
Whose prayers are never answered_but, rather, the very opposite of what is wished for always happens_ought wholeheaartedly to concentrate on and worship Ksitigarbha's image.
Then all evil things will disappear entirely.
They will enjoy only peace in their dreams.
They will have plenty of clothing and food as well as the protection of deities and demons.
Anyone who wishes to climb a mountain, enter a forest or cross the seas,
Where there are poisonous and ferocious birds and beasts, evil people,
Evil deities, malicious demons, unfavorable winds,
All sorts of calamities and all sorts of other vexations,
Should just concentrate on, worship and make offerings to the image of Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha,
So that on such mountain, in such forest or on such vast seas,
All these evils will vanish entirely and disappear.
O Avalokitesvara, listen carefully to what I am saying:
Ksitigarbha, working ceaselessly, is inconceivable.
Even a description of his powers and deeds lasting hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas will not be exhausted.
During a universal declaration of these powers of the Mahasattva,
If people should hear Ksitigarbha's name
Or even see his image, make obeisance to him
Or make offerings of incense, flowers, clothing, food and drink,
They will, for hundreds of thousands of kalpas, enjoy Wonderful Happiness.
And should they dedicate this bliss for the benefit of the entire Dharmadhatu,
They will finally transcend samsara and achieve Buddhahood.
Therefore, O Avalokitesvara, be aware of all this,
And make it universally known to lands as numerous as the sands in the Ganges River."

[shian]

pic :Ａｋａｓａｇａｒｂｈａ

Chapter 13: The Commendation of Human Beings and Devas

At that time, the World Honored One raised his golden-hued arms, and, touching Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha's head, uttered the following words: "O Ksitigarbha, O Ksitigarbha, your miraculous power is inconceivable, Your compassion is inconceivable. So is your wisdom. So is your eloquence. Let all the Buddhas from all quarters in the ten directions speak about and praise your inconceivable qualities, but they cannot exhaust the number of them even after thousands of myriads of kalpas.
"O Ksitigarbha, O Ksitigarbha, remember that today in Trayastrimsas Palace, amidst the congregation of all the hundreds of myriads of millions of inexpressible, inexpressible numbers of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, together with the eight categories of beings, including devas and nagas, I, once again, commend to you those sentient beings-such as human beings and devas-who have not yet escaped from or transcended the Three Realms and are still caught in the burning mansion. Do not let those sentient beings ever fall onto evil paths of existence even for only one day or one night, much less let them commit the five unpardonable sins and fall into Avici Hell, justly remaining there for thousands of myriads of millions of kalpas without a date of acquittal.
"O Ksitigarbha, all the sentient beings in southern Jambudvipa Realm are unpredictable in their wills and dispositions. Most of them are accustomed to evildoing. Even if they decide to do good, they may retreat from their good intentions in an instant. Surrounded by evil environmental conditions, their evil wills increase and intensify moment by moment. For this reason, I transform myself into hundreds of thousands of millions of other forms to convert, deliver, release and liberate them in accordance with their respective roots and dispositions.
"O Ksitigarbha, at this time I most sincerely commend to you the multitudes of devas and human beings. In future times, should any deva or human being plant even a tiny root in the context of the Buddhadharma_no matter if it be only the size of one water droplet, one sand grain, one hairtip or one mote of dust_you ought to apply your power to support and protect such a being so that he will gradually come to work on the Unexcelled Cultivation. Do not ever let him suffer any loss or retrogression.
"Furthermore, O Ksitigarbha, in future times, should any deva or human being fall onto an evil path of existence in accordance with his karmic retribution, but also should he, as he is about to fall onto that evil path or is about to approach the entrance to any hell, be able to recite the Buddha's name or a Bodhisattva's name or be able to recite a sentence or a gatha from any Mahayana sutra, you ought to apply your miraculous powers and resort to some expediency to rescue him; and, manifesting your boundless entity at the place where this person is, crush the hell for his benefit, thus enabling him to ascend to heaven to enjoy extraordinarily wonderful happiness."
Then the World Honored One uttered the following gatha:
"The multitudes of devas and human beings of the present and future I now
sincerely entrust to you to deliver with your great, miraculous power and
skillful means so they will never again fall onto the evil paths of
existence."
At that time, Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Ksitigarbha knelt with palms joined and addressed the Buddha, saying, "O World Honored One, please do not worry. In future times, should some good man or good woman have even one thought of reverence for the Buddhadharma, I shall resort to hundreds of thousands of expediencies to deliver and liberate that person from samsara. This is not to mention those good men and good women who always hear of virtuous deeds, practice moment by moment without ceasing and who, naturally, will never retrogress from the Unexcelled Path of Enlightenment."
When these words were concluded, a Bodhisattva in the congregation named Akasagarbha addressed the Buddha, saying, "Since my arrival at Trayastrimsas Heaven, I have heard Tathagata praising Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's majestic power as being inconceivable. In future times, how many kinds of benefits will any good man or good woman, or even any deva or naga, gain should he hear this Sutra or Ksitigarbha's name or look reverently at and worship his image? It is only hoped that you, O World Honored One, will give a brief account of these things for the benefit of all the multitudes of sentient beings of the present and the future."
The Buddha told Akasagarbha, "Listen attentively, listen attentively! For now I shall tell you about those benefits one by one. In future times, any good man or good woman who should see Ksitigarbha's image and hear this Sutra and, furthermore, read and recite it, and who should also donate incense, flowers, drink, food, clothing and precious treasures as offerings, in addition to giving praise and making obeisance to Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, will gain twenty-eight kinds of benefits, namely:

Protection and mindfulness of devas and nagas;
Daily increase of virtuous fruition;
Accumulation of elevated and sacred causes;
Nonretrogression from the path of Bodhi;
Affluence and abundant clothing and food;
Non-occurrence of diseases;
Non-occurrence of the calamities of flood or fire;
No harassment by robbery or thievery;
Admiration and respect of all persons one encounters;
Aid and support of deities and demons;
Transformation of the female body into the male body at rebirth;
Being a royal minister's daughter if reborn as a female;
Possession of a dignified and graceful form;
Frequent rebirth in the heaven-realms;
Sometimes becoming an emperor or a king;
Possession of the miraculous power of knowing one's previous lives;
All prayers will be answered;
Delight and happiness for the members of one's family;
Elimination of all unexpected and unpleasant happenings;
Permanent eradication of the karmic ways of life;
Always passing through safely wherever one travels;
Always feeling safety and delight in one's dreams;
Elimination of suffering for one's departed ones;
Rebirth on the strength of previous bliss;
Praises by the Holy Ones;
Possession of clever wit and healthy organs;
Fullness of mercy, pity and compassion;
Ultimate attainment of Buddhahood.

"Furthermore, Bodhisattva Akasagarbha, in the present or in the future, if any devas, nagas, deities or demons should hear Ksitigarbha's name, worship Ksitigarbha's image or just hear about Ksitigarbha's fundamental vows and deeds and if they should, at the same time, praise him and make obeisance to him, then they will gain seven kinds of benefits, namely:

Rapid progress in the holy, sacred stages of achievement;
Elimination and disappearance of all evil karma;
Protection and attendance of the Buddhas;
Nonretrogression from the path of Bodhi;
Great increase of one's own powers;
Complete awareness and knowledge of one's previous lives;
Final achievement of Buddhahood."

At that time, all the inexpressible, inexpressible number of Buddhas, Tathagathas and great Bodhisattvas, as well as the eight categories of beings, including devas and nagas, who had come from all the quarters in the ten directions, on hearing Buddha Sakyamuni praise Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's great, miraculous power as being inconceivable, marvelled, exclaiming that there had never been anything like it. At that time, in Trayastrimsas Heaven immeasurable quantities of incense, flowers, celestial apparel, pearls and jade showered down as offerings to Buddha Sakyamuni and Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. After this, the entire congregation again made obeisance to them and withdrew with palms joined.


Ｄｅｄｉｃａｔｉｏｎ　：ａｌｌ　ｍｅｒｉｔ　ｆｏｒ　ｍｙ　ｍｏｔｈｅｒ，　Ｂｕｄｄｈａ　ｂｌｅｓｓ　ｈｅｒ，　Ｋｓｉｔｉｇａｒｂｈａ　ａｎｄ　Ａｖａｌｏｋｉｔｅｓｖａｒａ　ｂｌｅｓｓ　ｈｅｒ　，　ａｌ ｌ　ｏｆ　Ｂｕｄｄｈａ　ａｎｄ　Ｂｏｄｈｉｓａｔｔｖａ　ｂｌｅｓｓ　ｈｅｒ，　ｈｅａｌｔｈ　，　ｈａｐｐｙ　ａｎｄ　ｉｎｃｒｅａｓｅ　ｗｉｓｄｏｍ．


ｐｌｅａｓｅ　ｆｏｒｗａｒｄ　ｔｈｉｓ　Ｓｕｔｒａ　ｆｏｒ　ｏｔｈｅｒｓ，　ａｎｄ　ｙｏｕ　ａｌｓｏ　ｃａｎ　ｃｏｐｙ　ｆｏｒ　ｏｔｈｅｒｓ．．．　ｙｏｕ　ｃａｎ　ｍａｋｅ　ｙｏｕｒ　ｏｗｎ　ｄｅｄｉ ｃａｔｉｏｎ