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Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra

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Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra Translated in English by Jeanne Tsai Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center © 2014, 2015 Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center Translated by Jeanne Tsai Book designed by Xiaoyang Zhang Published by the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center 3456 Glenmark Drive Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 U.S.A. Tel: (626) 330-8361 / (626) 330-8362 Fax: (626) 330-8363 www.fgsitc.org Protected by copyright under the terms of the International Copyright Union; all rights reserved. Except for fair use in book reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced for any reason by any means, including any method of photographic reproduction, without permission of the publisher. Printed in Taiwan. 18 17 16 15 2 3 4 5 Contents Introduction by Venerable Master Hsing Yun. ix Incense Praise. .1 Sutra Opening Verse. .3 Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra 1. Spiritual Penetration in Trayastrimsa Heaven. .5 2. The Assembly of the Emanations. 51 3. Observing the Karmic Conditions of Living Beings. .65 4. The Karmic Consequences of Living Beings of Jambudvipa. 87 5. The Names of the Hells. .131 6. The Praise of the Tathagata. 149 7. Benefiting the Living and the Deceased. 187 8. The Praise of King Yama and His Retinue. 207 9. Reciting the Names of Buddhas. 243 10. Comparing the Conditions and Virtues of Giving. .261 11. The Dharma Protection of the Earth Spirit . 283 12. The Benefits from Seeing and Hearing. 295 13. Entrusting Humans and Devas. 343 Praise . .367 Praise of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva . 369 Triple Refuge. .373 Dedication of Merit. 375 Notes. 376 Glossary. .381 Acknowledgements Wonderful support and help have made this sutra translation pos- sible. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone. In particular, thanks to Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple and the Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center, for giving me the opportunities to learn this and other sutras and Buddhist teachings in general; Venerable Tzu Jung, President of FGSITC, for guiding and leading the translation center; Venerable Yi Chao, Executive Editor of FGSITC, for laying down solid foundation and framework for this sutra early on and overseeing all the final finishing details and bringing this project to completion. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery, for reviewing the entire sutra draft and the glossary and provid- ing immensely helpful suggestions for improving this translation; Khensur Rinpoche Lobsang Tsephel, the spiritual director of Land of Compassion Buddha, for resolving difficult Dharma questions and helping me understand this sutra; Venerable Miao Han, for providing a key reference to help me translate this sutra; the vener- ables who preferred to remain anonymous, for providing steadfast encouragement and unconventional approaches for the length of this project; Venerable Ching Kung, whose lecture tapes and tran- scriptions on this sutra shed light on many passages. John Gill, Nathan Michon, Jonathan Ko, Amanda Ling, Xiaoyang Zhang, and Le-Binh Tran, the editors and staff of the vii viii FGSITC, for providing the finishing touch of this sutra transla- tion and making the draft ready for publishing; Yichun Diuguid, for providing copy of an existing translation of this sutra and reviewing the entire early draft; Janet Brown, for reviewing the entire early draft and providing enthusiastic encouragement and thought-provoking critiques; Mu-Tzen Hsu, for reviewing a later draft and providing insightful critiques; Helen Tsai, my sister, for reviewing multiple early and later drafts; Al Duffy, Brady Chin, Ching Tay, and Louvenia Ortega, for providing feedbacks on the early draft; Tom Manzo and Shujan Cheng, for reviewing multiple early and later drafts and organizing the footnotes and the glos- sary; Venerable Hong Sheng (formerly Christine Lim) and Florence Lim, for taking and introducing me to the Metta Forest Monastery and arranging for the meeting with the Abbot as well as facili- tating contacts with other Buddhist temples; the many Buddhist practitioner who had offered support at various time during this project; and Harry Chen, my husband, for providing necessary support for this translation to be possible during the entire length of this project. Jeanne Tsai July 2014 Introduction By Venerable Master Hsing Yun The Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra (地藏菩薩本 願經), is variously known as the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Sutra (地藏本願經), the Original Practices of Ksitigarbha Sutra (地藏本 行經), the Power of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Sutra (地藏 本誓力經), or simply the Ksitigarbha Sutra (地藏經). During the Tang dynasty, the Chinese translation of the sutra was completed in two fascicles by Master Siksananda (652-710) of Khotan, a king- dom located today in Hetian, Xinjiang, China. Master Siksananda was adept in both the Mahayana and the Theravada traditions of Buddhism and an expert in many other fields of study. He passed away in the tenth month of the first year of the Jingyun era. Other well-known sutras he translated include the eighty-fascicle ver- sion of the Flower Adornment Sutra, the seven-fascicle version of the Lankavatara Sutra, and the Prediction of Manjusri Attaining Buddhahood Sutra. Among the Buddhist community, the Ksitigarbha Sutra is lauded as the Buddhist sutra of filial piety. This sutra consists of the discourses delivered by the Buddha to his mother in the Trayastrimsa Heaven. The sutra discusses the filial practices of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva during his “causal practice,” the time when he was planting the causes for liberating sentient beings in the future, as well as the profound vows he made during previous lives: “Only after all beings have been guided to awakening will I ix x Introduction myself attain bodhi; as long as the hells are not empty, I shall not become a Buddha,” and “If I don’t enter the hells, who will?” The sutra also discusses cause and effect, the consequences of our actions, as well as the reality of suffering in the hells. In addition, it emphasizes that those who listen to, read, recite, and practice according to the sutra will attain inconceivable merits and benefits and dissolve measureless negative karma. This sutra consists of thirteen chapters. Below is a brief sum- mary of each chapter. I. Spiritual Penetration in Trayastrimsa Heaven Sakyamuni Buddha travels to Trayastrimsa Heaven to expound the Dharma for his mother. He discusses the two extraordinary vows Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made during his causal practice, swearing to bring measureless living beings to attain Buddhahood and guide them toward liberation. In one such previous life, Ksitigarbha was the son of a great elder. At that time he encountered a Buddha named Lion’s Swift Rousing Perfect in Ten Thousand Practices Tathagata. The Buddha’s body was adorned with many majestic signs of excellence, and Ksitigarbha felt profound reverence for him. Wishing to attain the same remarkable features as the Buddha, Ksitigarbha vowed that, throughout incalculable future kalpas, he would guide all wrong- doing suffering beings who reside in the six realms of existence to liberation. In another previous life, Ksitigarbha was born as a Brahman woman who sought to relieve and rescue her mother from Introduction xi suffering in hell. Through making offerings and cultivating -mer it, Ksitigarbha was able to free her from hell. Ksitigarbha further vowed that, throughout the future kalpas, she would guide all wrongdoing suffering beings to liberation. II. The Assembly of the Emanations The innumerable emanations of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva who -re side in the incalculably many hells all assemble in the palace of the Trayastrimsa Heaven. Sakyamuni Buddha then earnestly entrusts all these emanations with a task: until the arrival of Maitreya Buddha, Ksitigarbha is to guide all beings who suffer due to their wrongdoing to liberation. The many emanations of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva come together, forming one being, and vow: ...My emanations fill worlds as numerous as the sand grains in hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of Ganges Rivers. In each of these worlds, I transform into hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of emana- tions. Each emanation guides hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of people across, causing them to re- vere and take refuge in the Triple Gem, leave samsara for- ever, and reach the bliss of nirvana. As long as they do good deeds in Buddhadharma, even if such deeds are as little as a strand of hair, a drop of water, a grain of sand, a speck of dust, or a bit of a minute down hair, I will gradu- ally guide them across to liberation, causing them to gain great benefits. xii Introduction III. Observing the Karmic Conditions of Living Beings Ksitigarbha answers questions from Queen Maya, the Buddha’s mother, explaining the law of cause and effect. He describes how living beings of Jambudvipa are subject to the results of their kar- ma, and the conditions of the Incessant Hell IV. The Karmic Consequences of Living Beings of Jambudvipa The Buddha describes the vows Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made during his causal practice. During the life of the Buddha named All Wisdom Accomplished Tathagata, when Ksitigarbha was the king of a small country, he vowed: If I do not first guide all wrongdoing suffering beings across, causing them to attain peace and happiness and enabling them to achieve bodhi, I shall not become a Buddha. During the Age of Semblance Dharma of Pure Lotus Eyes Tathagata, Ksitigarbha was a woman named Bright Eyes. Bright Eyes wished she could free her mother from the lower realms forever, and that she be free from the difficulty of being reborn lowly or as a woman. Bright Eyes made offerings to an arhat, who taught her how to recollect Pure Lotus Eyes Tathagata and sculpt and paint images of this Buddha.
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