Akasagarbha Bodhisattva

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Extraordinary Spiritual Powers

Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva, from his own land, saw a great light in the east. He asked Buddha Victorious Flower Unfolding Treasure about its cause. The Buddha told him and other Bodhisattvas: "Eighty Ganges sands of worlds away in the east, there is a world called Sahā. There's a Buddha named Śākyamuni who is about to preach the Dhāraṇī Sūtra on Four Eloquences, Three Clear Knowledges, and Pure Conduct to break evil karmic obstacles. This is to ensure the continuity of the Dharma, the perpetual presence of the Three Jewels in the world, to defeat Māras and establish the Dharma banner, to close the door of birth and death and open the gate of Nirvāṇa, and to gather Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas from all Buddha lands, from the First Ground to the stage of Buddha-to-be, to dwell in uncommon Dharmas without following others' beliefs, to be skillful in expedient means and possess unobstructed eloquence. That's why that Buddha emits this light."

Upon hearing this, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva, filled with joy, along with eight billion Bodhisattvas, spoke to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, I now eagerly wish to see that Buddha. I shall go to the Sahā world to pay homage to Śākyamuni Buddha, make offerings, listen to the true Dharma, and also teach the Dhāraṇī to break evil karmic obstacles for the evil beings in that land." Naturally, he received the Buddha's permission and encouragement.

Then, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva used his spiritual powers to transform the Sahā world. He removed all filth and evil, as well as hills, gravel, thorns, ditches, mounds, wastelands, narrow paths, dust, clouds, and mist. Everything became clear. The ground became as flat as a palm, made of seven treasures. Countless precious trees appeared, with branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits all made of jewels. Fragrant flowers and soft grass were the same. Sweet fragrance permeated the entire world. All beings in the Sahā world were free from suffering. The blind, deaf, mute, crippled, and those with various illnesses were all cured at once. Those with enmity generated kind hearts. The painful cries from hell and hungry ghost realms all ceased. Food, clothing, and ornaments appeared naturally in abundance. All beings became beautiful, with perfect bodies and supreme dignity. They were freed from afflictions, their minds became tranquil, and they rejoiced in all good roots. With pure faith, they took refuge in the Three Jewels. Everyone had wish-fulfilling jewels in both hands, emitting great light illuminating the world, playing heavenly music, and raining various treasures and colorful celestial garments.

It also rained various wonderful ornaments: jeweled garlands, jeweled canopies, various jeweled vessels, various heavenly garments, golden chain necklaces, pearl necklaces, blue, red, and white lotuses of various colors. It rained sandalwood and ox-head sandalwood incense, filling the world. On both sides of the road were seven-jeweled terraces like Indra's palace. The terraces were full of celestial maidens, beautiful like the wives of Māras, playing heavenly music and producing the sound of five tones. Above the Buddha was a great Brahma king's jeweled canopy hanging in the sky to make offerings to the Tathāgata. The canopy was a hundred thousand yojanas in circumference, covered with a jeweled net, adorned with pearl tassels hanging on four sides. Various wonderful music came from the canopy, surpassing that of humans and devas. All the grass, trees, flowers, and fruits on the earth emitted wonderful sounds, expounding the six pāramitās and the practices of various stages of the Mahayana. Those who heard these sounds became irreversible on the path to supreme enlightenment, and some attained the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas.

This miraculous transformation naturally amazed the beings of the Sahā world, filling them with joy and wonder.

Akasagarbha Bodhisattva | Ākāśagarbha | आकाशगर्भ | 虚空藏

Immeasurable Power

At this time, Śākyamuni Buddha told everyone: "Good men, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva is the great guiding light for all beings to be reborn in heavens and attain Nirvāṇa. He can cut off all afflictions and mental illnesses, and skillfully cure bodily poisons and illnesses of the four elements. If there are beings with evil and heretical views, cycling in confusion in the wilderness of birth and death, without good expedient means, not knowing the path to heavenly rebirth and Nirvāṇa, if such beings call upon the name of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva, sincerely take refuge in him, burn solid black agarwood and tagara incense, and worship him respectfully, then Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva will observe the good roots in these beings' minds. If he sees beings confused by various views and afflictions, or sees the karmic actions of past good root seeds in their minds, such as faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, giving, precept-keeping, patience, diligence, meditation, wisdom, and other merits according to their abilities, then Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva will observe these beings and appear to them in various forms in their dreams, using skillful means to teach them the Dharma.

Good men, if there are beings who should see Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva while awake, he will appear before their eyes in various forms, using skillful means to open the right and straight path, breaking all beings' evil karma, wrong views, evil wishes, evil refuges, evil places, and evil grasping. He will free them from all these, making their body, speech, and mind actions free from crookedness, leading them to the right and straight path, right action, right view, right aspiration, right refuge, right place, and right grasping. He will always enable them to be close to good spiritual friends, quickly abandon foul afflictions, forever be free from the sufferings of the three evil paths and eight difficulties, always practice good karma and gain the power of freedom, and gradually enter deep dharma patience.

If there are beings with various bodily illnesses, mental disorders, deafness, blindness, muteness, paralysis of hands and feet, or incomplete faculties, who call upon the name of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva, sincerely take refuge in him, burn solid black agarwood and tagara incense, worship him respectfully, either begging for medicine or wishing to be cured, then Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva will immediately fulfill their wishes. He may appear as Brahma, Śakra, Vaiśravaṇa, the Four Heavenly Kings, Yama, Tuṣita, Īśvara, Maheśvara, a Brahmin, a Kṣatriya, an elder, a householder, a great minister or official, a boy or girl, parents or relatives, a Vajra-holder, or as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, humans, or non-humans. He will appear in such various forms before those who are dreaming or awake, explaining the nature of their illnesses and distinguishing various medicines for treatment, saying, 'For this kind of illness, you should take this medicine; for that kind of illness, you should take that medicine.' After hearing this, all beings will compound the medicines according to their conditions. If they don't have the medicines, the Bodhisattva will provide them. Some beings will be cured after one, two, or three doses. Some will be cured just by seeing the manifested form. Thus, good men, this Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva is full of great compassion.

If there are beings who are poor and suffering, wishing for great wealth; those who wish to recite extensively; those who delight in learning; those who seek liberation; those who seek to be free from desire; those who seek meditation; those who seek fame; those who seek to be foremost; those who seek skillfulness; those who seek freedom; those who seek beauty; those who seek good appearance; those who seek wonderful voice; those who seek good fragrance; those who seek delicious taste; those who seek pleasant touch; those who seek food and drink; those who seek strength and health; those who seek noble birth; those who wish for a son; those who wish for a daughter; those who seek retinues; those who seek merit; those who seek to perfect the six pāramitās; those who seek eloquence; those who seek to protect all beings; those who seek to be free from all prisons; those who wish to cut off all evil precepts; those with the mind of giving wish to establish it, and the same for wisdom; those who wish for long life; those who wish for abundant wealth and the ability to use it; those who wish the miserly to practice giving; those who break precepts to firmly keep them; those with anger to practice patience; the lazy to dwell in diligence; those with scattered minds to practice meditation; the foolish to cultivate wisdom; those of uncertain vehicle to learn the Śrāvaka path; those attached to self to learn the Pratyekabuddha vehicle; if there are beings without great compassion, cherishing only themselves and abandoning all beings, wishing to leave this mind, generate great compassion, not protect themselves but embrace all beings, and arouse the mind of anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Good men, at that time, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva, knowing their minds, will immediately manifest skillful means to make these beings abandon their previous minds, arouse great compassion, not protect themselves, not abandon beings, arouse the bodhi mind, and dwell in the four brahmaviharas."

"Good men, if there are beings who have committed pārājika offenses, cut off their good roots and are heading towards hell, abandoned by the wise with no refuge, he can save them all and show them the true path. He can wash away beings' foul afflictions and make them leave evil destinies. He is the ladder for ascending to heavens and liberation. For beings confused by greed and delusion, he can make them awaken. For those with angry and harmful minds, and those in darkness, those who slander cause and effect, those who are reckless and faithless, those who do not fear the future, those who are greedy and insatiable, those who are extremely jealous, those who increase the ten evil karmas day and night - for such beings, this Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva can remove all these heavy karmic obstacles and establish them in the place of human and heavenly liberation, just like a great vehicle. Good men, this Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva should be respected, welcomed, and made offerings to by all devas and humans."

Profound Discussion on Emptiness

The Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra records a profound discussion between this Bodhisattva and the Buddha on the nature of ultimate reality:

At that time, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, joined his palms, and said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, today's beings live in the five turbidities of an evil world, and the whole world is thus filled with ignorance and darkness. In such a difficult and suffering environment, how do you, World-Honored One, perform Buddha-deeds and spread the Dharma to save people?"

Then, the World-Honored One said to Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva: "Good son, you have seen that space is without greed, anger, or delusion. The nature of space is pure and undefiled. When a great wind blows up dust and the sky becomes dark, space seems to be impure, but when the wind stops and the dust settles, the sky becomes clear and bright, and one can clearly see the sun, moon, and stars, and even know precise time measures like kṣaṇa and lava. Good son, the Tathāgata has long ago attained great freedom regarding the ultimate truth of supreme emptiness, thoroughly seeing that all dharmas are without greed, anger, or delusion, neither bound nor liberated. The nature of dharmas is pure and undefiled, but because beings' eyes are covered and wisdom is obstructed by guest dust afflictions, they cannot realize this emptiness. The Tathāgata, out of great compassion without conditions and great kindness of the same essence, uses various skillful means to teach the Dharma to liberate beings from suffering, to make them cut off guest dust afflictions, to open their covered wisdom eyes, so that they can see the Tathāgata's radiance like the bright sunlight, and immediately see the profound wonderful Dharma, the four foundations of mindfulness, and the noble eightfold path. This lets beings enter and abide in the correct method and path, then arouse the mind seeking supreme perfect enlightenment, attain great compassion and kindness, and even possess the eighteen unique qualities of a Buddha, achieving limitless omniscience. Good son, when the Tathāgata appears in the world, he can mature all Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Śrāvakas. Good son, does the current space exist depending on people's eyes, eye-consciousness, or eye-contact?"

Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva Mahāsattva said to the Buddha: "No, World-Honored One."

The Buddha said: "Good son, are the three conditions of internal eyes, eye-consciousness, and seeing things produced depending on space?"

Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "No, World-Honored One."

The Buddha said: "Good son, it is the same for ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind as for eyes."

The Buddha said: "Good son, do beings exist now because of space? Or does space exist depending on beings?"

Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, beings and space depend on each other, serving as objects for each other's existence, yet not serving as conditions for each other's existence, because the essence of all dharmas is empty and non-existent, all dharmas are false and unreal, all dharmas seem to exist and appear to be real. World-Honored One, just like space, there is no so-called destruction or creation, no remembering or discrimination, no movement, no love or hate, no sprouts or seeds, no fruition, no karma-making or receiving results, it cannot be explained by words. World-Honored One, all dharmas are like this. If a Bodhisattva knows this characteristic, it is called deeply understanding the characteristics of all dharmas, and thus attains the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas."

It should be noted that what is discussed here is the ultimate truth, the highest meaning. In this sense, even the combination of causes and conditions, creating karma and receiving results are superfluous, because when people come into this world to experience birth, old age, sickness, and death, they are still under the control of the law of cause and effect. If one realizes the ultimate Buddhist teachings and cultivates according to the precepts, entering into nirvana without remainder, then everything experienced now is like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, or a shadow. However, this does not negate the law of cause and effect in the conventional sense. Today, the karmic retribution of good and evil in the human world is absolutely precise, although the most advanced scientific instruments cannot yet verify it. In short, one must never confuse the two, otherwise, it would be a misunderstanding of Buddhist teachings, leading to results contrary to one's wishes.

Extraordinary Spiritual Powers

Immeasurable Power

Profound Discussion on Emptiness

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