Vow of the Great Dhyana Master Si of Nanyue (南嶽思大禪師立誓願文)

By the power of my vow and the golden words, May I cause Maitreya's adorned world To shake with six kinds of tremors, Making the great assembly doubt and wonder.

They bow and ask the Buddha: "What is the cause for this great earth to shake? We beseech you, World-Honored One, to explain it."

Then the Buddha Maitreya tells his disciples: "You should all join your palms with one mind, Listen carefully and believe faithfully. In the past, there was a Buddha named Shakyamuni Who appeared in the world and taught The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Liberating countless beings. After that Buddha entered final nirvana, The True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma have both passed. The remaining Dharma abides in the world During this Dharma-Ending Age, A time of great evil when the five impurities contend, Human lifespan is short, not reaching a hundred years, And people commit the ten evil deeds, Killing and harming one another.

At that time, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra Arises in the world. There is a monk named Huisi, Who composes this Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, Inscribing it in golden letters, Placing it in a lapis lazuli treasure casket. He makes a great vow: 'I shall liberate immeasurable beings. In the future, during the Worthy Eon, When Maitreya appears in the world And teaches this Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, By the power of my vow and this golden sutra treasure casket, May I cause Maitreya's world of seven treasures To shake with six kinds of tremors, Making the great assembly doubt and wonder, Bowing to ask the Buddha, Eagerly hoping he will explain this cause for the earth's shaking.'

Then the Buddha, the World-Honored One, Tells the great assembly: 'You should know that it is due to that monk's Vow-power and the golden sutra treasure casket That now wishes to appear.'

The great assembly says to the Buddha: 'We beseech you, World-Honored One, With your spiritual power, Let us see the golden sutra treasure casket.'

The Buddha says: 'You should With one mind pay homage to the past Buddha, Shakyamuni, And also with one mind concentrate on recollecting The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra.'

When the Buddha says this, The great earth again shakes with six kinds of tremors, Emititing a great light that illuminates everywhere Throughout the ten directions, in immeasurable worlds. Its fragrance is exceptionally wondrous, Surpassing sandalwood by hundreds of thousands, millions of times. Beings who smell it Awaken the mind of enlightenment.

The lapis lazuli treasure casket Appears before the great assembly, Visible to the eye, but none can open it.

Then the great assembly, Leaping with joy and delight, Together says to the Buddha: 'Indeed, World-Honored One, How can we see the text of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra?'

Maitreya Buddha says: 'The one who composed this sutra made a great vow. You should with one mind recollect him, Call his name, And you will naturally see it.'

When he says these words, The entire great assembly Calls my name: 'Namo Huisi!'

At that time, from the four directions, They emerge from the earth, filling the empty space, Their bodies all golden-colored, With the thirty-two marks, Immeasurable light— All are those who in the past Composed this sutra.

By the Buddha's power, The treasure casket opens by itself, Emititing a great sound that shakes All worlds in the ten directions.

Then the golden sutra Radiates a great light, with immeasurable colors, Like a great cloud flowing and filling All worlds in the ten directions. With various sounds, it universally declares to beings, And there is also a wondrous fragrance That delights the minds of the multitude.

At that time, beings, by the power of my vow, And witnessing the earth's shaking, Seeing the light, hearing the fragrance and proclamation, Experience the unprecedented, Their bodies and minds joyful and blissful, Like a monk entering the third meditation.

Right then, they all fully attain The holy path of the three vehicles, And even fully attain omniscience.

If this vow is not fulfilled, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.

I also vow that in the ten directions, Wherever the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, Teach this Perfection of Wisdom, Everything will be just like In Maitreya's great assembly. Even if the immeasurable Buddhas of the ten directions Teach the Dharma simultaneously, I also vow that this sutra Will simultaneously appear before them all, Each auspicious sign, Each Buddha's great assembly, Equally liberating beings. Each World-Honored One Will proclaim Shakyamuni's and my name, Just as in Maitreya's great assembly, immeasurably. If it is not so, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.

I further vow that in the future, In the lands of the ten directions, The casket and sutra scrolls, Their immeasurable names, Will accord with each land, The size of its people. Where people are large, The casket, sutra scrolls, and letters will also be large. Where people are small, The casket, sutra scrolls, and letters will also be small. Accord with each land, Among its various treasures, the finest, What people value most— By the power of the Perfection of Wisdom, The casket, sutra scrolls, and letters will transform into Supremely wondrous precious jewels, Never remaining merely lapis lazuli and golden letters. The paper on which the sutra is written Will be vajra-essence, indestructible, Until the future, for inconceivable, Immeasurable eons.

In the ten-direction worlds, Wherever a Buddha appears and teaches This Perfection of Wisdom, It will also be like this. If it is not so, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.

I vow that in future worlds, In the ten-direction lands, in all Buddha-worlds, They will proclaim the name of Shakyamuni Tathagata, The golden sutra treasure casket, and my name. Therefore, the sound Will reach all worlds in the ten directions, Heard universally by beings, All enabling them to enter the path. If there are beings who do not enter the path, By various skillful means, spiritual powers, and transformations, I will tame and subdue them, Ensuring they attain the path. If it is not so, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.

I also make this vow: I now enter the mountains to repent All heavy offenses that obstruct the path, Practice walking meditation and cultivate meditation. If I attain the accomplishment Of the five superknowledges of an immortal, And the six spiritual powers, Recite from memory the Tathagata's Twelve divisions of scriptures, And also recite all the Tripitaka and external texts, Comprehend the meaning of the Buddha's teachings, Manifest immeasurable bodies, Fly through empty space, Pass beyond the Realm of Form, To the Peak of Existence, Listen to and gather the Dharma gates Spoken by the various gods, And I will also there, to those gods, Expound the Buddha's scriptures I uphold, Then descend back to Jambudvipa, To extensively teach people. I will also go to the three wretched realms, To the base of the vajra-earth, To teach the Dharma I uphold, Filling the great trichiliocosm. The lands of the ten directions Will also be like this, Making offerings to all Buddhas, And teaching and transforming beings, With autonomous transformations, All accomplished simultaneously. If it is not so, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.

With supreme sandalwood as the high seat, Adorned with various colors and patterns, With supreme seven treasures as the canopy, Jewel-adorned, radiating light, With Jambunada gold for the sutra's letters, Lapis lazuli and crystal for the sutra casket, Reverently making excellent offerings to the Buddhas' Dharma, Then teaching the Dharma to transform beings— Without before, without after, without in between, In a single thought-moment, all accomplished simultaneously. I now enter the mountains to learn this, Not to delude or deceive beings with illusions. If there are evil people who obstruct me, May they in this present life meet with misfortune, Suffer various evil retributions. If they do not change their minds, they will bring harm upon themselves, After death fall into hell, into boiling cauldrons, The retribution for slandering the Dharma lasting for eons. May they be led to awaken the mind of enlightenment, Uphold precepts, cultivate goodness, until they reach the seat of enlightenment. I perform this vow for the sake of beings, So that the treasury of the Buddha's Dharma may long endure. Evil people, jealous, trouble and harass arbitrarily, Hindering and preventing practice from being done. If I obtain good people to support and protect me, Heavenly beings and good spirits as assistants, May they protect the Dharma so it long endures, In future births attain the pure land and achieve Buddhahood. May they swiftly accomplish the cultivated path. I have no divided mind in making this vow, Wishing to make beings understand cause and effect.

I also make this vow: The Buddhas of the ten directions will themselves bear witness. I now, for the sake of these two great vehicle sutras, The Great Perfection of Wisdom and the Wonderful Dharma Lotus, Inscribed in golden letters, Wishing to extensively teach the Dharma in the ten directions— My three karmas lack power, I am not free, Unable to appear simultaneously in the ten directions To tame body and mind and transform beings. Therefore, I now enter the mountains To repent and cultivate meditation, Learn the five superknowledges of an immortal, Seek the unsurpassed path. I vow first to accomplish The five superknowledges of an immortal, Then afterwards learn the sixth spiritual power, Receive and uphold Shakyamuni's twelve divisions of scriptures, And all the Dharma treasuries of the Buddhas of the ten directions, And all the treatise treasuries of the bodhisattvas, With unobstructed eloquence, Universally manifest in the ten directions, Making offerings to all Buddhas. In the evil world, uphold Shakyamuni's Dharma, So it does not cease. In the ten directions, wherever the Buddhas' Dharma is about to end, I vow to be there in all such places, Upholding it so it does not perish. I vow that in this land I will fully attain the ten grounds, Perfect omniscience, accomplish the Buddha-ground. Therefore, I first become A long-lived immortal, Relying on the power of the five superknowledges to learn the bodhisattva path. If not an immortal, one cannot long abide; For the sake of the Dharma, I learn to be an immortal, Not craving long life. I vow with this body, in the future Worthy Eon, To see Maitreya Buddha. If it is not so, I shall not attain perfect enlightenment.

Sincerely I vow: May I, in the future, at the beginning of the Worthy Eon, When the World-Honored One Maitreya has accomplished the Buddha-way, And for the great assembly teaches the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, By the power of the vow I make today, With this ugly form, this inferior physical body, See Maitreya Buddha. By the power of my vow, I will establish another body, With incomparable appearance, surpassing humans and gods, With immeasurable eloquence, spiritual powers, and transformations, According to my will, autonomous. Seeing Maitreya Buddha, with these two bodies Simultaneously see the Buddha. By the power of my vow, this inferior, ugly body Will also be able to transform, Fully accomplish unobstructed spiritual powers, All the perfections. By the power of the vow made in creating the golden-lettered sutra, Before Maitreya, with two bodies simultaneously, Universally manifest transformations, Filling the ten directions, Extensively teaching the profound Dharma: The Great Perfection of Wisdom, The six perfections, The thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, And matters of spiritual powers. Having liberated beings, suddenly disappear. May Maitreya Buddha For the great assembly Explain the causes and conditions of my present body's vow. If it is not so, I vow not to attain Buddhahood.

I also make this vow: I now bow my head, sincerely repent, From beginningless eons Until this present body, Often creating enmity, causes for troubling others. Seeing others cultivate goodness, creating obstacles for them, Ruining their good deeds, Unaware myself, Arrogant about family lineage, in the prime of youth indulging in heedlessness, Using power to oppress others, not considering reason, Believing in perverted, wrong views, Serving teachers of external paths, Within the Three Jewels, often creating hindrances. Long accumulated karmic offenses Manifest retribution in this present body. Therefore, I bow my head, Sincerely repent. Buddhas of the ten directions, all sages and worthies, Brahma, Shakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, Dragons, gods of the eight classes, Dharma-protecting good spirits, Those hidden in empty space, the unseen and the seen— May you bear witness, remove offenses that obstruct the path, So body and mind are purified. From now on, all I do is auspicious, Without any obstacles. I vow to dwell in deep mountains, contemplate the Buddha's path, Attain the profound meditative liberations, Attain the power of spiritual powers, Repay the kindness of all Buddhas. I vow in this body to attain irreversible wisdom. If it is not so, I vow not to attain Buddhahood.