Vajraśekhara Sūtra, Volume 1
Translated by the Monk Amoghavajra, Metropolitan Commandant, Special Advancement, Acting Minister of Ceremonies, Duke of Su, with
Chapter 1: Prologue
Thus have I heard:
And also with a great assembly of Bhikkhus, including the Venerable Shariputra, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa, the Venerable Nadīkāśyapa, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa, the Venerable Gayākāśyapa, the Venerable Maudgalyāyana, the Venerable Mahāmaudgalyāyana, the Venerable Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra, the Venerable Nanda, the Venerable Upananda, the Venerable Subhadra, the Venerable Aniruddha, the Venerable Kātyāyanīputra, the Venerable Koṭikarṇa, the Venerable Gavāṃpati, the Venerable Mahāgavāṃpati, the Venerable Sundara, the Venerable Mahāsundara, the Venerable Subhūti, the Venerable Elder Kauṇḍinya, the Venerable Caityaśaila, the Venerable Rāhula... and other great Arhats, with them as the leaders.
Also present were countless gods and celestial beings, including Śakra, Brahmā, Mahābrahmā, Yāma, Varuṇa, Kubera, the gods of the Joyful Realm, the gods of the Realm of Enjoying Others' Transformations, and even the gods of the Radiant Sound Realm and the Pure Abode Realm... These great and mighty celestial beings, led by their foremost leaders, were all gathered.
Furthermore, there were countless Asuras, countless Kumbhāṇḍas, countless Kiṃnaras, countless Rākṣasas, countless Piśācas, countless Mātrīs, and countless Bhūtas. Nārāyaṇa and Īśāna, surrounded by countless Bhūtas, with Nandīśvara as their leader; Maheśvara, surrounded by countless fever demons, with Nandīśvara as their leader; and Nārāyaṇa, also surrounded by countless fever demons.
In that great assembly, there were gods and their children, asuras and their offspring... all such beings—gods, dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, kinnaras, mahoragas, rakshasas, and many more.
There are also those who have attained mastery through mantras: such as the Wheel Masters, the Sword Masters, the Vajra Masters, the Lotus Masters, the Axe Masters, the Masters of the Tathagata Mantras, the Masters of the Lotus Mantras, the Masters of the Vajra Mantras, the Masters of the Rudra Deities, the Masters of the Vishnu Deities, the Masters of the Mother Deities, the Masters of the Mahoraga, the Masters of the Garuda, the Masters of the Nagas, the Masters of the Nāginīs, the Masters of the Yakshas, the Masters of Manibhadra, the Masters of Kuvera, the Masters of the Water Deities, the Masters of Brahma... and countless other mantra masters like these, each leading hundreds and thousands of followers.
The Sun and Moon Deities, led by their chief, were surrounded by countless hundreds of thousands of stars and constellations as their retinue.
Moreover, there are countless beings from the Tathagata clan, the Lotus clan, and the Vajra clan—innumerable wisdom kings, messengers, female messengers, vajra beings, Vinayaka spirits, and all beings of the mundane and transcendent realms without exception. These include all mountains, rivers, ponds, gardens, crossroads and streets, forest spirits, tree spirits, river spirits, city spirits, village spirits, charnel ground spirits, Uṣṭraka spirits, nightmare spirits, subterranean spirits, palace spirits… and all such foremost beings.
Even in this great trichiliocosm, beings of great power and virtue—such as the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, mother deities, great fevers, vināyakas, hungry ghosts, great hungry ghosts, piśācas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and so on—each accompanied by their own retinues of great power and virtue, all dwell within five hundred yojanas of the bodhimaṇḍa.
The great assembly gathered, empowered by the Buddha's majestic spiritual force, and they did not trouble or disturb one another.
Then, the World-Honored One, dwelling in the great jeweled pavilion of the Tathagata’s majestic, auspicious, wish-fulfilling treasure-store, addressed the foremost bodhisattvas such as Maitreya, saying: “Good sons, this bodhi-site adorned tree is the place where I sat. Seated here, I have vanquished the four maras and realized unsurpassed buddha-wisdom. All of you should also sit upon this seat, from which all-knowledge and buddha-knowledge will arise.” Having spoken thus, the World-Honored One fell silent.
At that moment, the Bodhisattva Vajrapani, the Secret Lord, empowered by the Buddha's majestic spiritual force and his own original vow, rose from his seat. He bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, and with palms joined, paid homage to the Buddha, the World-Honored One. He then addressed the Buddha, saying:
"World-Honored One! I wish to inquire of you, the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, about the special methods for cultivating the Buddha-Crown Mantra, the preparatory practices for reciting and mastering all the mantra teachings proclaimed by the Tathagatas, the arrangement of mandalas and mudras for achieving various extraordinary accomplishments, the rules and procedures for the accomplishment of the One-Syllable Wheel-Turning King Buddha-Crown entering the great samadhi mudra mandala, the supreme activities involving the arrangement of recitation and mudras, the secret method for painting sacred images, and the methods for subduing demons, pacifying calamities, increasing benefits, and taming beings.
Thus, I ask about all the true teachings of the Tathagata family, the supreme mantras of both worldly and transcendental wisdom, which cannot be overcome or violated by others."
The boundless realms of sentient beings attain the fulfillment of the Bodhisattva's True Word practice. Through this, all living beings obtain peace and happiness. Through this, the Buddha's Crown Wheel King performs the great Buddha-work for those in Jambudvīpa who cultivate the True Words of all Tathāgatas. Through this, the beings of the world in Jambudvīpa gain all peace and happiness, becoming capable of achieving fulfillment. For the benefit, accomplishment, protection from harm, and establishment in secure and honored positions of all devas, all deva clans, all yakṣas, all yakṣa clans, all kinnaras, all mahoragas, all nāgas, all nāga clans—indeed, all devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, mahoragas, and humans—all worldly and transcendental seals and True Words are thus established.
"All sentient beings who practice the Buddha's Crown Mantra, to remove all suffering, so that the lineage of my mantras may be accomplished; so that the radiant practice of great bodhisattvas such as Avalokiteshvara may shine forth; so that the essential methods of the mudra mandalas spoken by all Tathagatas may be realized; and so that the difficult-to-achieve mantra mudra mandalas spoken by countless Tathagatas may be made easy to accomplish. The principles, the Dharma verses, the essential teachings—I beseech the Tathagata, the Rightly Enlightened One, to speak them." Having made this request.
At that time, the World-Honored One addressed Vajrapani, the Lord of Secrets, saying: "Excellent, excellent, O Lord of Secrets! For the benefit and happiness of all beings, you who diligently uphold the practice of the true words of the Wheel-Turning King's Buddha-Crown, you have asked the Tathagata about such matters, as all Buddhas have taught the true words. Therefore, O Vajrapani, I shall explain to you what past Buddhas have already taught and what future Buddhas will teach."
At that time, the Tathagata Shakyamuni, with the Buddha’s eye, surveyed all worlds. Having surveyed them, and having contemplated for the sake of future sentient beings through the power of their original vows and blessings, he addressed the entire assembly of great bodhisattvas:
“Noble ones! Remember the single syllable of the Wheel-Turning King spoken by all Tathagatas, enter the samadhi of all dharmas, perform inconceivable and wondrous spiritual transformations, carry out great Buddha-deeds in all worlds, and direct your attention to the supreme phrases among all samadhis.”
At that moment, all the bodhisattvas began to recall the great mantra king of all Buddha-crown wheel kings and the samadhi phrases—except for the Secret Lord and the great bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, due to the empowerment of the Tathagata.
At that time, the World-Honored One was seated beneath the great Bodhi tree, in the land of great blessedness, as the Tathagata entered the samadhi of the Buddha's play. All Tathagatas simultaneously entered this same samadhi.
At that moment, the World-Honored One, mindful of embracing all sentient beings, recalled the immeasurable kalpas—as countless as the sands of the Ganges—during which he had accumulated the perfections of giving, morality, patience, diligence, and so forth, and endured limitless hardships and austerities.
From the marks of a great being, light radiated forth—from the ushnisha at the crown, from the white curl between the brows, from the eyebrows, eyes, nose, ears, lips, head, robe, shoulders, hands, navel wheel, two breasts, the space between the breasts, neck, two thighs, two knees, two shanks, two ankles, and likewise from the seat, from the two feet at the imprint of the Tathagata's Dharma wheel, from the place of the genuine mani jewel, from the Tathagata's shakti samadhi, from the imprint of the monk's staff, from all such places of the Tathagata's heart-seal, from the invincible wrathful wheel-turning king's entry into samadhi at the invincible seal, from all such places of the Tathagata's great compassion and great loving-kindness, from all Tathagata samadhi places, from the places of fearlessness and prophecy, and from all Tathagata mantra places of bright illumination—light shone forth.
From each single beam of light, countless radiant companions emerged. From the Buddha's crown issued immeasurable hundreds of thousands of lights, in various colors—blue, yellow, red, white, purple, and more—illuminating boundless Buddha-lands, shining upon this three-thousandfold great thousand world-system.
All hells and animal realms were pacified, their afflictions and sufferings extinguished. All true word practices were established, all benefits for bodhisattvas were accomplished, great merit and adornment were perfected, and all ease and happiness were made readily attainable.
In an instant, having accomplished all beneficial deeds, the demon palaces in as many worlds as the sands of the Ganges withered away. Their light was outshone, and from the highest heavens down to the deepest hells, everywhere was illuminated with a dazzling brilliance that awakened all beings. Then, having circled the World-Honored One three times, they each returned to their own places.