Sutra of the Most Victorious Lamp King Tathāgata (東方最勝燈王如來經)

I, Jñānagupta, take refuge in the great ocean of wisdom, Vairocana Buddha.

The Sutra of the Most Victorious Lamp King Tathagata of the East, in One Scroll

Translated by the Indian Tripitaka Master Jñānagupta and others during the Sui Dynasty.

This is what I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was in the city of Shravasti, in the Jeta Grove at the Garden of the Benefactor for the Solitary. He was accompanied by a great assembly of 1,250 bhikkhus. Furthermore, there were immeasurable hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas, and an immeasurable multitude of heavenly beings and others, such as the Great Brahma Heavenly King, the Shakra Devanam Indra Heavenly King, and the Four Great Heavenly Kings: namely, the Heavenly King Dhritarashtra, the Heavenly King Virudhaka, the Heavenly King Virupaksha, and the Heavenly King Vaishravana. Led by the goddess Shri, there were 84,000 assemblies of devas. Led by General Nata, there were the eight classes of ghost and spirit generals. Furthermore, there were the five hundred Hariti and her various retinues. Such immeasurable assemblies of heavenly beings and people of the world surrounded him on all sides.

At that time, beyond hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha lands from this one, in the eastern direction, there was a Buddha land named the World of Boundless Flowers. In that world, there was a Buddha named the Thus Come One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Most Victorious Lamp. He was presently at leisure, teaching the Dharma. That Thus Come One dispatched two bodhisattvas from that world to this Saha World. One was named the Bodhisattva of Great Light, and the second was named the Bodhisattva of Nectar Light. He said, "You two bodhisattvas, go to the Saha World. There is a Buddha there named Shakyamuni, the Thus Come One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One. For the sake of that Shakyamuni, the Thus Come One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, take this dharani verse and proclaim it. It is for the sake of all beings: for their peace and happiness, for their merit, for their increase, for their renown, for generating their strength, for acting according to their wishes, for experiencing peace and happiness, for being free from disturbance, for not killing living beings, and for their protection."

And he spoke the mantra:

Tadyatha, upanidhuni, dharani, kumara, gautami, ye parajaya, svaha. Jaya svaha, mahajaya svaha, jayalankrte svaha, jayarani, mahajayarani, jayarasmiki, sari, masari, agri, magri, aki, maki, naki, svari, mahasvari, sampari, yukha, mukha, samadhi, mahasamadhi, disamadhi, mahasamadhi, mahajaya svaha, saye, sarami, mukha sami, maha sami, samadhi, maha samadhi, samudhi, vimudhi, arasi, maharasi, manasi, manasi, manasi, tivati, svaha.

At that moment, those two Bodhisattvas, having received and upheld this dhāraṇī, vanished from that place. Just as a strong man might bend and straighten his arm, so too did the Bodhisattvas disappear. In that same instant, they traveled from the Boundless Flower World and manifested in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada's Park in Śrāvastī.

Upon arriving, the Bodhisattvas went to the side of Śākyamuni, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One. They bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him three times, and then stood to one side. Standing there, they addressed the Buddha, saying:

"World-Honored One! Beyond this Buddha-land, past eighty billion Buddha-lands to the east, there is a world named Boundless Flower. In that world, there is a Buddha named Supreme Lamp, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who is presently abiding and teaching the Dharma to others. That Bhagavān, the Tathāgata Supreme Lamp, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, has sent us to this Sahā World. The Buddha Supreme Lamp inquires after the World-Honored One's well-being: 'Are you free from illness and affliction? Is your daily life comfortable and your strength at ease?'

Furthermore, he says: 'World-Honored One! May your assembly not be disturbed—neither the community of monks, nor nuns, nor male lay devotees, nor female lay devotees. May no one be disturbed, whether human or non-human, whether deva, nāga, yakṣa, rākṣasa, great demon generals, kumbhāṇḍas, kumbhāṇḍa generals, pūtanas, piśācas, hungry ghosts, deceptive ghosts, nor by centipedes, venomous snakes, vipers, scorpions, or various poisonous insects, nor by asuras, garuḍas, śākaṇḍa ghosts, thirst-causing ghosts, swooning ghosts, sickness-causing ghosts, nor by蛊毒 magic, corpses, one-day fevers, two-day, three-day, or four-day fevers, nor by any other kinds of afflicting ghostly illnesses.'

And the Tathāgata Supreme Lamp has sent us to bring this dhāraṇī mantra here for the benefit of all beings, for their nurture, for the increase of their merit, for the increase of their dignity, for enhancing their complexion, for spreading their good repute, for increasing their strength, for granting them whatever happiness they desire, for bestowing upon them whatever comfort they receive, for preventing disturbance, and for their protection."

And they recited the aforementioned mantra.

At that time, the World-Honored One addressed the Elder Ānanda, saying: "Ānanda, receive and uphold these dhāraṇī verses. Having received them, explain them to others, proclaim and spread them widely. Ānanda, it is rare for a Buddha to appear in the world, and rare to encounter one; these dhāraṇī verses are even more difficult to hear. If there is a good man or good woman who can receive and uphold this dhāraṇī—whether by reading it, reciting it, or explaining and making it known to others—that person cannot be burned by fire, cannot be harmed by weapons, cannot be injured by poisons, cannot be executed by officials, and will not incur the wrath of Brahmā. That person will always know their past lives for seven lifetimes. Ānanda, these dhāraṇī verses were spoken by seventy-seven billion Buddhas of the past. If anyone slanders this mantra, they immediately slander all those Buddhas. If any spirit does not revere this mantra, or tries to seize the power of someone, or having seized it by curse does not return it—that spirit’s head will split into seven pieces."

Then the bodhisattva Ajita rose from his seat, arranged his robes, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honored One! I too will recite a dhāraṇī verse, for the sake of benefiting sentient beings, so that they may gain increase, augment their merit, enhance their power, improve their appearance, spread their renown, strengthen their vigor, enjoy happiness in accordance with their practice, receive supportive joy in whatever they undertake, be free from disturbance, be free from harm, and be protected." Then he spoke the mantra:

Duo zhi tuo, e di, ba di, na di ju na di, a jia ba di, bo luo pi ba di, dou lou mi hou liu liu mi, an na jia xi, bo na jia xi, jia xi mo he xi, jia a nu duo, bo luo xi pi qie qi, mo he qie qi, si cha bi, duo cha bi, xi li mi li di li shi li, fu shi mo he fu shi, fu fu shi, fu she ba di, suo po he.

At that time, the Buddha addressed the Elder Ananda, saying: "You must receive this mantra's verses, always uphold them, recite them, explain them to others, and spread them widely. Ananda! The appearance of a Buddha in the world is rare to encounter, and hearing this mantra is even rarer. If there are good men or good women who can receive and uphold this mantra, and after receiving it, can recite it and explain it clearly to others, such a person will know the events of the next fourteen lifetimes. Ananda! This mantra's verses were spoken by eighty-four trillion Buddhas of the past. If anyone slanders this mantra, disbelieves it, or refuses to practice it, that person slanders the Buddhas of the past and turns their back on all Buddhas. If any being steals the vital energy of someone like me, or having stolen it does not return it, that person will incur the same offense."