Sutra of the Medicine Buddha (2024)

Thus I have heard: While wandering through many lands to convert thebeings, Bhagavan arrived at Vaisali. He dwelt under a resounding tree,and with him was a big crowd of beings, including eight thousand monks,thirty-six thousand Great Bodhisattvas, as well as kings, ministers, brahmins,lay-disciples, the eight groups of dragons, and other celestial beings,such as kimnaras and the rest. This infinite mass surrounded him with devotion.He preached to them.

Then Manjushri, son of the Dharma-king and chief disciple of the Buddha,rose from his seat. He bared one of his shoulders, bent his right kneeto the ground in the direction of Bhagavan, bowed, joined the palms ofhis hands, and reverently said: "World-honoured! We only wish you wouldtell us such and such names of the Buddha, their original vows, and theirboundless virtues so that the hearers may know how to keep away from allkarmic hindrances by their wisdom, to the blessing and joy of all beingswho live in the formal period of Buddhism."

Then the World-honoured praised the disciple Manjushri and said: "Good!Excellent! Manjushri! Out of great pity you asked me to mention the namesof the Buddhas and the virtues achieved from their original vows, so asto pull out from all beings the hindrances of the karma which bind them,to the blessing and joy of those who live in the formal period of Buddhism.Now listen well and bear in mind to what I shall tell you." Manjushrisaid: "Very well, we are happy that such is your wish. We are glad to listen."Then the Buddha said to Manjushri: "Eastward from here, beyond Buddha-landabout ten times as numerous as the sands of the Ganga, there is a worldcalled ¡®The Pure Crystal Realm¡¯, the Paradise of Yao Shih. Its Buddha hasa few titles, such as The Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata,The Arhat of Perfect Knowledge, The Prefect Mind and Deed, The Well DepartedSugata, The Knower of the World, The Peerless Nobleman, The Man Who BringsThe Passions of Men Under Control, The Teacher of Devas And Men, The Buddha,and Bhagavan. At the time when that World-honoured Buddha of Medicine becamea Bodhisattva, he made Twelve Great Vows to grant all beings with whateverthey pray."

The first vow. ¡®I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained unexcelled complete Enlightenment, my body should beshining like a brilliant light, throwing beams on infinite, and boundless,worlds, adorned with a retinue of thirty-two forms of the Great Men andwith eighty physical characteristics of the Buddha, I shall make all beingswholly equal to me.¡¯

The second vow. ¡®I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, my body should be like a crystalin spotless purity both within and without, with splendorous radiant light,in the majesty of its virtue, sitting serenely, adorned with the aureole,brighter than the sun and the moon, I shall reveal my great power to allthe beings in obscurity, in order that they may act freely according totheir bent.¡¯

The third vow. ¡®I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, I should grant by means of boundlesswisdom, to all beings the inexhaustible things that they may need and thatthey may be free from any want.¡¯

The fourth vow. ¡®I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect enlightenment, I should bring those who havegone the heterodox ways to dwell tranquilly in the way of Bodhi; and thosewho travel on the Vehicle of the Sramana and the Pratyekabuddha on theVehicle of the Sramana and the Pratyekabuddha to stand firmly in the GreatVehicle of Bodhisattva.¡¯

The fifth vow. ¡®I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, I should enable the innumerablebeings to observe all the moral laws to mend their ways to pure living,and to obey the three cumulative commandments. Should there be any relapse,or violation, they shall again become pure once they hear of my name, thenthey shall not fall into evil existences.¡¯

The sixth vow. 'I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, those beings who are physicallyinferior, with imperfect senses, such as, the ugly, stupid, blind, deaf,mute, crippled, paralysed, hump-backed, leprous, lunatic, or sick in manyrespects, shall all of them, when they hear my name, regain their normalappearances and become intelligent. All their senses shall be perfectlyrestored, and they shall not suffer from diseases.'

The seventh vow. 'I vow that, after myreincarnation and having attained Perfect Enlightenment, those who aretormented by diseases, who have nobody to whom they can seek for help,without a refuge, without a doctor, without medicine, without relatives,without a home; these poor and miserable beings shall all of them be freefrom diseases and troubles, and shall enjoy perfect health of body andmind, once my name reaches their ears. They shall have families, friendsand properties a-plenty, and shall all be brought to the supreme Enlightenmentof Buddha.'

The eighth vow. 'I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, women who are tormented by thehundred of sufferings of the female sex, who are much wearied of life andlong to make bodily sacrifice, shall all of them, when they hear my name,be transformed into men instead of women, in the next re-birth, they shallget the form of manhood and shall in the end attain the supreme Enlightenmentof Buddha.'

The ninth vow. 'I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, I should let all being to escapethe evil nets of Mara, to be free from other non-Buddhist cults. If theyshould have fallen into the dense forest of false doctrines, I should assistand lead them to the noble truths, and gradually induce them to lead thelife of a Bodhisattva and soon they shall attain supreme Enlightenmentof Buddha.'

The tenth vow. 'I vow that, after my reincarnationand having attained Perfect Enlightenment, I should bring it to pass thatall those who are recorded and condemned by the royal law to be bound andwhipped, to be enchained in prisons, to be sentenced to capital punishment,too meet numerous other disasters and insult, to be afflicted with sorrowand anguish, to be troubled both in body and in mind, shall, when theyhear of my name, escape evil kalpas through the awe-inspiring majesty ofmy blessedness and virtue.'

The eleventh vow. 'I vow that, after myreincarnation and having attained Perfect Enlightenment, I should bringit to pass that all beings who are tormented by hunger and thirst and who,in order to obtain drink and food, if they can carefully remember my nameand cherish it, then I should let them taste the flavour of the Dharma,and eventually lead a tranquil and happy life.'

The twelfth vow. 'I vow that, after myreincarnation and having attained Perfect Enlightenment, all beings whoare poor and naked, tormented day and night by mosquitoes and wasps, bycold and heat, when they hear my name and carefully remember and cherish*t, shall receive the wonderful garments of all kinds, as well as valuableornaments, chaplets of fragrant flower; and various kinds of instrumentalmusic shall resound. Whatever they dream of, they shall have in abundance.'

"Manjushri, these are the twelve wonderful sublime vows made by theWorld's Most Venerable Buddha, of Medicine when he was a Bodhisattva."

"Now Manjushri! when the Buddha Medicine as a Bodhisattva, made hisvows the stern virtues of them have reached the Buddhaland; if I shouldspeak kalpa after kalpa about these virtues I could not mention all ofthem. Verily, this Buddhaland is eternally pure, it has no women, nor hasit any evil influences, and no screams of pain are heard there. The groundis of lapis lazuli, golden cords set bounds to the ways of this land, thewalls, towers, castles, halls, verandas, and bird nets are made of sevenprecious things. In all aspects it is equal to the Western Paradise. Thereis no difference between the two. There are two Great Bodhisattvas in thiscountry: the name of one is Radiance of the Sun; that of the other, Radianceof the Moon. They are the chiefs of a host of Bodhisattvas. They representthe Buddha. They guard the treasury of the right doctrine of the Buddhaof Medicine. Therefore, Manjushri, all good men and women who have confidencein faith should wish to be born in the world of Buddha."

Then the Buddha spoke further on to the disciple Manjushri and said:"Manjushri, there are those who do not distinguish good from evil. Theyindulge incessantly in greed and avarice. They do not know what alms-givingis, and what the effect of such a deed will be. They are idiots. They haveno faith. They accumulate riches, and guard them carefully. When they seea beggar, they are not glad in heart. When they have to bestow a charity,it is like cutting a piece of flesh from the body. A deep and painful regretensues. There are other innumerable greedy and stingy beings who gathermoney but do not use it even for themselves, so how could you expect themto give it to their parents, wives, children, servants, or beggar? Thesebeings, after their death, shall be reborn as hungry ghost or as animals.Now, it may happen that, as men in a former incarnation, they had by chanceheard the name of the Buddha of Medicine. Now, it may happen that, as menin a former incarnation, they had by chance heard the name of the Buddhaof Medicine. Now in the evil incarnation the name of that Tathagata accidentallyrecurs to their mind. Then when they remember him, they suddenly disappearand again be transformed into men. There they remember their former life,they are afraid of the sufferings of the bad incarnation. They do not rejoiceat worldly pleasures. They gladly practice charity, and they praise thegiver. They are no longer greedy and do not regret the alms given by themselves.Yes, in time they are able to bestow upon the one who asks them even fortheir head, eye, hand, foot, blood, flesh, and other parts of their body,to say nothing of their money and property!"

"Furthermore, Manjushri, there are beings who, though having learnedeverything point and point from the Tathagata, trespass against the Commandments.There are others who, though not trespassing against the Commandments,trespass against the minor rules. Others who, though neither trespassingagainst the Commandments nor against the minor rules, have not got theright views. Still Others who, though having the proper ideas, neglectto learn, and thus they are unable to understand the deep meaning of theSutras taught by the Buddha. Others are studious but proud. Because theirhearts are be-clouded with pride, so they think highly of themselves andthink little of others. They criticise the correct doctrine of the Buddhaand become the companions of Mara. These fools are not only themselveserring, but they also dig pitfalls for millions of others. They then doevil and are incessantly reborn into hells, as animals or as hungry ghosts."

"It may occur that they then heard the name of the Buddha of Medicine,they may turn from their wickedness, they may follow the right teaching,and they do not fall into evil destinies any more. But if there shouldbe any among them who are unable to turn from wickedness, who do not followthe right teaching, and who fall into evil destinies as a consequence,then, they still have the chance to become men in the next re-birth incase that, through the magic power of the vows of this Tathagata, theyare able to hear his name chanted just for a moment. If they take heartto follow the right doctrine and curb their lust, they will be enabledto leave their homes and to become monks. They cling implicitly to theteaching of the Tathagata, swerve no more from it, and from the right principlesand learn more, then they will understand the profound meanings. Far frombeing haughty, they do not criticise the right teaching, do not becomecompanions of Mara. Gradually they will enter the way of Bodhisattvas andwill soon attain perfect enlightenment."

"Furthermore, Manjushri, there are beings who are avaricious and envious.They praise themselves and depreciate others. For this reason, they fallinto the three evil destinies. During innumerable millenniums they suffermisery, after their death they will be reborn among men but as oxen, horses,camels or donkeys. They will be tormented constantly by whip, by hunger,and by thirst; they must carry heavy loads on their backs and walk longways. Even if they were reborn as human beings, they will be reborn ina poor hut, and when they grow up they will become man-servants and maid-servants.They will be ordered around by other people and will never be their ownbosses. When such beings, in a former incarnation, heard the name of theBuddha of Medicine, they will now be save by Him. If they remember himand whole-heartedly have recourse to the Buddha, all their sufferings willbe removed through His majestic power. Their senses will be sharpened.They will become wise and they would like to listen and become learned.They will strive solely for the sublime teaching; they will hold socialintercourse with friends who will lead them to the good deeds. They willcut all nets of Mara. They will pierce the veil of ignorance. They willlet the stream of suffering flow off and be released from pains of birth,old age, sickness, death, and all the worries and miseries."

"Still, Manjushri, there are beings who like to do that which is repugnantto others, who like to quarrel and cause displeasure both to themselvesand to others. By deeds, words and thoughts, they create all sorts of badkarma. They constantly do harm to each other, they hatch plans to injureone another. They pray to the spirits of the mountains, trees and tombs.They kill living things, take their bleeding flesh, and offer it to theYaksas and Rakshasas. They write down the name of their enemy, make a pictureof him, and, by the use of sorcery, they curse over it. They use blackmagic and poison. They conjure up a ghost from corpse. This puts an endto the life of the enemy and destroys his body."

"When, by chance, these beings hear of the name of the Buddhas of Medicine,then all these evil things will lose power to harm them. They learn tohave compassion on each other. They wish to be of service, they wish tomake each other happy. They renounce malice and the impulse to create suffering.Everyone rejoices. Being contented with the property he owns, he does notcovet that of others. They are helpful to each other."

"Furthermore, Manjushri, there are four groups in our community: themonk, the nuns, the male devotees, and the female devotees. There are otherpious men and women, who believe and observe the first eight of the TenCommandments. They observe all points from three months to a year. Becauseof this good seed they have planted, they expect to be reborn in the WesternParadise where the Buddha Amitayus dwells. But, though they hear the correctdoctrine of the Buddha, they can not discern and put enough trust in it.When they hear the name of the Buddha of Medicine at the time of theirdeath, then there will be eight Bodhisattvas who, with magic powers, willtraverse the intervening space to come to show them their ways, and amidstthe colourful flowers of that world, they will be born there by transformation."

"Sometimes they are also born in the Heaven. Though they are born inHeaven, the original good roots are still there, they will not fall intoevil destinies again. When their life in Heaven is ended, they will againbecome men. Or they may become supreme rulers, governing the four inhabitedcontinents of the Universe, and rule in independent majesty."

"Innumerable beings are established in the excellent Karma resultingfrom the practice of the Ten Commandments. Some are born as Kshatriyasor as Brahmins, some as lay-disciples, some born in a large family. Theyabound in riches, with their treasuries and granaries overflowing. Theirappearance are awe-inspiring. They have enough relatives and kinsmen, theyare clever and they gain in wisdom. They are as strong and brave as themost powerful. If it is a woman who heard the name of the Buddha of Medicine,and if she whole-heartedly cherishes it, she shall never again become awoman in the next re-birth."

"Then, Manjushri, when the Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata,had attained perfect Enlightenment, to become the Buddha of Medicine, hesaw by virtue of his vows, that the beings were suffering from all sortsof diseases, such as tuberculosis, bilious fever, or that they were affectedby a spell or by poison, or that some were by their nature short-lived,or that some have died a violent death. He wish to fulfil all their desiresby putting an end to all these diseases and miseries. Therefore the World'sMost Venerable entered into a Samadhi called the Removal of Suffering forAll Beings. While He was in this contemplation a great radiance of lightof light was sent forth from his Ushnisa, and he pronounced the great Dharanias follows:

"NAMO BHAGAVATE BHAISAJAYA-GURU-VAIDURYA-PRABHA-RAJAYA
TATHAGATAYA ARHATE SAMYAKSAMBUDDHAYA TADYATHA OM
BHAISAJYE BHAISAJYE BHAISAJYA SAMUDGATE SVAHA"

When He, in his radiance, had spoken this mystical formula, the earthwas shaken and emitted a great light. All beings were delivered from theirdiseases and miseries, they are now happy because their bodies and mindsare at rest.

"Manjushri, if you see a pious man or woman who suffers from a disease,you shall do the following whole-heartedly for those sick people: let themkeep clean by taking frequently baths and rinse their mouths, give themfood, medicine and clean water, and recite the Dharani for a hundred andeight times, then all diseases will disappear entirely. When one of themhas a particular wish, he shall concentrate and recite the magic formula.Then he will fulfil all he wishes, he will be without disease, and willlive longer. After his death, he will born in paradise without having toreturn to this world, and will in the end attain perfect Enlightenment.Therefore, Manjushri, if there is a pious man or woman who very seriouslyprays to the Buddha of Medicine and, he or she must always keep in mindthis magic formula and never forget it."

"Still more, Manjushri, there may be a pious man or woman who hearsthe name of the Buddha of Medicine and repeats it and fosters it, he chewsthe Dantakastha (a stick for cleaning the teeth) in the morning, takesbath and rinses his mouth, until he is quite clean. He then prays withincense and flowers, he burns the incense and rubs the body with perfume,sings the Sutra and proffers offerings before the image of the Buddha.He copies the Sutra or has it copied, learns it by heart, has it explainedto him. He makes offerings to his Buddhist teacher and gives alms generouslyand not let him be in want of anything. Then all the Buddhas will protecthim and keep him in mind. His prayers will be granted, he will eventuallyattain perfect Enlightenment."

Then the disciple Manjushri saluted the Buddha and said: "World honoured,I swear that I will pray Buddha-truth, I shall cause, by many means, allmale and female devotees to hear the names of the Master of Healing, AzureRadiance Tathagata, I shall shout the names of the Buddha into their earseven in their sleep. World honoured, when someone learns this Sutra byheart and reads, proclaims and expounds it to other people, copies it himself,or has it copied, makes offerings reverently and seriously with variousfragrant flowers, perfumed unguents, sandal-powder and burning incense,with garlands, strings of pearls, flags and music; he also makes bags offive-coloured silk and puts Sutra into them, sweeps clean a place, displaysthe bags the bags on a high table that they may lie there in readiness,then the four great Kings of Heaven with their retinue and the other innumerablehundreds and thousands of celestial hosts will come to make offerings andto protect the Sutra. World-honoured, where the treasures of this Sutraflow out and can be received through the blessing of the Vow of this Worldhonoured Buddha of Medicine, and his name can be heard, then they willknow that no violent death will ever occur at that place, and nobody¡¯sspirit will ever be seized by evil demons and evil spirits. And if it hasalready been wrested from him, he can still restore it as he was before,he will have peace both in Body and mind."

Then the Buddha said to Manjushri: "So it is, so it is! It is exactlyas you say, Manjushri, if a devout man or woman who wishes to make an offeringto this world honoured Buddha of Medicine, he or she must first make animage of this Buddha, prepare a clean place to erect it, strew variousflowers, burn all sorts of incense, adorn the place with curtains and flags,for seven days and seven nights, keep the eight prohibitory commands, eatclean food, take baths so that one may have a clean odour, put on cleanclothes, free the mind from dirty, angry and malicious thoughts, wish tobe of service to others, and try to bring happiness to everybody. One shouldbe full of compassion, glad to give alms, and sympathetic to every one.Thus cleansed, he should go around the Buddha image to the right, and singthe hymns with drum music. Moreover, he must remember the blessing of theVows of Tathagata, read aloud this Sutra, meditate upon its meaning, reciteand explain it. What he wishes for will all be fulfilled. If he wishesfor wealth, he will become rich. If he wishes to become an official, hewill become an official. if he wishes to have a son or a daughter, he willget a son or a daughter. When he has a bad dream, sees evil omens, seesstrange birds flocking together, or has his room filled with strange apparitions,if this man, will all the sacred implements worships and make offerings,then the World honoured Buddha of Medicine will bring it to pass that thebad dreams and the bad omens which prophecy ill luck will vanish completelyand will do him no harm. He will be protected from the dangers of water,fire, sword, poison, elephants, lions, tigers, wolves, bears, snakes, scorpions,millipedes, mosquitoes, gnats and other frightful and unpleasant thingsif he whole-heartedly remembers the Buddha, worships Him , then all troubleswill vanish."

Furthermore, Manjushri, in case there is a pious man or woman who doesnot care for other gods during his or her whole life and whose only thoughtis to become a Buddhist disciple, and who observes either five or ten ofthe Commandments, or the four hundred commandments of the Bodhisattva,the two hundred and fifty of the monk, or the five hundred of the nun,and who fears he may relapse into sin and fall into evil destinies; ifhe or she can only recite the name of the Buddha, worships Him and makesofferings to Him, he and she will certainly not suffer from the three pathsof transmigration - the hells, hungry ghost and animals."

"A woman may suffer from great pain while giving birth. If she can whole-heartedlyworship the Buddha of Medicine and to invoke the name Tathagata, worshipHim and make offerings to Him, all pain will vanish, the newly born babywill have a sound and healthy body; whoever sees him will rejoice at hisbeing so clever, so strong and healthy; and no demon comes to rob him ofhis vitality."

Then the Buddha spoke to Ananda: "If I praise the virtues of theBuddha of Medicine and let you know that the actions of the Buddha havean occult meaning that it is difficult to understand. Can you believe me?"

Ananda said: "Virtuous World honoured One, I have no doubt in my beliefabout the Sutras of Tathagata. My reason for this belief is that the karmaof Tathagatas, formed through deeds, words and thoughts, is perfectly pure.World-honoured, the disc of this sun and moon may be torn down, the inconceivablehigh Sumeru mountain may be shaken, but the words of the Buddhas will neverchange. World-honoured, the beings whose faith is as yet insufficient mayquestion the occult meaning of the Buddha¡¯s acts. They think: How is itpossible that, by only remembering the name of the Master of Healing, AzureRadiance Tathagata, we can reap so many blessings? Then they do not believe,nay, they challenge. Such people forfeit their blessing and joy over onelong night, they fall into evil existences and drift eternally in the streamof miserable life."

Then Buddha told Ananda: "When all these beings hear the name of theWorld-honoured Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata and cherish*t whole-heartedly, and have no more doubts, then it is impossible forthem to fall into evil destinies again. Those who have fallen into evildestinies, they have done no good deeds. Ananda, this is the occult meaningof the acts of the Tathagatas; it is hard to believe! You can conceiveof it now, and so you know that all that I have told you has its root inthe power of the Tathagatas. Ananda, all Shramanas and Pratyekabuddhas,and the Bodhisattvas who have not yet reached the ten stages, are unableto believe the full truth and to expound it, only the Bodhisattva who hasonly one life that binds him can do it. Ananda, it is difficult to geta human body. It is also difficult to have faith in the Triple Gems, tobelieve and to revere them. But it is still more difficult to hear thename of the Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata. Ananda, the Bodhisattvadeeds of the Buddha of Medicine, his skilful means to convert the beings,and his far reaching vows are innumerable. If I should expound them ingreat detail, I could speak kalpa after kalpa and even longer, the kalpaswould soon be exhausted, but the deeds, the vows, and the skilful meansof the Buddha would not be exhausted."

There was, at that time, a great Bodhisattva in the community. His namewas Seeker of Salvation. He stood up from his seat, bared his right shoulder,touched the earth with his right knee, bowed with the palms of his handsjoined together, and said to the Buddha: "Virtuous World honoured, in thedecline of the formal period there shall be beings who are exhausted bymany misfortunes, they are thin in consequence of long illness. Such abeing can neither eat nor drink, his lips and throat are dry. Everythinghe sees is dark. The signs of death are presently manifest. His parents,family, relatives and friends stand around him weeping. His body lies onthe bed, he sees the messengers of Yama leading his spirit to the judge.Verily, all beings have a spirit which originates with them. Everythingthey have done, be it good or bad, was in the record. Everything was keptwith judge Yama. Just at that time, this judge questions the man. He sumsup his deeds. He assigns him his place according to the proportion of hisgood and bad deeds. If at that time the relatives and friends of this sickman could make him believe in the Buddha of Medicine and ask the monksto recite this Sutra, light a seven-layer lantern, hang up either consciousnessmay returns after seven, twenty-one, thirty-five, or forty-nine days. Atthat time when he returns consciousness, he feels like awakened from adream, he remembers the award he has received for his good or bad deeds.For he has himself been a witness of the reward of his deeds."

"He remembers this throughout his life¡¯s hardships, he no longer commitsany evil deed. Therefore men and women who are firm in their faith cherishthe name of the Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata, worship Himand make offerings to Him with what they can."

At that time, Ananda asked the Bodhisattva Seeker of Salvation: "Piousman, how shall we worship the Buddha of Medicine and make offerings toHim? What are the significances of the banners and the lanterns?"

The Bodhisattva Seeker of Salvation said: "Virtuous One, for the sickpeople whom one wishes to free from their sufferings, it is necessary tokeep the eight prohibitory commands during seven days and nights, and tomake offerings of food and drink and other things, according to one¡¯s capability,to the congregation of monks; to perform worship according to the ritual,for six times day and night and have offerings made to the Buddha of Medicine;to recite this Sutra forty-nine times, to light up forty-nine lamps, tohave seven image of the Tathagata made, to have seven lamps put infrontof each image, the flame of each lamp may illuminate a cartwheel. For forty-ninedays these lamps must be kept burning unceasingly. Hang up five-colouredbanners, forty-nine spans long, and set free various kinds of animals tothe number of forty-nine. In this way, the sick people are made to overcomethe danger of being violently killed by evil spirits."

"Furthermore, Ananda, in case of a Kshatriya or an Abhisecana or Kingat a time when calamity arises, such as pestilence among the population,invasion by foreign countries, revolution in his own country, ominous displacementin a constellation, eclipse or the sun or the moon, wind and rain out seasonor drought through no rain, this Kshatriya or Abhisecana King must thenhave pity on all beings, set all captives free, perform the above mentionedceremonies of offering, and make offerings to the Virtuous Buddha of Medicine.As a consequence of these good deeds and the power of original vow of Tathagata,he will bring about the result that his country will be delivered, thatwind and rain will come in good time, and will let the crops ripe, thatthe people will be happy without sickness, that no cruel Yaksha in hiscountry will torment the people, and that all evil omens will at once disappear.And the Kshatriya¡¯s or Abhisecana King¡¯s life, material appearance, vitality,and sickless independence will all be benefited. Ananda, if the Queen,the wives of the princes, the crown-prince, the princes, the ministers,the court councillors, the ladies of the palace, the provincial officialsor the common people suffering from diseases, or if another calamity occurs,he shall also hang up five-coloured banners for warding off all the evilspirits, light lamps and keep them burning, set animals free, strew manycoloured flowers, burn precious incense, then the diseases will be curedand all afflictions will vanish."

Then Ananda asked the Bodhisattva Seeker of Salvation: "Pious man, howcan a life that has come to an end be prolonged?"

The Bodhisattva Seeker of Salvation said: "Virtuous One, did you hearthat the Tathagatas say that there are nine kinds of violent deaths? Therefore,I exhort you to hang up the life prolonging banner, to light up the lamps,and to perform the pious deeds. By performing the pious deeds, one¡¯s lifecome to a natural end without suffering from any painful experience."

Ananda asked: "what are the nine kinds of violent deaths?"

The Bodhisattva Seeker of Salvation said: "The nine violent deathsare;

(1) There are beings who become sick. Though thesickness is not serious but there is neither medicine nor a doctor forthe treatment. In case they take the wrong medicine, they may meet violentdeath which can very well be avoided. Some trust in Maras and Heretics,or masters of magical and bewitching powers. From a frivolous predictionof good or bad luck, fear and uneasiness arises. Those people whose ownheart cannot clearly discern, question fortune-tellers whether misfortunesawaits them. Some kill living beings for a sacrifice in order to propitiatethe spirits. Some call out to the evil spirits and ask for protection,they wish to prolong their lives, but all to no avail. They are ignorantof the right way. They believe in heterodox views, not recognising thedoctrine of moral karma. This leads in the end to a violent death.They enter into hell and can never get out of it. This is the first violentdeath.

(2) Some are violently executed by orderof the law.

(3) Some hunt for pleasure, lead and unrestrainedlife with women and wine, and dissipated without halt and limit. Then thefiends come and violently snatch their spiritual vigour.

(4) Some come to a violent end by being burntby fire.

(5) Some come to a violent end by being drowned.

(6) Some come to a violent end by being devouredby wild beasts.

(7) Some come to a violent end by falling froma steep cliff.

(8) Some come to a violent end by being destroyedby poison, by image spell Vetala, by spoken-spell Dharani, or by demonicalinfluence to resurrect a corpse and cause it kill another person.

(9) Some suffer hunger and thirst, do not getanything to eat or drink and thus die an untimely death.

"These are what Tathagata briefly named as the nine kinds of violentdeaths. Besides, there are innumerable other kinds which cannot all betold here."

"In addition, Ananda, the judge Yama keeps a complete list, with thedeeds of each inhabitant on earth recorded, if any of the beings are notfilial and commit the five mortal sins, revile the Triple Gems, infringethe laws of the country, and violate the natural moral laws, then the judgeYama examines, whether their sins were grave or light, and punishes themaccordingly."

"Therefore I now ask all beings to light up the lamps and hang up thebanners, to set free the animals, and to do good deeds, so that miseryand grief can be overcome and the life¡¯ hardships can be avoided."At that time, there were twelve Yaksha spiritual generals in the assembly,viz:

General Kumbhira,
General Vajra,
General Mihira,
General Andira,
General Majira,
General Shandira,
General Indra,
General Pajra,
General Makura,
General Sindura,
General Catura,
General Vikarala.

These twelve Yaksha Generals, each having seven thousand Yakshas inhis retinue, raised their voices, simultaneously and saluted the Buddhaby saying: "World¡¯s Most Venerable, we have experienced today the wondrouspower of the Buddha by permitting us to hear the name of the Master ofHealing, Azure Radiance Tathagata, we have no further fear of the evildestinies. All of us are of one mind, that is as long as this form lasts,we shall have recourse to Buddhist Trinity. We swear to bear the responsibilityto let all beings be benefited by the path of truth and to let them beabound with happiness. Wherever it may be - in villages, cities, capitals,or even in unfrequented forests, when any one preaches this Sutra and cherishesthe names of the Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata, worshipsHim and makes Him offerings, we and our retinues shall guard and protecthim, deliver him completely from all distress, fulfil all his wishes. Whenhe falls ill and calls for help, he should also read this Sutra, take afive-coloured skein and tie it into knots, forming the letters of our names,and untie the knots when his wishes are fulfilled."

At that time, the World¡¯s Most Venerable praised the Yaksha Generalsand said: "Excellent, excellent, Great Yaksha Generals! If you want toreturn the favour of the Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata, youmust always be of service to all beings and make them happy."

Then Ananda saluted the Buddha and said: "World¡¯s Most Venerable! Whatis this revelation called? By what name shall we cherish it?"

Then Buddha said to Ananda: "This revelation is called: ¡®The Blessingof the Original Vow of the Master of Healing, Azure Radiance Tathagata¡¯.It is also called: ¡®The scared formula¡¯ which tells how the twelve Yakshaspiritual generals vowed to be useful to all beings. A third name is called¡®The Removal of All Karmic Hindrances¡¯. So you shall bear in mind."

When Bhagavan was preaching these words, all the Great Bodhisattvasand the Great Sramanas, the kings and the great ministers, the Brahmins,the Upasakas the gods, the dragons, the Yaksas, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas,Kinnaras, Mahoragas, human and non-human beings, all others in the assemblyheard the words of the Buddha. All of them greatly rejoiced, accepted thebelief and promised to keep it faithfully.

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