Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 21.djvu/296

 Thereafter the Lord again addressed the assembly of monks: Whosoever in future, monks, be he a young man or a young lady of good family, shall hear this chapter of the Stitra of the Lotus of the True Law, and by doing so be relieved from doubt, become pure-minded, and put reliance on it, to such a one the door of the three states of misfortune shall be shut: he shall not fall so low as to be born in hell, among beasts, or in Yama's kingdom. When born in the Buddha-fields in the ten points of space he shall at each repeated birth hear this very Stitra, and when born amongst gods or men he shall attain an eminent rank. And in the Buddha-field where he is to be born he shall appear by metamorphosis on a lotus of seven precious substances, face to face with the Tathâgata.

At that moment a Bodhisattva of the name of Pra^âkti/a, having come from beneath the Buddhafield of the Tathâgata Prabhtitaratna, said to the Tathâgata Prabhtitaratna: Lord, let us resort to our own Buddha-field. But the Lord .Sâkyamuni, the Tathâgata, said to the Bodhisattva Pra£*«&kti/a: Wait a while, young man of good family, first have a discussion with my Bodhisattva Ma#£urrt, the prince royal, to settle some point of the law. And at the same moment, lo, Ma%urrt, the prince royal, rose seated on a centifolious lotus that was large as a carriage yoked with four horses, surrounded and attended by many Bodhisattvas, from the bosom of the sea, from the abode of the Nâga-king Sâgara (i. e. Ocean). Rising high into the sky he went through the air to the GrzdhrakA/a mountain to the presence of the Lord. There Ma£/un1> the prince royal, alighted from his lotus, reverentially saluted