“At that time there was a king who heard that a Buddha was expounding the Dharma. With joy in his heart, he immediately activated the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi mind. He abandoned his kingdom and throne and became a Sramana named Dharmakara. Exceptionally intelligent and valiant, he was outstanding in the world. He went to World Sovereign King Tathagata. He made obeisance at that Buddha’s feet, then circled Him to the right three times. Kneeling on both knees, he joined his palms and praised in verse:
Sublime is the radiant visage. Boundless is the awesome spirit. Such resplendent glow is unparalleled! That shines with flaming brilliance is obscured like pooled ink. The Tathagata’s features are unrivaled, beyond the world. His great tones of true enlightenment flow to and resound in the ten directions. His achievement of precepts, knowledge, energetic progress, Samadhi, wisdom, and awesome virtue are unequaled, supreme, and rare. His profound contemplation and deliberation of the ocean of the Buddha Dharma unravel its profound secrets and penetrate to its bottom. Nevermore has the World-Honored One ignorance, greed, or anger. He, the hero and lion among men, has immeasurable spiritual virtue, immense merit, and profound, wondrous wisdom. His radiance and awesome appearance shake the Large Thousandfold World.
I resolve to become a Buddha, equal to the holy Dharma King, to deliver others from their cycle of birth and death, enabling them all to achieve liberation. I will give alms and control my mind, observe precepts, endure adversities, make energetic progress, abide in samadhi, and unfold wisdom, as the foremost training. I vow to attain Buddhahood and completely fulfill this vow to give great peace to those living in fear. Suppose there are Buddhas a billion koti in number and great holy beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Making offerings to Buddhas such as these is inferior to seeking bodhi resolutely without retreat. Buddha Lands are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Although they are countless, beyond reckoning, my radiance will illuminate everywhere in all these lands. As I make energetic progress, my awesome spirit is measureless. After I become a Buddha, my land will be foremost in splendor, adorned with myriad wonders, and its bodhimanda will be supreme. My land will be like nirvana, peaceful beyond comparison. With compassion, I will deliver all [sentient beings]. Those from worlds in the ten directions who are reborn in my land will have joyful pure minds. Upon arrival in my land, they all will have peace and bliss. May the Buddha’s pure trust be my true witness. Before Him, I make my vow and strive to achieve my goal. Just as World-Honored Ones [in worlds] in the ten directions have hindrance-free wisdom, so does this World-Honored One know my mind and actions. Even if I am in the midst of pain and anguish, I persist in my energetic progress and endure without regrets.”
The Buddha told Ananda, “Having spoken these stanzas, the bhiksu Dharmakara said to that Buddha, ‘Indeed, World-Honored One, I have activated the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi mind, and I pray that the Buddha will fully expound to me the Dharma in the sutras. I will train myself and collect the pure adornments of innumerable Buddha Lands, so that I will quickly attain the perfect enlightenment and uproot the suffering of repeated birth and death.'”
The Buddha told Ananda, “Then, World Sovereign King Buddha said to the bhiksu Dharmakara, ‘You should know how to train yourself and adorn your Buddha Land.’ The bhiksu replied to that Buddha, ‘This profound significance is beyond my state. World-Honored One, I pray that You will fully expound to me the way Buddha-Tathagatas form their Pure Lands. Having heard it, I will train according to what You say and fulfill my vow.’
“At that time World Sovereign King Buddha knew this bhiksu’s exceptional capacity, and the profundity and immensity of his resolve. He then said to the bhiksu Dharmakara, ‘As an analogy, a person keeps drawing water from an ocean with a small container. After kalpas of work, he can reach its bottom and obtain the treasures there. Likewise, if a person makes earnest, energetic progress to seek bodhi unceasingly, he will definitely harvest the holy fruit. No wish will fail to come true.’
“Then, World Sovereign King Buddha fully described to him 210 koti Buddha Lands. In response to his request, that Buddha also displayed all lands, coarse or fine, and the gods and humans there, good or evil.
“At that time the bhiksu heard that Buddha’s description of magnificent Pure Lands and also beheld them all. He made the unsurpassed supreme resolve. His mind was silent and free from attachment, and no one in the entire world could compare with him. For five kalpas, he contemplated and collected the pure actions to adorn a Buddha Land.”
Ananda asked the Buddha, “What was that Buddha’s lifespan?” The Buddha replied, “That Buddha lived for forty-two kalpas.”
Let’s first translate this part of the Sutra into vernacular Chinese.
When World Sovereign King Tathagata was in the world, a king who heard that He was expounding the Dharma was filled with joy in his heart. He immediately activated the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi mind. He abandoned his kingdom and throne and became a Sramana named Dharmakara. With exceptional talents and able roots, he was outstanding in his wisdom and the power of vows. One day he went to the dwelling place of World Sovereign King Tathagata. He made obeisance at that Buddha’s feet, then circled Him to the right three times. Kneeling on both knees, he joined his palms and praised World Sovereign King Tathagata in verse: “Your merits and virtues are lofty and your awesome spirit boundless. Your radiance resplendently glows, unparalleled in this world. The sun, the moon and felicitous pearl that shine with flaming brilliance are obscured like pooled ink in the sublimity of your radiance. The Tathagata’s features are ineffably unrivaled, beyond the world. Your great tone of true enlightenment that awakens the beings flows to and resounds in the ten directions. Your achievement of precepts, knowledge, energetic progress, Samadhi, wisdom contributes to your awesome virtues and majestic eminence, which are unequaled, supreme, and rare. You have profound contemplation and merits and virtues of bearing in mind the interests of everyone. You have unraveled the profound secrets and penetrated to its bottom the ocean of the Buddha Dharma. Nevermore has the World-Honored One had the greed, or anger that worldly men have due to their ignorance. You subdue the ego and become the hero and lion among men. You have immeasurable spiritual virtue, immense merit, and profound, wondrous wisdom and your radiance and awesome appearance shake the Large Thousandfold World.
I resolve to become a Buddha, equal to the holy Dharma King like you, to deliver others from their cycle of birth and death, enabling them to give alms and control their mind. I will observe precepts, endure adversities, make energetic progress, abide in samadhi and unfold Buddha’s perfect wisdom as the ultimate goal. I vow to attain Buddhahood and completely fulfill this great vow to give great peace and happiness to those living in fear. Suppose there are Buddhas a billion koti in number and great holy beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, one making offerings to Buddhas and holy beings such as these is inferior to seeking bodhi and insisting on Right Views and Right Action resolutely without retreat. Buddha Lands are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and lands without Buddhas are countless beyond reckoning. I wish my radiance will illuminate everywhere in all these lands. For this wish I will make energetic progress and my awesome spirit is measureless. Let me be such a Buddha with perfect merits whose land will be foremost in splendor in the worlds of ten directions. Adorned with myriad wonders, its bodhimanda will be supreme. My land will be like nirvana, unique, beyond comparison. With compassion, I will deliver all sentient beings from sufferings and reincarnation. Those from worlds in the ten directions are willing to be reborn in my land. Once they think of my land, they will have joyful pure minds. Upon arrival in my land, they all will have eternal peace and bliss. How fortunate I am to have the Buddha’s pure trust and understanding and be my true witness. Before Him, I now make my vow and devote every effort to achieve my goal. May World-Honored Ones in worlds in the ten directions who have hindrance-free wisdom let this World Sovereign King Tathagata know about my mind and actions. Even if I am in the midst of pains and malicious persecutions, I persist in my energetic progress and from inception to completion endure without regrets.”
The Buddha told Ananda, “Having spoken these stanzas, the bhiksu Dharmakara said to that Buddha, ‘Indeed, World-Honored One, I have activated the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi mind, and I pray that the Buddha will fully expound to me the Dharma in the sutras. I will train myself and collect the pure, wonderful and majestic adornments of innumerable Buddha Lands, so that I will quickly attain the perfect enlightenment and uproot the suffering of repeated birth and death of all sentient beings.'”
The Buddha told Ananda, “Then, World Sovereign King Buddha said to the bhiksu Dharmakara, ‘With your current cultivation achievements, you should know how to train yourself and adorn your Buddha Land.’ The bhiksu replied to that Buddha, ‘This profound significance is beyond my state. World-Honored One, I pray that You will fully expound to me the way Buddha-Tathagatas form their Pure Lands. Having heard it, I will train according to what You say and fulfill my vow.’
“At that time World Sovereign King Buddha knew this bhiksu’s exceptional capacity, and the profundity and immensity of his resolve. He then said to the bhiksu Dharmakara, ‘As an analogy, a person keeps drawing water from an ocean with a small container. After kalpas of work, he can reach its bottom and obtain the treasures there. Likewise, if a person makes earnest, energetic progress to seek bodhi unceasingly, he will definitely harvest the holy fruit. No wish will fail to come true.’
“Then, World Sovereign King Buddha fully described to him 210 koti Buddha Lands. In response to his request, that Buddha also displayed all lands, coarse or fine, and the gods and humans there, good or evil.
“At that time the bhiksu heard that Buddha’s description of magnificent Pure Lands and also beheld them all. He made the unsurpassed supreme resolve. His mind was silent and free from attachment and he devoted himself to the adornments of his Land and aspired for nothing else. No one in the entire world could compare with him in terms of his firm resolve, pure action, and energetic progress. For five kalpas, he contemplated and collected the pure actions to adorn a Buddha Land.”
Ananda asked the Buddha, “What was that Buddha’s lifespan?” The Buddha replied, “That Buddha lived for forty-two kalpas.”