This chapter is about Gadgadasvara (Wonderful Sound) Bodhisattva. The final few chapters all describe the deeds of several great Bodhisattvas. Actually, the Lotus Sutra is very simple. You see, the first part consists of the Buddha bestowing predictions of enlightenment upon his disciples, while the Small Vehicle disciples continuously share their realizations. Then the Buddha performs many supernatural transformations to demonstrate that his lifespan is immeasurable. The latter part consists of the deeds of many great Bodhisattvas. By listening to the entire Lotus Sutra, it seems as if not much has been said, other than the Buddha repeatedly telling you the importance of this sutra and that we are already Buddhas. The rest is just for you to learn from their examples. Since we are already Buddhas, what else is there to say? All that remains is to see how the Lotus assembly is conducted and observe the reactions of the great Bodhisattvas and Voice-Hearer disciples. Here, Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva is a Bodhisattva from another planet—let us see what this great Bodhisattva from another world is like.
As the assembly reaches this point, Shakyamuni Buddha suddenly emits a beam of light from the usnisa (one of the thirty-two marks of a great man). The light illuminates eighteen hundred thousand billion nayutas of Ganges sands of Buddha-worlds to the East. Crossing these many worlds, there is a Buddha-land called Adorned with Pure Light. There resides a Bodhisattva named Gadgadasvara. This was also a karmic condition—why did Shakyamuni Buddha suddenly emit light from his usnisa and from the space between his brows to illuminate the eastern worlds? This emission of light brought forth the Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva from the East and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva from the West, marking the entrance of these two Bodhisattvas. There are actually specific reasons behind this.
We see that the Lotus assembly is nearing its end. Because Shakyamuni Buddha knows that his disciples will encounter various hardships when they practice the Bodhisattva Path in the future, he hopes that when they are in distress, they will call upon the name of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Since Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva observes the sounds of the world to rescue those in suffering, and because it will be difficult for his disciples as they practice the Bodhisattva Path in future ages, the Buddha entrusts his disciples to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Buddha emitted light from the crown of his head and from between his eyebrows for his disciples, all to introduce Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. But first, the causes and conditions lead us to the story of Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva.
In a world far to the east of our own, called Pure Light Adornment, there lived a Bodhisattva named Gadgadasvara. When the Buddha’s light shone upon him, he said to the Buddha of that realm, Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom: “World-Honored One, I should travel to the Saha world to pay homage, attend to, and make offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha, and to meet the Bodhisattvas who have achieved extraordinary realizations among his disciples.” Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom Buddha replied: “Your intention is excellent. You may go, but there are things you must be mindful of when you arrive. The Saha world is not pure and stainless like our own; its land is uneven, filled with mountains of earth and stone, and teeming with various defilements. In this world, both you and I possess vast forms—I am 6.8 million yojanas tall, and you are 42,000 yojanas in height. You are dignified in form, adorned with a hundred blessings, and radiant with superior light. However, the Buddha and Bodhisattvas of the Saha world are much smaller in stature, reaching only about a meter or so in height. Do not, therefore, give rise to a heart of contempt for that world. Do not look down upon the Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, or the sentient beings of that land, thinking of them as inferior or base. They are all Buddhas; do not be attached to appearances.”
Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva replied: “World-Honored One, as I visit the Saha world today, I shall bring with me the greetings of our Tathagata, the realm of our spiritual play, and the power of the merits and wisdom our assembly has attained under your guidance. I shall certainly not give rise to arrogance or look down upon anything in the Saha world.” Thus, Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva set out as a special envoy to our Saha world.
Let us see how he made his way here. Without rising from his seat or moving his body, he remained in his own world and entered a state of deep meditative concentration. Relying on his power of samadhi, he reached Vulture Peak in the Saha world, manifesting a transformation body at the site of the Dharma assembly. Not far from Shakyamuni Buddha’s seat, he manifested 84,000 lotus flowers composed of various treasures. These lotuses had stems of gold, leaves of silver, stamens of diamond, and pedestals of precious gems. When the great assembly saw these jeweled lotuses suddenly appear in the sky, Manjusri Bodhisattva asked the Buddha on behalf of the assembly: “World-Honored One, by what cause and condition have these 84,000 lotuses of gold, silver, and precious jewels suddenly appeared in the air?” Shakyamuni Buddha replied: “Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva from another world is about to arrive.” Manjusri then asked: “World-Honored One, can you use your spiritual power to allow us to see this Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva?”
Shakyamuni Buddha said to Manjusri: “The long-extinguished Prabhutaratna Buddha can cause this Bodhisattva to manifest his form.” This was the causal connection. Why did Shakyamuni Buddha not manifest the Bodhisattva himself, but instead asked Prabhutaratna Buddha to do so? The text does not explicitly say, but there are deep underlying reasons. Both Prabhutaratna Buddha and Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva came from eastern worlds. Perhaps their connection was particularly profound, making it more appropriate for Prabhutaratna to speak. It is not necessarily something mystical; it is simply that their karmic affinity was deeper.
Thus, Prabhutaratna Buddha, seated there in the assembly, spoke directly toward that distant world: “Virtuous man, please come to the Saha world. Manjusri, the Prince of the Dharma, wishes to see you.” His voice carried across the distance and was heard. Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva then appeared; his form vanished from his own Buddha- land as he set out with 84,000 Bodhisattvas toward the Saha world. They did not travel at the speed of light; instead, they drifted gracefully through the void. Every Buddha-land they passed experienced the six types of earthquakes, jeweled lotuses fell from the sky like rain, and heavenly music resonated naturally through the air, as if building momentum for the Lotus Assembly. They traveled in a grand and magnificent procession.
I believe that many beings on the various planets they passed must have asked, “Where are you going?” and they would answer, “We are going to the Saha world to attend the Lotus Assembly!” Because of this connection, those beings would likely seek out the Lotus Sutra themselves. What did Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva look like? His eyes were as large as blue lotuses, beautiful and clear, and their blinking radiated the light of millions of moons. His countenance was incomparably dignified and majestic. His body was golden, perfect and flawless, shining with brilliant light and fierce virtue. His form was as solid and steady as a Vajra-warrior. Seated upon a seven- jeweled lotus pedestal and surrounded by his respectful retinue of Bodhisattvas, he arrived in an instant at Vulture Peak. Upon reaching the site, he calmly stepped down from his jeweled platform and approached Shakyamuni Buddha with great reverence. He bowed his head to the Buddha’s feet and offered a priceless jeweled necklace, saying: “World-Honored One, Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom Buddha sends his greetings! He asks after your health and whether your daily life is peaceful. Are your movements and rest stable and happy? Are your four elements in harmony? Is the world bearable? Are sentient beings easy to save? Are they free from excessive greed, anger, ignorance, jealousy, and arrogance? Are they filial to their parents? Do they respect monks? Are they free from wrong views and unwholesome hearts? Can they restrain the five emotions of joy, anger, love, hate, and desire?” These greetings were very down-to-earth, asking about the common state of beings in our world. “World-Honored One, can the beings here subdue all demonic enemies? Does the long-extinguished Prabhutaratna Buddha also come to your seven-jeweled stupa to hear you preach the Lotus Sutra?” This shows he was very familiar with Prabhutaratna Buddha. “Is Prabhutaratna Buddha also peaceful and free from worry? Is this world a place where one can endure and dwell for long?”
Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva then said to Shakyamuni Buddha: “World-Honored One, I also wish to pay my respects to Prabhutaratna Buddha. I hope you will introduce me.” You see, these friendly visits between Buddha-worlds are very approachable. The words spoken on behalf of the Tathagata are simple and kind, not cryptic or unfathomable. Between Buddhas, everything is very simple. In the human realm, they speak the language of humans. They did not ask profound questions about when the universe was created, when it will end, how long the Buddha will live, or how spiritual powers are developed. They spoke of daily life, health, and well-being. Is this not how we humans speak to one another? Buddhas also speak this way.
They do the work of the human realm. The life of a Tathagata is very ordinary and simple. It is only we deluded worldlings who are not ordinary; we are the ones who pursue a life of flashy brilliance. A Tathagata’s life is simple, but it is not mediocre. He is perfectly at ease. Shakyamuni Buddha then said directly to Prabhutaratna Buddha: “Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva wishes to pay his respects to you.”
Prabhutaratna Buddha praised Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva, saying: “Excellent, excellent! That you have come from so far to make offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha, to hear the Lotus Sutra, and to meet Manjusri and the other great Bodhisattvas is a most superior and rare deed.” Many of the great Bodhisattvas and disciples in the assembly were curious when they saw Gadgadasvara’s beautiful and majestic form. A Bodhisattva named Flower Virtue asked the Buddha: “World- Honored One, what roots of goodness did this Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva plant in the past? What Dharma gate did he practice to obtain such a magnificent reward-body?” Even Prabhutaratna Buddha praised him. The Buddha then told Flower Virtue Bodhisattva of Gadgadasvara’s past cultivation.
In a past life, there was a Buddha named Cloud-Thunder-Sound- King. While practicing before that Buddha, Gadgadasvara spent 12,000 years performing various kinds of beautiful music as an offering and presented 84,000 alms bowls made of the seven treasures. Because of these causes, he attained birth in the land of Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom Buddha and came to possess such spiritual powers and majestic appearance. In fact, the Dharma gate Gadgadasvara practiced represents the image of a great Dharma protector in our world. He used a hundred thousand kinds of music and 84,000 bowls to make offerings to a Tathagata of perfect merit and wisdom. What is the key point for us to learn from him? He belongs to the rank of heavenly beings. Heavenly music does not need to be learned or practiced; unlike our rehearsals for an offering, it flows directly from the heart. He was able to sustain that same sound, using it to praise and offer to the Tathagata for 12,000 years without interruption. His Bodhicitta never faltered. We should learn from this. Furthermore, he offered jeweled alms bowls—the vessels used by Buddhas to eat and to allow sentient beings to plant seeds in the field of merit. Through his constant praise of the Tathagata, his protection of the Dharma, and his extensive practice of generosity, he was born into another Buddha-land and attained his current form. We should pay attention to these key points rather than just reading past them.
A Bodhisattva’s practice involves constant reverence and praise for the Tathagata, protecting the Dharma, and practicing broad generosity. Later, the Buddha told the assembly that Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva travels not only to our Saha world but to many other worlds to widely proclaim the Lotus Sutra. He understood the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha said to Flower Virtue Bodhisattva: “You see the body of Gadgadasvara here now, but in truth, this Bodhisattva can manifest all kinds of forms. He may appear as Indra, as Ishvara, or as Maheshvara. It is even said he can manifest the form of a Buddha.” This means this great Bodhisattva has either already attained Buddhahood in another world and manifests as a Buddha to teach, or it means that once one realizes the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra, even while still on the Bodhisattva path, one can manifest the form of a Buddha to preach.
The form of a Buddha is also an illusory manifestation. You can manifest as a Buddha to preach the Dharma because you possess the vision of a Buddha. Though you may not have attained full realization, you have the Buddha’s insight and can thus speak from that perspective. The description of Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva in this chapter is very complete. After attending the assembly, he and his retinue bid farewell to Shakyamuni Buddha and Prabhutaratna Buddha to return to their own land. The return journey was like the arrival: the lands they passed shook in six ways, jeweled lotuses fell from the sky, and upon returning home, Gadgadasvara reported everything he had seen and heard to Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom Buddha.
At this point in the assembly, 42,000 heavenly beings attained the stage of the Patience of Non-arising of Dharmas. Every chapter mentions how many people, Bodhisattvas, or disciples attained a certain level of realization. This describes how they benefited from the Lotus Assembly. Because they realized they were originally Buddhas, they gradually purified themselves during the assembly. The entire assembly was a process of washing away their attachments.
This concludes the chapter on Gadgadasvara Bodhisattva. When we see the Buddha introducing how Gadgadasvara manifests in whatever form is necessary to save sentient beings, many people are reminded of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva because they are so similar. Thus, the following twenty-fifth chapter begins the introduction of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.