The Srimaladevisimhanada Sutra
The Srimaladevisimhanada Sutra
Translated by Dr. Shenpen Hookham
Salutations to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Thus have I heard, once the Buddha was staying in the Jeta Grove in Anathapindika’s park in Shravasti. At that time the King of the country of Kosala, Prasenjit and his chief queen, Queen Mallika were talking together in the period when Shrimala had understood the Dharma, but had not been practising it very long. ‘Great King, your daughter Shrimala is highly intelligent and clear, profound and learned; if she saw the Buddha she would realise the Dharma with little difficulty and she would have no doubts concerning the revelation of the Buddha’s Dharma.
The King replied, ‘Mallika my dear, the boys should certainly send a powerful messenger to Shrimala. As soon as Queen Mallika heard the King say this, she and the King wrote a letter containing many sorts of praise of the qualities of the Buddha. They entrusted it into the hands of Chandra (the ‘moon-like’) who was a trusted courtier. Eventually he arrived at the city of Ayodhya and went to the Queen’s quarters. He bowed to the Queen, they exchanged pleasant conversation, and then he gave her the letter. Out of respect for her father and mother she took the letter in both hands and touched it to her head, and having read it to herself, became convinced of its good news. Having become convinced of its meaning, she touched it to her head and in wonderment she said the following verse to Chandra:
‘This term ‘Buddha’ is rare in the worlds. If these words are true, I will give you raiment’.
Then she said: ‘If this Buddha has come into the world for the sake of the world, then from compassion for me, please come’. Then, at that very instant, the Lord came, standing in his inconceivable Buddhakaya, radiating light clearly visible in the sky before them. Then the Queen and each member of her circle in deep reverence put their folded hands to the crown of their head and praised the Supreme Teacher.
1. The Perfect Praise of the Limitless Qualities of The
Buddha
Lord and Saviour – your Kayas and Glory beyond analogy,
Are inconceivable and beyond all conceptual representation.
Salutations – O Lord and Saviour of the World.
Lord and Saviour – measureless are your Kayas and your Jnana.
Measureless also are your Buddhadharmas.
Therefore it is fitting to take refuge in you, the Muni.
You have the inconceivable creative, living essence.
You have cleared away faults of body, speech and mind.
You have reached the bhumi from which there is no falling away.
Salutations – O Victorious King of Dharma.
You know all that is knowable;
You are the master of the Jnanakaya.
Salutations – O you in whom the Buddhadharmas have completely and perfectly emerged.
Salutations – O you who are measureless,
Salutations – O you who are beyond all conceptual represen-tation,
Salutations – O you who are inconceivable,
Salutations – O you whose kayas are boundless.
Lord and Saviour, take me now into your protection.
Quicken the Bodhi seed within me.
In all my future lives,
O Muni, be my helper.
Having heard her sing this song of praise, the Buddha said, ‘Devi (Goddess), in your former lives, I connected you to Bodhi and I will continue to look after you in future lives too’. Shrimaladevi then dedicated all her punya from all her lives to always be able to see the Buddha. Then she and her mandala all together at the same instant, bowed at the feet of the Buddha.
The Buddha then gave the vyakarana of her Anuttarasamyak-sambodhi in the midst of this assembly. ‘Devi, by the kushalamula (roots of goodness) of the accumulated punya from praising the perfect qualities of the Tathagata, you will for measureless and countless kalpas experience complete and perfect sovereignty of the human and celestial realms. Not only will you always be able to see me and praise me in this way, but you will worship countless and measureless Buddhas.
After twenty-thousand incalculable kalpas you will become the Tathagata Anuttarasamyaksambuddha Samantabhadra At that time in your Buddha Realm there will be no lower realms.
At that time beings will remain on the path of the ten wholesome karmic actions. Those beings will not be sick, grow old, or be harmed by anything unpleasant. The path of unwholesome action will not even be heard of. The beings there will have joy, physical form and complexion, glory, splendour, and enjoyments of form, sound, smell, taste and tactile sensations and everything else, outshining those of the Paranirmita-vashavartin devas. They will be supremely happy. All the beings there will have completely entered the Mahayana’. At this, limitless gods and goddesses, men and women made the pranidhana to be born there, and the Buddha gave the vyakarana that they would be born there just as they wished.
2. The Inconceivable Great Commitments
Then Shrimala, having received the vyakarana directly from the Buddha, put her hands together and formally made (the following) ten great commitments:
From now on, I will never adopt an attitude of mind (i.e. make a chittotpada) that steps outside the time of my shila. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will never adopt an attitude of mind that is disrespectful to Gurus. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will never adopt an attitude of mind from anger or cruelty towards beings. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will never adopt an attitude of mind from jealousy of another’s glory or their complete and perfect possessions, attainments and enjoyments. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will never adopt an attitude of mind from miserliness (Tib: ser sna – wanting to hold onto things) even if it is my last morsel of food. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will never keep for myself any goods or wealth that I have at my disposal. Instead I will only seek and hold what I can use for the poor, suffering and destitute to mature and protect them. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will only practise the four ways to attract beings in order to benefit others, and not in the hope of some return for myself. I will seek to attract and mature beings in a proper manner, with a mind unruffled by attachment, insatiably and unremittingly. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, whenever I see beings without protection, destitute, imprisoned, bound, stricken by sickness, suffering, poverty, loss, or great disasters, I will not forsake them even for a moment. When I see their suffering, I will gather as much wealth as I can, to liberate them from all their various afflictions. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, whenever I see people making a living from akushala actions (for example, selling pigs) which are against the word of the Tathagata and are violations of the vinaya, I will not just ignore them, but by whatever means I can, in towns, cities, districts, countries, royal palaces, and in all circles; I will destroy what has to be destroyed and foster what has to be fostered. Why? By destroying and fostering the Saddharma it will remain long; if it remains long, the bodies of gods and humans will flourish and they will not fall into the lower realms, and the Dharmachakra set in motion by the Lord will continue to turn. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
From now on, I will never, even for a single instant, adopt an attitude of mind that departs from the Upholding of the Saddharma. Why? If one departs from the Upholding of the Saddharma one departs from the Mahayana. If one departs from the Mahayana one departs from the paramitas. If one departs from the paramitas one ceases to yearn for the Mahayana. If a Bodhisattva-Mahasattva becomes uncertain about the Mahayana he will not long to completely uphold the Saddharma, and he will be limited to (merely) his own power. He will become a person with the fortune of someone at the level of an immature, ordinary being (Skt: prthagjana; Tib: so so kye wo). I see this fault and this great harm. I see that from the Upholding of the Saddharma, limitless benefit for myself and future Bodhisattvas will be accomplished. I make this commitment until I reach the ultimate (fruition of the) Bodhigarbha.
Then the Queen declared that although the Buddha had borne witness to her commitments in his presence, and even though she had made them to the Buddha’s face, some beings with few kushalamula may say, ‘Oh dear, great commitments like these are hard to keep!’ For this reason, since this will cause them to have doubts and hesitations about her, and since this will harm them for a long time and cause them suffering and loss, in order to benefit them she announces that she will give the adhishtana of her word of truth in the presence of the Buddha.
Then she said, ‘Lord, if you see that I will do exactly as I said I would do when I made these ten great commitments, then, Lord by the power of this my word of truth may a shower of heavenly flowers descend upon this assembled mandala and may divine sounds be heard. By this may the adhishtana of my word of truth be accepted’. Immediately she says this a great rain of heavenly flowers fall and heavenly sounds fill the air, confirming the truth of the Queen’s words saying, ‘It will be just as the adhishtana of your word of truth and no other’. Then the assembly see further incredible miraculous happenings. The all-endowed assembly is so impressed that their doubts are all removed and they experience intense joy. They make the pranidhana to never be parted from the Queen, and the Buddha gives the vyakarana that their wish will be fulfilled.
Then the Queen made three great pranidhanas in the presence of the Buddha:
‘By the adhishtana of this my word of truth, through the kushalamula from my accumulated punya from whatever I have ever done to help limitless beings, may I in all my lives attain realisation of the Saddharma. This is my first great pranidhana.
Having realised it like this, may I teach Dharma to beings without rest or weariness. This is my second great pranidhana.
In teaching the Saddharma like this, may I protect it without regard for my life or body and endeavour to uphold it. This is my third great pranidhana’.
Then the Buddha gave the vyakarana of the three great pranidhanas (spheres) of the Queen saying, ‘These three pranidhanas are a great sphere. Like the element space contains and includes all that partakes of form, so these three pranidhanas contain and include all the Bodhisattvas’ pranidhanas as vast in number as the sands of the Ganges’.
3. The Great Pranidhana that Includes All Pranidhanas
The Queen then said that as well as teaching this sphere of the great pranidhanas, through the power of the Buddha, she could speak further with assurance. The Buddha gave her the permission of the Buddha to speak with assurance. Then the Queen said to the Buddha, ‘All the Bodhisattva pranidhanas as vast as the sands of the Ganges can all be contained and included in the one great pranidhana of upholding the Saddharma. To uphold the Saddharma is thus the great sphere’.
The Buddha assented to her words and told her that she had profound Prajna; she had Prajna that was completely pervaded by Upaya. He explains that the beings are rare who can realise the meaning of the Dharma that she teaches. They must have developed kushalamula for a long time in the presence of many Buddhas. He then tells her, ‘The upholding of the Saddharma that you teach is the upholding of the Saddharma taught by the Buddhas of the past, present and future. I also, having attained complete Bodhi, demonstrate many aspects of the teaching of the upholding of the Saddharma. But even though I explain many aspects of it, its good qualities are without end or far limit. The Buddha’s assurance to speak is also without end or far limit. Like that, the upholding of the Saddharma is of great significance, like that, it is of great benefit’. Then the Queen says to the Buddha that through his power she has the assurance to speak further. He tells her that if she knows it is the time, then she should speak.
4. The Revelation of the Inconceivable Upholding of the
Saddharma
The Sphere of The Great Pranidhana
The Buddha having given her permission to speak, she says, ‘Lord, the upholding of the Saddharma is to complete all the limitless Buddhadharmas. Lord, to uphold the Saddharma includes the eighty-four-thousand Dharma gates. Lord, just as, for example, the great cloud at the time of the Creation has a stream of limitless colours and a stream of limitless jewels, the upholding of the Saddharma has a limitless stream of rain which matures punya and is a stream of Jnana jewels. Lord, just as at the time of the Creation, the great rain gives rise to all the places of birth in the worlds of the three-thousand-fold Universe, and from that the various colours and shapes of the hundreds of continents and the hundreds of worlds around them arise, the upholding of the Saddharma is the source for the genuine accomplishment of the Mahayana and its birth place.
Lord, like the great earth bears the four great burdens of the oceans of the great accumulations of rains, the whole multitude of mountains, places, grass, trees, herbs, flowers, forests and beings, the son or daughter of noble family who upholds the Saddharma, supports four burdens greater than the four supported by the great earth. The great burden, greater than that borne by the earth, that they carry, is to cause beings who have no Kalyanamitra and who have heard no Dharma, to perform the kushala deeds that bring the attainment of the complete well-being of gods and humans. The great burden, greater than that borne by the earth, that they carry, is to cause beings to enter the Shravakayana. The great burden, greater than that borne by the earth, that they carry, is to cause beings to enter the Pratyekabuddhayana. The great burden, greater than that borne by the earth, that they carry, is to cause beings to enter the Mahayana. Thus they become the base or support for all beings. They are called the mothers of the world, through their love, compassion, helpfulness, tenderness and the Dharma.
Lord, the great earth is the source of the four kinds of precious stones: the invaluable, valuable, not so valuable, and least valuable. In the same way a son or daughter of noble family, through upholding the Saddharma, bears the four most valuable precious things possible. A Kalyanamitra son or daughter of noble family, by upholding the Saddharma, bears the accumulation of punya that makes beings create the complete well-being of gods and humans; makes those who aspire to the Shravakayana obtain the kushalamula for that; makes those who aspire to the Pratyekabuddhayana obtain the kushalamula for that; and makes those who aspire for Anuttarasamyaksambodhi obtain the great accumulation of punya needed for that. That is why upholding the Saddharma is called the great mine that is the source of limitless jewels.
The Six Paramitas
Lord, what does this term ‘upholding the Saddharma’ mean? The Saddharma is not one thing and the one upholding the Saddharma another. The upholder of the Saddharma is the Saddharma. The paramitas are not one thing and the upholding of the Saddharma another; upholding the Saddharma is itself the paramitas.
The sons or daughters of noble family who are upholding the Saddharma for those beings who are capable of being brought to maturity by generosity, bring them to maturity through generosity. Even if this means giving up their body and limbs, they do this to bring beings to maturity. Those who are brought to maturity in this way will abide in the Saddharma. This is the paramita of generosity.
For those beings who are capable of being brought to maturity by discipline, they bring them to maturity through discipline by vows restraining the six faculties of those beings, and purity of body, speech and mind. Even if this means they have to keep to this conduct themselves, they guard their minds in order to bring beings to maturity. Seeing this, those who are brought to maturity in this way will abide in the Saddharma. This is the paramita of discipline.
For those beings who are capable of being brought to maturity by patience, they bring them to maturity through patience, by having no ill-will and only the wish to benefit others, even though those beings do the eight deeds to them and hurt them. They mature them through the sublime force of patience. Even without their face changing expression, they guard their minds, to bring beings to maturity. Those who are brought to maturity in this way will abide in the Saddharma. This is the paramita of patience.
For those beings who are capable of being brought to maturity by virya (energy), they bring them to maturity through virya, by no faint-heartedness, no laziness, with great enthusiasm, and having supreme virya. Even if they have to abide in that conduct themselves, they guard their minds, to bring beings to maturity. Those who are brought to maturity in this way will abide in the Saddharma. This is the paramita of virya.
For those beings who are capable of being brought to maturity by samadhi, they bring them to maturity through samadhi, by non-distraction, the mind not wandering, and having perfect mindfulness they mature them. Even if they do not respond after doing it for a long time or speaking about it for a long time, they guard their minds, to bring beings to maturity. Those who are brought to maturity in this way will abide in the Saddharma. This is the paramita of samadhi.
For those beings who are capable of being brought to maturity by prajna (wisdom), they bring them to maturity through prajna, by not being lazy about answering their questions concerning meaning, expounding the scriptures and shastras, and by bringing to the ultimate point all the reasonings and physical demonstrations, they mature them. Even if it requires great ingenuity and elaboration, they guard their minds, to bring beings to maturity. Those who are brought to maturity in this way will abide in the Saddharma. This is the paramita of prajna.
In this way, the paramitas are not one thing and the upholder of the Saddharma another. The upholder of the Saddharma is the paramitas.
Receiving the Vyakarana
The Queen said, ‘Lord, through the power of the Buddha I can speak with assurance on yet another great matter’. The Buddha gives her permission to do so. ‘Lord, the upholder of the Saddharma and the upholding of the Saddharma are not two different things. The upholder of the Saddharma is the upholding of the Saddharma. This is because the son or daughter of noble family who upholds the Saddharma gives up three things in order to uphold the Saddharma: body, life and possessions.
