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These are
the 48 Great vows that Dharmakara made before he
ascended to Buddhahood: |
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1."Provided
I become a Buddha, if in my Buddha-land there should be
either hell, or the animal state of existence, or the
realm of hungry ghosts, then may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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2."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings born in my Buddha-land
should retrogress into the three evil realms, then may I
not attain enlightenment. |
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3."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings born in my Buddha-land
are not all of the color of genuine gold, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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4."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings who are born in my land
are not all of identical appearance, without any
distinction of noble looks or ugliness, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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5."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings born in my land are not
possessed of the supernormal ability to remember their
previous lives, and the ability to know the events of of
a hundred thousand nayuta years of kalpas in the past,
then may I not attain enlightenment. |
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6."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings who are born in my land
do not possess of the divine-eye, which can see a
hundred thousand nayuta of Buddha-lands, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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7."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not
possess the divine-ear, which can hear the Teachings of
a hundred thousand kotis of nayuta of Buddhas, or do not
faithfully observe those Teachings, then may I not
attain enlightenment |
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8."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not all
possess the intuitive-mind, which knows the thoughts of
all beings of a hundred thousand kotis of nayuta of
Buddha-lands, then may I not attain enlightenment.
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9."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not all
possess the heavenly -step, which can of one thought
travel over a hundred thousand kotis of nayuta of
Buddha-countries in the shortest fraction of a moment,
then may I not attain enlightenment. |
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10."Provided
I become a Buddha, if there should arise in the minds of
any beings in my land the idea of selfishness and
covetous thoughts, even with regard to their own bodies,
then may I not attain enlightenment. |
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11."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the beings of my land do not all
firmly abide in a concentrated state of meditation and
equanimity (samadhi) until they have reached nirvana,
then may I not attain enlightenment. |
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12."Provided
I become a Buddha, if my light is limited in such a way
that it cannot illuminate a hundred thousand nayuta of
kotis of Buddha-lands, then may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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13."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the length of my life is limited,
even to a hundred thousand nayuta of kotis of kalpas,
then may I not attain enlightenment. |
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14."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any being is able to count the
number of innumerable pupils in my land -- even if it
takes a hundred thousand nayuta of kotis of kalpas for
all the beings of three million worlds and the whole
triple universe, after becoming Pratyeka-Buddhas, to
count that number -- then may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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15."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the lives of the beings in my land
are not eternal, except by their own free will whenever
they choose to pass away from life, then may I not
attain the enlightenment. |
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16."Provided
I become a Buddha, there will be no evil or sinful
existence in my land; even its very name will be
unknown. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment.
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17."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the innumerable Buddhas of the
worlds of ten quarters do not glorify my name, then may
I not attain the enlightenment. |
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18."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any sentient being in the ten
quarters who hears my name and is thus awakened to the
highest faith and aspires toward rebirth in my land,
recollects that thought for as few as ten times, that
being will be reborn there, with the exception of those
who have committed the five grave offenses, or who have
blasphemed the Dharma. Otherwise, may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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19."Provided
I become a Buddha, then at the moment of death of any
sentient being in the ten quarters who has directed his
thoughts towards the Bodhi and has cultivated his stock
of various merits with a fervent desire for rebirth in
my land, if I do not appear with an assembly of retinue
before him, then may I not attain enlightenment.
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20."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any sentient being of ten quarters
hears my name and then constantly longs for my land and
cultivates various essential merits for the purpose of
realizing his earnest wish to be born in my country, and
then fails to attain that wish, then may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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21."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any sentient being in the ten
quarters is not endowed with a glorious body perfected
with the thirty-two attributes (laksanani) of a great
being, then may I not attain enlightenment. |
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22."Provided
I become a Buddha, the Bodhisattvas whose activities
have surpassed the stage of ordinary beings, who
practice the universal virtue of Universal Worthy
Boddhisatva, and who come to be born in my land will be
subject to that one birth only, and then will become
Buddha-elect (ekajatipratibuddhas), with the exception
of those who, by their own free will, wish to remain in
the stage of Bodhisattvahood to serve the Buddhas of ten
quarters for the sake of delivering various beings. Then
they will wear the armor of their vows and will travel
to all worlds, performing their Bodhisattva's duties and
accumulating their stock of merit, converting the
various beings whose numbers are as great as the grains
of sand of the River Ganges to the highest perfect
knowledge. Otherwise may I not attain enlightenment.
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23."Provided
I become a Buddha, if those Bodhisattvas in my land,
through the Grace of the Buddha, are not able to serve
all the Buddhas throughout the countless nayuta of
Buddha-worlds within a less than a moment, then may I
not attain the enlightenment. |
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24."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any Bodhisattva in my land wishes
to use his stock of merit to produce any object to be
used before the Buddhas, and if such an object does not
appear before him to his satisfaction, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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25."Provided
I become a Buddha, if Bodhisattvas in my land are not
able to preach the law of wisdom to completion, then may
I not attain enlightenment. |
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26."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any Bodhisattva in my land does
not possess a golden body as strong as the diamond of
Narayana, then may I not attain enlightenment.
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27."Provided
I become a Buddha, the heavenly beings and the various
properties produced in my land shall all be of supreme
beauty and shall abound in boundless quantity, and in an
infinity of various forms. If any being therein, even
one who even possesses the divine-eye, is able to
perceive all the appellations and quantity of such
beauties, then may I not attain the enlightenment.
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28."Provided
I become a Buddha, if any Bodhisattva of my land who
possesses even the slightest stock of merit does not
perceive the boundless shining beauty of the Bodhi-trees
of my sanctuary, their height being at least four
million miles, then may I not attain enlightenment.
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29."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the Bodhisattvas of my land do not
all possess the wisdom of eloquent oration after having
read, recited, and observed the Dharma of the Sutras,
then may I not attain the enlightenment. |
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30."Provided
I become a Buddha, if the Bodhisattvas of my land are
limited in the wisdom of their oration, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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31."When I
have obtained the Buddhahood, if my land is not so
reflective and raidant that it reflects the miniatures
of the innumerable, inconceivable and boundless
Buddha-worlds in all the ten quarters as clearly as
one's face is seen in a bright mirror, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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32."After I
have obtained Buddhahood, there shall be in my land
magnificent palaces towering up from the ground to the
void, also lakes, winding streams, blossoming trees, and
myriad other properties which are compounded of various
jewels and thousands of kinds of perfumes, minutely
embellished in the most wondrous state, surpassing all
heavenly and human worlds. And the scent of perfumes
shall thoroughly pervade the worlds of ten quarters in
such a way that when Bodhisattvas smell them, their
minds are directed to Bodhi. Otherwise, may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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33."When I
obtain the Buddhahood, if the body of any sentient being
in the boundless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds in any
of the ten quarters is touched by the rays of my
splendor, and if that being's body and mind do not then
become gentle and peaceful, in a state that is far more
sublime than those of the gods and men, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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34."When I
obtain Buddhahood, if the beings of boundless and
inconceivable Buddha-worlds do not attain the "Endurance
of Nirvanic Life" (ajatah sarvadharmah) of Bodhisattva,
and the deep knowledge of "Adharanamudro" (or dharani)
afterhearing my name, then may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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35."When I
obtain Buddhahood, women in boundless and inconceivable
Buddha-worlds across the ten quarters will hear my name
and will thereby been awakened in faith and joyful
aspiration. Turning their minds towards Bodhi, they will
dislike their own female lives, and then, when they are
born again, in their next life they will be reborn in
male bodies. Otherwise may I not attain enlightenment.
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36.When I
obtain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas of boundless and
inconceivable Buddha-worlds across the ten quarters,
having heard my name, after their death [in their next
life] will still continue their Bodhisattva-duty until
they have obtained Buddhahood. Otherwise, may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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37.When I
obtain Buddhahood, the heavenly beings of the boundless
and inconceivable Buddha-worlds across the ten quarters,
having heard my name, will worship me with prostrate
reverence, and will joyfully and faithfully perform
their Bodhisattva-duty, and will be honored by gods and
men. Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment.
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38.When I
obtain the Buddhahood, the heavenly beings of my land,
should they desire a garment, will be able to perceive
themselves, as quick as thought, covered by
apparitionally produced costumes, excellent to their
satisfaction, worthy to be praised by the Buddha,
without the work of sewing, washing, dying, and so on.
Otherwise, may I not attain enlightenment. |
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39."When I
attain the Buddhahood, if the heavenly beings of my land
do not enjoy happiness as great as that of the holy
bhikkhus, then may I not attain enlightenment.
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40."When I
attain Buddhahood, if the Bodhisattvas of my land wish
to see the boundless, holy, pure Buddha-worlds of the
ten quarters, they will at once behold them from the
jewel-trees as though their faces were being reflected
in a highly burnished, brilliant mirror. Otherwise, may
I not attain the enlightenment. |
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41."When I
attain the Buddhahood, if the Bodhisattvas of other
worlds, after having heard my name, suffer from any
diminution in the functional powers and are not endowed
with all sense-organs in completion before reaching the
Buddhahood, then may I not attain enlightenment.
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42."When I
obtain the Buddhahood, if the Bodhisattvas in other
Buddha-lands whohear my name do not all attain, in one
moment of thought, the pure samadhi of emancipation from
which they could serve innumerable and inconceivable
number of Buddhas [Tathagatas], or if their of their
samadhi should come to an end meanwhile, then may I not
attain enlightenment. |
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43."After I
have obtained the Buddhahood, if any Bodhisattva of
another land hears my name, that Bodhisattva will, after
death, be reborn as a member of a noble family if he or
she so desires. Otherwise, may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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44."When I
obtain the Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas of other lands,
having heard my name, will all obtain a combination of
full virtues and will joyfully perform their
Bodhisattva-duty. Otherwise, may I not attain
enlightenment. |
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45."When I
have obtain Buddhahood, all Bodhisattvas of other lands
who hear my name will obtain the samantanugata (the
thoroughly and equal samadhi in a fixed state of
meditation). Through that samadhi, they will see
innumerable and inconceivable Buddhas constantly until
they have obtained the Buddhahood. Otherwise may I
forbear from obtaining enlightenment. |
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46."When I
obtain Buddhahood, the Bodhisattvas of my land shall be
able to hear the Teaching of the Dharma whenever they
desire. (The voices of teaching will present themselves
naturally to their ears). Otherwise may I refrain from
attaining enlightenment. |
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47."When I
obtain Buddhahood, if Bodhisattvas of other lands, after
having heard my name, do not immediately reach the state
of never turning back from Bodhi, then I will refrain
from attaining enlightenment. |
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48."When I
have obtained Buddhahood, if Bodhisattvas of other lands
who hear my name, do not reach the first, second, and
third degrees of Dharma-endurance immediately, or if
they turn back from the Buddha Dharma, then I will
refrain from attaining enlightenment.
Namo Amitabha
Life’s most
awesome event is death, and death comes to all without regard to wealth, beauty, intelligence or fame.
Death is inevitable, but how you die—terrified and confused, or with confidence and spiritual
mastery—is within your control.
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