藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經 白話全本

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from the title at the head of the fascicle down to “he made twelve great vows, that sentient beings might obtain all they sought.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.

〔1 · The title of the sūtra and its translator〕（0404c12）The Sūtra of the Original Vows and Merits of the Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata.（0404c14）Translated by imperial command by Xuanzang, Tripiṭaka Master of the Great Tang.

〔2 · The witness of one who heard〕（0404c15）Thus it was that I myself heard.

〔3 · The time and place of the teaching, and the assembly〕（0404c15）At one time the Bhagavān (Sanskrit; the World-Honored One. The name holds six senses — sovereign freedom, blazing intensity, dignity, renown, auspiciousness, and nobility) was journeying among the countries and teaching, and came to the city of Vaiśālī (in Sanskrit Vaiśālī, also written Vaiyālī; the Chinese name is said to signify that the multitude of qualities is complete), where he stayed beneath the Tree of Musical Sound (when a light breeze passes and the branches stir, elegant notes in accord with the scale come forth of themselves, and so it is called the Tree of Musical Sound).（0404c16）Together with a great assembly of bhikṣus (renunciants who have received the full precepts) eight thousand in number, and bodhisattva-mahāsattvas (great bodhisattvas) thirty-six thousand,（0404c17）and with kings, great ministers, brahmins, householders (“a gentleman who dwells at home”), devas, nāgas, yakṣas (whose name means “to be feared,” or “of awesome power”), humans and non-humans,（0404c18）a measureless great multitude, who surrounded him with reverence; and he taught them the Dharma.

〔4 · Mañjuśrī rises from his seat and asks〕（0404c20）At that time Mañjuśrī, Prince of the Dharma (Mañjuśrī, rendered in Chinese as “Wondrous Auspiciousness”; born of the Buddha’s Dharma-transformation and receiving a share of the Buddha’s Dharma-wealth, he is called Prince of the Dharma),（0404c20）sustained by the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, rose from his seat, drew his robe aside to bare one shoulder, set his right knee to the ground, faced the Bhagavān, bent his body and joined his palms,（0404c22）and said: “World-Honored One! I pray only that you expound the names of the buddhas of this kind, and the surpassing merits of the great vows they made of old, so that the karmic obstructions of all who hear may be dissolved away — for the sake of benefiting and gladdening the sentient beings of the age when the Semblance Dharma turns.”

〔5 · The World-Honored One praises him and charges him to listen〕（0404c25）At that time the World-Honored One praised the youth Mañjuśrī, saying: “Excellent! Excellent! Mañjuśrī!（0404c26）Out of great compassion you exhort and request me to speak the names of the buddhas and the merits of their original vows,（0404c27）so as to draw out sentient beings bound fast by karmic obstruction, and to benefit and bring ease to the sentient beings of the age when the Semblance Dharma turns.（0404c28）Listen now attentively, ponder it with the utmost care, and I shall speak it for you.”（0404c29）Mañjuśrī said: “Yes indeed! I pray you will speak it; we would gladly hear.”

〔6 · The buddha and the land are named〕（0405a01）The Buddha told Mañjuśrī: “Eastward from here, past buddha-lands as many as ten Gaṅgā’s sands (Gaṅgā is the Sanskrit name of the river; ten Gaṅgā’s sands means as many as the sands of ten such rivers), there is a world named Pure Beryl,（0405a02）and the buddha there bears the name Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, the Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata — the Worthy One (worthy of offerings), Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Great Man, Tamer and Guide, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Bhagavān.

〔7 · The twelve great vows are set forth in sum〕（0405a04）Mañjuśrī! That Buddha, the World-Honored One, the Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata,（0405a05）when he was formerly walking the bodhisattva path, made twelve great vows, that sentient beings might obtain all they sought.”

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “the first great vow” to “establish them all in the Great Vehicle.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line. The vow-text is language of pledging; the plain reading keeps it as vow and does not turn it into narration.

〔1 · The first great vow · the marks and excellences made equal〕（0405a07）“The first great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained unsurpassed perfect awakening (in Sanskrit anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, the highest awakening a buddha realizes),（0405a08）the light of my own body shall blaze forth and illumine measureless, countless, boundless worlds,（0405a09）and with the thirty-two marks of a great man and the eighty accompanying excellences (the thirty-two chief marks of distinction on a buddha’s body, and the eighty subsidiary beauties) shall adorn my body; and I shall cause all sentient beings to be just as I am, with no difference.”

〔2 · The second great vow · a body like beryl〕（0405a11）“The second great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, my body shall be like beryl, clear and translucent within and without, pure and without flaw or stain,（0405a12）its light vast and great, its merits lofty, this body well and finely established, adorned with a net of flame (the body’s light interwoven as a net), surpassing the sun and moon;（0405a13）and beings in gloom and darkness shall all receive opening and awakening, and shall go wherever their intention turns and do every kind of work.”

〔3 · The third great vow · goods of use without end〕（0405a15）“The third great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, with measureless, boundless wisdom and skilful means（0405a16）I shall cause all sentient beings to obtain goods of use that are never exhausted, and shall let no being suffer any lack or want.”

〔4 · The fourth great vow · those on wrong paths turned to the right, those of the two vehicles brought into the Great〕（0405a18）“The fourth great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, if among sentient beings there are any who walk wrong paths, I shall cause them all to be settled within the path of awakening;（0405a19）and if there are any who walk the vehicle of the śrāvakas or of the pratyekabuddhas (the two vehicles: those who awaken by hearing the Buddha’s voice and teaching, and those who awaken of themselves without a teacher and do not deliver others), I shall establish them all in the Great Vehicle.”

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “the fifth great vow” to “until they realize unsurpassed awakening.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line. The vow-text is language of pledging; the plain reading keeps it as vow and does not turn it into narration.

〔1 · The fifth great vow · purity regained after a breach of the precepts〕（0405a21）“The fifth great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, if there are measureless, boundless sentient beings（0405a22）who practice the holy life within my Dharma, I shall cause them all to obtain precepts unbroken, and to be complete in the threefold precepts (the three classes of the bodhisattva precepts: the restraint precepts, the precepts embracing wholesome dharmas, and the precepts benefiting sentient beings; the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra calls these the three treasuries of precepts).（0405a23）And should any have broken them, then upon hearing my name they shall regain purity and shall not fall into evil destinies.”

〔2 · The sixth great vow · those whose faculties are not whole made whole〕（0405a25）“The sixth great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, if among sentient beings（0405a26）there are any whose body is lowly and whose faculties are not whole — ugly, dull and stupid (blunt in the faculty of mind), blind, deaf, mute (unable to make a sound), speechless (unable to form words), crippled in the limbs, unable to walk, hunchbacked, leprous, deranged, and afflicted with every kind of illness —（0405a27）then upon hearing my name they shall all become well-formed and quick of understanding (upright in form and clear in mind), their faculties whole and complete, without any of these sicknesses and pains.”

〔3 · The seventh great vow · the sick with no physician and no kin, their illness removed and their goods made ample〕（0405a29）“The seventh great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, if among sentient beings（0405b01）there are any pressed hard by a host of illnesses, with none to save them and nowhere to turn, without physician or medicine, without kin or home, poor and full of suffering,（0405b02）then let my name but once pass their ear, and their illnesses shall all be removed, body and mind shall be at ease, household and the goods of livelihood shall all be ample, and so on until they realize unsurpassed awakening.”

〔4 · The eighth great vow · those who would be free of a woman’s body, turned from woman to man〕（0405b05）“The eighth great vow: I vow that in an age to come, when I have attained awakening, if there is a woman（0405b05）oppressed and harassed by the hundred evils of being a woman, so that she conceives an extreme weariness of it and vows to cast off the body of a woman,（0405b07）then upon hearing my name she shall be turned from woman to man, complete in the marks of a man, and so on until she realizes unsurpassed awakening.”

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “The ninth great vow” to “should vow to be born in that buddha’s world.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line. The vow text is the language of a pledge, and the plain reading keeps it in the form of a vow; the summary and the passage on the land are the Buddha’s own narration, and are set as narrative.

〔1 · Vow nine · Out of the demon’s net, out of the bonds of the outside paths〕（0405b09）The ninth great vow: I vow that in a future age, when I have realized awakening, I will cause all sentient beings to escape the demon’s snare and net (a noose and net such as are used in hunting) and to be freed from every entanglement and bond of the outside paths; （0405b10）and should they have fallen into the dense forest of every kind of evil view, I will draw them out, gather them in, and settle them in right view, gradually causing them to cultivate the practices of a bodhisattva and swiftly to realize unsurpassed perfect awakening.

〔2 · Vow ten · The king’s law, execution, and the other calamities〕（0405b13）The tenth great vow: I vow that in a future age, when I have realized awakening, should sentient beings be taken up by the king’s law, （0405b14）bound with cords, beaten with the rod and the whip, shut fast in prison, or about to be put to death, and should they meet with measureless further calamities and humiliations, scorched and pressed by grief and sorrow, suffering in body and mind — （0405b16）then if they hear my name, by the power of my merit and awesome spirit they will all be freed from every grief and pain.

〔3 · Vow eleven · For the hungry and thirsty, food first and Dharma after〕（0405b18）The eleventh great vow: I vow that in a future age, when I have realized awakening, should sentient beings be tormented by hunger and thirst （0405b19）and commit every kind of evil deed for the sake of getting food, then if they hear my name and hold it in mind and keep it single-heartedly, （0405b20）I will first satisfy their bodies with food and drink of the finest kind, and afterwards, with the savor of Dharma, establish them in ultimate peace and joy.

〔4 · Vow twelve · For the poor without clothing, whatever they delight in is granted in full〕（0405b22）The twelfth great vow: I vow that in a future age, when I have realized awakening, should sentient beings be poor and without clothing, （0405b23）bitten by mosquitoes and gadflies, beset by cold and heat, harried day and night, then if they hear my name and hold it in mind and keep it single-heartedly, （0405b24）they will obtain at once, just as they like them, garments of every sort of the finest kind, （0405b25）and will obtain as well every ornament made of jewels, flower-garlands and perfumed unguents, drums and music and troupes of performers — whatever their heart delights in, all of it will be made complete for them.

〔5 · The summary of the twelve vows〕（0405b27）Mañjuśrī! These are the twelve sublime and supreme vows that the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One, made when he practiced the bodhisattva path.

〔6 · The adornment of that buddha-land〕（0405b29）Further, Mañjuśrī! The great vows that the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata made when he practiced the bodhisattva path, and the merits and adornments of that buddha-land — （0405c01）were I to speak for a kalpa, or for more than a kalpa, I could not exhaust them. （0405c02）Yet that buddha-land is pure throughout: there are no women there, nor any evil destinies, nor any sound of suffering. （0405c03）Beryl is its ground and golden cords mark out the bounds of its roads; （0405c04）its walls and gate-towers, its palaces and pavilions, its galleries and windows and its lattices of netting are all made of the seven jewels. （0405c05）It is likewise as the Western World of Ultimate Bliss: in merits and adornments equal and without difference.

〔7 · The two great bodhisattvas〕（0405c05）In that land there are two bodhisattva-mahāsattvas: （0405c06）the first named Sunlight Universally Shining, the second named Moonlight Universally Shining. （0405c07）They are the foremost among that measureless and countless host of bodhisattvas, （0405c08）and they are all able to uphold the treasury of the true Dharma of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata.

〔8 · The exhortation to vow birth there〕（0405c08）Therefore, Mañjuśrī! （0405c09）Good sons and good daughters who have faith （0405c10）should vow to be born in that buddha’s world.

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “At that time the World-Honored One further addressed the youth Mañjuśrī” to “thereafter she will never again receive a woman’s body.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.

〔1 · The obstruction of miserliness that will not give〕（0405c11）At that time the World-Honored One further addressed the youth Mañjuśrī, saying: Mañjuśrī! There are beings who do not tell good from evil, who harbor nothing but greed and stinginess, who know nothing of giving or of the fruit of giving; （0405c13）foolish and without wisdom, wanting in the faculty of faith, they heap up much wealth and treasure and guard it with diligence. （0405c14）Seeing a beggar come, their heart takes no pleasure in it, and if they cannot help but give, then in the giving it is as though they were cutting the flesh from their own body, and they grudge it bitterly. （0405c16）And there are measureless miserly and greedy beings who pile up goods and property and will not use them even upon themselves — how much less could they give to father and mother, wife and child, servant and hireling, or the beggar who comes to the door?

〔2 · Falling into the evil destinies and being released by hearing the name〕（0405c18）Those beings, when their lives end here, are born into the realm of hungry ghosts or the destiny of animals. （0405c19）Yet because in a former human life they had once briefly heard the name of the Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, now in the evil destiny they briefly call that Tathāgata’s name to mind; （0405c21）and at the very moment of that recollection they pass away from that place and are born again among human beings. （0405c21）They gain the recollection of former lives (they remember the life before), they dread the suffering of the evil destinies and no longer delight in the pleasures of desire, they take delight in the practice of giving and praise those who give, they grudge nothing at all of whatever they own, （0405c23）and by degrees they become able to give even head and eyes, hands and feet, blood and flesh and the parts of the body to those who come asking — how much more all other goods.

〔3 · The five layers of breaking the precepts〕（0405c24）Further, Mañjuśrī! Suppose there are beings who, （0405c25）though they have received the several points of training from the Tathāgata, break the śīla (the precepts); （0405c26）or who, though they do not break the śīla, break the rules of deportment (the standards of bearing and conduct); （0405c26）or who, though unimpaired in both śīla and rules of deportment, （0405c27）yet destroy right view; （0405c28）or who, though they do not destroy right view, cast off wide learning and cannot understand the deep meaning of the sūtras the Buddha has spoken; （0405c29）or who, though of wide learning, give rise to overweening pride (claiming realization where there is none), and because overweening pride covers over their minds hold themselves right and others wrong, dislike and slander the true Dharma, and become companions of the demon.

〔4 · The fool who misleads himself and others〕（0406a01）Fools such as these practice wrong views themselves and cause measureless koṭis (hundreds of millions) of beings to fall into the great pit of peril. （0406a02）Those beings ought to revolve without end in the three destinies of hell, animals, and hungry ghosts.

〔5 · Hearing the name and coming round to the fullness of the threefold precepts〕（0406a03）But if they should hear the name of this Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, then they will cast off their evil conduct and cultivate the wholesome dharmas, and will not fall into the evil destinies; （0406a05）and supposing there are those who cannot cast off evil conduct and cultivate wholesome dharmas and so do fall into the evil destinies, then by the power of that Tathāgata’s original vow they are made to hear his name briefly before them, （0406a07）and passing away from that place they are born again among human beings, gaining right view and vigour, well tempered in their aspiration, （0406a08）so that they are able to leave the household and go forth into homelessness; and in the Dharma of the Tathāgata they receive and keep the points of training with no transgression; （0406a10）with right view and wide learning they understand the very deep meaning, they part from overweening pride, they do not slander the true Dharma, they are no companions of the demon, （0406a11）and by degrees they cultivate the practices of a bodhisattva and swiftly come to fullness.

〔6 · The recompense of miserliness, envy, self-praise, and disparagement〕（0406a13）Further, Mañjuśrī! Suppose there are beings who are miserly and greedy and envious, who praise themselves and disparage others: they will fall into the three evil destinies （0406a14）and for measureless thousands of years undergo every kind of severe suffering; （0406a15）and having undergone that severe suffering, when their lives end there they come to be born among human beings as oxen, horses, camels, and asses, constantly beaten with the whip, harried by hunger and thirst, （0406a16）and constantly bearing burdens as they go along the road. （0406a17）Or if they do manage to be human, they are born low and mean, made the servants of others, driven and put to labor, never their own masters.

〔7 · The benefit of hearing, recollecting, and taking refuge〕（0406a18）But if in a former human life they had once heard the name of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, then by this wholesome cause they now call it to mind again and take refuge with a whole heart. （0406a19）By the Buddha’s spiritual power their sufferings are all released; their faculties are keen and clear, their wisdom wide in learning; they constantly seek the surpassing Dharma and constantly meet with good friends; （0406a21）they cut off the demon’s snare for ever, they break the shell of ignorance (the graph means an eggshell), they dry up the river of the afflictions, （0406a22）and they are freed from all birth, aging, sickness, and death, and from grief, sorrow, suffering, and vexation.

〔8 · The harm of estrangement, litigation, and cursing〕（0406a23）Further, Mañjuśrī! Suppose there are beings who delight in setting others at odds, who quarrel and go to law with one another and trouble both themselves and others; （0406a25）who with body, speech, and mind commit and increase every kind of evil deed, doing one another no good turn but constantly harm, and plotting each other’s ruin; （0406a26）who call upon and summon the spirits of mountains, forests, trees, and graves; who kill living beings to take their blood and flesh and make offerings to yakṣas and rākṣasas; （0406a28）who write down the name of an enemy and make an image of him and lay an evil spell upon him with cursing arts; （0406a29）who by the way of bewitchment and poison-sorcery raise up corpse-demons by spells, to cut short that person’s life and destroy his body.

〔9 · Hearing the name, and those evils cannot harm〕（0406b01）If these beings should hear the name of this Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata, then none of those evils can do them harm. （0406b02）All of them, each toward the other, give rise to a mind of loving-kindness, to benefit and to ease, without any intent to injure or vex and without any mind of dislike and hatred; （0406b04）each is glad and content, and gives rise to contentment with what has fallen to him, so that they no longer encroach upon one another but do one another good.

〔10 · The fourfold assembly keeping the fast, vowing birth in the West, but not yet settled〕（0406b05）Further, Mañjuśrī! Suppose there are the four assemblies — bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas (laymen), and upāsikās (laywomen) — （0406b07）together with other good sons and good daughters of pure faith, （0406b08）who are able to receive and keep the eight-precept fast, whether for a year or for three months, and to receive and keep the points of training; （0406b09）and who with this root of good vow to be born in the Western World of Ultimate Bliss, before the Buddha of Measureless Life, there to hear the true Dharma, but whose minds are not yet settled. （0406b10）If such a one hears the name of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, （0406b11）then at the time of death eight bodhisattvas will come by their spiritual powers and show him the road, （0406b12）and in that world he will be born spontaneously, transformed, within flowers of many colors made of massed jewels.

〔11 · Or birth among the gods, and a return in the end to the human world〕（0406b13）Or there are those who by this are born among the gods; and though born among the gods, their original root of good is not yet exhausted, and they will not be born again in any of the other evil destinies. （0406b15）When the lifespan among the gods is done they are born again among human beings, perhaps as a wheel-turning king who rules the four continents, sovereign in awesome virtue, establishing measureless hundreds of thousands of beings upon the path of the ten wholesome deeds; （0406b17）or they are born into a great house of the kṣatriyas, the brahmans, or the householders, with wealth and treasure in abundance and storehouses brimming over, upright in form and feature, complete in kindred, clever and wise, brave and strong and mighty as a great champion.

〔12 · A woman who hears the name receives no further woman’s body〕（0406b19）And if it be a woman who hears the name of the World-Honored Medicine Buddha Tathāgata and receives and keeps it with a whole heart, thereafter she will never again receive a woman’s body.

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “At that time the youth Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha” to “that buddha’s practices and vows and his skilful means have no end.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.

〔1 · Mañjuśrī’s pledge〕（0406b22）At that time the youth Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha: World-Honored One! I pledge that in the age when the Semblance Dharma turns I will by every kind of skilful means cause good sons and good daughters of pure faith to hear the name of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, and will even in their sleep waken their ears with the Buddha’s name.

〔2 · How this sūtra is to be received and kept〕（0406b25）World-Honored One! If any receive and keep and recite this sūtra, or expound and disclose it for others; if they copy it themselves or teach others to copy it; if they revere and honor it, making offerings to it with all manner of flowers and incense, perfumed unguents, powdered incense and burning incense, flower-garlands and necklaces, banners and canopies, and music; （0406b29）if they take silk of five colors and make a bag to hold it in; if they sweep and sprinkle a clean place, spread out a high seat, and set it there.

〔3 · The gods guard it, and there is no untimely death〕（0406c01）Then the four great heavenly kings, together with their retinues, and measureless hundreds of thousands of other gods, will all come to that place to make offerings and to guard it. （0406c03）World-Honored One! Wherever this jewel of a sūtra circulates, if any are able to receive and keep it, then by the original vow and merits of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata and by the hearing of his name, （0406c04）know that in that place there will be no more untimely death; nor will evil ghosts and spirits rob them of their vital essence; and should it already have been robbed, it will be restored as before, and body and mind will be at ease.

〔4 · The Buddha confirms what he has said〕（0406c07）The Buddha said to Mañjuśrī: Thus it is! Thus it is! It is as you have said.

〔5 · The method of making offerings〕（0406c08）Mañjuśrī! If there are good sons and good daughters of pure faith who wish to make offerings to that World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, （0406c09）they should first make and set up an image of that buddha, spread a clean seat and place it there; scatter all manner of flowers, burn all manner of incense, and adorn that place with all manner of pennants and banners; （0406c11）for seven days and seven nights receive and keep the eight-precept fast, eat pure food, bathe until fragrant and clean, and put on new clean garments; （0406c12）they should give rise to a mind without stain or turbidity, a mind without anger or harm, and toward all sentient beings raise up benefit and ease, and the even mind of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; （0406c14）with drums and music and hymns of praise, circumambulate the buddha-image to the right. （0406c15）They should further call to mind the original vow and merits of that Tathāgata, recite this sūtra, ponder its meaning, and expound and disclose it.

〔6 · Whatever is sought is granted〕（0406c16）Whatever they wish for and vow, all of it will be granted: seeking long life, they gain long life; seeking wealth, they gain wealth; seeking office, they gain office; seeking a son or a daughter, they gain a son or a daughter.

〔7 · Bad dreams and ill omens all vanish〕（0406c18）Suppose again there is one who suddenly has bad dreams and sees ill omens, or strange birds come and gather, or in his dwelling a hundred prodigies appear; （0406c20）if this person with a wealth of fine goods reverently makes offerings to that World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, then the bad dreams and ill omens and all that is inauspicious will vanish away and be unable to trouble him.

〔8 · Release from every terror〕（0407a02）Or there may be the terrors of water, fire, sword, poison, precipices and dangerous places, savage elephants, lions, tigers, wolves, bears and brown bears, venomous snakes and evil scorpions, centipedes and millipedes, mosquitoes and gadflies; （0407a04）if one is able with a whole heart to call that buddha to mind and to make reverent offerings, he will be released from every terror. （0407a05）And if another country invades and harasses, or bandits rise in revolt, then whoever calls that Tathāgata to mind and reveres him will likewise be released.

〔9 · One who has transgressed his precepts, recollecting single-mindedly, does not fall into the evil destinies〕（0407a07）Further, Mañjuśrī! Suppose there are good sons and good daughters of pure faith （0407a08）who to the end of this life serve no other god but with one mind take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and who receive and keep the restraining precepts — whether the five precepts, the ten precepts, the four hundred bodhisattva precepts, the two hundred and fifty bhikṣu precepts, or the five hundred bhikṣuṇī precepts; （0407a11）and if among the precepts they have received there is some transgression, and they dread falling into an evil destiny, then if they are able single-mindedly to recollect that buddha’s name and to make reverent offerings, they will assuredly not undergo birth in the three evil destinies.

〔10 · Ease in a difficult birth〕（0407a12）Or there may be a woman who at the time of childbirth undergoes extreme suffering; if she is able with a whole heart to invoke the name, to bow and praise, and to make reverent offerings to that Tathāgata, all her sufferings will be removed. （0407a14）The child born to her will be complete in the parts of the body, upright in form and color, a joy to those who see him, keen of faculty and clever, at peace and little ill, and no non-human will rob him of his vital essence.

〔11 · The Buddha asks Ānanda whether he believes〕（0407a17）At that time the World-Honored One said to Ānanda: As I have extolled all the merits of that Buddha, the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata — this is the very deep field of practice of the buddhas, hard to understand and hard to fathom. Do you believe it?

〔12 · Ānanda answers that he does not doubt〕（0407a19）Ānanda said: Great and virtuous World-Honored One! Toward the sūtras that the Tathāgata has spoken I give rise to no doubt or perplexity. Why? Because the deeds of body, speech, and mind of every Tathāgata are without exception pure. （0407a22）World-Honored One! These orbs of sun and moon could be made to fall, the king of mountains, Sumeru the Wondrously High, could be made to topple, but what the buddhas say is never otherwise.

〔13 · Those wanting in the faculty of faith turn to slander〕（0407a23）World-Honored One! There are beings wanting in the faculty of faith who, hearing of the very deep field of practice of the buddhas, think thus: how should merely reciting the name of one buddha, the Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, gain so great a benefit of merit as that? （0407a26）Through this unbelief they turn instead to slander; and through the long night they lose great benefit and joy, fall into the evil destinies, and revolve there without end.

〔14 · The Buddha answers that one who receives and keeps it will not fall〕（0407a28）The Buddha said to Ānanda: As for these beings — that any of them should hear the name of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, receive and keep it with a whole heart, give rise to no doubt or perplexity, and yet fall into an evil destiny, there is no such case.

〔15 · Hard to believe and to fathom — save the bodhisattva bound by one more birth〕（0407b01）Ānanda! This is the very deep practice of the buddhas, hard to believe and hard to fathom; that you are able to receive it now, know that it is all the awesome power of the Tathāgata. （0407b02）Ānanda! All śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and the bodhisattvas who have not yet ascended the grounds, are none of them able to believe and fathom it as it is — save only the bodhisattva bound by one more birth (the one dwelling in the position of succession).

〔16 · The three difficulties〕（0407b04）Ānanda! A human body is hard to obtain; faith, reverence, and honor toward the Three Jewels are also hard to obtain; and to hear the name of the World-Honored Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata is harder still than these.

〔17 · Practices and vows without end〕（0407b06）Ānanda! That Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata has measureless bodhisattva practices, measureless skilful means, measureless vast and great vows; （0407b07）were I to speak at length for a kalpa, or for more than a kalpa, the kalpa might swiftly be exhausted, but that buddha’s practices and vows and his skilful means have no end.

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “at that time there was in the assembly a bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Rescue-and-Deliverance” to “that they may pass beyond suffering and distress and not meet with the many calamities.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.

〔1 · Bodhisattva Rescue-and-Deliverance rises to ask〕（0407b10）At that time there was in the assembly a bodhisattva-mahāsattva named Rescue-and-Deliverance, who rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, set his right knee on the ground, bent his body and joined his palms, and said to the Buddha: “Greatly Virtuous World-Honored One! In the time when the Semblance Dharma turns, there are beings hemmed in and hard pressed by every kind of affliction: （0407b13）long sick and wasted thin, unable to eat or drink, throat and lips parched, seeing all directions dark, the marks of death appearing before them; （0407b14）father and mother, kin, friends and acquaintances weeping in a ring about them.

〔2 · The consciousness brought before Yama the Dharma King〕（0407b15）Yet his own body lies where it lay, while he sees the messengers of Yama (the name is rendered in Chinese as ‘quiescing’, for he brings the guilty to awareness so that they cease from all evil) leading his consciousness away into the presence of Yama the Dharma King; （0407b16）and sentient beings each have a co-born spirit, which sets down in full whatever they have done, whether offense or merit, and carries it all to Yama the Dharma King. （0407b18）Then that king examines the man and reckons up what he has done, and passes sentence upon him according to his offenses and his merits.

〔3 · The kin make merit for him and the consciousness returns〕（0407b19）At that time, if the sick man’s kin and acquaintances are able on his behalf to take refuge in the World-Honored One Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, （0407b21）to invite the assembly of monks to recite this sūtra through, to light lamps of seven tiers, and to hang up five-colored life-prolonging banners, then it may come about that his consciousness is able to return. （0407b22）As though in a dream, he sees it all clearly for himself; （0407b23）and after seven days, or twenty-one days, or thirty-five days, or forty-nine days, （0407b24）when his consciousness returns it is like waking from a dream, and he remembers and knows for himself the fruits and recompense that wholesome and unwholesome deeds obtain. （0407b25）Because he has himself borne witness to and seen the fruit and recompense of deeds, even at the peril of his life he will not again commit any evil deed.

〔4 · Exhortation to uphold the name and make offerings〕（0407b26）Therefore good sons and good daughters of pure faith should all uphold the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata and, so far as their strength allows, revere him and make offerings.”

〔5 · Ānanda asks how the banners and lamps are made〕（0407b29）At that time Ānanda asked Bodhisattva Rescue-and-Deliverance: “Good son! How should one revere and make offerings to the banners and lamps for prolonging life of that World-Honored One Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata? And how are they to be made?”

〔6 · The method of prolonging life, in detail〕（0407c03）Bodhisattva Rescue-and-Deliverance said: “Greatly Virtuous One! If there is a sick person who wishes to be freed from the suffering of illness, one should for that person, seven days and seven nights, undertake the eight-precept fast; （0407c04）one should with food and drink and whatever else is needful, prepared so far as one’s strength allows, make offerings to the bhikṣu saṅgha; （0407c06）at the six times of day and night pay homage and make offerings to that World-Honored One Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata; （0407c07）read and recite this sūtra forty-nine times; light forty-nine lamps; （0407c08）make seven images of that Tathāgata, and before each image set seven lamps, （0407c09）each lamp as great in measure as a cartwheel, so that for forty-nine days the light is not broken off; （0407c10）make a banner of five-colored silk forty-nine spans〔漢文：搩手〕 long (a span is about the reach from an outstretched thumb to the middle finger); and set free living creatures of every kind to the number of forty-nine; （0407c11）then one may pass beyond the calamity of peril and distress and not be seized by the many mishaps and evil ghosts.

〔7 · The seven calamities of a king〕（0407c12）Further, Ānanda! When calamities arise for kṣatriya anointed kings and the like — namely the calamity of pestilence among the people, the calamity of invasion by another country, the calamity of revolt within their own borders, the calamity of portents among the stars, the calamity of eclipse of sun and moon, the calamity of wind and rain out of season, the calamity of rain withheld past its season; （0407c16）then those kṣatriya anointed kings and the like should at that time raise a mind of loving-kindness and compassion toward all sentient beings and pardon those held in bonds; （0407c17）and following the method of offering set out above, make offerings to that World-Honored One Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata.

〔8 · The marks of a realm at peace〕（0407c19）By such roots of good, and by the power of that Tathāgata’s original vows, his realm at once gains peace: （0407c20）wind and rain come in season and the grain ripens; all sentient beings are without illness and are glad; （0407c21）in his land there are no violent yakṣas or other spirits to trouble sentient beings; every evil sign is hidden away; （0407c23）and for the kṣatriya anointed kings and the like, lifespan, complexion and strength, freedom from illness and sovereign ease are all increased.

〔9 · Queens, officials and common people likewise〕（0407c24）Ānanda! If empress and consorts, crown prince and princes, great ministers and counsellors, the women of the inner palace, the hundred officials and the common people are afflicted by illness or by any other distress, （0407c26）they too should set up five-colored spirit-banners, light lamps and keep them burning, release living creatures, scatter flowers of mixed colors and burn many famous incenses — and the illness will be cured, and the many distresses undone.”

〔10 · Ānanda asks how a life already spent can be increased〕（0407c28）At that time Ānanda asked Bodhisattva Rescue-and-Deliverance: “Good son! How can a life already spent be increased?” （0407c29）Bodhisattva Rescue-and-Deliverance said: “Greatly Virtuous One! Have you not heard the Tathāgata say that there are nine untimely deaths? It is for this that people are urged to make banners and lamps for prolonging life and to cultivate merits; and because they cultivate merit they live out their lifespan and do not pass through suffering and affliction.”

〔11 · The first untimely death: no physician, and belief in the heterodox〕（0408a03）Ānanda asked: “What are the nine untimely deaths?” Bodhisattva Rescue-and-Deliverance said: “Suppose sentient beings fall ill and, though the illness is slight, there is no medicine and no one to nurse them, （0408a05）or they meet a physician and are given the wrong medicine — then, when in truth they ought not to die, they die untimely. （0408a06）Again, they believe in the demons of the world, in those outside the way, in masters of baleful arts, who speak wildly of calamity and fortune, so that fear and agitation arise and the mind cannot right itself; they divine and enquire to seek out the source of misfortune, kill living beings of every kind, make petition to the spirits, call up the sprites and goblins, and beg for blessing and protection, hoping to lengthen their years — and in the end they cannot get it; （0408a09）foolish and deluded, believing the heterodox and holding upside-down views, they are brought thereby to an untimely death and enter the hells with no time of release: this is called the first untimely death.

〔12 · The remaining eight untimely deaths〕（0408a10）Second, being untimely put to death by the law of the king. Third, hunting and sporting, indulging in lust and craving wine, dissolute and without measure, and untimely robbed of their vital essence by non-human beings. （0408a12）Fourth, untimely burned by fire. Fifth, untimely drowned in water. Sixth, untimely devoured by beasts of every kind. （0408a13）Seventh, untimely falling from a mountain cliff. Eighth, untimely harmed by poison, by imprecation and curse, by corpse-raising demons and the like. （0408a15）Ninth, worn down by hunger and thirst, dying untimely for want of food and drink. （0408a16）These are the untimely deaths the Tathāgata has set out in brief, nine in kind. Besides these there are yet measureless untimely deaths, hard to set out one by one.

〔13 · Yama presides over the registers〕（0408a19）Further, Ānanda! That King Yama presides over the record of the registers of the world. （0408a20）If sentient beings are unfilial or commit the five heinous deeds, revile and dishonor the Three Jewels, ruin the law of ruler and subject, or break faith and precepts, then Yama the Dharma King examines them and punishes them according to the gravity of their offense. （0408a22）Therefore I now urge sentient beings to light lamps and make banners, to release living creatures and cultivate merit, that they may pass beyond suffering and distress and not meet with the many calamities.”

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “at that time there were in the assembly twelve yakṣa generals” to “you should constantly benefit and bring ease to all sentient beings in just this way.” The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line. The generals’ names are transcriptions of sound; they are given here in the roman letters of their Chinese reading, with the Chinese beside them.

〔1 · The twelve generals listed by name〕（0408a24）At that time there were in the assembly twelve yakṣa generals, all seated in the gathering, namely: （0408a25）General Gongpiluo〔宮毘羅〕, General Fazheluo〔伐折羅〕, （0408a26）General Miqiluo〔迷企羅〕, General Andiluo〔安底羅〕, （0408a27）General Eniluo〔頞儞羅〕, General Shandiluo〔珊底羅〕, （0408a28）General Yindaluo〔因達羅〕, General Boyiluo〔波夷羅〕, （0408a29）General Mohuluo〔摩虎羅〕, General Zhendaluo〔真達羅〕, （0408b01）General Zhaoduluo〔招杜羅〕, General Pijieluo〔毘羯羅〕.

〔2 · Each has seven thousand attendants〕（0408b02）Each one of these twelve yakṣa generals has seven thousand yakṣas as his attendants; and together they raised their voices and said to the Buddha:

〔3 · By the Buddha’s power they have heard the name〕（0408b03）“World-Honored One! Today, by the Buddha’s power, we have been able to hear the name of the World-Honored One Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, and we have no more dread of the evil destinies.

〔4 · Leading one another, of one mind, they take refuge〕（0408b05）We lead one another, all of one mind, and to the end of this bodily life take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Saṅgha; （0408b06）and we vow to shoulder all sentient beings, working for their good, their benefit and their ease.

〔5 · Wherever it may be, they will guard〕（0408b07）In whatever village, town, kingdom or empty forest there may be someone who circulates this sūtra, or who upholds the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata and reveres him with offerings, （0408b09）we and our attendants will guard that person, so that all are set free from every suffering and distress; and whatever they wish and seek, we will have it fulfilled.

〔6 · The method of knotting the name in a five-colored cord〕（0408b11）Or if there are those beset by sickness and distress who seek deliverance, they too should read and recite this sūtra, （0408b12）and with a five-colored cord knot our names; and when they have obtained their wish, then untie the knot.”

〔7 · The Buddha’s approval〕（0408b13）At that time the World-Honored One praised the yakṣa generals, saying: “Excellent! Excellent! Great yakṣa generals! （0408b15）If you would requite the kindness of the World-Honored One Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata, you should constantly benefit and bring ease to all sentient beings in just this way.”

Xuanzang’s translation, T14n0450, from “at that time Ānanda said to the Buddha” to the end of the scroll. The figures in parentheses at the head of each segment give the Taishō page, register, and line.

〔1 · Ānanda asks the name of the sūtra〕（0408b17）At that time Ānanda said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! By what name should this Dharma-gate be called? And how are we to uphold it?”

〔2 · The Buddha gives three names〕（0408b18）The Buddha told Ānanda: “This Dharma-gate is named ‘Setting Forth the Original Vows and Merits of Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūryaprabha Tathāgata’; （0408b19）it is also named ‘Setting Forth the Twelve Spirit Generals’ Benefiting of Sentient Beings, the Spirit-Spell of the Knotted Vow’; （0408b20）it is also named ‘The Uprooting of All Karmic Obstructions’; thus should it be upheld.”

〔3 · The great assembly puts it into practice〕（0408b21）When the Bhagavān had spoken these words, the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and the great śrāvakas, （0408b22）kings, great ministers, brahmins and householders, gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas〔揵達縛〕, asuras〔阿素洛〕, garuḍas〔揭路荼〕, kiṃnaras〔緊捺洛〕, mahoragas〔莫呼洛伽〕, （0408b24）humans, non-humans and the rest — the whole great assembly, hearing what the Buddha had said, were greatly gladdened, and received it in faith and put it into practice.

〔4 · The title at the end of the scroll〕（0408b25）藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經 — The Sūtra of the Original Vows and Merits of the Medicine Buddha, Beryl Radiance Tathāgata

〔5 · A scribe’s colophon — not part of the sūtra〕（0408b26）〔弟子賈崇俊願平安　廣德二年十二月十五日　發心寫藥師經一卷〕 — “The disciple Jia Chongjun prays for peace. On the fifteenth day of the twelfth month of the second year of Guangde, he set his mind on copying one scroll of the Medicine Buddha Sūtra.”