Thereupon Vaiśravaṇa Heavenly-King, the Protector of the World, said to the Buddha … and Thereupon World-Holding Heavenly-King, accompanied by thousands of billions of nayutas of gandharvas who were surrounding him respectfully, came to the Buddha…

Vaiśravaṇa is the heavenly king (mahārāja) of the North, primarily commanding the two demons, yakṣa and rākṣasa. The mahārāja controlling the East (Dhritarāshtra) has two demons under him: gandharva and piśācāh. The mahārāja of the South rules over two demons: kumbhāṇḍa and hungry ghost. The mahārāja of the West controls all [the remaining] dragons (nāgas) and kinnaras. Each of the four mahārājas thus is in charge of his own territory.

Thereupon Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: … If he keeps these dhārānis, this teacher of the Dharma will not have his weak points taken advantage of by any yakṣa, rākṣasa, pūtana, kṛtya, kumbhāṇḍa or hungry spirit.”

Pūtana is an inauspicious demon [haunting the people] of the world. One, when afflicted by the disease caused by it, is bound to die. Kṛtya is a demon arising from a corpse.

The cause and conditions and calendrical numbers match with each other in the way a shadow [matches with a real object] and echo [matches with a real voice;] [this being the case], how can one escape luck or misfortune and calamities or happiness? Yet, profound speeches and preaching on li are cut off from the general mass [by the dimension that can be expressed only as] wondrous or mysterious, with the result that those with shallow knowledge become [tool weak-willed to receive and keep [the sūtra]. [The Buddha] wants them to rely on incantation in order to make sincere the collective sentiment of contemporary beings. The people of the other realms believe in and respect incantation. The method (fa) of incantation can ward off misfortune and invite luck and is applicable to every situation. The latter age will see lots of fearful things happening; nobody will be able to cultivate the good without the risk of being harmed. Thus, the Sage, having sympathy for their stupidity and darkness, preaches these methods for them, [so that] those who are ignorant of li but hope to unite therewith may quickly come to have faith. Thus, he borrows the incantation of names to record there the preaching of li. This way li can be preached anywhere, again achieving [the unity of] name and actuality. Furthermore, the advent of fortune or misfortune has to do with demons and Spirits. By using charms, one can order them not to do any harm. All those who are fearful of the bonds and are afraid of harm should cultivate [the cause of] the sūtra. Having reached [the stage of] cultivating [the cause of] the sūtra, naturally there is the need for secret words. As the comprehension of secret words become manifest, misfortune destroys itself. Now, the Dharma Blossom being the ultimate inward level, the Buddha resorts to incantation in preaching it. People are pleased with the benefits of incantations and like to take advantage of it. They become inclined to and immersed in it; they receive and keep it with great care.

Although the li of the incantation is one, the way the words are arranged is not identical. All have [the order of] right and left, which are solely entrusted to the Buddha. Therefore, again, because of this, the words are arranged in the order in which they were uttered by the Buddha. If any reversal [of the words] occurs later, O the sin would be grave. If it is a charm for one who keeps [the sūtra], that is called dhārāṇi. Charms, being the words of demons and spirits, are not translatable.

In a certain world, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva takes the shape of a Buddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Buddha.

The bodhisattva Fine Sound appeared in various bodies, in order to attain the samādhi of the body of all forms. Here also Avalokiteśvara preaches the Dharma, appearing in various forms, all for the sake of propagating the Dharma Blossom. Men are different, [but] the path (Tao) remains the same, which shows that [various] cultivations are certain to lead to attainment [of the One]

If many hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings hear [the name of] World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and call his name with all their hearts when they are under various sufferings, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will immediately perceive their voices, and cause them to emancipate themselves [from the sufferings].

Those who, “suffering pain and torment, hear of the name of this bodhisattva He Who Observes the Sounds of the World (Avalokiteśvara) shall all gain deliverance.” [One may argue in the following way.] The Sage pushes [beings] in the beginning [of the process]. The underlying li is that he cannot lift up those without faculty; [in other words], if there is no religious mechanism (tao-chi) within [a man], the Sage will not respond. How [then] can one merely by invoking a name immediately gain deliverance (chieh-t’o/mokṣa)? Yet here [the Buddha] says so. Why? [I would answer in this way.] “Avalokiteśvara,” in speaking of its li, is the one who is capable of propagating [the sūtra or its doctrine] to all; and, in speaking of its implicit [meaning], is the one who [sets out] to save all. Beings, possessing the subtle triggering-mechanism (chi) of enlightenment, actively stimulate the Sage. The Sage is equipped with the Tao of all-embracing propagation. Now that the Tao of all-embracing propagation has been expounded, how can deliverance (mokṣa) be an empty [word]? Isn’t exhorting beings by glorifying a name also magnanimous?

The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva

The Sage hangs the candle [of the Dharma], expediently leading [beings] in ever varying ways, sometimes through supernatural wonders, sometimes by resort to the method of [invoking] a name. Because the subtle triggering-mechanism is uneven [from one individual to another], the way they take and refuse [what is given to them by the Buddha] is not identical. The name of Avalokiteśvara is singled out and glorified to cause living beings to find refuge in, rely on, and feel for one [person], driving their feeling of respect to great intensities. If a man is capable of holding one [person] in high esteem, there is no one single [person] for whom he cannot do the same. [The Buddha’s] exhorting beings to [do] this should not be interpreted as his favoring one over another.

[The Buddha began] saving [beings] by resort to varied means, without leaving any out: it is referred to as everywhere (“universal”). Following enlightenment he has penetrated the supernatural: it is referred to as a gateway.

Thereupon Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva entered into a samadhi. He did not rise from his seat or make any other movement. By the power of this samadhi, he caused eighty-four thousand lotus flowers of treasures to appear in a place not far from the seat of the Dharma situated on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa.

[The bodhisattva Fine Sound] wishes to come soon [to the Sahā world-sphere]. Hence, he first displays the wondrous omen of numerous flowers, so that living beings in this realm may begin to be fascinated and will long for it.

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha said to Mañjuśrī, “This Many-Treasures Tathāgata, who passed away a long time ago, will cause him to appear before you all.”

The purpose of making Many Jewels now [appear and] display marks is twofold: first, to show that Many Jewels will come for the sake of the Dharma Blossom; second, to show that the paths of various Buddhas are identical.

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha [faced the east and] emitted rays of light from the fleshy tuft on his head, that is, from one of the marks of a great man, and also from the white curls between his eyebrows.

When the multitude heard of the former affairs of [the bodhisattva] Medicine King, they again praised the meritorious virtues of the Dharma Blossom with all the more faith and respect, all wanting to protect and keep [the sūtra]. The methods of propagating it must have a cause. [Of the possible] practices connected with this cause, in general there is nothing more penetrating than “the samādhi [of the manifestation] of the body of all forms.” What is “the samādhi [of the manifestation] of the body of [all] forms?” It is none other than the wisdom of the Dharma Blossom. When men glorify and spread the Dharma Blossom they manifest this samādhi, easily changing appearances and preaching it in boundlessly varied ways. The [bodhisattva-mahāsattva] Fine Sound (Gadgadasvara) is himself the one [who has attained samādhi]. By resort to traces he goes back and forth [from one realm to another] in order to propagate this sutra. The benefit he gives is very great. [The Buddha] emits a ray of light [from] between his brows to illuminate that realm because he wishes to let [the bodhisattva] Fine Sound come there.

In his next life, he appeared again in the world of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha.

This man had the cause planted not in vain; consequently the effect likewise is not empty. Those [antinomians] who diligently seek [just] to cleanse themselves may not be practicing acts deeply virtuous enough to induce the wondrous ultimate. This example is cited, therefore, for the purpose of illustrating and proving [the need for practicing virtuous acts].

Then he applied perfumed oil to his skin, put on a heavenly garment of treasures in the presence of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha, sprinkled various kinds of perfumed oil on the garment, and set fire to his body, making a vow by his supernatural powers.

Now, as it appears here, the burning of (his own) body in the past is referred to as the former affair. What does burning [one’s own] body signify? When it comes to what a man treasures and values, nothing exceeds bodily life, and when one burns it oneself, it is because there is something treasured as much as the body. If one is capable of grasping such meaning, even though one exists with the physical form, one is burning, as it were, all the time. [If] li is perverted in the attempt to understand it, even though one burns oneself all day long, [in reality] one is never burning. [The Buddha] hopes that they attain li free of its traces, and so be not stagnated in worldly facts (shih). The reason why the Sage thought of demanding is articulated here.