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E-mail: bdea@buddhanet.net
Web site: www.buddhanet.net
Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc.
Translated & Annotated under the Guidance of
Dharma Master Hsuan Jung
by Minh Thnh & P.D. Leigh
. T. Suzuki, Manual of Zen Buddhism (p. .6.):
Yakushi (thc Mcdicinc 8uddha) is thc 8odhisattva
doctor. Hc holds a mcdicinc jar in his hand and is
attcndcd by twclvc gods cach ol whom rcprcscnts onc
ol his twclvc vows. Tc main objcct ol his appcarancc
among us is to curc us ol ignorancc, which is thc most
lundamcntal ol all thc ills thc csh is hcir to.
May thc mcrit and virtuc
accrucd lrom this work
adorn thc 8uddhas Purc Land,
rcpaying thc lour grcat kindncsscs abovc,
and rclicvc thc sucring ol
thosc on thc thrcc paths bclow.
May thosc who scc or hcar ol thcsc corts
gcncratc 8odhimind,
spcnd thcir livcs dcvotcd to thc 8uddha harma,
and nally bc rcborn togcthcr in
thc Land ol Ultimatc 8liss.
Homagc to Amita 8uddha!
Taisho X!\, c
Translated and annotated under the guidance of
harma Mastcr Hsuan Jung
8y Minh Tanh & P.. Lcigh
InternationaI Buddhist Monastic Institute
aoor
Tc Sutra of the Medicine Buddha is among thc most popular tcxts in
ast Asia, along with thc Amitabha, thc Ksitigarbha and thc Lotus
sutras. Tis ncw translation, lrccly availablc to all scckcrs, includcs
thc oral commcnts ol scvcral contcmporary scnior monks.
aoor
Second edition
InternationaI Buddhist Monastic Institute
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acc. by Minh Tanh
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Pcrmission lor rcprints will bc grantcd upon assurancc
that latcst cdition will bc uscd.
Cover iIIustration
Stampcd 8uddha imagcs, abovc thc cciling ol an ancicnt tcmplc.
Amitabha Buddha (rst row)
Medicine Buddha (second & third rows)
]apan, ca. r
th
c.
Rcprintcd and onatcd by
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vii
Contents
Acxxowivbcv:vx:s ....................................................................................... vii
No:v :o :nv xciisn bi:iox ................................................... ix
!x:vobuc:iox ................................................................................................................. xi
Su:v~ ov :nv Mvbicixv 8ubbn~ ............................................ .,
No:vs ............................................................................................................................................. ,
Gioss~vv ................................................................................................................................. ,
Acknowledgements
Vc would likc to acknowlcdgc thc guidancc ol thc lollow
ing spiritual bcnclactors, without whosc input this book
could not havc bccn complctcd.
Hcading thc list, in alphabctical ordcr, arc Mastcr
Tich Huycn ung, Mastcr Tich Phuoc 8on and
Rcv. K. Vatanabc, thrcc kalyanamitra with an intimatc
undcrstanding ol thc Sutra of the Medicine Buddha. Rcv.
Tzu Han (Antony) kindly rcad through and commcntcd
on thc tcxt. thcr bcnclactors havc also providcd crucial
assistancc: Upasaka Hicn Mat, a scholarpractitioncr ol
viii
thc Twclvc Grcat \ows ol thc Mcdicinc 8uddha, and
incidcntally, a compatriot ol thc scnior cditor lrom thc
warmhcartcd land ol snow hc has adoptcd as his own,
Upasika Quynh Hoa, always thcrc whcn nccdcd an
accomplishcd diplomat, Upasaka Harry Lcong, a grcat
spiritual son ol thc sotcric tradition, Upasika Nancy
Luong, thc most chccrlul data spccialist wc havc known,
and, most importantly, Upasaka \u Xuan Hoai, our lcarncd
harma consultant lrom Connccticut, and Upasaka ick
M. Saundcrs, both ol whom pitchcd in with incisivc
commcnts. For this sccond printing, wc acknowlcdgc our
dcbt to Upasaka uong inh Hy a scholar ol Zcn and
ol ancicnt Chincsc who rcvicwcd kcy passagcs in rccord
timc.
Tc associatc cditor would likc to honor thc mcmory
ol two outstanding tcachcrs lrom Columbia Univcrsity
Prol. Charlcs Lo and Prol. Vang Chichcn whosc pro
lound mastcry ol classical Chincsc was matchcd only by
thcir subtlc grasp ol thc nuanccs ol thc nglish languagc.
Vhatcvcr small contribution shc was ablc to makc to this
translation is duc in largc part to thcir skilllul tutclagc.
Finally, wc acknowlcdgc our dcbt to thc latc Upasika
Nguycn Ti Hoang / icu Phung, our rst harma tcachcr,
and thc cbullicnt cxccutor ol hcr cstatc, Upasika Licn
Smith, along with hcr husband, Prol. Forrcst G. Smith,
lor support in thc complction ol this book.
mt / pdl
ix
Note to the English Edition
Tc prcscnt work is part ol a multilingual scrics ol Purc
Land and Purc Landrclatcd tcxts prcparcd sincc ..
by thc \an Hicn Study Group, in coopcration with thc
Sutra Translation Committcc ol thc Unitcd Statcs and
Canada and thc !ntcrnational 8uddhist Monastic !nstitutc
(USA).
Tis ncw translation is ol a Purc Landrclatcd tcxt,
thc Sutra of the Medicine Buddha. !t has bcncttcd lrom
six prcvious rcndcrings in both Sino\ictnamcsc and
nglish and incorporatcs oral cxplanations and com
mcnts providcd by scvcral contcmporary scnior Mastcrs.
xplanatory notcs and a glossary arc includcd lor thc
bcnct ol rcadcrs.
c Su
Ph
t,
Sangye Menla), occupics a spccial placc in thc hcarts ol
thc dcvout. Spccializing in curing discasc, both physical
and mcntal ol which dclusion is thc root causc thc
Mcdicinc 8uddha is also thc 8uddha ol wisdom. His hcal
x
ing acts arc but thc prcludc to Suprcmc nlightcnmcnt lor
thosc scckcrs who havc thc good lortunc to lcarn ol his
vows or mcrcly to hcar his namc!
Toward this ultimatc goal, thc sutra contains a pas
sagc dcscribing thc stcps takcn by thc Mcdicinc 8uddha
to hclp monks, nuns, upasakas, upasikas, laymcn and
laywomcn who scck rcbirth in Sukhavati, thc Purc Land
ol Amitabha 8uddha in thc Vcst.
A kcy clcmcnt ol thc sutra is its cmphasis on thc
assistancc ol thc 8uddhas and 8odhisattvas, and its corol
lary ol singlcmindcd, cnlightcncd laith. Tis is thc crux
ol thc sutra, thc sourcc ol thc c cacy ol thc 8uddhas and
8odhisattvas vows. If you are utterly sincere, if you do not
harbor a single doubt, you arc lully conccntratcd you arc
in samadhi. Your mind is thcn in tunc with thc mind ol
thc 8uddhas, a proccss ol spiritual osmosis occurs whcrcby
thcir mcrits and virtucs bccomc your own. How can your
wishcs and hopcs thcn not bccomc rcality:
1
May all scnticnt bcings livc in pcacc, ultimatcly
attaining Suprcmc nlightcnmcnt undcr thc bcncvolcnt
light ol thc Mcdicinc 8uddha in this world and thc
compassionatc light ol Amitabha 8uddha in the worlds
beyond!
2
\an Hicn Study Group
8haishajyaguru Fcstival
Nov. accc
xi
Introducion
!n thc vast Mahayana panthcon, thrcc 8uddhas stand
suprcmc: Sakyamuni thc 8uddha ol thc prcscnt agc,
Amitabha, thc Lord ol Sukhavati, thc Vcstcrn Purc
Land, and thc Medicine Buddha, thc Hcaling 8uddha,
thc octor ol 8ody and Soul. As cmbodimcnts ol
thc archctypical hcalcr watching ovcr thc living and
consolcr watching ovcr thosc long gonc, thc Mcdicinc
8uddha and Amitabha 8uddha rcprcscnt tcachings com
mon to all traditions ol 8uddhism.
3
r. Bhaishajya guru the Medicine Buddha
!n ast Asian tcmplcs, thc Mcdicinc 8uddha is usually
rcprcscntcd scatcd as part ol a massivc trinity with
Sakyamuni (in thc ccntcr) and Amitabha (on Sakyamunis
right). His right hand is raiscd, lorming thc \arada mudra,
thc handandngcrs gcsturc symbolizing ocring,
giving, compassion. Tc lclt hand usually rcsts on his lap,
holding a jar ol mcdicinc (or somctimcs a hcaling lruit or
stupa). Tc mcdicinc jar, paintcd dark bluc (thc color ol
thc gcmstonc lapis lazuli), is thc distinguishing lcaturc
ol this 8uddha, although it may bc missing lrom somc
statucs.
4
Tc Mcdicinc 8uddha should bc distinguishcd lrom
Aksobya 8uddha (whosc Purc Land is also in thc ast)
5
xii
and lrom thc Mcdicinc King Bodhisattva (rclcrrcd to in
thc Lotus Sutra).
a. Te Sutra of the Medicine Buddha
Tcrc arc currcntly vc cxtant Chincsc translations lrom
thc Sanskrit, donc bctwccn ~b ., and ~b ,c,, as wcll as
two Tibctan translations. Tc tcxt that lorms thc basis
ol this translation is that ol thc Patriarch Hsuantsang,
loundcr ol thc Chincsc Yogacara (Mindnly) school
and translator ol somc , 8uddhist sutras. Complctcd in
~b 6c, it is considcrcd thc most complctc and authorita
tivc vcrsion ol thc sutra.
Tc sutra is composcd csscntially ol thrcc parts, thc
rst dcscribing thc Twclvc Grcat \ows ol thc Mcdicinc
8uddha and thc sccond, his cxtcnsivc mcrits as wcll as
thc various ways hc comcs to thc aid ol thosc bcsct by
sucrings and calamitics. Tc third part scts lorth thc
vows ol thc twclvc Yaksa Gcncrals to bcnct scnticnt
bcings.
Tc sutra is inucntial throughout ast Asia, as it
combincs thc Purc Land tcachings on rcbirth and thc
csotcric practiccs ol rcciting dharani and lighting lamps
with thc promisc ol practical benets in cvcryday lilc. Tis
promisc (ol protcction against discasc and othcr pcrsonal
mislortuncs) is thc singlc most attractivc lcaturc ol thc
sutra.
xiii
. Teachings of the sutra
Tc sutra cmphasizcs laith in thc assistancc ol thc Mcdicinc
8uddha, whilc not ncglccting self-power, thc cultivation ol
thc dcvout.
Tc 8uddha thcn said to Ananda: il scnticnt bcings |bcsct by
hcavy karma| should hcar thc namc ol thc Mcdicinc 8uddha
Lapis Lazuli Radiancc Tathagata, singlcmindcdly rccitc and
hold last to it without harboring a singlc doubt, thcn it will
bc impossiblc lor thcm to sink into thc vil Rcalms.
, Ananda! Tcsc sublimc practiccs ol thc 8uddhas arc
di cult to bclicvc in, di cult to undcrstand. Yct you arc
now ablc to uphold thcm. You should rcalizc that this is duc
to thc awcsomc powcr ol thc Tathagatas.
Howcvcr, thc qucstion rcmains as to how rcciting thc namc
and making ocrings to thc Mcdicinc 8uddha can ward
o discasc and calamity, bringing pcacc and joy to thc sick
and sucring. !n this contcxt, thc tcachings on thc trans
lcrcncc ol mcrit and on Mindnly comc into locus.
a) Mind-Only
All karma, good or bad, is crcatcd lrom thc mind. !l
through visualizing thc Mcdicinc 8uddha or rcciting his
namc, a pcrsons mind changcs lrom grccd, angcr and
dclusion to sclcssncss, compassion and wisdom, a changc
in his ncgativc pattcrn ol thinking is rcalizcd and his ncga
xiv
tivc karma changcs lor thc good. Tc drilting lilc is cast
asidc lor onc ol spiritual dcdication (John 8lolcld). Vith
thc rcmoval ol grccd, angcr and dclusion, most othcr ill
ncsscs, howcvcr physical thcir symptoms, arc also cvcntu
ally curcd.
b) Transference of merit
Somc ol us may ask whcthcr thc ccct ol cvil karma can bc
changcd by rcpcating thc namc ol KuanYin (Avalokitcsvara).
Tis qucstion is ticd up with that ol rcbirth in Sukhavati
(thc Purc Land) and it may bc answcrcd by saying that thc
invocation ol KuanYins namc lorms anothcr causc which
will right away osct thc prcvious karma. Vc know, lor
cxamplc, that il thcrc is a dark, hcavy cloud abovc, thc
chanccs arc that it will rain. 8ut wc also know that il a strong
wind should blow, thc cloud will bc carricd away somcwhcrc
clsc and wc will not lccl thc rain. Similarly, thc addition
ol onc big lactor can altcr thc wholc coursc ol karma. !t
is only by acccpting thc idca ol lilc as onc wholc that both
Tcravadins and Mahayanists can advocatc thc practicc ol
translcrcncc ol mcrit to othcrs. Vith thc casc ol KuanYin
thcn, by calling on Hcr namc wc idcntily oursclvcs with Hcr
and as a rcsult ol this idcntication, Hcr mcrits ow ovcr to
us. Tcsc mcrits which arc now ours thcn countcrbalancc
our bad karma and savc us lrom calamity. Tc Law ol Causc
and cct still stands good. All that has happcncd is that
a powcrlul and immcnscly good karma has ovcrshadowcd
thc wcakcr onc. (Lccturc on KuanYin by Tcch ng Soon
Pcnang 8uddhist Association, c. .6c. Pamphlct.)
xv
c) E cacy of the Vows
Tc kcy to thc sutras c cacy lics in thc complctc
abscncc ol doubt on thc part ol thc practitioncr. !l hc is
uttcrly sinccrc, hc is in a de facto statc ol samadhi thc vcry
statc ol thc 8uddhas and 8odhisattvas. His mind is thcn
thc mind ol thc 8uddhas thcir mcrits and virtucs bccomc
his own. How thcn can discasc or calamity dclcat him:
.
Manjusri, altcr thc Mcdicinc 8uddha attaincd Suprcmc
nlightcnmcnt, hc rcalizcd, by virtuc ol his past vows, that
scnticnt bcings cndurcd various ailmcnts, such as cmacia
tion, crippling disabilitics, lcvcr, dyscntcry, jaundicc, ctc.
Somc wcrc thc targcts ol black magic or various poisons,
whilc othcrs sucrcd short livcs or untimcly dcath. At that
timc, sccking to put an cnd to thcsc miscrics and lull
thc dcsircs ol scnticnt bcings, hc cntcrcd a samadhi callcd
liminating All thc Sucring and A ictions ol Scnticnt
8cings.
ncc hc cntcrcd that samadhi, a brilliant light shonc
lorth lrom his urna as hc uttcrcd a grcat harani:
Namo bhagavate
Bhaishajyaguru-vaidurya
Prabha-rajaya
Tathagataya
Arthate
Samyak-sambuddhaya
Tadyatha
Om Bhaishajye Bhaishajye
Bhaishajya-samudgate Svaha.
14
As soon as thc Mcdicinc 8uddha, in his radiancc, had
uttcrcd this harani, thc cntirc cosmos rumblcd and
shook. 8rilliant lights shonc lorth, allowing all scnticnt
bcings to cscapc discasc and sucring and cnjoy pcacc and
happincss.
15
a
Manjusri, il you comc across any man (or woman)
sucring illncss, you should constantly clcansc him, bathc
him and rinsc his mouth. You should singlcmindcdly
rccitc this harani .c timcs on his bchall, ovcr his lood,
mcdicinc or watcr lrom which insccts havc bccn rcmovcd.
ncc hc has consumcd thc lood or drink, his illncss and
sucring will disappcar.
!l thc paticnt has a particular wish and singlc
mindcdly rccitcs this harani, his wish will bc lulllcd.
Hc will bc lrcc ol discasc, cnjoy a longcr lilc and, at dcath,
bc born in thc rcalm ol thc Mcdicinc 8uddha. Hc will thcn
bc bcyond rctrogrcssion and cvcntually rcalizc Suprcmc
nlightcnmcnt.
Tcrclorc, Manjusri, any man or woman who singlc
mindcdly rcvcrcs and rcspcctlully makcs ocrings to thc
Mcdicinc 8uddha should constantly rccitc this harani,
ncvcr lctting it out ol his mind.
ing thcir hcalth, and prcvcnting thcm lrom sucring untimcly dcath,
Amitabha to thc wcst is thc compassionatc lord who carcs lor thosc in thc
spirit world altcr dcath, who watchcs ovcr thcm in his Vcstcrn Rcalm
ol 8liss (8irnbaum, p. aaa).
!n Mahayana 8uddhism, thc Mcdicinc 8uddha watchcs ovcr
scnticnt bcings in thcir currcnt lilctimcs, granting thcm pcacc, happi
ncss and lrccdom lrom discasc and othcr calamitics. Amitabha 8uddha
watchcs ovcr scnticnt bcings altcr thcir dcath, cnsuring thcm a lavorablc
rcbirth in his land. Tc combination ol currcnt and luturc pcacc and
happincss lcads cvcntually to ultimate peace, happiness and liberation, that
is, 8uddhahood (Mastcr Tich Ticn Huc). 8~cx
. Tc lull namc ol thc Mcdicinc 8uddha (8haisajya
guru) is rcndcrcd in this tcxt as Medicine Buddha Lapis
Lazuli Radiance Tathagata. Plcasc notc othcr variants
occurring in thc litcraturc:
Hcaling 8uddha Azurc Radiancc Tathagata
Mastcr ol Hcaling \aidurya Light Tathagata
Mastcr ol Mcdicinc 8cryl Radiancc Tathagata.
Morcovcr, many popular books usc thc Japancsc namc
Yakushi.
According to \. dc \isscr (Ancient Buddhism, vol. !!), most ol thc
8odhisattvas in thc Mcdicinc 8uddhas Asscmbly arc also dcpictcd
surrounding Amitabha 8uddha, in paintings ol Amitabhas dcsccnt to
wclcomc thc laithlul (Raigo). Tis is anothcr cxamplc ol thc closc rcla
tionship bctwccn thc Mcdicinc 8uddha and Amitabha 8uddha in thc
Mahayana tradition. 8~cx
8uddha asscrtcd that animals, birds, worms, plants and trccs, as wcll
as human bcings, posscss thc 8uddhanaturc. How could hc thcn dis
criminatc bctwccn mcn and womcn: !t is impossiblc. bscrvcd with thc
8uddhas cycs, all living bcings arc cqual. Vc must ncvcr misundcrstand
this (Niwano, Buddhism for Today). 8~cx
.. Plcasc notc that whilc thc quotation bcgins with
Namo bhagawatc (homagc to thc Mcdicinc 8uddha),
thc harani (Mantra) itscll is thc phrasc bcginning with
thc word m and cnding with svaha. 8~cx
.. An cxplanation lor this cosmic changc is ocrcd bclow:
Vhcn thc 8uddha taught, our world bccamc a cclcstial abodc. Tc powcr
ol his articulatcd wisdom madc it possiblc lor thosc prcscnt to scc bcyond
mundanc rcality, into thc inhcrcnt purity and cosmic prcscncc that ctcr
nally surround us. Tc mandala that appcarcd around him is a vision ol
humanitys potcntial: cnlightcncd mind in harmony with naturc, work
ing lor thc bcnct ol all. !t is thc archtypal pristinc world inhabitcd by
bcings living in a goldcn agc ol spiritual achicvcmcnt: hcavcn on carth.
!t is our world, altcr thc gloom ol ignorancc and conlusion ol mcntal
dclcmcnts havc bccn rcmovcd by thc lights ol purilying awarcncss, and
thc glorious prospcrity ol naturc rcncwcd by trcating thc carth as a sacrcd
gardcn ol mcdicinc (. Crow, !n Scarch ol thc Mcdicinc 8uddha). 8~cx
.6. Tcrc arc minor dicrcnccs in thc way thc prcccpts
arc lormulatcd in thc various Mahayana schools, which
accounts lor somc discrcpancics in thcir numbcr. Tc
principlcs undcrlying thc prcccpts arc, howcvcr, thc samc.