8.

Chapter 8

Buddha Abhāvasamudgata
8.1 Then the Bhagavān said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, the
bodhisattva mahāsattva who wishes for this samādhi, and wishes to attain
quickly the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood, should
become skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena.
8.2 “Young man, what is being skilled in the wisdom of the nonexistent nature
of all phenomena? The bodhisattva mahāsattva knows that all phenomena
have no existence, have no essence, have no attributes, have no
characteristics, have no origin, have no cessation, have no words, are empty,
are primordial peace, and are pure by nature.
8.3 “Young man, when the bodhisattva mahāsattva [F.22.b] knows that all
phenomena have no existence, have no essence, have no attributes, have no
characteristics, have no birth, have no cessation, have no words, are empty,
are primordial peace, and are pure by nature, then at that time, young man,
the bodhisattva mahāsattva has become skilled in the wisdom of the
nonexistent nature of all phenomena.
8.4 “Young man, the bodhisattva mahāsattva who has become skilled in the
wisdom of the nonexistent nature of all phenomena does not have desire for
any form, sound, smell, taste, or touch. He does not become angry. He is
never ignorant.
8.5 “Why is that? It is because he does not see phenomena; there is no object
to perceive. He does not see the phenomena of desire, the desire, or the
desirer; that which angers, the anger, or one who is angry; nor that of which
one is ignorant, the ignorance, or the one who is ignorant, and therefore there
is no such object to perceive.
8.6 “Because there is nothing to be seen and there is no object to perceive, he
has no attachment to anything in the three realms and he will quickly attain
this samādhi, and quickly attain the highest, complete enlightenment of
perfect buddhahood.
“On this topic, it has been said:
8.7 “All phenomena have no existence;
They are all devoid of attributes and without characteristics,
Without birth and without cessation.
That is how you should315 perfectly understand phenomena.

8.8 “Everything is without existence, without words,

Empty, peaceful, and primordially stainless.
The one who knows phenomena,
Young man, he is called a buddha.

8.9 “Therefore, the revealed nature of equality

Is that all phenomena in essence have no nature.
Whoever desires the mother of the sugatas
Will attain this mother of the jinas.

8.10 “Therefore, young man, that is what you should understand through this
Dharma teaching.316
8.11 “Young man, in the past, countless, vast, immeasurable, inconceivable,
unfathomable, asaṃkhyeya eons ago, at that time, in that time, there
appeared in the world the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata, who was perfect in wisdom and
conduct, a sugata, [F.23.a] a knower of the world, an unsurpassable guide
who tamed beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a buddha, and a
bhagavān.
8.12 “Young man, what do you think? Why was that tathāgata named Abhāva-
samudgata?317
“Young man, as soon as he was born he rose in the air up to the height of
seven palm trees, took seven steps, and said these words: ‘All phenomena
have arisen from nonexistence. From nonexistence have all phenomena
arisen.’
8.13 “Young man, the sound of those words was heard in all the worlds in the
trichiliocosm. It resounded and was heard by everyone from the devas on the
earth up to those in Brahmā’s paradise. ‘Oh, as soon as this tathāgata was
born, he rose in the air up to the height of seven palm trees, took seven steps
and said the word nonexistence. Therefore he will be Abhāvasamudgata
(Arisen from Nonexistence).’ Thus it was that the name Abhāvasamudgata
arose, and that he was given the name Abhāvasamudgata.
8.14 “When that bhagavān attained enlightenment, the words ‘arisen from
nonexistence’ sounded from the leaves of all the trees, from all the grass,318
bushes, and forests,319 and from the summits of all the mountains.
“Every sound in that world was heard as the words ‘arisen from
nonexistence.’
8.15 “Young man, at the time, attending the teachings of the Bhagavān, the
tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata,
there was a young prince by the name of Mahākarun ̣ācintin, who had an
excellent body and was handsome and good-looking.
8.16 “Young man, the prince went to the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the
perfectly enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata and bowed his head to the
Bhagavān’s feet. He circumambulated the Bhagavān three times and then sat
down. [F.23.b] Then the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly
enlightened Buddha Abhāvasamudgata, knowing the higher motivation of
Prince Mahākarun ̣ācintin, taught him this samādhi. When he had heard this
he had complete faith in it. With complete faith he shaved off his hair and
beard, put on the orange robes, and with such faith left home for
homelessness. Having entered homelessness he learned this samādhi. He
learned it, kept it, read it, understood it, and dedicated himself to the practice
of meditation on it. Through that root of merit, he did not fall into the lower
existences for two hundred million eons. He served two hundred million
buddhas, and he heard this samādhi from all those tathāgatas. Having heard
it, he learned it and understood it. He kept it, read it, propagated it, and
repeatedly meditated on it with unadulterated meditation, remaining
dedicated to that practice of meditation.
8.17 “Through those roots of merit, after twenty eons had passed he appeared in
the world as the Bhagavān, the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened
Buddha Suvicinitārtha. He ripened countless beings and benefited countless
beings, and afterward, like an extinguished flame, he passed away into
perfect nirvān ̣a.
8.18 “Therefore, young man, this samādhi of that Dharma teaching should be
cherished by bodhisattva mahāsattvas. It should be known to cause the
unsurpassable perfect wisdom of buddhahood.”
8.19 Then at that time the Bhagavān gave a detailed teaching on the preceding
chapter by chanting the following extensive verses to the youth
Candraprabha:

8.20 “I remember that countless eons ago

In the past, there appeared a supreme human,
One who benefited the world, a great rishi,
And his name was Abhāvasamudgata. {1}

8.21 “As soon as he was born he rose into the air [F.24.a]
And taught the nonexistence of all phenomena.
He was at that time given a corresponding name
And his words were heard throughout the trichiliocosm. {2}

8.22 “All the devas, they all called out,

 ‘He will be a jina named Abhāva!
As soon as he was born he took seven steps
And the Jina taught the nonexistence of phenomena.’ {3}

8.23 “When the sage became a buddha, a Dharma king,

Who taught the nature of all phenomena,
From plants, trees, bushes, mountains,320 and rocks
There came the words ‘phenomena have no existence.’ {4}

8.24 “All the sounds there were in the world

Became the words ‘all are nonexistent.’
In that way there sounded
The words of the Guide of the World. {5}

8.25 “At that time there was a prince

Whose name had always been Karun ̣āvicintin.
He had an excellent form and was handsome.
He came into the presence of that jina. {6}

8.26 “He bowed to the feet of the sage, that great being,
And respectfully circumambulated him.
In order to hear the stainless, unsurpassable Dharma
He sat there with a devout mind. {7}

8.27 “The heroic321 Jina, knowing his aspiration,

Gave the teaching of this samādhi.
Having listened to this stainless samādhi
He quickly entered homelessness in the supreme Jina’s teaching. {8}

8.28 “Having entered homelessness he possessed,

Read, and understood this samādhi.
For a full two hundred million eons
He did not descend to an unfortunate existence. {9}

8.29 “Through the good karma that he had made

He pleased two hundred million buddhas,
And in the presence of those jinas
He cultivated this samādhi. {10}

8.30 “He afterward became a buddha in the world

Who was always known as Sucintitārtha.
He benefited many millions of beings
And afterward attained nirvān ̣a,322 like an extinguished flame.323 {11}

8.31 Conclusion of the eighth chapter, “Buddha Abhāvasamudgata.”324 [B3]