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Bodhisattva Akshayamati
asked a question in verse:
[X] "Oh
World-honored One, of wondrous form,
I inquire again of that buddha-child:
what are the causes of his name,
'Regarding the Cries of the World'?"
The Honored One,
of wondrous form,
replied in verse to Akshayamati:
"Listen to the deeds of Avalokiteshvara,
who aptly responds in every quarter.
With vast pledge
as deep as oceans,
throughout kalpas beyond reckoning,
he served many thousands of millions of buddhas,
[X] bringing
forth this great pure vow.
For you I explain
it briefly:
hearing the name or seeing the form of
Avalokiteshvara with mindful remembrance is not in vain,
for the woes of existence can thus be relieved.
Even if someone
with harmful intent
should push you into a fiery pit,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
the pit of fire will turn into a pool.
If floating on a
vast sea,
menaced by dragons, fish, or demons,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
the billowing waves cannot drown you.
If from Mount Sumeru's
lofty peak,
someone were to throw you down,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
like the sun you would stand firm in the sky.
If pursued by wicked
men,
down from Diamond Mountain,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
they could not harm a single hair.
If surrounded by
vicious bandits,
each with a sword drawn to strike,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
at once their hearts will turn to compassion.
If, persecuted by
rulers,
you face torture and execution,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
their weapons will thereby shatter to pieces.
If imprisoned in
shackles and chains,
hands and feet bound in restraints,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
suddenly you shall be released.
If by curses or
poisonous herbs
someone wishes to hurt your body,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
the harmful intent will return to its source.
If you meet evil
creatures,
poison dragons, or various demons,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
none will dare to harm you.
If surrounded by
raging beasts
with sharp fangs and dreadful claws,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
they will quickly scatter in all directions.
If venomous snakes
or scorpions
threaten with deadly breath of fire,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
at the sound of your voice they will turn and depart.
If clouds thunder
and lightning strikes,
hailstones fall, and it rains in torrents,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
instantly they will dissipate.
When living beings
suffer hardships,
burdened by immeasurable woes,
the power of Avalokiteshvara's wondrous wisdom
can relieve the suffering of the world.
Fully endowed with
miraculous powers,
widely practicing wisdom and skillful means,
in every land in all directions,
in no realm does Avalokiteshvara not appear.
In all the various
evil destinies
of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals,
the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death
are gradually relieved by Avalokiteshvara.
Oh you of the true
gaze, of the pure gaze,
of the gaze of broad and great wisdom,
of the compassionate gaze and the gaze of good will,
ever longed for, ever revered.
Unblemished, serene
radiance,
benevolent sun, dispelling all gloom,
Avalokiteshvara can subdue the wind and fire of woes,
clearly illuminating all the world.
The precepts of
compassion roar like thunder,
the kind heart is wondrous as great clouds,
pouring dharma rain of sweet dew,
quenching all flames of troubling passion.
In disputes before
judges,
or fearful in the midst of battle,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
[X] all
hostilities will be dispersed.
The wondrous voice
of Avalokiteshvara,
Brahma-voice, voice of the rolling tides,
surpasses all sounds within the world;
therefore ever keep it in mind.
In each thought,
with never a doubt,
Avalokiteshvara, the pure sage,
in pain, agony, or death's distress,
can provide a sure support.
Fully endowed with
all virtues,
his eyes of compassion behold all beings,
assembling a boundless ocean of happiness;
thus, with reverence, you should make prostrations."
[X] Then
Bodhisattva Dharanimdharo arose from his seat,
went before the Buddha and said:
"Oh World-honored
One, if there are living beings who hear this chapter of Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva, the benefits will not be slight for those people
who come to know his deeds, his manifestation of a universal
gateway, and his supernatural powers."
When the Buddha
had preached this "Universal Gateway" chapter, [Y] the eighty-four thousand
beings in the assembly all aroused the thought of unsurpassed,
[Y] complete,
perfect enlightenment.
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