Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra

The Master once again addressed the gathered monks: I want to share with you, monks, that the senior Maha-Maudgalyayana, my disciple here, will pay homage to twenty-eight thousand Buddhas. He will show them various kinds of respect, honor, reverence, veneration, and devotion. After passing these enlightened ones, he will erect stupas—monumental towers made from seven precious materials: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, red pearls, emeralds, and coral. These stupas will be a thousand leagues high and five hundred leagues around.

He will honor these stupas differently, with flowers, incense, perfumed garlands, ointments, powders, robes, umbrellas, flags, and victory banners.

He will again pay similar homage to two hundred billion Buddhas, showing them respect, honor, reverence, veneration, and devotion. In his final earthly existence, he will become a Tathagata, an enlightened one known as ‘Tamalapatrakandanagandha,’ which translates to ‘Fragrance of the Sandalwood Leaf.’ He will be endowed with knowledge and ethical conduct, among other virtues.

His Buddha realm will be named ‘Manobhirama,’ which translates to ‘Delighting the Mind,’ and his era will be known as ‘Ratipratipurna,’ meaning ‘Full of Joy.’ This Buddha realm will be level and pleasing to the eye, beautiful, crystal-like, adorned with jewel trees, and strewn with scattered flowers. The realm will be filled with gods and men, visited by hundreds of thousands of Seers, including disciples and Bodhisattvas.

His lifespan will span twenty-four intermediate epochs. His actual teachings will last for forty such epochs, and the facsimile of his teachings will endure for the same length.

On that occasion, the Master voiced these verses:

The scion of the Mudgala race, my disciple here,
Will see twenty-eight thousand mighty Jinas, clear.
Under their guidance, he’ll seek enlightenment, near,
Paying homage to these Leaders, the highest men, dear.

Keeping their true law, wide-reaching, sublime,
For countless epochs, transcending time,
He’ll honor the enlightened ones, in their prime,
Worshiping their stupas, a duty divine.

To honor these Jinas, mighty beings, so beneficial,
He’ll erect stupas of precious materials,
Decorated with victory banners, superficial,
Worshiping them with flowers, perfumes, and musical ritual.

In his last earthly form, in a beautiful field,
He’ll be a Buddha, ‘Fragrance of the Sandalwood Leaf’ revealed,
Bounteous and compassionate, his fate sealed,
To the world, his teachings will be unpeeled.

The lifespan of that Sugata, twenty-four epochs will be,
Teaching the Buddha rule to men and gods, free,
Declaring with assiduity, the law of the enlightened, key.

That Jina will have disciples, countless as Ganges’ sand,
Gifted with six transcendent faculties, a spiritually advanced band,
Possessed of magical powers, under the Sugata’s command.

Under that Sugata’s reign, numerous Bodhisattvas will stand,
Zealous and knowledgeable, a spiritually enlightened band,
Unable to deviate, their resolve grand.

After the Jina’s expiration, his true law will expand,
Lasting twenty-four epochs, across the land,
Its imitation will endure, a similar timespan at hand.

These five disciples, strong and true,
Will find enlightenment, breaking through,
They’ll rise as Jinas, no longer confined,
Now heed their path, and open your mind.