Monks, the great Brahma angels in the vast realms of fifty hundred thousand myriads of spheres set out on a quest. They mounted their divine aerial cars, each carrying divine bags as large as Mount Sumeru, filled with celestial flowers. Journeying through the four quarters of the universe, they searched for the source of the extraordinary phenomenon.
They arrived at last in the northwestern quarter, where they beheld the Lord Mahabhignagnanabhibhu, the Tathagata, seated on the exalted terrace of enlightenment. The scene was as magnificent as before, with the Lord surrounded by a divine assembly and his sons urging him to move forward the wheel of the law.
With reverence and awe, the Brahma angels approached the Lord, presenting their celestial vehicles, just as the others had done before. They implored, “Accept, O Lord, these aerial cars out of compassion for us; use, O Sugata, these cars out of compassion for us.”
Having offered their tribute, the Brahma angels celebrated the Lord face to face with verses appropriate to the occasion, echoing the praises and devotion of their celestial brethren.
Homage to thee, great Seer, without compare,
Chief god of gods, with voice sweet as lark’s air,
Leader of worlds, including gods so fair,
I salute thee, benign, bounteous beyond compare.
How wondrous, O Lord, thy appearance anew,
Eighty hundred complete eons, no Buddha in view,
This world of the living waited for one so true,
Awaiting thy wisdom, thy light to pursue.
Deprived of the highest, hell’s reign was unbound,
Celestial bodies waned, darkness all around,
Eighty hundred complete eons, no light to be found,
The world in despair, lost, unprofound.
But now, by our deeds, thou hast appeared, our eye,
Refuge, resting-place, protection from on high,
Father, kinsman, benign, bounteous, nigh,
King of the law, to thee our hearts do fly.
Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra 
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