佛说地藏菩萨经
(炖煌藏本)
The Buddha Speaks of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Sutra
(Translated from Dunhuang Treasury Version to English, with
Comments by Shen Shi'an)
尔时地藏菩萨住在南方琉璃世界，以净天眼观地狱之中受苦众生，铁碓捣(duìdǎo)、铁磨磨、铁犁(lí)耕、铁锯解，镬(huò)汤涌沸，猛火旦天，饥则吞热铁丸，渴饮铜汁，受诸苦恼无有休息。
Then, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was abiding in the southern
direction's world of lapis lazuli, with his pure heavenly eye,
observed the hells' suffering beings, [suffering from] metal
pounding, metal grinding, metal ploughing, metal sawing and
dismembering, in cauldrons overflowing from boiling, with fierce
fires reaching the sky, swallowing hot metal balls when hungry,
drinking molten bronze when thirsty, experiencing all suffering and
afflictions without rest.
地藏菩萨不忍见之，即从南方来到地狱中，与阎罗王共同一处别床而座，有四种因缘，一者恐阎罗王断罪不凭，二者恐文案交错，三者未合死，四者受罪了出地狱池边。
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who cannot bear seeing this [suffering],
immediately, from the southern direction, comes into the hells
[here]. With King Yama together at one place, [but] seated apart,
for four kinds of causes and conditions. First, fearing that King
Yama's convicting of misgivings are not believed [by the guilty, or
'cannot be believed due to misjudgement']. Second, fearing that
official [karmic] documents are mixed up [criss-crossed, thus
leading to misjudgements]. Third, [fearing that] some are yet
supposed to die. Fourth, for those who have received retribution
[for their misgivings], who are exiting by the side of the pool(s)
of the hells.
若有善男子善女人，造地藏菩萨像，写地藏菩萨经，及念地藏菩萨名，此人定得往生西方极乐世界，从一佛国至一佛国，从一天堂至一天堂；
If there are good men and good
women, who create Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s images, write
this [The Buddha Speaks of] Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, and are
mindful of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s
name, these persons will definitely attain rebirth in the Western
[Pure] Land of Ultimate Bliss, from one Buddha Land, [able
to access] to another one Buddha Land, from one heaven, [able to
access] to another one heaven.
若有人造地藏菩萨像，写地藏菩萨经，及念地藏菩萨名，此人定得往生西方极乐世界，此人舍命之日，地藏菩萨亲自来迎，常得与地藏菩萨共同一处。
If there are those who create
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s images, write this [The Buddha Speaks of]
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, and are mindful of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s
name, these persons will definitely attain rebirth in the
Western [Pure] Land of Ultimate Bliss. These persons, on the days they renounce their lives, will be
personally received by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, always being
together with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in one place.
闻佛所说，皆大欢喜信受奉行。
Hearing what the Buddha thus said, all rejoiced greatly, received
this with faith, and practised accordingly.
Comments:
1. Out of great compassion, Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva is constantly looking out for beings in suffering, for
wherever help is needed and possible to render. This naturally
includes the hells, where there is the most suffering. He is also
with King Yama (a wrathful Dharmapala deva; Dharma-protector god)
to support his work of meting out justice. With King Yama together
at one place, which represents their like-mindedness in wanting to
serve justice, he is however seated apart, which represents
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's objectivity.
2. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is in the hells to help
ensure that the guilty realise their mistakes, to offer second
opinions in case judgements and karmic records are muddled up, to
ensure those who reached the hells are karmically there at the
right time, as some might die in untimely ways, who karmically
should resurrect to their previous lives, thus escaping the hells
(for good later, if they make amends in time.) He also receives and
guides those departing from the hells, so as to ensure they are
reborn accordingly, with appropriate parting advice where
possible.
3. These deeds above do not limit his boundless
skilful means in the hells. For example, he also encourages those
with the appropriate conditions to be mindful of Buddha, so as to
swiftly create great merits (to dilute the effects of negative
karma) and connect to the Other-power of a Buddha to leave the
hells. However, it is very difficult for the very evil who have
weak good roots to practise this well. (The more reluctant one is
to practise mindfulness of Buddha well in the human realm, the
harder it will be to do so if one reaches the hells. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/303
to check if your Faith, Aspiration and Practice is resolute enough,
and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/248
for the story of 'The Boy Who Lacked Good Roots'.)
4. It is interesting that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
is sometimes mistaken as King Yama in Chinese culture. In a way,
since he aids King Yama in his work, he is as if an extension of
King Yama, and can override King Yama's role in authority too. In
this sense, King Yama's final decisions and actions are ultimately
bodhisattvic in nature, to admonish the evil and to awaken
repentance in them. Judgements in the hells will always be
karmically fair and accurate - as manifestations of the natural
processing of karma.
5. Even when there seems to be some 'unfairness'
or 'misjudgements' along the way, they are still natural karmic
processes in function, unfolding and ironing out themselves, with
lessons to learn for the guilty. Such is the case for 'unfair'
sentences in the human world too, which can be appealed against,
just as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva can change the mind of King Yama.
Appeals fail only when one is truly guilty in one way or another.
In the larger picture, everything turns out fair. If karma can
process itself naturally, is there a need for the roles of King
Yama and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, in helping to ensure there is
justice? Ultimately, no. However, just as it is useful to have good
human judges in our world to serve as living moral examples and
purveyors of justice, their compassionate presence makes a lot of
sense.
6. Perhaps not all hell-beings get to encounter
King Yama and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, as there are non-Buddhist
recollections of hell experiences (if they are true accounts)
without mention of them. Perhaps the presence of the two can be
seen as skilful manifestations by beings of great compassion, only
perceived by those who have the karmic affinity to receive their
teachings of both gentle and tough love, as exemplified by
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and King Yama respectively. Of course, with
or without King Yama and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, life in the
hells, being a realm manifested and sustained naturally by karma,
goes on.
7. If King Yama is, as described in the sutras, an
actual being, could the demonic hell guards be 'actual' too? Or are
they merely manifestations from hell-beings' guilty minds? It is
possible both ways. They can be karmically manifested from
hell-beings' minds and/or be 'actual' beings, also experienced
karmically. Usually, they are taught as the first to emphasise the
primary cause for their appearances being karmic, of heir own
making. Hell guards being 'actual' is only possible when they are
enlightened beings manifesting to teach hell-beings via the
wrathful way, because the suffering in the hells is so intense for
hell-beings that no ordinary beings there would be distracted by
the urge to cause others to suffer. In this sense, any 'actual'
hell guards must be very special. They must be 'above the law', as
in not being able to suffer themselves, and not being able to
create any negative karma, as there is nowhere worse to go to as a
negative karmic result of inflicting great suffering upon others.
However, when we speak of 'hell in our world', such as during a
World War, there can be actual torturers, who are also experienced
karmically by their victims, although the torturers definitely
create negative karma if their intention is to harm.
8. The mindful and thus meritorious practice of
creating Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s images, copying of this sutra,
and/or mindfulness of his name enables one to reach Amituofo's Pure
Land if the process of doing so includes the proper Three
Provisions of Faith, Aspiration and Practice. (See
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/229
for details) The practice of mindfulness of Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva's name is the easiest practice for doing so, and the
guidelines for doing so are the same as those when practising
mindfulness of Amituofo's name, especially crucially applicable on
the deathbed, in order to connect to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, to be
received by him, to be directed to Amituofo's Pure Land. Upon
reaching Amituofo's Pure Land, as empowered by Amituofo's vows, one
will be able to access other Pure Lands, heavens and any other
realms to accumulate wisdom and merits, and practise
compassion.
9. This sutra about Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, 'The
Buddha Speaks of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra' (佛说地藏菩萨经), is very
concise, in comparison to 'The Sutra of the Original Vows of
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva' (地藏菩萨本愿经), which is much lengthier.
However, despite its brevity, it doubly focuses (repeats) on how
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva vows to personally guide beings to
Amituofo's Pure Land by default. This is in contrast to the longer
sutra which teaches the benefits of mindfulness of Buddhas in
general, without mention of specific ones. (Note that the specific
Buddha or Bodhisattva one is mindful of will appear by
corresponding cause and effect when dying.) All great Bodhisattvas
will guide beings to be reborn in the Pure Lands these beings
choose. For beings unsure of which Buddha or Bodhisattva to be
mindful of, and which Pure Land to go, mindfulness of Amituofo is
recommended directly by default as his Pure Land is universally
recommended by all Buddhas.
10. It should no longer be mistaken that
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's good works are confined to guiding beings
in the hells, as they extend to guiding beings to Pure Land too.
(He guides beings to avoid and leave the hells; not to reach them,
and the point furthest and safest from the hells is Pure Land.) In
fact, as stated in the sutra, he also manifests in Amituofo's Pure
Land to always accompany and guide beings to Buddhahood. This is
after all, the complete scope of perfect compassion, the guiding of
beings at every level - from the 'worst' to the 'best'. As
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva personifies perfect Practice in Buddhism,
and was entrusted and empowered by Shakyamuni Buddha to guide
beings in our world to enlightenment (at least) before the arrival
of Maitreya Buddha, his choice of
guiding beings here to Amituofo’s Pure Land also represents it
being the most skilful choice for us, both due to its excellence
and our great affinity with it.
11.
There is an account of a man who felt closer to Ksitigarbha
Bodhisattva, who requested that the longer sutra above be chanted
to aid his smooth passing, instead of the relatively more popular
Amitabha Sutra with the name of Amituofo. However, amazingly, after
his confirmed passing, a single recital of 'Namo Amituofo' was
heard from his body left alone in his room. What could had happened
is that the deceased managed to connect to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva,
who appears and teaches him to be mindful of Amituofo with the
Three Provisions, to be born in his Pure Land. This redirection is
aligned to the teaching in this sutra!
