When the Buddha was preaching the Dharma to his mother in the Heavenly Palace of Trayastrimsha, countless Buddhas and bodhisattvas from all directions, as well as devas, dragons, and spirits, gathered. They praised the virtues of Shakyamuni Buddha for his work in liberating sentient beings in the defiled world of the five turbidities.
The Buddha smiled and emitted countless beams of great light (such as the light of great perfection and the light of great compassion), and produced subtle Dharma sounds (such as the sound of generosity paramita and the sound of compassion), displaying inconceivable spiritual powers.
The Gathering of the Holy Assemblies
Countless devas, dragons, and spirits from the Saha world and other lands, as well as all the heavenly beings from the Four Heavenly Kings to the heaven of neither perception nor non-perception, and the spirits of mountains, rivers, and plants, as well as the great ghost kings (such as the Ghost King with Fierce Eyes and the Ghost King with a Compassionate Heart), all gathered together.
Manjushri’s Inquiry
Manjushri Bodhisattva asked the Buddha: “How many sentient beings have gathered today?” The Buddha replied that even with the Buddha’s divine eye, it is difficult to count them all. This is due to the virtues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who has been liberating sentient beings for countless eons.
The Vows of Ksitigarbha
The Buddha revealed that when Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was cultivating, he made a vow: “I will liberate all sentient beings suffering in the six realms throughout future eons, and only then will I attain Buddhahood.” He cited stories such as the Brahmin girl who made a vow to save her mother and the girl with bright eyes who sought to save her deceased mother, illustrating Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s great vow: “I will not attain enlightenment until all sentient beings are liberated.”
Di Zang Jing First Grade: Dao li tian gong shen tong pin
In order to avoid translation errors of the sutra, the “Dizangjing” is written in Chinese, and “The Heavenly Palace of Trayastrimsha and the Display of Supernatural Powers” is as follows.
Sharing this article is Dharma giving. The Buddha said that Dharma giving has immeasurable merits.
Guoqing Shakya
I'm Guo Qing, a practitioner of Han Buddhism. I'm from Dazu, Chongqing (famous for the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site). I'm committed to promoting Mahayana Buddhism, spreading the Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, understanding the law of cause and effect in the world, enlightening the wisdom of Buddhism, and realizing Bodhi together.