Chapter 18: The Earth Goddess, Dṛḍhā
Then the Earth Goddess, Dṛḍhā, addressed the Bhagavān in the following words:“Lord Bhagavān, now and in the future, wherever this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light exists, whether in towns, cities, villages, valleys, in the vicinities of monasteries, mountain medicinal valleys, or towns which abide in the areas of palaces, I, the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā, will go to those cities, villages, valleys, vicinities of monasteries, mountain medicinal valleys, or palace areas.”
“Lord Bhagavān, wherever this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light is expounded authentically and thoroughly, in any location whatsoever where the Dharma throne is arranged for the monk who expounds the Dharma, wherever the monk who expounds the Dharma takes his seat, and authentically and thoroughly teaches this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light; Lord Bhagavān, I, the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā, will come to those very locations.”
“Without the presence of a physical body, I will go underneath the Dharma throne; and with the transcendent appendage of the head, I will support the soles of the feet of the monk who expounds the Dharma. I also will listen to the Dharma; and will be satisfied by this ambrosial juice of Dharma. I will show my respect authentically. I will make offerings authentically. I will be satisfied. I will engage in many acts of honor.”
“Being totally pleased, I will greatly enrich the vital nutrients of the earth; from the mass of earth sixty-eight thousand leagues in extent to the diamond base of the ground. Genuinely, I shall render honor. I shall totally consummate it.”
“Above as well, I will moisten this earth sphere to the limits of the oceans with the essential oil of the earth. I will make this great earth be imbued with radiant luster.”
“Then, on this planet Earth, the different kinds of grasses, bushes, medicinal herbs and forests will grow to be extremely lustrous. All varieties of parks, woods, stately trees, leaves, flowers, fruit and crops will become extremely lustrous, too. They will be endowed with intense fragrance, imbued completely with oils, and have a delicious taste. They will be gorgeous to behold. They will become very great in size.”
“The sentient beings will seek rich varieties of drink and food; and using these, their longevity, complexion, strength and sense-powers will flourish. Growing in majesty, strength and complexion, and possessing robust bodies, they will work to accomplish many hundreds of thousands of different kinds of various necessities on this earth. They will persevere. They will strive. They will perform actions that lend strength.”
“Lord Bhagavān, due to this cause, all of planet Earth will be at peace, have good crops, prosper, abide in the state of even-minded joy; and become full of sentient beings and humans. All beings on planet Earth will be happy; and shall experience all kinds of delight. These beings will have great charisma, strength, complexion and robust bodies.”
“For the sake of this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, I will go toward the monk, nun, layman or laywoman who upholds thisSovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, and who sits upon the Dharma seat. Having gone there, I will supplicate those expounders of the Dharma with an extremely lucid mind, for the sake of the welfare, benefit and happiness of all sentient beings; and so that this King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Lightwill be explained extensively, authentically and thoroughly.”
“Why is that? Because, Lord Bhagavān, if this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light is fully explained, then I, the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā, along with my attendants, will be endowed with utter majesty; and imbued with vigorous strength. In our bodies, strength, resilience and might will be generated. Our bodies will gain excellence, charisma and glory.”
“Lord Bhagavān, I, the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā, will be satisfied by this ambrosial nectar of Dharma. Upon attaining majesty, strength, resilience, power and great might, the vital essence of the earth will make this planet Earth, of seven thousand great grounds, prosper completely. The great Earth shall be imbued with majestic brilliance.”
“Lord Bhagavān, all the sentient beings, without exception, who depend on the Earth will expand in abundance and prosperity; and will broaden in extent, as well. Even as those sentient beings living on the Earth become great, they will experience a variety of enjoyments and delights. They will also experience bliss. For all of them, without exception, all kinds of food, drink, prepared food, clothes, bedding, seats, dwellings, houses, mansions, parks, rivers, ponds, springs, small lakes, large lakes, pools and all kinds of useful and pleasant things such as these will be experienced by those who abide on the Earth, who come from the Earth; who depend upon the Earth.”
“Lord Bhagavān, due to that cause, all those sentient beings will feel gratitude to me; and seeking to repay my kindness, will honor this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light; and will venerate it. They will treat it as a Guru. They will hold services for it. They will make offerings to it.”
“Lord Bhagavān, whenever those sentient beings go to be in the presence of the Dharma expounder, they will come out from their different families and different homes; and having gone there, they will listen to this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light. Having heard it, they will return to their own different families, homes, towns and villages. Those in their own households will say to one another these words: ‘Today, we listened to the Dharma, and heard the profound. Today, we hold a mass of positive potential, one beyond the reaches of thought. Through our act of listening to the Dharma, many hundreds of thousands of billions of Tathāgatas were delighted. Through our listening to the Dharma today, sentient beings will be totally freed from hell. They will be totally freed from animal rebirths, the world of Yama, and the spheres of ghosts. Through our listening to the Dharma today, in future times, for many hundreds of thousands of rebirths, we will take birth as gods and humans.’”
“They will converse like that. If those who reside in separate homes were to express to other sentient beings even just one example from the Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, or were to make other sentient beings hear just one chapter from the Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, one account of past events, the name of just one Bodhisattva, the name of one Tathāgata, just one stanza of four lines, or just a single word; or even if they were to fully teach to others even just the name of theSovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, or, Lord Bhagavān, if any of these different kinds of sentient beings in various kinds of places were to state to another being this Sūtra’s various lines of reasoning, such as these, one by one, make them hear them, or relate an account of them, then, Lord Bhagavān, all those places will become extremely lustrous; and extremely luminous. For the sake of all those areas on the Earth and their sentient beings, the various kinds of essential nutrients of the Earth, and all useful things, will grow profusely; they will increase fully and expand to the utmost. All living beings will, in turn, be in a state of wellness. They will have great wealth and great resources; and be inclined to generosity. They will have deep faith in the Triple Gem.”
She spoke those words; and the Bhagavān gave teaching to Dṛḍhā the Earth Goddess in the following words: “Earth Goddess, if any sentient being listens to even a single word from this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, then after dying and passing away from this human world, they will be born among the gods in the heaven of the thirty-three; and in other suitable heavens.”
“Earth Goddess, if any sentient beings, in order to make offerings to thisSovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, decorate their places elegantly, or even raise a single parasol, a single flag, or a single piece of cloth, then, Earth Goddess, those places which are constantly decorated will turn into immeasurable mansions, made of the seven precious materials, adorned with every ornament; amid the seven classes of gods in the desire realm. When those beings transmigrate from this world of humans, they will be born in those immeasurable mansions made of the seven precious materials; and at that time, Earth Goddess, those beings will be reborn, seven times, in each of theimmeasurable mansions made of the seven precious materials. They will experience
inconceivable divine bliss.”
He spoke those words, and the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā addressed the Bhagavān in the following words: “Lord Bhagavān, therefore I, the Earth Goddess, Dṛḍhā, will dwell in any of those regions of the Earth which abide under the Dharma seat, whenever the monk who expounds the Dharma arrives at the Dharma Throne. Always and ever, for the sake of those sentient beings who have planted roots of virtue under hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, so that this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light may last for a long time, and not disappear quickly on this planet Earth; so that sentient beings may also come to listen to this Sovereign King of Sūtra Teachings, the Transcendent Golden Light, so that in future times, for many hundreds of thousands of millions of eons, they may experience inconceivable bliss and associate with Tathāgatas; so that in future times they may attain the Unsurpassed, Perfectly Complete Awakening of Manifestly Complete Buddhahood; and so that the suffering of the sentient beings in the hells, places of animal rebirth, and the world of Yama may be completely cut off, I will arrive without the presence of a physical body; and I will support the feet of the monk who expounds the Dharma with my head: The transcendent appendage.”
Then the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā spoke in the following words: “Bhagavān, I have the heart-essence of a Mantra, one which brings benefit and happiness to all gods and humans. And if any male, female, or anyone among the fourfold retinue [of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen] wants to see me directly, desires wealth, precious jewels, gemstones and the like, wishes for long life through excellent medicine and freedom from illness, and aspires to banish all opposing enemies and all hostile forces, then they should construct a Maṇḍala in an isolated place, wash themselves, wear new clothes; and sit atop a grass carpet. Then, in front of a statue which has relics, or in front of a Stūpa which has relics, they should make offerings with all kinds of flowers, scents and food. And on the eighth day of the lunar month, in conjuction with the constellation Puṣya (skar ma rygal), they should recite this Dhāraṇī-Mantra with one-pointed mind; and I shall be summoned. The Mantra is as follows:
TADYATHĀ/ CILI CILI/ CURU CURU/ KURU KURU/ KUṬU KUṬU/ TOṬU TOṬU/ VAHA VAHA/ VARIŚE/ VARIŚE SVĀHĀ
[Tibetan pronunciation:
TADYATHĀ/ TSILI TSILI/ TSURU TSURU/ KURU KURU/ KUṬU KUṬU/ TOṬU TOṬU/ BAHA BAHA/ BARIŚE/ BARIŚE SWĀHĀ]
“Bhagavān, if anyone among the fourfold retinue [of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen], in order to summon me, recites these syllables of Mantra one hundred and eight (108) times, then I shall come before them.”
“Moreover, Bhagavān, if any sentient being seeks to meet and talk with me, then they should make arrangements in the manner of the previous ritual; and then recite this Mantra:
TADYATHĀ/ AÑCANI/ KYALI KṢANI/ ŚIŚI DHARI/ HA HA/ HI HI/ KURU VARE SVĀHĀ
[Tibetan pronunciation:
TAY-YATHĀ/ AÑTSANI/ KYALI KSHANI/ SHISHI DHARI/ HA HA/ HI HI/ KURU BARE SWĀHĀ]
“Bhagavān, if these syllables of Mantra are recited one hundred and eight (108) times, and if the previous Mantra is recited [also], then I shall reveal my body in front of that individual; and I will definitely bring their wishes to fulfillment.”
“In order to guard the bodies of whoever desires to recite the previous Mantra, I shall intone this Mantra:
TADYATHĀ/ ŚIRI ŚIRI/ VĀŚAKATI/ TATI/ KUṬṬI/ PŪTA/ PŪDERI/ PUDERIṬIṬE/ PUṬI KUKUṬI/ KAVACILI SVĀHĀ
[Tibetan pronunciation:
TAY-YATHĀ/ SHIRI SHIRI/ BĀSHAKATI/ TATI/ KUṬṬI/ PŪTA/ PŪDERI/ PUDERI ṬIṬE/ PUṬI KUKUṬI/ KABATSILI SWĀHĀ]
“Bhagavān, when this Dhāraṇī-Mantra is practiced, tie a knot with string of five colors for each time the Mantra is cast [recited]. Recite in such a way twenty-one (21) times. Thereafter, if it is fastened [the string of five colors] to one’s left shoulder, then all dangers will be dispelled; and one’s body will be guarded. If this Mantra is recited with an undistracted mind, then all wishes will be accomplished.”
“I pray that I, and these undeceiving words of mine, be beheld directly and considered by the Supreme Gem of the Buddha, the Supreme Gem of the Dharma, and the Supreme Gem of the Saṅgha.”
Then the Bhagavān bestowed a confirmation of excellence upon the Earth Goddess Dṛḍhā, by saying: “With respect to your endeavor to guard thisSovereign of Sūtra Teachings and the expounders of this Dharma by means of your true syllables of Mantra: Well done. Well done! And due to this, you too have been imbued with an immeasurable gathering of positive potential.”
FROM THE SOVEREIGN KING OF SŪTRA TEACHINGS, THE TRANSCENDENT GOLDEN LIGHT, THIS WAS THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER: ‘DṚḌHĀ, THE EARTH GODDESS’.
You can find the text at The Sūtra of Golden Light: The 29 Chapter Version, Chapter 18 – The Earth Goddess, Dṛḍhā
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