The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1)

Mahāyāna · longevity scripture · Toh 849

Fresh silver-green shoots growing from an ancient olive tree.

The Noble Mahāyāna

Sūtra of Aparimitāyurjñāna

⁴²Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, with a great saṅgha of bhikṣus comprised of 1,250 bhikṣus, and with a great number of bodhisattva mahāsattvas.

Then the Bhagavān said to Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, “Mañjuśrī, in the upward direction there is a universe named Aparimitaguṇasaṃcaya.⁴³ There, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened buddha Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja ⁴⁴ resides and remains, sustaining and extending life to its very limit,⁴⁵ teaching the Dharma to beings.

“Listen, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, the lives of humans in this Jambudvīpa are short; their lifespan is no more than a hundred years, and most of them are seen to have premature deaths. Mañjuśrī, those beings who will write out or cause to be written out this Dharma discourse called ‘Uttering the Praise of the Qualities⁴⁶ of the Tathāgata Aparimitāyus,’⁴⁷ and even those who hear or recite its title only, up to those who write a copy, keep it at home, and offer flowers, perfume, incense, and garlands to it,⁴⁸ will, when their lifespan is ending, still be able to live to a hundred years.

“Mañjuśrī, the lifespan of beings who hear⁴⁹ the one hundred and eight names⁵⁰ of the tathāgata Aparimitāyurjñānasuviniścitatejorāja will be lengthened. Those beings whose lifespan is coming to an end, who keep⁵¹ those names, will also have their lifespan lengthened.

“Therefore, Mañjuśrī, the noble sons or noble daughters who wish to have long lives, and who hear, write, or cause to be written⁵² the one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata Aparimitāyus, will obtain these qualities and benefits.

oṁ namo bhagavate aparimitāyurjñāna-suviniścita-tejorājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya | tadyathā | oṁ puṇye puṇye mahāpuṇye⁵³ aparimitapuṇye aparimitapuṇya-jñāna- saṃbhāropacite | oṁ sarva-saṃskāra-pariśuddha-dharmate gagana-samudgate svabhāva-viśuddhe mahānaya-parivāre svāhā |⁵⁴

“Mañjuśrī, those who write or cause to be written these one hundred and eight names of the tathāgata, who make a text of them, keep it at home, and recite it, when their lifespan is coming to an end they will still be able to live to a hundred years. When they pass away from this world, they will be reborn in the buddha realm of the tathāgata Aparimitāyus named Aparimitaguṇasaṃcaya.”⁵⁵

oṁ namo bhagavate aparimitāyurjñāna-suviniścita-tejorājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya | tadyathā | oṁ puṇye puṇye mahāpuṇye aparimitapuṇye aparimitapuṇya-jñāna-saṃbhāropacite | oṁ sarva-saṃskāra-pariśuddha-dharmate gagana-samudgate svabhāva-viśuddhe mahānaya-parivāre svāhā |

Then at that time nine hundred ninety million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.⁵⁶

Then at that time eight hundred forty million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time seven hundred seventy million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time six hundred fifty million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time five hundred fifty million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time four hundred fifty million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time three hundred sixty million⁵⁷ buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time two hundred fifty million buddhas, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Then at that time tens of millions of buddhas, as many as there are grains of sand in ten Ganges Rivers, with a single intention and a single voice, uttered this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Whoever writes or causes to be written⁵⁸ this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, when their lifespan is coming to an end, will still be able to live to a hundred years and their lifespan will be lengthened.

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will never be born among hell beings, in the womb of an animal, or in Yama’s realm. They will never have an unfortunate rebirth. Wherever they are reborn, in each rebirth they will remember their previous lifetimes.

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will cause the whole collection of eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings to be written.

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will cause the practice and the continuation of the whole collection of eighty-four thousand Dharma teachings.⁵⁹

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be purified even of having committed the five karmas that have immediate result at death.⁶⁰

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be purified of their accumulation of bad karma, even if it is the size of Mount Sumeru.⁶¹

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be invulnerable to any harm that Māra, Māra’s gods, yakṣas, or rākṣasas may look to inflict.

When whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra dies, nine hundred ninety million buddhas will give them prophecies in person,⁶² and a thousand buddhas will extend their hands to them. They will go from buddha realm to buddha realm. Have no doubt, hesitation, or uncertainty about this.⁶³

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be followed by the four Mahārājas, who will guard, protect, and hide them.

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will be reborn in the world of Sukhāvatī, the buddha realm of the tathāgata Amitābha.

Wherever this precious sūtra ⁶⁴ is written or caused to be written,⁶⁵ that place will be a stūpa ⁶⁶ and worthy of veneration. Those birds and animals born in the animal realm who happen to hear this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will all become perfectly awakened in the highest, most complete awakening.

Whoever writes or causes to be written this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will never be reborn in a female state.

Whoever makes a gift of even a single kārṣāpaṇa coin⁶⁷ with regard to this Dharma discourse, the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra, will have made a gift of the whole trichiliocosm filled with the seven jewels.

Whoever makes an offering to this Dharma discourse ⁶⁸ will have made an offering to the entirety of the good Dharma.⁶⁹

As a comparison, it is possible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from making offerings of the seven jewels to the tathāgatas Vipaśyin, Śikhin, Viśvabhu, Krakucchanda,⁷⁰ Kanakamuni, Kāśyapa, Śākyamuni, and so on, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.⁷¹

As a comparison, it is possible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from making a gift of a heap of jewels as high as Sumeru, the king of mountains,⁷² but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.⁷³

As a comparison, it is possible to count each drop that makes up all the water in the four great oceans, but it is impossible to calculate the extent of the accumulation of merit that comes from the Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra.

Whoever writes or causes to be written, honors,⁷⁴ and makes offerings to this Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra will have paid homage and made offerings to all tathāgatas in all the buddha realms in the ten directions.

⁷⁵The Buddha has risen high through the power of generosity,

The lion among men has realized the power of generosity,

And upon the compassionate one’s entry into his city⁷⁶

The resounding⁷⁷ of the power of generosity is heard.

The Buddha has risen high through the power of good conduct,

The lion among men has realized the power of good conduct,