The mother of Bright Eyes is now Liberation Bodhisattva. Bright Eyes herself is now Earth Store Bodhisattva. He has been extending His compassion and sympathy like that, from distant eons onward, by making vows as many as Ganges' sands to rescue vast numbers of beings.
"The arhat took pity on Bright Eyes and used an expedient device. He urged Bright Eyes, saying, 'With sincere resolve, be mindful of Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One.'" Meaning the Buddha. "'And also make carved and painted images of Him. By doing so, both the living and the dead will be rewarded.'" That Buddha was still in the world, right? Yeah, yeah. So this is one of His disciples. This arhat was the disciple of Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One, when He was in the world, in this world. Manifested in the world. So, "Bright Eyes heard that, quickly renounced everything she loved, and swiftly commissioned painted images of the Buddha. Then she made offerings before them. The reverence she felt moved her to tears and she wept in grief as she beheld and bowed to the Buddha. Suddenly, near the end of the night, in a dream she saw that Buddha's body, dazzling gold in color, and as large as Mount Sumeru," the big mountain in India, "Emitting great Light, He said …" The Buddha in the vision, said to Bright Eyes, "'Your mother will be born in your household before long, and as soon as that infant can feel hunger and cold, it will speak.'" Means just born and will speak again. "Shortly thereafter, a maidservant in the house bore a son who spoke before he was three days old." I ask you again, how come all the miracles happen in India? Same one before, right?
"Lowering his head and weeping, he said to Bright Eyes, the servant's son. ‘The karmic conditions we create during our lives and deaths result in retributions that we ourselves must undergo. I was your mother and have been in darkness for a long, long time. Since you and I parted, I have repeatedly fallen into the great hells. Upon receiving the power of your blessings, I have gained rebirth as a servant's child with a short lifespan.'" Meaning he is going to die soon. "'Thirteen years from now, I will fall into the evil paths again. Do you have some way to free me so that I can avoid them?'" Meaning, although she has been rescued and reborn as a human child again, but after she dies, at 13 years of age, she will go back to hell again, if nothing changes in between. At least she's given a chance. So maybe she can change. Because human's life is precious. Only in human life you can change your destiny easier. If you're in hell, then it's impossible. If you're in animals' kingdom, also very difficult.
"When Bright Eyes heard those words, she knew without a doubt that they were her mother's. Choked with emotion and sobs, she said to the servant's child, 'Since you were my mother, you should know your own past offenses. What karma did you create that caused you to fall into the evil paths?'" Meaning to hell. "The maid servant's child answered, 'I am undergoing retribution for two kinds of karma: first, killing; second, slandering. Had I not received the blessings you earned to rescue me from hell, I would not yet be released from that karma.'" Wow. This is really filial to mother by doing this. "So Bright Eyes asked, 'What happens in the hells when beings undergo retributions for their offenses?' The maid servant's son, servant's baby, answered …Three days old, and talking. "The maid servant's son answered, 'I can't bear to speak of the ways in which beings suffer for their sins. Even if I lived for a hundred thousand years, I would find it hard to talk about and finish it.' When Bright Eyes heard that, she wept bitterly, and spoke into space saying, 'I vow that my mother will be released from the hells forever. At the end of these 13 years, she will be finished with her heavy offenses.'" Means sins, karma. "'And will not go back to the evil paths, evil places.'" Meaning hell.
"'Oh Buddhas of the ten directions, with your compassion and sympathy, please listen to the vast and mighty vow that I am making for the sake of my mother. If my mother will never again enter the three evil paths,'" means lower birth, suffering birth, also including hells. "'Never again be born into low stations, then here before the image of Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Comes One, I vow that from this day on, throughout billions of eons, I will respond to all beings who are undergoing suffering for their offenses in the hells, or the three evil paths of any world.'" Means the whole universe. Wow, what a great vow! "'I vow to rescue them from the bad destinies of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and the like. Only after beings with such retributions have all become Buddhas will I myself achieve proper enlightenment.'" What a great vow! "After making that vow, she clearly heard Pure-Lotus-Eyes Thus Come One say to her, 'Bright Eyes, your own great compassion and sympathy is well extended to your mother by this mighty vow that you are making.'" Just to rescue her mother. What a daughter! "'My contemplation shows me that after 13 years, your mother will be finished with this retribution, and will be born a Brahmin with a lifespan of 100 years.'" Brahmin, first caste of India. "'After that retribution, she will be born in the Land of No Concern with a lifespan of uncountable eons.'" Wow! That means in that land you don't worry about anything. You'll be happy, have no concern, no worry. "'Later, she will realize the fruition of Buddhahood and cross over people,'" meaning liberate, "'… people and gods numbering as sand grains in the Ganges.'" The mother will also become Bodhisattva or Buddha kind. Yeah, to realize the fruition of Buddhahood means she became Buddha, the mother herself.
"Shakyamuni Buddha told Samadhi Self-Mastery King, 'The arhat whose blessings helped Bright Eyes then, is now Inexhaustible Intention Bodhisattva. The mother of Bright Eyes is now Liberation Bodhisattva. Bright Eyes herself is now Earth Store Bodhisattva. He has been extending His compassion and sympathy like that, from distant eons onward, by making vows as many as Ganges' sands to rescue vast numbers of beings.'" Meaning He makes the vow again and again, the same one, to rescue others before He becomes Buddha. "But now the Shakyamuni Buddha told Him before, 'If you rescue as many beings as you can, until that and that Buddha comes out, then I will also certify you as Buddha again.'" So it's not limitless now. He will become Buddha. Maybe eons of eons of eons, eons of eons of eons later. My God! What a patience! "Men and women in the future may fail to do good deeds, and only do evil; may not believe in cause and effect; may indulge in sexual misconduct and false speech; may use divisive and harsh speech; and may slander the Great Vehicle.
“Beings with karma like that should certainly fall into bad destinies. But if they encounter good and wise advisers who exhort them and lead them quickly to take refuge with the Earth Store Bodhisattva, those beings will just as quickly be released from their retributions in the three evil paths. If those beings are resolved and respectful, if they behold, bow to, and praise the Bodhisattva, and if they make offerings of flowers, incense, clothing, jewels, food and drink to Him, they will enjoy supremely wonderful bliss in the Heavens for billions of eons. When their blessing in Heaven ends and they are born as humans, they will have the potential to be leaders of nations throughout billions of eons, who are able to remember all aspects of causes and effects from previous lives." Wow, what a blessing! "Oh, Samadhi Self-Mastery King, Earth Store Bodhisattva has such inconceivable, great, awesome spiritual power that He uses expansively for the benefit of all beings. All of you Bodhisattvas should remember this sutra." This story. "And proclaim and widely spread it." "Samadhi Self-Mastery King said to the Buddha, 'World Honored One, please do not be concerned. We billions of bodhisattva mahasattvas, based on the Buddha's awesome spiritual strength, will certainly proclaim this sutra widely throughout Jambudvipa for the benefit of beings.'" This planet.
"Having spoken thus to the World Honored One, Samadhi Self-Mastery King Bodhisattva put his palms together, respectfully bowed, and withdrew. At that time, the Four Heavenly Kings arose from their seats, put their palms together respectfully and said to the Buddha, 'World Honored One, Earth Store Bodhisattva has been making such great vows from distant eons onward, why is it that up to now He has not yet finished taking beings across?'" Means liberating more beings. What kind of question? Even you can answer. No need to ask Buddha, right? What would you say? (Could say that He wants to still save everyone.) He wants to save beings. What would you answer? Yeah. (He is a saint. He wants to save more.) He wants to continue saving beings. (So many beings.) Yeah, that's correct. Too many. (So many. He wants, but …) Yeah. And then they sin again and again. And then children are born again and grandchildren and all that. "'And why does He continue to renew His vast and mighty vows? Please, World Honored One, explain that for us.'" The Four Heavenly Kings don't know this? I wonder. So heavenly kings are not all that great. Maybe they know, but they want to ask for the sake of others around there, and also for beings on this planet. Maybe they know, but they just ask for the sake of others who don't know, like the ghosts. The assembly is great with all kinds of mixed beings, right? Not just kings of Heavens, but ghosts, asuras, yaksa kings, all that.
"The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings, 'Excellent, excellent! Now to bring benefit to you, and to extend that benefit to people and gods of the present and future, I will speak about how Earth Store Bodhisattva uses His compassion and sympathy within the path of birth and death in Jambudvipa, in the Saha world, to rescue, take across, and liberate beings who are undergoing sufferings for their offenses.' The Four Heavenly Kings replied, 'Please, World Honored One, we would like to hear about his work.' The Buddha told the Four Heavenly Kings thus, 'From distant eons onward to the present, Earth Store Bodhisattva has been taking across and liberating numerous beings. Since what He vows to do is still not finished, He continues with compassion and sympathy to help beings suffering for their offenses in this world. Moreover, He sees the ceaseless tangle of their causes extending on through infinite future eons. Because of that, He renews His vows again. Thus, in this Saha world, on the continent of Jambudvipa, this Bodhisattva teaches and transforms beings by means of billions of expedient devices.'" He uses countless means to help them. Oh, my God. More? More or less one more page.
"Four Heavenly Kings, listen well. To the killers, Earth Store Bodhisattva says that short lifespans will be the retribution. To robbers, He says that poverty and acute suffering of shortage of necessities will be the retribution. To those who indulge in improper sex, He says that rebirth as the pigeons or mandarin drakes," what is that? "or ducks, will be the retribution. To those who use harsh speech, He says that quarrelling families will be the retribution. To those who slander, He says that being tongueless and having cankerous mouth, will be the retribution." This is the slander of normal beings, each other. But if slander of the Buddha, then it's not like this. You go to forever hell, you knew already. "To the hateful, He says that being ugly and crippled will be the retribution. To the stingy, He says that not getting what they seek will be the retribution. To the gluttons," means greedy to eat, "He says that hunger, thirst and sickness of the throat will be the retribution." Lemon juice, good for the voice. "To those who oppose their parents, He says that being killed in natural disasters will be the retribution." Just to oppose your parents. Make them sad and feeling hurt, when the children are disobedient, and do bad things. So you will die in natural disasters.
