Easter comes and goes . . . Passover . . . Ramadan . . . Thanksgiving . . . Christmas . . . New Years . . . Celebrations . . . and each day The Threefold Lotus Sutra is here, a steady spiritual guide toward building confidence, freedom from suffering. That’s what Ancestral Well is all  about, the teachings of the Buddha and you are free to go there any time. Today’s post, Stories from the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 6, Prediction. Not the most exciting chapter in the Lotus, unless one realizes these predictions of becoming buddhas in future worlds suggest such predictions apply to all who devote themselves to attain the Buddha-way and awaken to the reality of all existence, the Buddha-wisdom.

6 – Prediction

the buddha announces the future destinies of four disciples, encouraging them, as he has Shariputra, to continue in the path to enlightenment.

  First Maha-Kashyapa who “in the world to come shall do homage to three hundred myriad, countless of world-honored buddhas, serving, revering, honoring, and extolling them and widely proclaiming the infinite great Law of the buddhas.

  “In his final bodily state he will become a buddha whose name will be called Radiance Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Living Beings, Buddha, World-honored One, whose domain is named Radiant Virtue, and whose kalpa is named Great Magnificence. . . His domain will be beautiful . . . its land will be level and straight . . . its ground of lapis lazuli, lines of jewel trees, golden cords to bound the ways, strewn with precious flowers, and purity reigning everywhere. In that domain the bodhisattvas will be infinite and countless, with shravakas numberless. No Mara deeds will be there, and though there are Mara and Mara’s people, they all will protect the Buddha-law.”

  In verse, the Buddha expands on his prediction of enlightenment for Maha-Kashyapa “in the world to come.”

  “. . .  for the sake of the Buddha-wisdom
he will purely practice the brahma-life.
Serving the highest
and most honored of living beings,
putting into practice all
the peerless wisdom,
and in his final bodily state
become a buddha.
His land will be pure,
with lapis lazuli for ground,
abundance of jewel trees
lining the roadside,
golden cords to bound the way,
rejoicing the beholders,
ever-pervading fragrance,
rare flowers strewn everywhere,
every kind of rarity
adding to its splendor.

“. . . Many bodhisattvas of untold number
and gentle mind,
will attain great transcendent powers
and reverently keep the buddha’s
great-vehicle sutras.
His multitude of shravakas
of faultless final form,
sons and daughters of the law-king,
will be beyond count;
even the eyes of the gods
cannot know their number. . .
such will be the history of
the Radiant World-honored One.”

  Maha-Maudgalyayana, Subhuti, Maha-Katyayana, and others all trembling, fold their hands with one mind, and gazing into the World-honored One’s face, not for an instant lowering their eyes, with united voice ask that the Buddha out of compassion for them, grant them “the Buddha-announcement.” If the Buddha predicts their future destinies, “it will be like pouring sweet dew. . .”

  The Buddha then predicts the future destiny of the wisdom-destined Subhuti, who in the Diamond Sutra is called one who is “first among those who abide in peace, free from strife and passion, who does not abide anywhere, and therefore is called one who abides in peace,” In this sutra he is predicted in the world to come, a buddha whose title will be Name Form Tathagata, whose kalpa is named Possessing Jewels, and whose domain is named Jewel Producing. “That buddha will always dwell in the empyrean, preaching the law to living beings and delivering innumerable bodhisattvas and shravakas.”

  Note in all the four predictions, the ten powers of the Buddha are declared: “Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Living Beings, Buddha, World-honored One.”

  Announcement of predictions continues with Maha-Katyayana who will become a buddha “whose title will be Jambunada Golden Light, as the Luster of the Jambu River. . . His land will be level and straight with crystal for ground, adorned with jewel trees, with golden cords to bound the way, its ground covered with wonderful flowers, and purity reigning everywhere so that the beholders rejoice.”

  Follows the prediction of Maha-Maudgalyayana “whose title will be Tamalapattra Sandalwood Fragrance. . . His kalpa will be named Joyful and his domain Glad Mind. Its land will be level and straight, with crystal for ground, adorned with jewel trees, strewn with pearly flowers, and purity reigning everywhere, so that beholders rejoice. There will be gods, living beings, bodhisattvas, and shravakas, countless in number. . .”

  Predictions for these four disciples are repeated in lengthy verses in glowing terms. 

  Anticipating the next teaching, the Buddha alerts those present:

“You my disciples of perfect powers,
five hundred in number,
all will receive their prediction
to become buddhas
in the world to come.
Of my and your
development in previous worlds
I will now make declaration.
Do you all listen well!"