Lotus Sutra

Comparing two translations of the Lotus Sutra: the 84000 translation from the Tibetan, and the BDK translation from the Chinese.

Chapter 11

Chinese	Tibetan
At that time there appeared before the Buddha a seven-jeweled stupa, five hundred yojanas in height and two hundred and fifty yojanas both in length and width, which emerged from the ground and hovered in the air. It was adorned with various jewels, had five thousand railings, and thousands of myriads of chambers. It was decorated with innumerable flags and banners and hanging jeweled necklaces, and myriads of koṭis of jeweled bells hung from the top. The fragrance of tamāla leaves and sandalwood trees exuded from all sides of the stupa, covering the world. The banners and umbrellas were composed of the seven jewels such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl, agate, pearl, and ruby; and they rose as high as the palaces of the world-protectors of the four quarters.	Then a stūpa made of the seven precious materials arose from the center of the assembly, directly in front of the Bhagavān. It was five hundred yojanas tall and of a corresponding circumference. Having risen up, it remained suspended in the air, bright and beautiful, adorned with five thousand encircling railings358 covered in flowers, and beautified by many thousands of toraṇas, hung with thousands of sacred flags and banners of victory, [F.89.a] hung with thousands of strings of jewels, hung with thousands of streamers and bells, and emitting the aroma of bay leaves and sandalwood. That aroma spread throughout the entire all-containing world. Its crowning parasol reached as high as the palaces in the paradises of the Four Mahārājas. It was made of the seven precious materials, which are gold, silver, beryl, white coral, emerald, red pearl, and chrysoberyl.
The thirty-three devas rained down heavenly māndārava flowers in homage to the jeweled stupa. The other thousands of myriads of koṭis of humans, and such nonhumans as devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and maho ragas also respected, honored, revered, and praised the precious stupa by offering all kinds of flowers, perfumes, necklaces, flags, banners, and music.	At the stūpa, devas of the Trāyastriṃśa paradise scattered coral tree and great coral tree flowers on the precious stūpa, bestrewing it with them, and covering it with them.
Then a tremendous voice issued forth in praise from the jeweled stupa, saying: “Splendid, splendid! O Śākyamuni! The Bhagavat teaches the Lotus Sutra to the great assembly: the instruction for bodhisattvas and treasured lore of the buddhas, which is the wisdom attainable by every sentient being! Just so! Just so, O Śākyamuni Bhagavat! What you teach is true!”	These words came from the precious stūpa:359 “The tathāgatas have no thinking, no thoughts, and manifest all modes of conducts. The tathāgatas do not originate from skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas. They do not come into being from karma, kleśas, parents, and the primary elements. They have no connection with flesh, blood, and veins. They have no inhalation, no exhalation, and no connection with life. The tathāgatas are the same as space; they are not permanent and not impermanent. However, the tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, who passed into nirvāṇa many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of eons ago, who is free of thoughts and ideas, is seen for the sake of beings, through the power of his previous prayers, in order that the Dharma be heard and in order to ripen beings, but the body of the Tathāgata is without the slightest thought. The tathāgatas do not speak even a single syllable. The beings who are guided360 hear the teaching of the Dharma from the tathāgatas in accord with their individual natures and their individual aspirations. A tathāgata is the true nature, [F.89.b] and that true nature is the limit of reality. That limit of reality is the essence of phenomena. That true nature, limit of reality, and essence of phenomena is the Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. When the completely pure tathāgatas come, are seen, and speak, through the power of their previous prayers they teach the great skillful method of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma to completely pure beings.” Then the precious stūpa also said:361 “It is excellent, excellent, Bhagavān Śākyamuni, that you have taught well the Dharma teaching The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. It is thus, Bhagavān. It is thus, Sugata!” Those are the words that were emitted.
Thereupon the fourfold assembly saw the great jeweled stupa hovering in the air and also heard the voice that issued forth from the stupa. They all were pleased with the teaching and marveled at this unprecedented experience. They stood up from their seats, honored Śākyamuni with their palms pressed together, and withdrew to one side.	The fourfold assembly became happy, delighted, joyful, and overjoyed on seeing that precious stūpa that remained suspended in the air. At that time they rose from their seats and stood with palms together in homage.
At that time there was a bodhisattva mahāsattva called Mahāpratibhāna who, realizing that the devas, humans, and asuras of the entire world were puzzled, addressed the Buddha saying: “O Bhagavat! Why has this jeweled stupa emerged from the earth? And why has this voice come forth from it?”	At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva named Mahāpratibhāna, seeing that the world with its devas, humans, and asuras was astonished, asked the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān, what is the cause of the appearance of such a great precious stūpa as this? What are the conditions for its appearance? Bhagavān, who uttered the words that came from this great precious stūpa?”
Then the Buddha told Bodhisattva Mahāpratibhāna: “The Tathāgata is in this jeweled stupa. In the remote past, immeasurable, incalculable thousands of myriads of koṭis of worlds away in the east there was a land called Ratnaviśuddha. In that land there was a buddha called Prabhūtaratna. When this buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path in his previous lives he made a great vow, saying: ‘If I become a buddha, after my parinirvāṇa if the Lotus Sutra is being taught anywhere in all the lands of the ten directions, my stupa shall appear there so that this sutra may be heard, and in order that I may bear testimony to it and praise it with the word “Splendid!”’	The Bhagavān said to the bodhisattva mahāsattva Mahāpratibhāna, “Mahāpratibhāna, inside this great precious stūpa there is the complete body of a tathāgata. This is his stūpa. He uttered those words. “Mahāpratibhāna, in the eastern direction, beyond countless thousands362 of worlds, [F.90.a] there is a world named Ratnaviśuddhā. In that realm there appeared the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna. That bhagavān made a prayer. He said, ‘In the past when I was practicing bodhisattva conduct, the highest, complete enlightenment did not arise while I had not heard the instruction to bodhisattvas, the Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma. After I had heard this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, I attained the highest, complete enlightenment.’363 Mahāpratibhāna, when the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna was about to pass into nirvāṇa, he said to the world and its devas who were before him, ‘Bhikṣus, when I have passed into nirvāṇa, a great precious stūpa that contains my body should be made.’ Mahāpratibhāna, then the tathāgata, the arhat, the perfectly enlightened buddha Prabhūtaratna made this resolution:364 ‘This stūpa that is mine, the stūpa that contains my body, may it appear within the buddha realms in world realms in the ten directions wherever this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma will be taught. When those buddha bhagavāns are giving this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, may it be suspended in the air above the circle of the assembly. May the stūpa that contains my body congratulate the Buddha Bhagavān who is giving this Dharma teaching of The White Lotus of the Good Dharma.’ [F.90.b]