Summary

1.     The Buddha addresses Bodhisattvasamuccayā further:

a.     In the past, he was walking with the monks and at a grassy spot they took a seat, with the Buddha having a special seat prepared by Ānanda.

b.     The Buddha asked the monks if they want to see the relics of a Bodhisattva who practiced difficult acts, and the monks assented.

c.     After striking the earth with his hand it quaked in six ways and a stūpa arose. The Buddha asked Ānanda to open the stūpa. Ānanda opened the stūpa and there was a gold container inside covered with many jewels. Inside were six more containers. After opening all seven there were relics inside as white as snow.

d.     The Buddha declared that these are relics of a resolute bodhisattva and had the assembly pay homage to them.

2.     Ānanda asked how the Buddha can pay homage to relics if he has risen above the whole world: the Buddha replied that it is due to those bones that he awoke to full awakening:

                                               i.     In the past a powerful king called Mahāratha had three sons: Mahāpraṇāda, Mahādeva, and Mahāsattva.

                                             ii.     The three princes went to the Dvādaśavanagulma park for sport and while the first two were fearful, Mahāsattva rejoiced at the solitude of the opening in the forest.

                                            iii.     They there saw a tigress with five cubs who had given birth seven days ago, and she was extremely week with hunger and thirst. Mahāpraṇāda observed that if she did not find food soon, she would eat her cubs or die and that the only food that would satisfy her would be warm flesh and hot blood.

                                            iv.     Mahādeva observed that she cannot search for food in her condition, so who would sacrifice himself for saving her life?

3.     Mahāsattva observed that that is difficult for small-minded people, but for people devoted to the welfare of others, it is not difficult.

4.     Noble beings take up their bodies in the heavens and on earth after giving it up a hundred times for the sake of the life of others.

                                             v.     Mahāsattva decided it is time for him to sacrifice himself, as, for a long time, his impure body has been sustained by costly beds, clothes, vehicles, etc. Moreover, nothing can be gained from it as it is wholly impure, and so he will use it for a good act and as a boat for crossing saṃsāra. From sacrificing this body, he will obtain the Dharma-body, which is free of grief, changeless, and pure, with hundreds of flawless virtues.

                                            vi.     After asking his brothers to go off while he does his own business in the park, he went to the abode of the tigress, and laying aside his clothes, he resolved to sacrifice his body for the sake of awakening:

5.     He fell down before the tigress. At first she did nothing out of weakness. So, in lieu of a knife, he cut himself with a strong bamboo stick. When he fell on the earth it quaked, the sun stopped shining, and a rain of flowers with perfumes rained down.

                                          i.     The two other brothers, seeing the signs, became afraid, and went back to where the tigress was and saw bones filthy with blood and the clothing. After fainting on his bones, they eventually woke up and went back wondering what their parents would think.

                                         ii.     The servants saw only two princes and ran about in search of the prince panicking. The queen became terrified after dreaming of two young doves being terrified and one being eaten by a falcon. She was awakened by the earthquake and was told by a servant that it was heard that Mahāsattva had perished and grieved.

                                            iii.     The king comforted her and reassured her that he might be found, but after he saw only two princes returning, he too grieved.

                                             iv.     The king and queen questioned their two sons and after they related what had happened and brought them to the place, they too saw the bones and fainted. After reviving they again lamented. The queen blamed herself, thinking that her dream caused his death.

                                            v.     After taking off their ornaments they paid homage to the relics of their son and deposited them in this place.

a.     The Buddha tells Ānanda that it is not to be thought that Mahāsattva is any other than the Buddha, and that even when he had not fully awakened, he still helped the world with various acts—let alone now he will help the world.

b.     The Buddha then repeats the story in verse form. In the verse version, it relates that Mahāsattva fell down a mountain to feed the tigress and did not stab himself with bamboo.

6.     At the end, the Buddha reveals that:

a.     Mahāsattva was the Buddha.

b.     Mahāratha was Śuddhodana and the queen was Māyā.

c.     Mahāpraṇāda was Maitreya.

d.     Mahādeva was Mañjuśrī.

e.     Mahāprajāpati was the tigress.

f.      The five monks (first five?) were the cubs.

7.     The Buddha relates that they built the seven-jewelled stūpa on this spot for Mahāsattva and that he resolved when sacrificing his body to allow all beings to perform the acts of a Buddha.

8.     Innumerable beings aspired to attain Buddhahood there, which was the reason for the revelation of the stūpa, and it sank back into the earth.