Lectures on the Sutra of the Father-Son Compendium, Part 2

King Śuddhodana Praises the Rarity and Difficulty of Encountering the Buddha-Dharma

At that time, King Śuddhodana, along with his retinue and family members, witnessed the kings of the Asuras, as well as heretical Brahmins, receiving predictions of Buddhahood from the Buddha. They gave rise to a mind of profound rarity and exclaimed that they had never witnessed such an event. The World-Honored One's voice was exquisitely beautiful and crystal clear. All beings in the world rejoiced upon hearing it. At that moment, King Śuddhodana, seeing the Tathāgata for the first time, felt deep affection and heartfelt devotion due to his loving attachment.

At that time, the World-Honored One, knowing the thoughts in his father’s mind, addressed him: "Great King, the Dharma I expound is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end. Its meaning is profound and skillful, pure and of one mark. It perfects the pure practice. What I am now teaching is called the Dharma gate of differentiating the distinctions and stages of the six realms. You should listen attentively, O King, and contemplate it well." King Śuddhodana then said to the Buddha, "Excellent, World-Honored One! I joyfully wish to hear it. Please expound it for me. I will remember, uphold, believe, and accept it."

Explanation: King Śuddhodana, along with his family members, retinue, and close ministers present at this Dharma assembly, saw the World-Honored One conferring predictions of Buddhahood even upon the kings of the Asuras and some heretical Brahmins. They gave rise to a mind of profound rarity, praising that they had never encountered such a supremely magnificent assembly. The World-Honored One’s voice while expounding the Dharma was so exquisitely clear that all worldly beings felt joy and delight upon hearing it. Because King Śuddhodana had just seen the World-Honored One, his heart still held affection for his former son, and his emotions remained deeply tender.

At that time, the World-Honored One knew the longing thoughts in his father’s mind and said to King Śuddhodana: "Great King, the Dharma I expound—from the beginning, through the middle, to the end—is entirely virtuous in its principles, profoundly skillful. Through various parables, sentient beings are able to understand, believe, and accept it. It is entirely of a pure mark, perfecting the pure practice. What I am now teaching is precisely the Dharma gate of differentiating the distinctions and stages of the six realms. You should listen carefully, O King, and skillfully contemplate these Dharma principles." King Śuddhodana then said to the World-Honored One: "Excellent! World-Honored One, I greatly wish to hear the Tathāgata expound it for me. I will commit it to memory and faithfully accept and practice it."

At this assembly, the rulers of the six heavens of the desire realm, the eighteen heavens of the form realm, and the four heavens of the formless realm—twenty-eight heavens in total—along with non-human beings, all received predictions of Buddhahood from the Buddha. King Śuddhodana, seeing the Buddha confer predictions upon so many humans, non-humans, and even heretics, exclaimed that he had never before heard of or witnessed such an event, praising its rarity and the difficulty of encountering it.