Commentary on the Brahmajāla Sūtra: Lecture 222

The Roots of Goodness and Blessedness of King Boundless Renown

Original Text: Great King, in the immeasurable koṭis of nayutas of kalpas past, there was a wheel-turning king named Boundless Renown. He was rich and free, possessed great majestic virtue, and owned elephants, horses, chariots, and jeweled carriages. His supreme wheel-treasure was indestructible. He had drawn near to immeasurable buddhas, planting abundant roots of goodness at the feet of those buddhas. Whatever he wished for, he attained.

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, in the immeasurable, boundless kalpas of the past, there was a wheel-turning sage king named Boundless Renown. He was exceedingly rich and free, possessed great majestic power, owned elephants, horses, chariots, and carriages adorned with myriad jewels. His seven treasures were complete, and he possessed the supreme wheel-treasure that none could destroy. This King Boundless Renown had previously drawn near to and made offerings to immeasurable buddhas. At the feet of so many buddhas, he planted extremely abundant roots of goodness. Thus, through the karmic resonance of these roots of goodness and blessedness, whatever arose in his mind was accomplished; every thought was fulfilled.

The World-Honored One recounted this story to instruct and awaken King Śuddhodana, urging him not to cling to wealth, honor, or pleasure. He warned that those whose minds remain insatiable will inevitably face future calamity. The story illustrates the retribution of greedily clinging to the world without contentment and the consequences of an insatiable human heart. It truly proves that the human mind never knows satisfaction. Those who have not eradicated greed find it difficult to know moderation toward the five desires and six dusts. Even King Boundless Renown, who planted roots of goodness at the feet of immeasurable buddhas, was no exception.

The Indian phrase "koṭi nayuta kalpa" denotes an immensely long period of time. The formation, abiding, decay, and emptiness of one Earth constitute one great kalpa, equivalent to 80 times 16.8 million years. An immeasurable number of great kalpas ago, there lived a wheel-turning king named Boundless Renown. Wheel-turning kings are of four types: gold-wheel kings, silver-wheel kings, copper-wheel kings, and iron-wheel kings. The lowest-ranking iron-wheel king rules only one continent, such as Jambudvīpa (the southern continent) or Pūrvavideha (the eastern continent). A copper-wheel king rules two continents; a silver-wheel king rules three; a gold-wheel king rules all four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru. Every Mount Sumeru in all minor world systems is surrounded by these four continents. Our Sahā World contains one billion Mount Sumerus. Thus, in the trichiliocosm of Śākyamuni Buddha’s Sahā World, there are one billion Earths, one billion Jambudvīpas, one billion Pūrvavidehas, one billion Aparagodānīyas (western continents), and one billion Uttarakurus (northern continents). Consequently, there would be one billion gold-wheel kings, while copper-wheel and iron-wheel kings would number even more. The karmic rewards attained by these wheel-turning sage kings all resulted from making offerings to immeasurable tens of millions of buddhas. This is the worldly blessedness of conventional truth.

Wheel-turning kings are immensely wealthy, free, and powerful, possessing great majestic virtue. They own the seven treasures: the elephant-treasure, horse-treasure, chariot-treasure, jewel-treasure, and others, including jeweled carriages. A gold-wheel king’s blessedness enables him to ascend a seven-treasure carriage and instantly travel from Jambudvīpa on Earth to other continents, even reaching the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to meet Śakra, the Lord of Devas. Whatever he desires, he attains—within the bounds of the material realm of the desire realm.