Explanation of the Mahayana Vijñāna Manifestation Sūtra

Original text: The Buddha saw Bhadrapāla and emitted light from his entire body, illuminating Bhadrapāla. At that moment, Bhadrapāla attained fearlessness. He circumambulated the Buddha three times clockwise, prostrated at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha, saying: “I beseech the World-Honored One, out of compassion, to instruct me. I have now, for the first time in the Buddha’s presence, attained pure faith. My mind yearns for the wondrous Dharma and wishes to ask a question. Yet I have long dwelt in the cycle of birth and death, drowning in the suffering of afflictions. My thoughts are confused and disordered, lacking the subtle aid of pure action in precepts and other practices. Although my mind feels a profound and rare earnestness, I now do not know how to transcend this state of ignorance, confusion, and entanglement of doubts, how to cross over and be liberated from birth and death. The World-Honored One is the All-Knowing One, who sees all-pervasively. The appearance of a Buddha is extremely rare, an encounter most difficult to meet, like a wish-fulfilling jewel granting joy to sentient beings. The Buddha is the great wish-fulfilling jewel. All sentient beings solely rely upon the Buddha to attain great peace and happiness. He is the great parent, the source of goodness for sentient beings. It is through the Buddha, our parent, that sentient beings see the right path. I beseech you, out of compassion, to dispel my doubts and illuminate my darkness.”

The Buddha said to Bhadrapāla, “You have doubts; ask freely as you wish. I shall explain and elucidate them for you in detail.” Then Bhadrapāla, having received the Buddha’s permission to ask, focused his mind to inquire and stood to one side.

Explanation: After the Buddha saw the Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla, he emitted light from his entire body, shining upon Bhadrapāla. The Buddha emitted light with a purpose: to encourage Bhadrapāla to request the Dharma from the Buddha, enabling Bhadrapāla to be fearless so he could pose questions and request the Dharma before the Buddha. Because once he raised his question, the Buddha, using this as the cause and condition, could then expound a sublime and profound great Dharma. Sometimes, when the Buddha wished to teach a certain Dharma but no one requested it—lacking cause and condition—the Buddha could not teach it. Therefore, the World-Honored One would intentionally prompt a certain person, causing them to generate doubt, which would then lead them to request the Dharma and pose a question. The Buddha would then expound a Buddhist scripture based on the question raised. Having received the Buddha’s blessing, Bhadrapāla circumambulated the Buddha three times clockwise to show reverence and respect for the Buddha. Then, prostrating at the Buddha’s feet, he began to ask his question and request the Dharma.

The faith sentient beings have in the Buddha can be either impure or pure. Beginners in the Buddha Dharma have impure faith in the Buddha. How is it impure? They have superstitious faith in the Buddha, seeking something from the Buddha. They do not yet understand the Buddha’s virtues, his great supernatural power and wisdom, or any of his qualities. Therefore, they cannot generate pure faith; their minds still harbor many doubts, so it is not called pure faith. After the Buddha emitted light from his entire body, illuminating Bhadrapāla, Bhadrapāla then generated pure faith in the Buddha Dharma. His mind then wished to hear the Buddha expound the wondrous Dharma and desired to inquire about the Buddha Dharma.