Praise Him, the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Complete Buddha!

The Sage of Vedeha, his body bent, asked
the Thus-Gone-One dwelling in Jetavana,
“Indeed there are those called Omniscient Buddhas;
through what causes do they become so, Hero?”

Then spoke the Omniscient, Outstanding, Great Sage,
to lucky Ānanda with his honeyed voice,
“Who performed service among former Buddhas,
but didn’t get freed in their dispensations,

because that is the means to awaken, wise,
they with sharp knowing, through knowledge and power,
because of their wishes and also great strength,
do come to attain that state of omniscience.

I too among former Buddhas
did wish to become a Buddha.
Through my mind alone there were
innumerable Dhamma-kings.”

Now listen, with purified minds,
to the legends of the Buddhas,
innumerable Dhamma-kings
who fulfilled thirty perfections.

I worshipped them bowing my head,
having praised with ten fingers pressed,
those World-Chiefs with followers and
the Best Buddhas’ Awakening.

I brought it all forth with my mind:
things on the ground and in the sky,
uncountable as are the gems
found in the fields of the Buddhas.

I created a palace there,
with a floor made out of silver.
Various floors made out of gems
arose and stretched up toward the sky.

There were varied well-made pillars,
well-proportioned, very costly.
The central beam was made of gold,
the gate was canopy-adorned.

The first floor, lapis lazuli,
was lovely as a stainless cloud.
Lotus ponds were scattered about
on a floor made of superb gold.

A coral floor, coral-colored,
was red and very beautiful;
that floor lit up the directions
with light the hue of red beetles.

Doors and windows and turrets too,
and four railings were well-laid-out.
It had a scented bamboo net
which was delightful to the mind.

There were excellent gabled roofs
colored blue and yellow and red,
white and also mixed black-and-white,
adorned with the seven gemstones.

Lovely pictures of birds and beasts
and lotuses fashioned for looks;
it was adorned with moon and sun,
dotted with star-constellations.

It was covered with a gold net
furnished with little golden bells.
Those gold garlands sang in the force
of the wind, delighting the mind.

A garland of flags was hoisted,
dyed in a spectrum of colors:
some light crimson, others deep red,
tawny, yellow and yellowish.

Numerous various hundreds
of slabs were made out of silver,
made of crystal, made of ruby,
and likewise made out of cat’s eye.

Various diverse couches were
spread with soft Benares muslin,
rugs, fine silk, and cloth from China,
fibrous cloth and yellow garments.
All of these various carpets
I laid out on them with my mind.

On this floor and that floor too,
ornamented with huts of gems,
effulgent torches made of gems
are being carried and fixed well.

Columns and pillars are splendid,
and beautiful golden gateways
made of special gold and hard woods,
and also made out of silver.

Varied windows, well-proportioned;
painted cross-bars adorned the doors,
with “pots of plenty” on both sides,
filled with lotuses and lilies.

I conjured up all past Buddhas,
World-Leaders, their Assemblies too,
with their natural complexions
and forms, and all their followers.

Having entered through the doorway
all the Buddhas and followers
sat down on chairs all made of gold
and formed an exalted circle.

Those Buddhas who live here-and-now,
who have no rivals in the world,
and those who lived in former times:
I brought them all into the world.

Lonely Buddhas, many hundreds,
Self-dependent, Unconquered Ones,
and those who lived in former times:
I brought them all into the world.

There are many wishing-trees there
who are both human and divine.
Having arranged all of the cloth
I give them each the triple robe.

Filling lovely bowls made of gems
I then provided alms to them:
foods that were soft, and hard foods too,
well-prepared food and drink to taste.

Being given burnished-cloth robes
which were just like divine garments,
honey and crystallized sugar,
sesame oil and sugar-cane juice,
with milk-rice, each one satisfied,
they formed an exalted circle.

Having entered a jeweled room
like a lion its secret cave,
they got onto priceless couches
in the sleeping-lion posture.

Mindfully rising up they then
sat cross-legged on those couches,
filled with delight in altered states,
the pasturage of all Buddhas.

Some are preaching their doctrines then,
while others sport in miracles.
Others apply special knowledges,
masters of special knowledges.
Various lakhs of others still
transform into various shapes.

Buddhas are questioning Buddhas
about the range of omniscience.
Understanding deep, abstruse points,
they achieve their Awakenings.

Followers questioning Buddhas;
Buddhas questioning followers.
Questioning one another they
then provide each other answers.

Buddhas and Lonely Buddhas too,
followers and the attendants,
thus delighting in devotions,
are really enjoying the palace.

Let there be carried over head
a pearl-net-draped umbrella,
combined with more nets made of gold
and also of silver and gems.

Let there be awnings made of cloth,
decorated with golden stars
and with diverse garlands spread out;
let all be carried over head.

They are spread out with floral wreaths,
and beautified with scented wreaths;
studded with wreaths made out of cloth
decorated with wreaths of gems.

They are strewn with varied flowers,
and scented with fragrant perfumes,
marked with special scented palm-prints,
and covered with golden covers.

Let lotus-ponds in four directions,
full of lotuses and lilies,
appear like they were formed of gold,
exuding dusty lotus-pollen.

Let all the trees that are around
the palace burst forth into bloom.
And in the evening let those flowers
release sweet scents, sprinkling the realm.

Let peacocks there begin to dance
to the songs of heavenly swans,
and let cuckoos make melodies:
on all sides there’s a choir of birds.

Let all the drums now be sounded;
let all the stringed instruments wail.
Let all the choruses commence
on every side of the palace.

Let there be couches made of gold —
very large, endowed with brightness,
without blemish, fashioned with gems —
throughout the field of the Buddhas,
and in the universe beyond.
Let the stands of lamps be lighted;
let a series of ten thousand
all burn as though one single flame.

Let courtesans and dancers dance,
and troupes of celestial nymphs.
Let them put on various shows
on all the sides of the palace.

On tree top or mountain top
or the crest of Mount Sineru,
I am raising up all the flags,
decorated and five-colored.

Let people, snake-gods, music-nymphs
and all the gods come forth as well;
in homage, hands pressed together,
they attended on the palace.

Whatever is wholesome karma,
which deeds were to be done by me,
with body, speech and with my mind,
I did them well to reach heaven.

Whichever beings have consciousness
and also those who aren’t conscious,
let every one of them receive
the fruit of merit done by me.

That which I did was widely known;
I gave away that good deed’s fruit
and gods went off to make it known
to all those who were unaware.

Let all the beings in all worlds
whose lives depend on eating food
receive by means of my own mind
all appetizing things to eat!

With my mind these alms were given,
with my mind the palace was built,
and likewise so were worshipped all
the Buddhas, Lonelies and followers.

Due to that karma done very well,
with intention and firm resolve,
discarding my human body
I went to Tāvatiṃsa then.

I witness two kinds of rebirth,
as a human and as a god.
I do not witness other states:
that’s the fruit of mental wishes.

Among the gods I am the chief;
I am the ruler among men.
Endowed with beauty and good marks,
in knowledge unrivaled each birth.

Savory foods of different types
and fabulous precious gemstones,
likewise clothes of various sorts
quickly come to me from the sky.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
divine foods are coming to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all gemstones are coming to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all perfumes are coming to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all vehicles then come to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all garlands are coming to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all ornaments then come to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all maidens are coming to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
granulated sugar comes to me.

On flat earth, so on a mountain,
in the air, in water or woods,
whenever I stretch out my hand,
all solid foodstuffs come to me.

To attain supreme Awakening
I gave many excellent gifts
to the poor and to the gypsies,
to beggars and to travelers.

Making the rocky mountains shout
and likewise making dense hills roar,
making the world with its gods smile,
I become Buddha in the world.

There’s no end to going about
in the world in ten directions.
And in this quarter of the world
the Buddha-fields can’t be counted.

My two-fold raying miracle
is splendid and very well-known.
Therein a net of flames appears
and vast effulgence is produced.

In so many universes
let all the people see me there.
Let them all be made most happy
and follow me as their model.

Beat the drum of deathlessness
with its sweet and distinguished sound.
Let all the people in that space
listen well to the honeyed song.

May all of them be undefiled
on whom the cloud of Dhamma rains;
let even lowly beings there
become those who enter the stream.

I gave the gifts that should be given,
fully fulfilling the precepts.
Going into perfect disgust,
supreme Awakening’s attained.

Having inquired of the learned,
having made extreme exertion,
going into perfect patience,
supreme Awakening’s attained.

Strengthening my resolution,
I fulfilled the truth-perfection.
Going into perfect loving,
supreme Awakening’s attained.

In getting and in not getting
in pain or pleasure, scorn or fame,
remaining everywhere the same
supreme Awakening’s attained.

Looking at laziness with fear,
and with love upon exertion,
be those exerting selves with faith;
that’s the advice of the Buddhas.

Looking at quarrels full of fear
and with love upon agreement,
join together in harmony;
that’s the advice of the Buddhas.

Looking at carelessness with fear
and with love upon attention,
now cultivate the Eight-fold Path;
that’s the advice of the Buddhas.

Many Buddhas come together
and also all the arahants.
Pay homage while you’re worshipping
the Buddhas and the arahants.

Thus the Buddhas can’t be fathomed;
unfathomable their Teaching.
Unfathomable’s the result
of pleasure in what can’t be fathomed.

Thus the Blessed One spoke the short discourse on Dhamma called “The Legend of the Buddhas” which was productive of his own Buddha-conduct.

The Legend of the Buddhas is completed.