About the text

I originally translated this text as part of the book Great Faith Great Wisdom that I wrote with Ratnaguṇa in 2016. This book is an exploration of the three 'Pure Land Sutras' – the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha, the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha, and the Visualisation Sutra. The book includes translations of all three texts, as well as notes, a glossary of key terms, and an introduction where I discuss my approach to translating Buddhist sacred texts. The main part of the book is an exploration of the Pure Land Sutras by Ratnaguṇa in which he draws out key themes, examines important continuities with earlier strands of the Buddhist tradition, and suggests an approach to interpreting them which neither dismisses them as fantasy nor attempts to claim them as true in a naively literalistic way.

Translating the titles of the Longer and Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha presents something of a challenge, in that the Sanskrit term Sukhāvatīvyūha on its own does not make a great deal of sense. I have therefore interpreted it as being an abbreviation of Sukhāvatīguṇālaṃkāravyūha. This is based on the phrases buddhakṣetraguṇavyūhaiḥ samalaṃkṛtaṃ and buddhakṣetraguṇālaṃkāravyūhasaṃpada which occur repeatedly in the Shorter and Longer Sutras respectively. Sukhāvatīguṇālaṃkāravyūha can be translated as “The Abundance (vyūha) of Wonderful Qualities (guṇa) which Adorn (ālaṃkāra) Sukhāvatī”.

This translation is of the Sanskrit version of the text. Those wishing to compare it with a translation of the Chinese version can find Hasao Inagaki's translation here.

The Shorter Sutra on the Abundance of Wonderful Qualities which Adorn Sukhāvatī

A translation from Sanskrit of the Sukhāvatīvyūhaḥ (Saṃkṣiptamātṛka)

Homage to the All-Knowing One.

1. This is what I have heard. Once, the Blessed One was staying in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, with a great sangha of 1250 monks who were known to have attained the higher forms of knowledge – elders, great śrāvakas who were all arhats. They included the Elders Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Mahākapphiṇa, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākauṣṭhila, Revata, Śuddhipanthaka, Nanda, Ānanda, Rāhula, Gavāṃpatin, Bharadvāja, Kālodayin, Vakkula, Aniruddha, and many of the Blessed One’s other great disciples. There were also many bodhisattvas there, great beings. They included Mañjuśrī, the youthful prince of the Dharma, the bodhisattva Ajita, the bodhisattva Gandhahastin, the bodhisattva Nityodyukta, the bodhisattva Anikṣiptadhura, and many other bodhisattvas, great beings. Of the gods, the mighty Indra and Brahmā Sahāṃpatin were present, along with a great many hundreds of thousands of other sons of the gods.

2. At that time, the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Śāriputra: “To the west, Śāriputra, there is a buddha-field, a world system, named Sukhāvatī which lies beyond countless hundreds of thousands of other buddha-fields. At the present time, a tathāgata, an arhat, a perfectly awakened buddha named Amitāyus dwells there, teaching the Dharma. Why do you think, Śāriputra, that world system is called ‘Sukhāvatī’, the ‘Realm of Happiness’? In that world system, Śāriputra, in Sukhāvatī, living beings experience no physical or mental suffering, and there are endless causes of happiness. This is why that world system is called ‘Sukhāvatī’, the ‘Realm of Happiness’.

3. “Moreover, Śāriputra, that world system of Sukhāvatī is adorned with seven railings, and seven rows of palm trees with nets of small bells. There are four kinds of beautiful, brightly coloured precious substances scattered all around: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and quartz. That buddha-field, Śāriputra, is adorned with this abundance of wonderful qualities.

4. “Moreover, Śāriputra, in that world system of Sukhāvatī there are lotus ponds made of seven kinds of precious substances: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, quartz, ruby, emerald, and coral. They are completely filled to the very brim with water which possesses eight good qualities, so full that a crow could drink from them, and the bottom of these ponds is evenly covered with golden sand.

“There are four beautiful, brightly-coloured staircases leading down to each of these lotus ponds from the four cardinal directions. These staircases are made of four kinds of precious substances: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and quartz. The lotus ponds are surrounded by beautiful, brightly coloured trees made of seven kinds of precious substances: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, quartz, ruby, emerald, and coral. Dark blue lotuses grow in these lotus ponds, lotuses dark blue in colour, of dark blue hue, dark blue in appearance. Yellow lotuses grow there, yellow in colour, of yellow hue, yellow in appearance. Red lotuses grow there, red in colour, of red hue, red in appearance. Pure white lotuses grow there, pure white in colour, of pure white hue, pure white in appearance. Many-coloured lotuses grow there, of many colours, of many hues, many-coloured in appearance. These lotuses are as big as cartwheels. That buddha-field, Śāriputra, is adorned with this abundance of wonderful qualities.

5. “Moreover, Śāriputra, in that buddha-field, there are divine musical instruments which are played constantly. The ground is a delightful golden colour. There, in that buddha-field, showers of divine māndārava flowers rain down three times each night and three times each day. In the time it takes to eat a single meal, the living beings who are born there travel to other world systems and honour countless hundreds of thousands of buddhas. When they have each showered a tathāgata with rains of countless hundreds of thousands of flowers, they return to their own world system to rest. That buddha-field, Śāriputra, is adorned with this abundance of wonderful qualities.

6. “Moreover, Śāriputra, in that buddha-field there are haṃsa-geese, curlews, and peacocks. Three times each night and three times each day, they fly down and sing together in harmony, each one with their own unique voice. When they sing, their voices proclaim the five spiritual faculties, the five spiritual powers, and the seven factors of awakening. When they hear the song of the peacocks, the minds of the living beings who dwell there become absorbed by the Buddha, absorbed by the Dharma, absorbed by the Sangha. Do you think, Śāriputra, that there are living beings there who have come from the wombs of animals? You should not entertain such a thought. Why is this? It is because, Śāriputra, in a buddha-field, even the names of the hells, of animals, and of the world governed by Yama do not exist. The flocks of birds which sing songs of the Dharma are manifested by the Tathāgata Amitāyus. That buddha-field, Śāriputra, is adorned with this abundance of wonderful qualities.

7. “Moreover, Śariputra, in that buddha-field, when the wind stirs the rows of palm trees and the nets of small bells which adorn them, they make a delightful sound which soothes the mind. Śāriputra, the countless hundreds of thousands of divine musical instruments make a delightful sound which soothes the mind when they are played, and so too do the rows of palm trees and the nets of small bells when the wind stirs them. When the people there hear those sounds, they recollect the Buddha in their bodies, they recollect the Dharma in their bodies, they recollect the Sangha in their bodies. That buddha-field, Śāriputra, is adorned with this abundance of wonderful qualities.

8. “Śāriputra, why do you think that tathāgata is known as ‘Amitāyus’, ‘Infinite Life’? Well, Śāriputra, the lifespan of that tathāgata and of the people who dwell in his buddha-field is unlimited. This is why that tathāgata is known as ‘Amitāyus’, ‘Infinite Life’. That tathāgata attained unsurpassed perfect awakening ten eons ago.

9. “Śāriputra, why do you think that tathāgata is known as ‘Amitābha’, ‘Infinite Light’? Well, Śāriputra, the light which radiates from that tathāgata shines unobstructed in all buddha-fields. This is why that tathāgata is known as ‘Amitābha’, ‘Infinite Light’. That tathāgata has an immeasurably large sangha of śrāvakas who are pure arhats, whose numbers cannot easily be measured. That buddha-field, Śāriputra, is adorned with this abundance of wonderful qualities.

10. “Moreover, Śāriputra, the progress of those living beings who are born in the buddha-field of the Tathāgata Amitāyus as pure bodhisattvas will be irreversible, and they will only experience one more birth. The numbers of these bodhisattvas, Śāriputra, cannot easily be measured. It can only be said that there is an immeasurably large innumerable multitude of them. Living beings, Śāriputra, should cultivate a heartfelt desire for that buddha-field. Why should they do this? They should do this because in that buddha-field, they will be in the company of good people such as these bodhisattvas.

“Śāriputra, living beings with only a few roots of virtue will not be born in the buddha-field of the Tathāgata Amitāyus. If a child of good family hears the name of the Blessed One, the Tathāgata Amitāyus, and if their minds become absorbed by it – for one night, two nights, three nights, four nights, five nights, six nights, or seven nights – if their minds become undistractedly absorbed by it, then when they die the Tathāgata Amitāyus, surrounded by his sangha of śrāvakas and accompanied by his assembly of bodhisattvas will appear before them, and they will die with an undistorted mind. When they die, they will be born in the buddha-field of the Tathāgata Amitāyus, in the world system of Sukhāvatī. Therefore Śāriputra, it is with this purpose in view I say that a child of good family should single-mindedly cultivate a heartfelt desire for that buddha-field in their minds.

11. “Just as I praise Sukhāvatī, Śāriputra, so too, to the east, as many buddhas, as many blessed ones as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges praise their buddha-fields. Led by the Tathāgata Akṣobhya, ‘Unshakable’, the Tathāgata Merudhvaja, ‘He Whose Banner is Like Mount Meru’, the Tathāgata Mahāmeru, ‘Great Mount Meru’, the Tathāgata Meruprabhāsa, ‘He Whose Splendour is Like that of Mount Meru’, and the Tathāgata Mañjudhvaja, ‘He Whose Banner is Gentleness’, they each cover their own buddha-field with their tongue, and then describe it. You should trust in this discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’, which praises inconceivable good qualities.

12. “In the same way, to the south, as many buddhas, as many blessed ones as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges praise their buddha-fields. Led by the Tathāgata Candrasūryapradīpa, ‘The Luminescence of the Sun and the Moon’, the Tathāgata Yaśaḥprabha, ‘Glorious Radiance’, the Tathāgata Mahārciḥskandha, ‘Great Mass of Flames’, the Tathāgata Merupradīpa, ‘The Luminescence of Mount Meru’, and the Tathāgata Anantavīrya, ‘Limitless Energy’, they each cover their own buddha-field with their tongue, and then describe it. You should trust in this discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’, which praises inconceivable good qualities.

13. “In the same way, to the west, as many buddhas, as many blessed ones as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges praise their buddha-fields. Led by the Tathāgata Amitāyus, ‘Infinite Life’, the Tathāgata Amitaskandha, ‘Infinite Mass’, the Tathāgata Amitadhvaja, ‘Infinite Banner’, the Tathāgata Mahāprabha, ‘Great Radiance’, the Tathāgata Mahāratnaketu, ‘Great Brilliance Like that of Precious Substances’, and the Tathāgata Śuddharaśmiprabha, ‘Radiance of Pure Rays of Light’, they each cover their own buddha-field with their tongue, and then describe it. You should trust in this discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’, which praises inconceivable good qualities.

14. “In the same way, to the north, as many buddhas, as many blessed ones as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges praise their buddha-fields. Led by the Tathāgata Mahārciḥskandha, ‘Great Mass of Flames’, the Tathāgata Vaiśvānaranirghoṣa, ‘He Whose Voice is Heard Everywhere’, the Tathāgata Dundubhisvaranirghoṣa, ‘He Whose Voice is Like the Beating of a Drum’, the Tathāgata Duṣpradharṣa, ‘Unassailable’, the Tathāgata Ādityasaṃbhava, ‘Born of the Sun’, the Tathāgata Jaleniprabha, ‘He Whose Radiance is Like the Ocean’, and the Tathāgata Prabhākara, ‘He Who Sheds his Radiance’, they each cover their own buddha-field with their tongue, and then describe it. You should trust in this discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’, which praises inconceivable good qualities.

15. “In the same way, below, as many buddhas, as many blessed ones as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges praise their buddha-fields. Led by the Tathāgata Siṃha, ‘Lion’ the Tathāgata Yaśa, ‘Glorious’, the Tathāgata Yaśaḥprabhāsa, ‘Glorious Splendour’, the Tathāgata Dharma, the Tathāgata Dharmadhara, ‘The Bearer of the Dharma’, and the Tathāgata Dharmadhvaja, ‘He Whose Banner is the Dharma’, they each cover their own buddha-field with their tongue, and then describe it. You should trust in this discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’, which praises inconceivable good qualities.

16. “In the same way, above, as many buddhas, as many blessed ones as there are grains of sand in the River Ganges praise their buddha-fields. Led by the Tathāgata Brahmaghoṣa, ‘He Whose Voice is Like that of Brahmā’, the Tathāgata Nakṣatrarāja, ‘Star King’, the Tathāgata Indraketudhvajarāja, ‘The King Whose Banner is Like the Brilliance of Indra’, the Tathāgata Gandhottama, ‘Supreme Fragrance’, the Tathāgata Gandhaprabhāsa, ‘Fragrant Splendour’, the Tathāgata Mahārciskandha, ‘Great Mass of Flames’, the Tathāgata Ratnakusumasaṃpuṣpitagātra, ‘He Whose Limbs are Adorned with Blossoms Made of Precious Substances’, the Tathāgata Ratnotpalaśrī, ‘He Whose Glory is Like that of Blue Lotuses Made of Precious Substances’, the Tathāgata Sarvārthadarśī, ‘He Who Sees All Goals’, and the Tathāgata Sumerukalpa, ‘He Who Resembles Mount Meru’, they each cover their own buddha-field with their tongue, and then describe it. You should trust in this discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’, which praises inconceivable good qualities.

17. “Śāriputra, why do you think that this discourse on the Dharma is called ‘Embraced by all the Buddhas’? Those children of good family, Śāriputra, who hear the title of this discourse on the Dharma and who bear in mind the names of those buddhas, those blessed ones which it mentions, will all be embraced by the buddhas, and their progress towards unsurpassed, perfect awakening will become irreversible. Therefore, Śāriputra, you should have faith in me and in these other buddhas, these other blessed ones. Trust in us. Do not doubt us. The progress towards unsurpassed, perfect awakening of those children of good family who cultivate a heartfelt desire for the buddha-field of the Blessed One, the Tathāgata Amitāyus, in their minds, the progress of all of those who have done so, and the progress all of those who will do so, will become irreversible. They either will be born, have been born or are being born in that buddha-field. Therefore, Śāriputra, children of good family who possess faith should cultivate a heartfelt desire for that buddha-field.

18. “Śāriputra, just as I praise the inconceivable good qualities of those buddhas, those blessed ones, so too Śāriputra, those buddhas, those blessed ones praise my inconceivable good qualities. ‘The Blessed One Śākyamuni, the King of the Śākyans, has done something which is very difficult to do. In the world system called Earth, he has attained unsurpassed perfect awakening, and taught the Dharma to the whole of that unreceptive world, in a degenerate age, to degenerate beings with degenerate views, degenerate lifespans, and degenerate defilements.’

19. “I have done something which is extremely difficult to do, Śāriputra. In the world system called Earth, I have attained unsurpassed perfect awakening, and taught the Dharma to the whole of this unreceptive world, in a degenerate age, to degenerate beings with degenerate views, degenerate lifespans, and degenerate defilements.”

20. This is what the Blessed One said. Their hearts filled with joy, the Venerable Śāriputra, the monks and bodhisattvas, along with the gods, human beings, titans, and gandharvas rejoiced at what the Blessed One had said.

This is the Mahayana Sūtra called ‘The Shorter Sutra on the Abundance of Wonderful Qualities which Adorn Sukhāvatī’.