INTRODUCTION  

Poetry, metaphor and myth can often express the most profound ethical, psychological and spiritual insights and aspirations of a people or culture in a way that communicates to the imagination more immediately than a literal narrative may. The impact of these literary forms lies not only in the written word, but resonates also on some other more subtle wavelength. Perhaps they communicate more to the heart or the intuition than to the intellect. Whatever the reason, great works like the Vedas and the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita, the Greek myths and epic poems, the Tao Teh Ching, the Zen poems - earth-treasures such as these have all helped to shape the thinking of whole civilizations for hundreds or thousands of years, and thus have influenced the histories and the destinies of the peoples who inspired and absorbed them.

The Buddhist sutras belong to this class of inspired world literature, giving expression as they do to many noble truths, and with some, like the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra, revealing and making known in a few words ultimate Truth: 'Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Form', 'All that we see is a product of the Mind', 'Thou art the Buddha'. The Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha Vow Sutra is presented here, and whether viewed literally, mythically, or perhaps somewhere between the two, it can take its own unique place amongst the sutras - its ever-present underlying theme expressing the great universal truths of love, compassion and responsibility for all beings.

The Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha Vow Sutra

Was first translated from the Sanskrit into Chinese in the 7th century A.D. T'ang Dynasty. The English here has been faithfully translated directly from the original archaic Chinese. In China this sutra has for hundreds of years been one of the most well-known and popular Buddhist sutras, but compared to such Bodhisattvas as Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, the name Kishitigarbha appears to be relatively unknown in the West. According to one Chinese authority on Kishitigarbha, the reason for this obscurity lies in an ancient prophecy foretelling that this sutra would not be known outside of China and Tibet for 2500 years after the time of Buddha - until the Dharma-Ending Age - our present age - which would be ready to receive and understand it. The sutra would then be revealed and spread to distant lands. Regardless of any mystique surrounding this explanation, the fact is that together with Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri and Samantabhadra, Kishitigarbha is one of the most revered and celebrated Bodhisattvas. Respectively they personify the four basic Mahayana qualities of Great Compassion, Great Wisdom, Great Meritorious Deeds, and in Kishitigarbha: the Great Vow - the vow to save all sentient beings, including the hungry ghosts and the hell beings.

The literal translation of the Bodhisattva's Sanskrit name is "Earth-Store". The name in one sense indicates that any undesirable or troublesome thoughts 'stored' or hidden deep in one's mind or heart may be uncovered and released with the help of Kishitigarbha's divine power - thereby freeing the person from their negative influence. A less literal translation, which more accurately communicates its complex significance to Western readers, could be to render it as "Earth-Treasure". In this freer sense his name expresses the many marvellous aspects of the earth and his mysterious connection with it: the earth is vast, it supports all living beings, it is impartial, it receives the life-giving rain, it produces trees and crops, it holds all planted seeds which will ultimately ripen and come to fruition, it holds many treasures, it produces medicines for suffering humanity, it is not moved by storms. And the earth too, is in its own way a sentient being.

The Earth-Treasure Bodhisattva has a deep relationship with beings of the earth – humans, and especially with those 'below' it - the hungry ghosts and hell beings. Because these are the most difficult to raise into a more fortunate condition due to their previous unwholesome actions, and because of his past vow to save them all, Kishitigarbha has been known as the Teacher of the Dark Regions. "If I do not go to hell to help them, who else will go?" is the famous declaration popularly attributed to Kishitigarbha. No matter what the crime or the karma, he is willing to have a connection with any being, and to help free them from suffering.

The Sutra is fundamentally a teaching concerning karmic retribution, graphically describing the consequences one creates for oneself by committing undesirable actions. This is especially for the benefit of future beings in the Dharma-Ending Age in order to help these beings avoid making the mistakes that will cause them to be reborn in a low condition. With the motivation to help suffering beings always in mind, the sutra is a discourse given by the Buddha in praise of the Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha and his heroic Vow, and of the benefits one can receive from worshipping Kishitigarbha and by reading the sutra.

Presented in the form of a seemingly mythic dialogue between the Buddha and Kishitigarbha, the teaching takes place in a certain heaven called Trayastrimsa Heaven, in front of a vast multitude of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods and ghosts. Immediately prior to his departure from this world, Buddha manifested in Trayastrimsa Heaven so that he might repay the kindness of his mother who dwelt there by speaking the Dharma on her behalf. So from another aspect the sutra deals with filial responsibility - not only that between oneself and one's parents, but also in an ultimate sense of a universal code of duty or responsibility for all living beings, all of whom a Bodhisattva regards with the same kindness, consideration and respect that one should accord to one's own parents. This, together with the practice of acts for the good of all, is the Bodhisattva's vision.

The sutra closes as the Buddha is on the point of entering Nirvana. Throughout the sutra Buddha is concerned for the future beings of the Dharma-Ending Age, and trusts that through Kishitigarbha's divine power, the Bodhisattva will be able to help these beings attain liberation even during this difficult Age - which is the reason his sutra is to be revealed at this time. The Buddha ends his discourse by praising Kishitigarbha before the assembly, entrusting all future beings in the heavens and the worlds to him - proclaiming that any future person who reads the Sutra or who worships Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha will earn extraordinary merits, and ultimately, Buddhahood.

Namo Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha Mahasattva