..续本文上一页eir thirst for the Mahayana. When they were completely satisfied, they could, again, drink up what remained. They were skilled at accumulating the unsurpassed wisdom. They delighted in the Mahayana and defended it. They were skilled at conforming themselves to [the circumstances] of the all worldly beings, liberating those who were not yet liberated and understanding what was not yet understood. They assisted the three jewels, being certain that they did not perish. And in future lives they would turn the Dharma wheel, adorning themselves with the great armor. Their minds were constantly steeped in the flavor of the pure practice of the precepts. Consummating thus such infinitely virtuous deeds, there arose the great thought of compassion when they regarded sentient beings equally as it would with an only child.

　　In the early morning just as the sun was rising, because they wished to be present for the cremation the Tathagata”s body, they each took up 10,000 bundles of fragrant woods. These included sandalwood, agura, oxhead sandalwood, and fragrant wood of the Heavens. The lines on the grain of each of these woods were quite compact. They had embedded into them the seven treasures, which glowed with a marvelous light. It was as though they were painted decoratively with various hues. Through the Buddha”s power, there were wondrous hues of blue, yellow, red, and white that sentient beings were delighted to see. These woods had been treated with a variety of perfumes, with saffron, agura, and ambar. They were sprinkled with flowers. These included blue lotuses (utpala), white lotuses (kumuda), red lotuses (padma), and silver lotuses (pundarika). These fragrant woods were covered with pennants of all five colors. These pennants were soft and pliant, marvelous, like heavenly robes, silk robes (Kauseya), linen (ksauma), or silk embroidery.

　　They carried these fragrant woods with jewel-studded carts. These jewel-studded carts produced a variety of lights that were blue, yellow, red, and white. Their axles and spokes were filled with a mixture of the seven treasures. Each of these carts was yoked with teams of four horses, and each of these horses was as swift as the wind. Each of these carts had standing at its fore fifty-seven marvelous and precious pennants, and a netting woven from real gold covered them. Each of these jewel-studded carts had fifty wondrous and precious canopies. Above each of these carts there were draped blossom vines on which were blue lotuses, white lotuses, red lotuses, and silver lotuses.

　　The flowers were tempered with gold, had leaves of adamantine, and were set on terraces. In these flower terraces there were numerous bees that buzzed in them happily, enjoying themselves. Also, there were wondrous voices that spoke of impermanence, affliction, emptiness, and selflessness. And these voices spoke of the root of practicing the bodhisattva path. There were, as well, a variety of singers and musicians who played bamboo lutes, harps, flutes, and drums. To this delightful music was a voice saying, "O, the suffering!

　　The suffering that is in this vacant world!"

　　Before each of these carts there were four jewel-studded stands carried by upasakas. And upon these stands were piled a variety of flowers. These included blue lotuses, white lotuses, red lotuses, and silver lotuses. There were also saffron fragrances and other perfuming fragrances that were wondrous and supreme. The upasakas furnished a variety of meals and supplies for the Buddha and the sangha. This included fragrant firewood made of sandalwood and agura. The food was sweet and exquisitely cooked in the eight virtuous waters, and had the six flavors. These were 1) bitter, 2) sour, 3) sweet, 4) acrid, 5) salty, and 6) insipid. The food also had three vir…

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