Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (233)

King of Boundlessness (Anantarāja) traveled to other lands

Original text: 大王。彼无边称王。复于异时。如是思惟。我今应往。东胜神洲。作是念已。王领四兵。俱乘虚空。即至其处。彼诸小王。皆来奉迎。各以国土。虔诚致献。王于彼住。百千万岁。

Explanation: Great King, that King of Boundlessness, at another time, gave rise to this thought: I should now go to the Eastern Continent of Superior Body (Pūrvavideha). After giving rise to this thought, King of Boundlessness led the four kinds of troops and flew through the air to the Eastern Continent of Superior Body. The minor kings of the Eastern Continent of Superior Body all came out to welcome him, and each one devoutly offered his own kingdom to King of Boundlessness. King of Boundlessness dwelt there for hundreds of thousands of millions of years.

This wheel-turning sage king (cakravartin), despite such wealth and freedom, was still not content, and wanted to go to the Eastern Continent of Superior Body to roam and enjoy himself. All the minor kings there came out to welcome him; because his merit was so great, they immediately bowed their heads and submitted as subjects; if the local minor kings had greater merit, they would certainly have driven him away; if their merit was about equal, they would have fought wars against each other. Many families are also like this—everyone listens to whoever has the greatest merit. Those minor kings all offered their kingdoms to him, letting him rule over them. His lifespan far exceeded hundreds of thousands of millions of years; his lifespan at that time was extremely long, measured in kalpas. At the time of Buddha Maitreya, the lifespan of people in Jambudvīpa will be eighty-four thousand years, and there are lifespans even longer than this. According to the Buddhist sutras, there are cases where a Buddha prophesied (vyākaraṇa) to his disciples that they would become Buddhas, and their subjects' lifespans would be twenty kalpas, forty kalpas, or immeasurable kalpas—one kalpa being 16.8 million years—their lifespans were extremely long.

Original text: 大王。彼无边称王。复自思惟。我今当往。西牛贺洲。作是念已。领四兵众。俱乘虚空。即至其所。彼诸小王。皆来奉迎。各以国土。虔诚致献。王于彼住。百千万岁。

大王。彼无边称王。复自思惟。我今当往。北俱卢洲。作是念已。领四兵众。俱乘虚空。即至其所。彼诸人民。欢喜归化。王于彼住。百千万岁。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, King of Boundlessness again gave rise to this thought: I should now go to the Western Continent of Cattle Gift (Aparagodānīya). After giving rise to this thought, he led the four kinds of troops riding on precious horses, precious elephants, precious chariots, and other flying vehicles, and flew through the air to the Western Continent of Cattle Gift. The minor kings of the Western Continent of Cattle Gift all came to welcome him, and each one devoutly offered his own kingdom to him. King of Boundlessness dwelt there for hundreds of thousands of millions of years.

Then King of Boundlessness again gave rise to this thought: I should go to the Northern Continent of Superior Frame (Uttarakuru). After giving rise to this thought, he led the four kinds of troops and flew through the air to the Northern Continent of Superior Frame, where all the people joyfully submitted to King of Boundlessness, and King of Boundlessness dwelt there for hundreds of thousands of millions of years.

Original text: 大王。彼无边称王。复自思惟。我昔闻有三十三天。住须弥顶。我今当往。作是念已。即乘龙象。与四兵众。飞腾空中。上须弥顶。时无边称王。问御臣曰。汝见须弥。及以大海。并四天下。其事云何。御臣答言。我见其相。旋转不定。如陶家轮。王语御臣。汝所见者。此龙象王。大行未止。王复前进。问御臣曰。见须弥等。其相云何。御臣答言。我今见彼。须弥大海。皆悉震动。王语臣曰。今将至于。须弥山顶。此龙象王。小行未止。王复前进。问御臣曰。见须弥等。其相云何。御臣答言。我今见彼。须弥大海。不动不转。王语臣曰。此龙象王。今已到彼。须弥山顶。

时无边称王。及四兵众。到须弥已。彼帝释天主。即时遥见。无边称王。欢喜来迎。而作是言。善来大王。即分半座。命王而坐。时无边称王。即就其座。住于天上。经无量岁。与彼天主。分半同治。

Explanation: The Buddha said: Great King, King of Boundlessness again gave rise to this thought: I once heard in the past that the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Trāyastriṃśa) dwells atop Mount Sumeru; I should now go there. After giving rise to this thought, he rode the dragon-elephant and, together with the four kinds of troops, soared into the air toward Mount Sumeru. At that time King of Boundlessness asked the minister beside him: What do you see of Mount Sumeru, the four great seas, and the four continents? The minister replied: I see those appearances revolving unsteadily, like a potter's wheel. King of Boundlessness said: The appearance you see is caused by the dragon-elephant we are riding flying swiftly without stopping.

King of Boundlessness continued flying and asked the minister: Now, what do you see of the appearance of Mount Sumeru and the rest? The minister replied: I now see Mount Sumeru and the great seas all trembling and shaking. King of Boundlessness said: That is because we are about to reach the summit of Mount Sumeru. King of Boundlessness, riding the dragon-elephant, continued flying slowly without stopping, and asked the minister again: Now what is the appearance of Mount Sumeru that you see? The minister replied: I now see that Mount Sumeru and the great seas are neither moving nor revolving. King of Boundlessness said: Now the dragon-elephant king has already arrived at the summit of Mount Sumeru.

After King of Boundlessness and the four kinds of troops arrived at Mount Sumeru, the Lord Śakra (Kauśika), ruler of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, immediately saw King of Boundlessness from afar and joyfully came forward to welcome him, saying: Welcome, Great King, welcome to You! He then offered half of his throne for King of Boundlessness to sit on. King of Boundlessness immediately took his seat and dwelt in that heaven for immeasurable years, ruling the Heaven of the Thirty-Three jointly with Lord Śakra, each governing half.