many hundred thousand myriads of kotis of other Buddhas, obtained under all of them this very Dharmapary&ya of the Lotus of the True Law, and owing to his former root of goodness having come to full development, gained supreme, perfect enlightenment. Perhaps, Mah&sth&mapr&pta, thou wilt have some doubt, uncertainty, or misgiving, and think that he who at that time, at that juncture was the Bodhisattva Mahdsattva called Sad&parfbhflta was one, and he who under the rule of that Lord Bhishmagarfi- tasvarari^a, the Tath&gata, &c, was generally called Saddparibhtita by the four classes, by whom so many Tath£gatas were propitiated, was another. But thou shouldst not think so. For it is myself who at that time, at that juncture was the Bodhisattva Mah&sattva Sad&paribhftta. Had I not formerly grasped and kept this Dharmapary&ya, Mahctsthcimapr£pta, I should not so soon have arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. It is because I have kept, re£d, preached this Dharmapary&ya (derived) from the teaching of the ancient Tathdgatas, &c, Mah&sth£mapr&pta, that I have so soon arrived at supreme, perfect enlightenment. As to the hundreds of monks, nuns, male and female lay devotees, Mahsth&mapr&pta, to whom under that Lord the Bodhisattva Mah&sattva Sad&paribhtita promulgated this Dharmaparydya by saying: I do not contemn you ; you all observe the course of duty of Bodhisattvas ; you are to become Tathdgatas, &c, and in whom awoke a feeling of malignity towards that Bodhisattva, they in twenty hundced thousand myriads of ko/is of Æons never saw a Tath&gata, nor heard the call of the law, nor the call of the assembly, and for ten thousand* iEons they suffered terrible pain in the
