Page 26 - Maitri CollectionAsian Art Bonhams

“Thereupon Prince Manjusri became absorbed in the
samadhi called ‘all-pervasive’ and reached down with
his right hand into the earth. Then the hand of Prince
Manjusri saluted as it went those buddhas and lords in
all those buddha-fields in which buddhas and lords had

appeared, and from that hand a voice was heard which
said to the lords, ‘The Lord, the realized, worthy and
perfectly awakened one Sakyamuni hopes that you are
keeping well, in good health, in good shape physically,
getting along all right, feeling strong, and in good spirits.’

Then a hundred thousand million rays of light blazed forth

from each and every hair pore of the arm, a hundred
thousand lotus flowers sprang forth from each and every
ray of light, and the forms of tathagathas appeared sitting
in the heart of each lotus. And all those tathagathas were
singing the praises of the lord and tathagatha Sakyamuni.

All the buddha-fields through which the hand passed also
quaked in six different ways. All those buddha-fields were
also filled with a great radiance. All those buddha-fields

also become adorned with parasols, flags and banners
[...] And, when Prince Manjusri displayed here the miracle
by which he stretched out his hand and exhibited his
magical powers, when the bowl was retrieved and the
teaching relating to previous events was given here [...]
from those jewelled parasols came voices saying, ‘It is
true, it is just as the tathagatha Sakyamuni has said - we
too were all established in awakening by Prince Manjusri!”

(Adapted from Paul Harrison’s translation of the Ajatasatru-kaukrtya-vinodana-sutra, after
“How the Buddha Became a Bodhisattva” in Lopez (ed.), Buddhist Scriptures, London,
2004, pp.172-84)