While the Buddha is dwelling in the Bamboo Grove monastery near Rājagṛha, together with a thousand monks and a host of bodhisattvas, King Prasenajit arises from his seat, bows at the Buddha’s feet, and asks him how to uphold the Dharma in his kingdom during times of conflict. In reply the Buddha instructs the king about the gaṇḍī, a wooden ritual instrument, and tells him how the sound of this instrument, used for Dharma practice in a temple or monastery, quells conflict and strife for all who hear it. He describes how to make, consecrate, and sound the gaṇḍī. He explains that the gaṇḍī symbolizes the Perfection of Insight and describes in detail the many benefits it confers.
The Translation
Homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was dwelling in the Bamboo Grove, in the Kalandakanivāpa near Rājagṛha, together with a great saṅgha of a thousand monks and a great gathering of bodhisattvas. They were all worthy ones. Their contaminations were exhausted, their duties fulfilled, their work concluded, their burdens put down, their personal welfare attained, their bonds to existence destroyed, and their minds fully liberated through perfect knowledge.
At that time, King Prasenajit arose from his seat and went to meet the Bhagavān. He bowed his head down at the feet of the Bhagavān and addressed him with these words: “Bhagavān, in the future, during times of conflict, all beings will have evil minds, quarrelsome minds filled with desire, hatred, and delusion. While intensely coveting others’ possessions and striving to devour one another, they will cause the previous period when teachings were given by the Bhagavān to decline. They will cause the abandonment of the true Dharma. They will go against the Buddha, the Dharma, and those who are free of desire. Please teach a way to eliminate such behavior so that beings may be strongly inclined to awakening.”
Thus entreated, the Bhagavān declared, “King, since you make this request for the sake of the welfare of all beings, for their benefit and happiness, and in order to protect the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, your inquiry is excellent! Excellent! Therefore, listen closely and keep this in mind! [F.302.a] I will explain.”
Thereupon, the Bhagavān entered the meditative absorption called resounding everywhere. When the Bhagavān entered that meditative absorption, all hells were terminated. All those who had been filled with hatred became free from their hatred and wholly devoted to the mind of awakening.
Then the Bhagavān asked, “Prasenajit, did you see, or hear, or understand, or realize?”
“Bhagavān, I saw! Well-Gone One, I saw. I comprehended, understood, recognized, and realized!”
The Bhagavān said, “Prasenajit, this is the mother of all beings. She gives birth to buddhas and bodhisattvas. She is venerated, worshiped, contemplated, and cultivated by all hearers, solitary buddhas, and perfect buddhas. Taking the form of the sound of the Perfection of Insight, she nurtures all beings. She is the vanquisher of all non-Buddhists, the pacifier of angry thoughts, the subduer of sinful thoughts, the dispeller of hateful thoughts, the destroyer of deluded thoughts, and the banisher of lustful thoughts. She is the protector of the mind of awakening, the intensifier of the mind of buddhas, and the supporter for the genesis of buddhas. She is the destroyer of all fights, quarrels, strife, conflicts, miseries, and all those of bad character who contravene the monastic code. She is the pacifier of sudden illness and death and of untimely death, epidemics, and so forth. She is the subduer of foreign armies, destroyer of Māra, and dispeller of torments. She is the extender of the fortunate era, bestower of long life and freedom from disease, pacifier of the dread of death, and intensifier of freedom and prosperity. To those who hear this and rejoice, she bestows results, like a wish-fulfilling gem. The Mother, the Perfection of Insight, is present in the form of the gaṇḍī.” [F.302.b]
Having heard this, deep conviction rose in King Prasenajit, and he entreated the Bhagavān: “Bhagavān, what is the size of this gaṇḍī? What is its color? What are its specifications? How is it to be struck? By what is it to be struck? At what time, on what occasion, and for how long should it be struck? How should it be placed?”
Thus entreated, the Bhagavān declared:
“As for the wood you wish to use,
You should investigate with great effort:
Sandalwood, Bengal quince, bastard teak,
Sacred fig, and red sandalwood tree,
“Indian walnut, palmyra, kingshuk tree,
Aloe wood, false mangosteen,
Mango, walnut, myrobalan tree,
Tintisara,7 and aśoka.
“If all of these are absent,
You should try the mulberry tree.
King, if despite your efforts
None of these are present, do not make it.
“If made without measure and from bad wood,
The sound will not emerge when struck.
When such a Mother of the Buddhas is struck,
Harm will surely arise in the land.
“As for the monks in the temple,
Their minds will thus be discordant,
They will be afflicted with disease,
And there will be all sorts of quarrels.
“Non-Buddhists will be empowered
And māras will likewise come to the fore.
Due to many noxious nāgas,
Crops will fail.
“In that kingdom many beings
Will be destroyed.
Temples also will be destroyed,
And the Dharma will decline as well.
“Demonic gods will cause unruliness
Within the saṅgha of monks.
Thus, knowing all this well,
Proceed with careful inspection.
“As for measurements: the small ends should be eight fingers.
Make the main body eighty-four fingers.
Make it six fingers in breadth
And two fingers in height.
“Using the measurements of finger joints,
The measure to the four corners is two fingers.
The perfect balance is made very clear.
The two ends are like the head of a frog.
“After that, cut the striker
From the same wood block.
Measuring twelve fingers,
It is rounded and has mongoose heads at both ends.
“The size of the handle is also like that.
It should be very smooth and evenly ribbed.
Thus, it is meant to be struck.
Below, make a stand for it. [F.303.a]
“Place it above the temple gate,
Or place it above the central gate.
As for its consecration,
It is the very stable8 Dharma body.
“It is unproduced, indestructible,
And primordially unborn virtue.
Having been consecrated as such,
The gaṇḍī’s eyes are opened.
“Next, having opened the gaṇḍī’s eyes,
One must strike it to increasingly produce sound9
Throughout the temple,
As if adorned by seven nāgas.10
“Thereafter, one should pay homage to the Three Jewels
And then strike the gaṇḍī.
One should then sound the cymbal11 three times
And beat the Dharma drums.
“Cleansing the gaṇḍī with flower-petal water
At mealtime, sunrise, and sunset,
Strike it three times at the three intervals.
When it is time for bathing, let it resound twice.
“It should be struck consecutively without hesitation
To prevent sudden harm
And likewise quarrels, disputes,
Lightning, and great devastation.
“It should be struck to invite the elders
And to pacify plagues and famines.
It should be struck constantly at all times
By monks and novices.
“During monthly purification,
It should be struck by laypeople as well.
All its qualities being complete,
It should be adorned by seven nāgas.12
“O King, when throughout the land
That gaṇḍī resounds,
The year will be good there,
With splendor, fame, and all desirable things.
“There will be no fear of foreign armies,
And the crops will never fail.
With the wealth of the Buddha’s blessings,
Māras will be tamed there.
“The Dharma drum will thunder everywhere,
Right up to the summit of existence.
The worlds of hell and pretas
Will undoubtedly be destroyed.
“Everyone will have enduring conviction in the Buddha,
And everyone will be devoted to the Dharma.
There, the saṅgha will be disciplined,
And the wise will flourish as well.
“Lust, hate, and delusion
Will subside there.
The king will live long and uphold the Dharma,
And he will have every happiness.
“O King, in every temple,
When beating the Dharma drum,
Its sound will be renowned
In the pathways of peoples’ ears;
“Those who hear it four times a day
Will attain spiritual awakening. [F.303.b]
Those who rejoice from the heart
Will undoubtedly be free.
“Hearing just once The Gaṇḍī Sūtra
,
One will remember one’s former lives.
Where this best among sūtras is present,
That land will be prosperous.
“Those who observe it at all times,
Read it aloud, worship it,
And keep it in mind
Will be freed from evil.”
When the Bhagavān had said this, King Prasenajit paid his respects to the Bhagavān repeatedly and then departed. When the Bhagavān had spoken these words, the entire assembly, along with the world with its gods, humans, asuras, garuḍas, and gandharvas, rejoiced and praised what the Bhagavān had said.
This completes “The Gaṇḍī Sūtra.”