37. 'And again, O Ananda, all the Bodhisattvas who have
been born in that Buddha country, having gone during one morning meal to the
other world, worship many hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of Buddhas, as many
as they like, through the favour of Buddha. They consider in many ways that
they should worship (Buddhas) with such and such flowers, incense, lamps,
scents, garlands, ointments, powder, cloaks, umbrellas, flags, banners,
ensigns, music, concerts, and musical instruments; and, as soon as they have
considered this, there arise also on their hands exactly such materials for
every kind of worship. And while performing worship for those blessed Buddhas
with those materials, beginning with flowers and ending with musical
instruments, they lay up for themselves much immeasurable and innumerable
merit. Again, if they wish that such handfulls of flowers should be produced on
their hands, then such handfulls of heavenly flowers, of different colours, of
many colours, of different scents, are produced on their hands as soen as
thought of. They shower again and again such handfulls of flowers upon those
blessed Buddhas. And the very smallest handfull of flowers, being thrown on
high, appears above in the sky as an umbrella of flowers ten yoganas in
circumference. And when the second has been thrown after it, the first does not
fall down on the earth. There are handfulls of flowers there, which having been
thrown up, appear in the sky as umbrellas of flowers twenty yoganas in
circumference. There appear in the sky some flower-umbrellas, thirty, forty, or
fifty yoganas in circumference, as far as a hundred thousand yojanas in
circumference. Those (Bodhisattvas) there who perceive the noble pleasure and
joy, and obtain the noble strength of thought, having caused a great and
immeasurable and innumerable stock of good works to ripen, and having
worshipped many hundred thousand niyutas of kotis of Buddhas, turn again to the
world Sukhavati in one morning, through the favour of practising the former
prayers of the same Tathagata Amitayus, owing to the hearing of the Law
formerly given, owing to the stock of good works produced under former Ginas,
owing to the perfect completion in the success of former prayers, owing to the
well-ordered state of mind.
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