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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
98
BHAIȘAJYA-GURU-SUTRA mapundarika, (p. 470), Bhaișajyarāja and Bhaisajyasamudgata are described as sons of king Subhavyūha and are repeatedly mentioned as highly meritorious bodhisattvas, but it is difficult to say whether any of these bodhisattvas became later on the Buddha Bahișajyaguruvaidūrya-prabharāja, for in the Chinese version of this sūtra the former names appear as Bodhisattvas. If these Bodhisattvas have been elevated to Buddhahood, it must have been done posterior to the time of compilation of the Saddharmapundarīka, the date of which may be placed in the 1st century A.D.
In a paper contributed to the Bulletin de l'Ecole Française d' Extreme-Orient, (vol. III, 1903, pp. 33-37)," Prof. Paul Pelliot has dealt with the Chinese versions of this work. He writes: --"The Bhaisajyaguru is one of the most popular Buddhas in China, Japan and Tibet. His name in Chinese is Yao-che lieou-li-kouang-jou-lai, (Bhaișajyaguruvaidūryaprabha). The restoration of the original name is guaranteed by the dhārani transcribed phonetically in the sūtra consecrated to the glory of Bhaişajyaguru. The Sanskrit text of the sūtra has not been discovered, but it exists in more than one translations in Chinese"
Its Chinese translations From the Chinese and Tibetan translations we learn that the present work is the last chapter of the book dealing with the great vows (mahāpranidbāna) of the seven past Buddhas. In view of the fact that this last chapter have independent translations both in Chinese and Tibetan, and also of the fact that quotations from this chapter only appear in sāntideva's Śikṣāsamuccaya, it may be stated that this particular chapter, containing the vows of Baișjyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja, attained great popularity.
I In my translation of the portions of this French article, I have retained the method adopted by the French writers in transliterating Chinese words.
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