藥王菩薩、藥上菩薩本誓願力

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The following story was recorded in The Original Story Chapter of the King Wondrous Magnificence of The Great Vehicle Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra:  

Countless kalpas ago, there was a Cloud Thunder Sound King Buddha who lectured on The Wondrous Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra out of pity on sentient beings.  In the sutra there was a king named Wondrous Magnificence.  His wife was called Pure Virtue and his two sons Pure Treasure and Pure Eye.  The two sons possessed great spiritual powers as well as blessings, virtues, and wisdom and had been cultivating the Bodhisattva Path for a long time.  They were worried about their father who held strong evil views and believed that the non-Buddhist dharma were created by deities.  So they endeavored to purify their father’s mind and make him believe and understand until finally he went to the Buddha’s Realm.  Pure Treasure and Pure Eye are Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva and Bhaisajyasamudga Bodhisattva today.

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Bhaisajyasamudga Bodhisattva is also called Pure Treasure Tathagata.  He was the second son of King Wondrous Magnificence when cultivating in the causal ground by the name Pure Eye.  Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva and Bhaisajyasamudga Bodhisattva used to be the two side attendants of the Medicine Buddha. 

Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva was the older brother whose original name was Star light, while Bhaisajyasamudga Bodhisattva was the younger one with the original name Lightning Brightness.  Bhaisajyasamudga Bodhisattva can eradicate the obstacles in the mind and the Five Skandha contaminations of sentient beings.  He emits the lightning-like light that can purify or eradicate the mind contaminations and sins of previous incarnations.

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Numerous asamkhyeya kalpas ago, after Crystal Light Illumination Tathagata entered Nirvana, in the sad-dharma-pratirupaka era, there was a bhiksu by the name Sun Treasure who possessed great wisdom and lectured on the Great Vehicle for the masses.  In the crowd there was an elder called Star Light who was very delighted to hear of the Equal Great Wisdom of the Great Vehicle.  So he made offerings to Bhiksu Sun Treasure and other monks with the good medicine from the Snow Mountain.  Also he vowed to turn this merit toward the utmost Bodhi.  Moreover, he wished that whoever heard of his name would eliminate sickness.  He was Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva.  At the same time, Elder Star Light’s younger brother Lightning Brightness also made the great Bodhi vow together with him

to make offerings to Bhiksu Sun Treasure and other monks with cream cheese and good medicine and also to attain Buddhahood.  This younger brother was Bhaisajyasamudga Bodhisattva.

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Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva

Numerous kalpas ago, there was a Buddha called Sun Moon Pure Illuminating Virtue Tathagata whose lifespan was 42,000 kalpas.  At that time there was also an All Living Beings Pleased To See Bodhisattva who practiced ascetically and diligently to seek Buddhahood wholeheartedly.  After 12,000 years he attained All Forms Samadhi.  He burned his own body as an offering to a Buddha.  After terminating his life, he was reborn into Pure Virtue King’s family and was instructed by Sun Moon Pure Illuminating Virtue Tathagata to build 84,000 stupas after that Buddha entered Nirvana.  He also burned his arms as an offering to these stupas during the 72,000 years of his life.  He is what we call

Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva today.

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Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva is also called Pure Eye Tathagata.  He gives living beings medicine to bring them away from sickness, poverty, adversities and bad karmas so that they will be peaceful and healthy physically and mentally.  Living beings created various kinds of bad karmas in their past lives, so their mortal body that is falsely made up of the earth, water, fire, and wind is certainly painful and impermanent. 

Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva vowed to rid living beings of their sufferings and to make them happy upon seeing him, so he is also called “All Living Beings Pleased To See Bodhisattva.”

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The Assorted Notes on Individual Divinities says, “Bhaisajyaraja Bodhisattva holds a medicinal herb in his right hand and his left hand reaches to the waist.  The Dharma Flower Mandala Majestic Presence Form Sutra also says, “There is a wondrous treasure crown on the head.  The violet hair droops to the ear.  The color of the body is close to that of the Sun.  His left fist reaches to the knee, while his right one is as brilliant as the Sun on the clouds.  He sits cross-legged, with the right leg on the left.  He has the appearance of saving the world with great compassion.  There are a wondrous garland, a heavenly dress, and a pearl necklace on his body.  A jade ring and an armlet are on his arm.  Fine brocade is on the waist, while red silk is his wondrous dress.  His wondrous body has a magnificent appearance and shines universally.  He sits on the treasure lotus and abides in the sea of the Moon wheel.”