This version of “The Sutra of Ksitigarbha’s Fundamental Vows” is a colloquial English translation of the ancient 7th century Chinese sutra translated from Sanskrit by Master Siksananda of the Kingdom of Khotan. “Ksitigarbha” is a Sanskrit word meaning “earth treasury”, which reflects the hidden treasure in the minds of all sentient beings, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s specialty and merit is His “power of vow” – He vowed not to become a Buddha until all beings, including those in hell, are rescued.
“The Sutra of Ksitigarbha’s Fundamental Vows” has the most direct connection with us sentient beings in this chaotic, troubled and distressed era and world. The Buddha foresaw the suffering and chaos in this Dharma-Declining Period that we are now living in, which is due to our own individual as well as collective deeds.
Although there is still a lot of work to be done, the Buddha had a miraculous plan! Through His great kindness and mercy, before He went into nirvana, the Buddha entrusted us to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Mahasattva to be saved, rescued and guided, not just humans, but all beings in the six realms including celestial beings and especially those in the three lower realms – animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings.
The narrator, Paul, is an inmate who was under maximum security incarceration in the United States. He has been rescued by the Three Jewels and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva multiple times when faced with distress, troubles in mind, critical illness and life-death issues. We are moved by his serious, persistent vows to change himself and cultivate inwardly according to the Buddha and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva’s teachings. These experiences helped and inspired many Buddhist practitioners all over. We are grateful that Buddhist dharma friends are sharing their lives with us and validating that the miraculous power of the Three Jewels and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is real. And we are immensely honored to have the chance to witness one miracle after another.
This is an unprecedented project and would not have been possible without the gracious and generous support of the state correctional officers, the superintendent and the officers of the corrections center to whom we are deeply grateful. We are also very thankful to our audio editor and sound engineer, Jonathan Raz, for his caring, patient and detailed work that made it possible for the recording to be professional and pleasing to listen to. Due to the limitations of the recording circumstances and the narrator’s health condition, there are a few places where the recorded audio does not exactly reflect the printed version, or may have some background noise, and the voice may sound a bit different at times.
As Mahayana Buddhists, we are most grateful to have the chance to present this sutra recording to share with you all. From our experience, reading and/or copying this sutra helps to obtain calm, peace and inspiration; may your listening to it also bring the same.
You can find the printed copy at Amazon under the title “The Sutra of Ksitigarbha’s Fundamental Vows: A Colloquial Translation”, ISBN# 978 172 447 4810, or click this link https://www.amazon.com/dp/1724474812/. And if you have any questions, we’d be honored to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us at usa@ksitigarbha-studies.org.
May the Three Jewels and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Mahasattva bless and guide us all to find true liberation and peace!
Namaḥ Kṣitigarbhāya Bodhisattvāya Mahāsattvāya!
Society of Ksitigarbha Studies, USA
Dong Shan Institute of Buddhism
November 2021
Our gratitude to L. Hsu for narrating the Preface.