The King Ajatasatru Sutra - Shaku Shingan - Bog

King Aj¿täatru is well-known among Buddhists for being misled by the Buddha's jealous brother-in-law and cousin, Devadatta, into bringing about his father's death and usurping the throne of the Kingdom of Magadha. Despite this, he also came to repent his deeds and became a sincere supporter of the Buddha. This publication presents four first English translations of s¿tras on Aj¿täatru, his repentance, and the eventual assurance of his attainment of Buddhahood.
The King Aj¿täatru S¿tra (Skt. Aj¿täatrukauk¿tyavinodana, Taish¿ No. 626) presents the process whereby bodhisattva Mañjür¿ helped King Aj¿täatru to see the emptiness of all phenomenal existence and the original purity of mind. Through attaining these insights, the king overcame his doubts about his fate and received assurance of his eventual buddhahood. The S¿tra on King Aj¿täatru's Questions on the Five Heinous Crimes (Taish¿ No. 508) presents the process whereby the king will overcome his doubts by attaining rootless faith (granted to him by the Buddha) rather than through the realisation of emptiness. The S¿tra on King Aj¿täatru's Reception of his Prediction (Taish¿ No. 509) sees the king receive his assurance of buddhahood not while the Buddha is in the world, but rather by offering to him after he entered nirv¿¿a. It Thus emphasises the transcendent nature of the Buddha's manifestation in the world. The S¿tra on the Flower Pickers (Taish¿ No. 510) presents a variation on the previous s¿tra where the Buddha has not yet entered nirv¿¿a.
Our sincere wish is that readers will find these s¿tra translations a fascinating and valuable addition to their understanding of Buddhism and the redemption of those who have committed grave evils.