The Dharma prince[4], Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and his peers, fifty-two bodhisattvas, stood up from their seats and prostrated themselves with their heads at the feet of Sakyamuni Buddha, and said to the Buddha;  

I remembered that, in numberless[5] kalpas[6] before, a Buddha appeared in the world whose name was Infinite Light. Twelve Buddhas[7] succeeded respectively in a kalpa, and the last Buddha was called Surpassing-Sun-Moon-Light. They taught me the Samadhi of the mindfulness of the Buddha[8];

For instance, there were two persons, one always thought of the other but the other had already forgotten his counterpart. Thus these two persons would have no meeting even one encountered the other, and would have no recognition though one saw the other. If both of them thought of each other and missed one another deeply, they would have been inseparable, from life to life, like a person and his shadow.      

All Tathagatas[9] in the ten directions feel for all sentient beings just like mothers care for their children. If the children run and hide away, the mothers’ concern would be futile. If the children miss their mothers and mothers also think of their children, they will never be far apart no matter how many lives have passed.

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THE GREAT BUDDHA HEAD-TOP SURANGAMA SUTRA

CHAPTER OF MAHASTHAMAPRAPTA BODHISATTVA’S[1] ENLIGHTENMENT[2] THROUGH THE MINDFULNESS OF BUDDHA

(Translation from Sanskrit to Chinese in

Tang Dynasty by Central India Sramana[3] Pramiti)

(Further translation from Chinese to English by The One Society)