Celebrating the Birthday of Bhaiṣajyaguru

Bhaiṣajyaguru is endowed with a body as radiant as lapis lazuli, And the adornment of the interwoven flaming net is unparalleled. He benefits sentient beings with his boundless vows and practices, Fulfilling the wishes of every being and enabling them not to retrogress on the path of enlightenment. Homage to Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha Who Eradicates Calamities and Prolongs Life.

On the 30th day of the ninth lunar month, we celebrate the birthday of Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Tathāgata of Lapis Lazuli Radiance. As recorded in the Original Vows of the Medicine Buddha, the land of Bhaiṣajyaguru is pure and sublime, with a ground made of lapis lazuli, and palaces and pavilions constructed with seven treasures, identical to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. There are innumerable bodhisattvas in that land, and Sūryaprabha Bodhisattva and Candraprabha Bodhisattva are the leaders of these great sages. When he formerly cultivated the bodhisattva path, Bhaiṣajyaguru made twelve great vows to benefit all beings . First Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, brilliant rays will shine forth from my body, illuminating infinite, countless boundless realms. This body will be adorned with the Thirty-Two Marks of Greatness and Eighty Auspicious Characteristics. Furthermore, I will enable all sentient beings to become just like me. Second Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, my body, inside and out, will radiate far and wide the clarity and flawless purity of lapis lazuli. This body will be adorned with superlative virtues and dwell peacefully in the midst of a web of light more magnificent than the sun or moon. The light will awaken the minds of all beings dwelling in darkness, enabling them to engage in their pursuits according to their wishes. Third Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, I will, with infinite wisdom and skillful means, provide all sentient beings with an inexhaustible quantity of goods to meet their material needs. They will never want for anything. Fourth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, I will set all who follow heretical ways upon the path to Enlightenment. Likewise, I will set those who follow the Sravaka and Pratyeka-Buddha ways onto the Mahayana path. Fifth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, I will help all the countless sentient beings who cultivate the path of morality in accordance with my Dharma to observe the rules of conduct (Precepts) to perfection, in conformity with the Three Root Precepts. Even those guilty of disparaging or violating the Precepts will regain their purity upon hearing my name, and avoid descending upon the Evil Paths. Sixth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, sentient beings with imperfect bodies—whose senses are deficient, who are ugly, stupid, blind, deaf, mute, crippled, hunchbacked, leprous, insane or suffering from various other illnesses—will, upon hearing my name, acquire well-formed bodies, endowed with intelligence, with all senses intact. They will be free of illness and suffering. Seventh Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, sentient beings afflicted with various illnesses, with no one to help them, nowhere to turn, no physicians, no medicine, no family, no home—who are destitute and miserable—will, as soon as my name passes through their ears, be relieved of all their illnesses. With mind and body peaceful and contented, they will enjoy home, family and property in abundance and eventually realize Unsurpassed Supreme Enlightenment. Eighth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, those women who are extremely disgusted with the 'hundred afflictions that befall women' and wish to abandon their female form, will, upon hearing my name, all be reborn as men. They will be endowed with noble features and eventually realize Unsurpassed Supreme Enlightenment. Ninth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, I will help all sentient beings escape from the demons' net and free themselves from the bonds of heretical paths. "Should they be caught in the thicket of wrong views, I will lead them to correct views, gradually inducing them to cultivate the practices of Bodhisattvas and swiftly realize Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment. Tenth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, those sentient beings who are shackled, beaten, imprisoned, condemned to death or otherwise subjected to countless miseries and humiliations by royal decree—and who are suffering in body and mind from this oppression—need only hear my name to be freed from all these afflictions, thanks to the awesome power of my merits and virtues. Eleventh Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, if sentient beings who are tormented by hunger and thirst—to the point of creating evil karma in their attempts to survive—should succeed in hearing my name, recite it single-mindedly and hold fast to it, I will first satisfy them with the most exquisite food and drink. Ultimately, it is through the flavor of the Dharma that I will establish them in the realm of peace and happiness. Twelfth Great Vow "I vow that in a future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, if sentient beings who are utterly destitute, lacking clothes to protect them from mosquitos and flies, heat and cold—and are suffering day and night—should hear my name, recite it single-mindedly and hold fast to it, their wishes will be fulfilled. They will immediately receive all manner of exquisite clothing, precious adornments, flower garlands and incense powder, and will enjoy music and entertainment to their heart's content." Lay practitioners who have faith in Bhaiṣajyaguru should develop aspirations to be reborn in his pure land, take refuge in the Three Jewels, and emulate the great vows of the Tathāgata to benefit all sentient beings and establish them in peace and happiness.