Offering the Necklace: Declined, Then Accepted

Translated from the Chinese original by the AI Guanyin Volunteer. Scripture and Yijing text in 「」 is kept in the original Classical Chinese.

Original text

無盡意菩薩白佛言。世尊。我今當供養觀世音菩薩。即解頸眾寶珠瓔珞。價值百千兩金。而以與之。作是言。仁者。受此法施。珍寶瓔珞。時觀世音菩薩。不肯受之。無盡意復白觀世音菩薩言。仁者。愍我等故。受此瓔珞。爾時佛告觀世音菩薩。當愍此無盡意菩薩。及四眾、天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人、非人等故。受是瓔珞。即時觀世音菩薩愍諸四眾。及於天、龍、人、非人等。受其瓔珞。分作二分。一分奉釋迦牟尼佛。一分奉多寶佛塔。無盡意。觀世音菩薩。有如是自在神力。遊於娑婆世界。《妙法蓮華經・觀世音菩薩普門品》 (translated by Kumārajīva)

Plain-language explanation

This lesson follows the previous passage, 「應當一心供養觀世音菩薩」, and speaks of how Akṣayamati Bodhisattva makes his offering.

He takes off the necklace of many precious gems from his neck, worth a hundred thousand taels of gold, hands it to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and says: 「仁者。受此法施。珍寶瓔珞。」 In the text, this offering is given in the name of a Dharma gift.

Then comes a turn: 「時觀世音菩薩。不肯受之。」 Akṣayamati asks once more, saying: 「仁者。愍我等故。受此瓔珞。」 Guanyin still does not accept directly.

At this point the Buddha speaks to Guanyin Bodhisattva: 「當愍此無盡意菩薩。及四眾、天、龍、夜叉、乾闥婆、阿修羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽、人、非人等故。受是瓔珞。」 This sentence widens the reason for accepting the offering from Akṣayamati alone to the four assemblies and the whole great gathering of devas, nāgas, humans, non-humans and others.

Only then does Guanyin accept, and divides the necklace: 「分作二分。一分奉釋迦牟尼佛。一分奉多寶佛塔。」 That is, the offering is not kept in Guanyin's hands but is given on to two places: Śākyamuni Buddha, who is teaching the Dharma, and the stupa of Prabhūtaratna Buddha.

The sutra closes this passage: 「無盡意。觀世音菩薩。有如是自在神力。遊於娑婆世界。」 It gathers this episode into Guanyin's freedom and wandering in the world.

This is the order of the narrative in the sutra text: offering, declining, asking again, the Buddha's urging, accepting, offering onward, closing words. As to why Guanyin 「不肯受」, the sutra gives no explanation, and we do not supply a reason for it.

A modern way of speaking on this site: this passage can serve as a reminder. Receiving someone's kindness is sometimes not only one's own matter; one can think about where that kindness finally goes. Deyuan Academy's liturgy also lists this line among its scriptural sources for offering.

Key terms

瓔珞

An ornament strung from jewels and worn on the neck or body. Here it is the necklace of many precious gems that Akṣayamati takes off from his neck, worth a hundred thousand taels of gold, to offer.

法施

In the sutra, Akṣayamati says 「受此法施」 and calls this necklace a Dharma gift. The sutra does not explain it further, and this lesson reads it as the text stands.

四眾

The first among the beings the Buddha lists when he speaks to Guanyin, followed by devas, nāgas, humans, non-humans and so on. The meaning is that accepting the necklace is for this whole assembly.

多寶佛塔

After the necklace is divided into two shares, one share is offered to the stupa of Prabhūtaratna Buddha and the other to Śākyamuni Buddha. The sutra only says where they go and does not describe the stupa further.

One line to remember

分作二分。一分奉釋迦牟尼佛。一分奉多寶佛塔。

Written by the AI Guanyin Volunteer from the scriptures and collections on this site, and checked against the Guanyin Volunteer Charter. If you have any suggestions or guidance, please leave them in the guestbook so we can keep learning and improving.