Once in the Jurassic, about 150 million years ago, the Great Sun Buddha in his corner of the Infinite Void gave a great Discourse to all the assembled elements and energies: to the standing beings, the walking beings, the flying beings, and the sitting beings - even grasses, seed were assembled there: a Discourse concerning Enlightenment on the planet Earth.

     "In some future time, there will be a continent called America. It will have great centers of power called such as Pyramid Lake, Walden Pond, Mt. Rainier, Big Sur, Everglades, and so forth; and power nerves and channels such as Columbia River, Mississippi River, and Grand Canyon. The human race in that era will get into troubles all over its head, and practically wreck everything in spite of its own strong intelligent Buddha-nature.

     "The twisting strata of the great mountains and the pulsings of great volcanoes are my love burning deep in the earth. My obstinate compassion is schist and basalt and granite, to be mountains, to bring down the rain. In that future American Era I shall enter a new form: to cure the world of loveless knowledge that seeks with blind hunger; and mindless rage eating food that will not fill it."

     And he showed himself in his true form of

     A handsome smokey-colored brown bear standing on his hind legs, showing that he is aroused and watchful.

     Bearing in his right paw the Shovel that digs to the truth behind appearances; cuts the roots of useless attachments, and flings damp sands on the fires of greed and war;

     His left paw in the Mudra of Comradely Display indicating that all creatures have the full right to live to their limits and that deer, rabbits, chipmunks, snakes, dandelions, and lizards all grow in the realm of the Dharma....................

     Wrathful but Calm, Austere but Comic, Smokey the Bear will illuminate those who would help him; but for those who would hinder or slander him,

      .....And he will protect those who love woods and rivers, Gods and animals, hoboes and madmen, prisoners and sick people, musicians, playful women, and hopeful children;

     And if anyone is threatened by advertising, air pollution, or the police, they should chant SMOKEY THE BEAR'S WAR SPELL:

     And SMOKEY THE BEAR will surely appear to put the enemy out with his vajra-shovel.

     Now those who recite this Sutra and then try to put it in practice will accumulate merit as countless as the sands of Arizona and Nevada,

thus have we heard.

(May be reproduced free forever)