華嚴經 白話全本 · 冊13Avataṃsaka Sūtra · Complete Vernacular · Vol. 13

Calling to Mind the Teaching of the Previous Friend: Merit in Ten Layers

At that time Sudhana the youth, having heard this gate of liberation from the householder Bright Wisdom, roamed at ease in that ocean of merit, tilled and worked that field of merit, gazed up at that mountain of merit, went toward that ford of merit, opened that treasury of merit, contemplated that Dharma of merit, purified that wheel of merit, savored that accumulation of merit, brought forth that strength of merit, and increased that force of merit.

Going in Search by Stages: Toward the City of the Lion

He traveled on gradually toward the city of the Lion, searching everywhere for the elder Jewel Topknot. He saw this elder right in the middle of the market, and he went to him at once, bowed to the elder’s feet, circumambulated him numberless times, joined his palms, stood, and said to the elder:

“Holy one! I have already raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and universal awakening), but I do not yet know how a bodhisattva is to study the bodhisattva practice, or how he is to cultivate the bodhisattva path. It would be good, holy one, if you would expound for me the paths of the bodhisattvas — I would ride upon this path and go toward omniscience!”

Taking Him by the Hand and Leading Him On: Just Look at My House

At that time the elder took Sudhana by the hand and led him to where he lived, showing him his house, and said:

“Son of good family! Just look at my house.”

The House as a Whole: Ten Storeys and Eight Gates

At that time Sudhana saw that house of his, pure and full of light, made of true gold, with silver for its walls, crystal (a jewel like rock crystal) for its halls, and the deep-blue beryl jewel for its storeyed pavilions, while the exquisite jewel giant-clam formed its pillars, and a hundred thousand kinds of jewels adorned it everywhere; red-pearl maṇi formed the lion seat; maṇi formed the curtains, and true pearls formed the netting that spread and covered it over; a jeweled pool of agate was brimming with scented water, and measureless jeweled trees stood ranked all around. His house was broad and spacious, with ten storeys and eight gates.

The First Storey: The Lowest, Where Food and Drink Are Given

Sudhana went inside and observed one storey after another in order. He saw that the lowest storey was the giving of every kind of food and drink.

The Second Storey: The Giving of Jeweled Garments

He saw that the second storey was the giving of every kind of jeweled garment.

The Third Storey: The Giving of All Jeweled Ornaments

He saw that the third storey was the giving of all jeweled ornaments.

The Fourth Storey: The Giving of Attendant Women and the Finest Jewels

He saw that the fourth storey was the giving of every kind of attendant woman (the women who wait upon and serve within a household), and of all the finest and most exquisite jewels.

The Fifth Storey: Bodhisattvas of the Fifth Ground Gathered Like Clouds, Expounding the Dharma

He saw that on the fifth storey there were even bodhisattvas of the fifth ground gathered there like clouds, expounding every kind of Dharma for the benefit of the world, having brought to accomplishment all the gates of dhāraṇī (the gates that hold all dharmas together and do not let them be lost), every kind of seal of samādhi (samādhi being the mind gathered upon a single object without scattering, and what such concentration fixes being settled and unshifting, hence a seal), and the light of wisdom belonging to every kind of practice of samādhi (the practices that arise within samādhi).

The Sixth Storey: Bodhisattvas Displaying Fifteen Gates of Wisdom

He saw that on the sixth storey there were bodhisattvas who had all brought to accomplishment a most profound wisdom, who had penetrated the nature of all dharmas with perfect clarity, who had brought to accomplishment the vast gate of unobstructed dhāraṇī and samādhi, whose conduct was without obstruction, and who did not abide in the two opposed sides of things; gathered together in an inexpressible ground of awakening of exquisite adornment, they displayed the gates of prajñā-pāramitā (wisdom that has gone to the far shore) one by one. That is to say: the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the treasury of stillness, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the knowledge that well discerns all beings, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the unshakable, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the light free of desire, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the treasury that cannot be subdued, the prajñā-pāramitā gate that illumines the wheel of beings, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the ocean-treasury, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of universal eyes that give and gain, the prajñā-pāramitā gate that enters the inexhaustible treasury, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the ocean of all skillful means, the prajñā-pāramitā gate that enters the ocean of all worlds, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of unobstructed eloquence, the prajñā-pāramitā gate that accords with beings, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of unobstructed light, the prajñā-pāramitā gate that ever contemplates former conditions and spreads the cloud of Dharma — and they expounded a million asaṃkhyeya (numberless) prajñā-pāramitā gates such as these.

The Seventh Storey: Obtaining the Forbearance of the Echo

He saw that on the seventh storey there were bodhisattvas who had obtained the forbearance of the echo (the forbearance that knows all the Dharma gates of sound to be like an echo, and rests in that), who by the knowledge of skillful means discerned and contemplated and so found their way out, and who were all able to hear and hold the right Dharma of the buddhas.

The Eighth Storey: Spiritual Powers Pervading the Lands, Foremost in the Assemblies

He saw that on the eighth storey there were measureless bodhisattvas gathered together, all of whom had obtained spiritual powers without falling back, who could fill the lands of the ten directions with a single voice, whose bodies appeared everywhere in all the grounds of awakening, exhausting the whole Dharma realm with nothing left unpervaded, who entered everywhere into the realm of the buddhas, saw everywhere the bodies of the buddhas, and were everywhere foremost in all the assemblies of the buddhas, expounding the Dharma.

The Ninth Storey: Bodhisattvas Bound to One More Birth

He saw that on the ninth storey the bodhisattvas bound to one more birth before becoming buddhas were gathered in assembly.

The Tenth Storey: All the Tathāgatas Filling It

He saw that on the tenth storey all the tathāgatas filled it: from their first raising of the mind, cultivating the bodhisattva practice, passing beyond birth and death, bringing their great vows and the power of their spiritual penetrations to fullness, purifying the buddha-lands and the assemblies at the ground of awakening, turning the wheel of the right Dharma, and taming beings. All of this he caused Sudhana to see with perfect clarity.

Sudhana Asks: By What Conditions Did This Come About

At that time, having seen these things, Sudhana said to the elder:

“Holy one! By what conditions was so pure an assembly brought about? What roots of goodness were planted, that such a reward has been gained?”

The Elder Answers with the Original Cause: One Pellet of Incense, and the Dedication to Three Places

The elder told him:

“Son of good family! I call to mind the past, beyond as many kalpas as there are dust-motes in a buddha-land, when there was a world named Perfect Adornment, whose buddha was called the Tathāgata King of the Boundless Light That Universally Adorns the Dharma Realm, the Worthy One (worthy to receive offerings), the Perfectly Awakened One, complete in all ten titles. When that buddha entered the city, I made music sound, and I burned one pellet of incense as an offering to him, and I dedicated and directed this merit and virtue to three places, namely: to be forever free of all poverty and hardship, to see the buddhas and the good friends always, and to hear the right Dharma constantly — and so I gained such a reward as this.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One Treasury

“Son of good family! I know only this bodhisattva liberation gate of the treasury of measureless merit. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas (the great bodhisattvas), they have obtained the inconceivable treasury of merit and virtue; they enter the ocean of the Tathāgata’s body that is without discrimination, receive the unsurpassed cloud of Dharma that is without discrimination, cultivate the equipment of merit and virtue that is without discrimination (the provision relied upon in bringing merit to accomplishment), raise the net of the practice of Samantabhadra that is without discrimination (the practices of Samantabhadra interlacing one another like the meshes of a net), enter the realm of samādhi that is without discrimination, are equal to the roots of goodness of bodhisattvas that are without discrimination, abide where the Tathāgatas abide without discrimination, realize the sameness of the three times that is without discrimination, and abide in the realm of universal eyes that is without discrimination (the realm reached by an eye that reaches everywhere), dwelling through all the kalpas without weariness — how then could I know or tell of their practice of merit?

Pointing to the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Elder Universal Eye in the City of Universal Gate, in the Land of Vine Root

“Son of good family! Going south from here, there is a land named Vine Root; in that land there is a city named Universal Gate; and in the city there is an elder named Universal Eye. Go there and ask him: how is a bodhisattva to study the bodhisattva practice and cultivate the bodhisattva path?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

Then Sudhana the youth bowed to the elder’s feet, circumambulated him numberless times, gazed up at him with earnest devotion, and took his leave and departed.

Recalling the Previous Friend’s Teaching: Eleven Clauses of Recalling, Nine Layers of the Measureless

At that time Sudhana the youth, at the place of the elder Jewel Topknot, having heard this gate of liberation, entered deeply into the measureless knowing and seeing of the buddhas; he abided securely in the measureless surpassing practice of a bodhisattva, penetrated the measureless skillful means of a bodhisattva, sought after the measureless Dharma gates of a bodhisattva, purified the measureless faith and understanding of a bodhisattva, made the measureless faculties of a bodhisattva bright and keen, accomplished the measureless desires and delights of a bodhisattva (the resolve that delights in wholesome things), penetrated the measureless gates of practice of a bodhisattva, made the measureless power of a bodhisattva’s vows grow, set up a bodhisattva’s banner of the Dharma that no one can surpass, and gave rise to the knowledge of a bodhisattva so as to illumine the things of a bodhisattva.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): To the Country of Vine Root, in Search of the City of Universal Gate

Traveling on from one place to the next, he came to the country of Vine Root, and everywhere he asked and searched to find where that city might be. Though along the way he passed through hardship, he did not take the toil for toil; in his mind he only held single-mindedly and rightly to the teaching the good friends had given, willing to draw near to them constantly, to wait upon them and to make offerings to them, everywhere spurring on his own faculties and leaving every kind of heedlessness behind.

Having traveled in this way, he was at last able to see the city of Universal Gate — a hundred thousand villages surrounded it on every side, the low parapets upon its walls stood high and steep, and the great roads within it were broad and level.

Seeing, Paying Respects, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Asks the Same Two Questions

He saw that elder, went to where he was, bowed before him, joined his palms, stood, and said:

“Holy one! I have already raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening), but I do not yet know how a bodhisattva is to study the bodhisattva practice, and how he is to cultivate the bodhisattva path.”

Praising (Chengguan’s Outline): First He Confirms the Raising of the Mind

The elder said to him:

“It is good, it is good! Son of good family! You have been able to raise the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Knowing the Illnesses: All the Illnesses of All Beings, I Know Them All

“Son of good family! I know all the illnesses that all beings have — illnesses of wind, of bile, of phlegm, of fever; illnesses in which ghosts and sprites afflict them; illnesses in which venomous magic strikes them; and even harm done by water and by fire. Every kind of disease that arises in this way I am able to rescue and to cure by every kind of skillful means.

Removing Bodily Illness and Giving Bodily Ease (Chengguan’s Outline): After the Cure, There Is Still the Giving

“Son of good family! Whenever beings of the ten directions have an illness, they all come to me, and I treat them all so that they are restored to health; and once they are cured, I further bathe their bodies with fragrant water, adorn them with fragrant flowers, necklaces, fine garments, choice robes, and every kind of ornament, and give them food and drink and goods and treasures, so that all of them are supplied in full and lack nothing at all.

Curing the Illnesses of the Mind (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) The Contemplations of the Four Divisions of Illness: Which Way Each of Them Leans

“Then I expound the Dharma for each of them according to what he ought to receive — for those in whom greed and desire are heavy, I teach the contemplation of impurity (contemplating the body’s impurity, so as to still the clinging of greed); for those in whom anger is heavy, I teach the contemplation of kindness and compassion (the mind that gives joy and draws out suffering, so as to still the vexation of anger); for those in whom delusion is heavy, I teach them to distinguish the many kinds of marks of things (discerning the marks of things, so as to still the confusion of delusion); and for those in whom greed, anger, and delusion are in equal parts, I reveal the surpassing Dharma gate.

Curing the Illnesses of the Mind (2) The Direct Conferral of the Great Practice · The First Five Clauses: Raising the Mind · Giving Rise to Compassion · Increasing Merit · Making the Vow · Cultivating the Practice of Samantabhadra

“So that they may raise the mind of awakening, I extol the merit and virtue of all the buddhas; so that they may give rise to the intent of great compassion, I reveal the measureless suffering and distress within birth and death; so that they may make their merit and virtue grow, I praise the gathering and cultivating of measureless merit and virtue and knowledge; so that they may raise the great vow, I praise the taming and subduing of all beings; so that they may cultivate the practice of Samantabhadra, I expound for them how the bodhisattvas abide in all lands and in all kalpas, cultivating the practices that are layer upon layer like a net.

Curing the Illnesses of the Mind (3) The Direct Conferral of the Great Practice · The Ten Clauses of the Ten Perfections: Praise One Perfection, Bring About One Body

“So that they may become fully endowed with the marks and signs of a buddha, I extol and praise dāna-pāramitā (giving); so that they may obtain the pure body of a buddha, able to reach everywhere to every place, I extol and praise śīla-pāramitā (keeping the precepts); so that they may obtain the pure and inconceivable body of a buddha, I extol and praise the perfection of forbearance (patient endurance); so that they may gain the body of a tathāgata that no one can surpass, I extol and praise the perfection of vigor; so that they may obtain the pure body to which nothing is equal, I extol and praise dhyāna-pāramitā (meditation); so that they may make manifest the pure Dharma body of a tathāgata, I extol and praise prajñā-pāramitā (wisdom); so that they may manifest the pure form-body of a buddha, a world-honored one, I extol and praise the perfection of skillful means; so that they may abide in all kalpas for the sake of beings, I extol and praise the perfection of vows; so that they may manifest a pure body that passes everywhere through all the lands of all the buddhas, I extol and praise the perfection of powers; so that they may manifest a pure body that gladdens all beings according to their minds, I extol and praise the perfection of knowledge.

Curing the Illnesses of the Mind (4) The Last Clause, and Letting Each of Them Return

“So that they may gain the ultimate, pure, and exquisite body, I extol and praise the leaving behind forever of all unwholesome things.

“When the giving has been done in this way, I let each of them return.

Knowing the Substance of the Incenses (Chengguan’s Outline): The Method of Blending Nine Kinds of Incense

“Son of good family! I also know well the essential method of blending all the incenses. That is to say: the incense without equal; the sindhu-pāra incense (sindhu is the name of the river Indus, and pāra is the bank — the incense that comes from the bank of that river); the unsurpassed incense; the incense of awakening; the aruṇavatī incense (this term means red carried to its utmost); the hard black sandal incense; the uraga sandal incense (uraga is the name of a venomous snake of the Western Regions, and that snake coils about this sandal tree); the aloeswood incense; and the incense that stirs none of the faculties — all such incenses as these, I know the method of preparing and blending them.

Raising the Offering and Giving Rise to Vows (Chengguan’s Outline): With This Incense He Makes Offering to the Buddhas, and Three Vows Are Fulfilled

“Again, son of good family, when I take this incense and make it an offering, I everywhere see the buddhas, and the vows I have raised are all fulfilled. That is to say: the vow to rescue and guard all beings; the vow to adorn and purify all buddha-lands; and the vow to make offerings to all the tathāgatas.

Accomplishing the Great Offering (Chengguan’s Outline): One Incense Brings Forth Measureless Incense, and Everywhere Incense Is the Adornment

“Again, son of good family, when this incense is burned, from each single incense there are born measureless incenses, which reach everywhere to all the Dharma realms of the ten directions and to the sites of awakening where all the buddhas gather with their assemblies; some become palaces of incense, some become halls of incense, and so likewise there are railings of incense, walls of incense, parapets of incense (the low walls upon a city wall that hold off an enemy), doors and windows of incense, storeyed pavilions of incense, half-moon ornaments of incense, jeweled canopies of incense, banners of incense, pennants of incense, curtains of incense, nets of incense, images of incense, ornaments of incense, light of incense, and clouds and rain of incense, filling every place and serving as adornment.

Concluding with the Name and Substance of the Dharma Gate (Fazang’s Outline): What My Gate Is Called, and the Simile of the Great King of Medicines

“Son of good family! I know only this one Dharma gate of causing all beings everywhere to see the buddhas and rejoice.

“As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they are like a great king of medicines — whether one sees him, or hears of him, or holds him in mind, or dwells together with him, or goes along following his practice, or utters his name, all of these gain benefit, and not one of them passes by in vain; and if there are beings who only for a moment are able to meet with him, that too will surely cause them to melt away all afflictions, to enter the Dharma of the buddhas, to leave behind the many heaps of suffering, to put an end forever to all the terrors of birth and death, to reach the place of omniscience where there is nothing to fear, to shatter the great mountain of all old age and death, and to abide in the bliss of equal quiescence.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): Such a Practice of Merit — How Could I Know It, How Could I Expound It

“But how could I know, how could I expound, such a practice of merit and virtue as theirs?

Pointing to the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The City of Tāla Banner · King Never Satiated

“Son of good family! South of here there is a great city named Tāla Banner; in that city there is a king named Never Satiated. Go to him and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the bodhisattva practice and to cultivate the bodhisattva path?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to the feet of the elder Universal Eye, circumambulated him measureless times, gazed up at him earnestly and with longing, and only then took his leave, withdrew, and departed.

Recalling the Previous Friend’s Teaching: Seventeen Kinds of Mind

At that time Sudhana the youth was recalling and pondering the teaching the good friend had given him, and was holding the good friend in mind: “He is able to gather me in, able to guard and keep me, and to make me not turn back from unsurpassed perfect awakening (anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi).” As he pondered in this way, there arose in his mind a mind of joy, a mind of pure faith, a vast mind, a mind of ease and gladness (a mind whose feeling is relaxed and free), a mind that leaps up, a mind that rejoices and gives thanks, a surpassing and wondrous mind, a still and quiet mind, an adorned mind, an unattached mind, an unobstructed mind, an impartial mind, a sovereign mind, a mind that abides in the Dharma (a mind that rests securely in the Dharma), a mind that goes everywhere to the buddha-lands (a mind that goes universally to all the lands of the buddhas), a mind that sees the adornments of the buddhas, and a mind that does not forsake the ten powers (a mind that does not forsake the ten powers of knowledge of a buddha).

Seeking the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): To the City of Tāla Banner, Asking Where This King Might Be

Traveling on from one place to the next, he passed through country after country, through villages and hamlets, until he came to the city of Tāla Banner, and there he asked where King Never Satiated might be. The people answered him: “That king is at this moment upon his main hall, seated on a lion throne, proclaiming the transformation of the Dharma and taming and guiding beings: those who are to be governed he governs, those who are to be gathered in he gathers in; he punishes their crimes, decides their disputes, and comforts the orphaned and the weak among them; and he makes them all cut off killing, stealing, and unchaste conduct forever, makes them also refrain from false speech, divisive speech (words that set people against one another), harsh speech, and frivolous speech (showy words with no meaning in them), and further makes them leave behind greed, anger, and wrong views.”

Seeing the Surpassing Dependent and Proper (One · Chengguan’s Outline): The Nārāyaṇa Adamantine Throne and the Adornments of the King’s Body

At that time Sudhana the youth, following what the people had told him, went at once. From far off he saw that king seated on a Nārāyaṇa adamantine throne — with numberless (asaṃkhyeya) jewels for its feet, with measureless jeweled images for its adornment, with a net woven of golden cords spread over it above; a wish-fulfilling maṇi for his crown, adorning his head, gold of the Jambū river made into a half-moon, adorning his forehead, indranīla maṇi made into ear-pendants hanging down facing each other on either side, priceless maṇi made into a necklace, adorning his neck, and the fine maṇi of the heavens made into seal-bracelets, adorning his arms.

Seeing the Surpassing Dependent and Proper (Two · Chengguan’s Outline): The Jeweled Canopy

Further, gold of the Jambū river made the canopy, a mixture of many jewels set alternately made its ribs and spokes, a great beryl jewel made its pole, a lustrous maṇi made its rim, and jewels of every kind made its bells, which constantly gave forth a lovely sound and sent out a great radiance pervading the ten directions — such was the jeweled canopy that was spread above him.

Seeing His Transforming by Contrary Means (One · Chengguan’s Outline): The King’s Might, and the Fierce Troops Ranged Before Him

King Anala had great strength and great might; he could subdue every other host, and there was none who could stand against him; he had a stainless silk band tied about the crown of his head, and ten thousand great ministers surrounded him before and behind, managing the affairs of the royal house together with him. Before him again were a hundred thousand fierce troops, ugly and coarse of form, their clothing scant and mean, holding weapons in their hands, their sleeves rolled back and their arms bared, glaring with angry eyes; not one of the beings who saw them was without terror.

Seeing His Transforming by Contrary Means (Two · Chengguan’s Outline): The Six Offenses Committed and the Nine Punishments Inflicted

Measureless beings had transgressed the king’s commands: some had stolen the goods of others, some had taken the lives of others, some had violated the wives of others, some had given rise to wrong views, some had given rise to anger, some had harbored greed and envy — having done such various evil deeds as these, they were bound with the five bonds upon their bodies and brought to the king’s place, and he punished each according to what he had done. Some had hands and feet cut off, some had ears and nose severed, some had their eyes gouged out, some had their heads struck off, some had their skin flayed, some had their bodies dismembered, some were boiled in hot water, some were burned with fire, some were driven up a high mountain and pushed down to fall — there were such various measureless torments as these; and the sound of the cries they raised was as it is in the great hell of Crushing Together.

Not Understanding, He Gave Rise to Doubt (Chengguan’s Outline): Doubt Arose in Sudhana’s Mind

When Sudhana had seen this, he thought to himself: “It is for the benefit of all beings that I seek the practice of a bodhisattva and cultivate the path of a bodhisattva. Now this king destroys all the wholesome things, does great crimes, oppresses and afflicts beings, and even cuts off their lives, and he has never once given a thought of fear to the evil destinies to come. How could I seek the Dharma at such a man’s place, and raise up the mind of great compassion to rescue and protect beings?”

The Deity in the Sky Instructs Him (One · Chengguan’s Outline): First He Is Made to Recall the Teaching of the Previous Good Friend

As he was thinking in this way, a deity in the sky said to him: “Son of good family! You should recall the teaching that the good friend, the elder Universal Eye, gave you.”

Sudhana lifted his face and looked up and answered: “I recall it constantly, and have never once dared to forget it.”

The Deity in the Sky Instructs Him (Two · Chengguan’s Outline): Afterward He Distinguishes How Deep and Profound This Friend’s Practice Is

The deity said: “Son of good family! Do not turn away in weariness from the words of a good friend; a good friend can lead you to a place free of danger and hardship, a place of security. Son of good family! The knowledge of a bodhisattva’s skillful means is beyond conceiving, the knowledge that gathers beings in is beyond conceiving, the knowledge that guards and holds beings in mind is beyond conceiving, the knowledge that ripens beings is beyond conceiving, the knowledge that protects beings is beyond conceiving, the knowledge that delivers beings is beyond conceiving, the knowledge that tames beings is beyond conceiving.”

Sudhana Inquires with Respect (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, when Sudhana the youth had heard these words, he went at once to the king’s place, bowed to his feet, and said: “Holy one! I have already raised the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening, yet I do not know how a bodhisattva is to learn the practice of a bodhisattva, how he is to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva. I have heard that the holy one is skilled in instructing; may you expound it for me!”

The Skillful Means of Conferring the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline): Taking His Hand and Sitting Together with Him

At that time King Anala, having finished managing the affairs of the royal house, took Sudhana by the hand, brought him into the palace, bade him sit down together with him, and said to him: “Son of good family! You should look at the palace in which I dwell.”

Raising the Fruit to Bring Him In (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Looks Everywhere at the Palace

Following his words, Sudhana at once looked all about him, and he saw that the king’s palace was vast beyond compare, all of it made of wondrous jewels combined: seven jewels made the walls that ran around it on four sides, a hundred thousand kinds of jewels of every sort made its towers and pavilions, adornments of every kind were all of them fine, and a net of maṇi jewels beyond conceiving was spread over it above; ten koṭis of attendant women were upright and surpassing in form, their bearing and their manner of coming and going were all of them worth looking upon, there was nothing they did that was not skillfully done, they rose before the king and lay down after him, and with pliant intent they received the king’s wishes.

Displaying the Provisional by Means of the Real (Chengguan’s Outline): If I Truly Did Such Evil Deeds, How Would I Obtain Such a Fruit?

At that time King Anala said to Sudhana:

“Son of good family! What do you think? If I truly did evil deeds such as those, how would I obtain a fruit such as this, a body of form such as this, a retinue such as this, an abundance such as this, a sovereign freedom such as this?

Displaying What He Has Attained (One · Chengguan’s Outline): What I Have Attained Is the Bodhisattva’s Liberation Like an Illusion

“Son of good family! What I have attained is the bodhisattva’s liberation like an illusion. Son of good family! Of all the beings in this land of mine, the greater part do killing, stealing, and so on down to wrong views, and by any other skillful means they cannot be made to give up their evil deeds.

Displaying What He Has Attained (Two · Chengguan’s Outline): The Ones Punished and the Suffering Undergone Are Both Conjured

“Son of good family! For the sake of taming those beings I conjure up evil men who do all manner of criminal deeds and undergo torments of every kind, so that all those beings who do evil, having seen this, give rise in their minds to alarm and dread, give rise in their minds to weariness and turning away, give rise in their minds to a faltering, cut off all the evil deeds they have been doing, and raise up the intention toward unsurpassed perfect awakening.

The Surpassing Benefit of This Dharma Gate (Chengguan’s Outline): Giving Up the Ten Evil Deeds, Abiding in the Path of the Ten Good Deeds

“Son of good family! Because I use such fine skillful means as this, I make all beings give up the ten evil deeds, abide in the path of the ten good deeds, be happy in the ultimate sense, be at peace in the ultimate sense, and abide in the ultimate sense in the ground of omniscient knowledge.

Directly Displaying His Real Virtue (Chengguan’s Outline): Not Even One Mosquito or One Ant Is Made to Suffer

“Son of good family! My body, my speech, and my mind have never afflicted or harmed a single being. Son of good family! A mind such as mine would rather undergo the suffering of the Unremitting Hell in time to come than give rise to so much as one thought of an intention to do anything that would make one mosquito or one ant suffer — how much less a human being! A human being is a field of merit, for from him all the wholesome things can be born.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Attained Only This One Liberation Like an Illusion

“Son of good family! I have attained only this one liberation like an illusion. But as for those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who have attained the forbearance of non-arising (the patient acceptance that no thing ever in the first place arises), who know that all the destinies (the places to which all beings go) are entirely like an illusion, that all the practices of a bodhisattva are entirely like a conjuring, that the whole world is entirely like a shadow, that all things are entirely like a dream; who enter the unobstructed Dharma gate of the mark of true reality, who cultivate all the practices in their endless mutual containment like Indra’s net, who move through the fields of objects with unobstructed knowledge, who enter everywhere into all the samādhis of equality (the settled concentration in which all things are equal and not two), and who have attained sovereign freedom in the dhāraṇīs (the holding of all things) — how could I know or expound the practice of their merit and virtue?

Directing Him to the Next Friend: To the South, the City of Wondrous Light, King Great Light

“Son of good family! To the south of this place there is a city named Wondrous Light, and a king named Great Light. Go there and ask him: how is a bodhisattva to learn the practice of a bodhisattva and cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing His Virtue, He Bows and Takes Leave

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to the king’s feet, circled him numberless times, took his leave, and departed.

Recalling the Previous Friend’s Dharma Gate: All the Way Along, Holding “Like an Illusion” in Mind

At that time Sudhana the youth was single-mindedly and rightly holding in mind the Dharma gate of the knowledge of illusion that the previous good friend, that king, had obtained (the Dharma gate of the knowledge that knows all dharmas to be like an illusion); he was pondering that king’s liberation that is like an illusion, contemplating that king’s dharma-nature that is like an illusion, giving rise to vows that are like an illusion, purifying dharmas that are like an illusion, and everywhere throughout all the three times that are like an illusion giving rise to every kind of transformation that is like an illusion — thus was he pondering.

Traveling On from One Place to the Next, He Asked His Way to the Great City of Wondrous Light

Little by little he journeyed along; at times he came to the cities and settlements of the human world, at times he passed through wildernesses, crags and valleys, and places of hardship and peril, without weariness or slackening, and never stopping to rest. Only then did he reach the great city of Wondrous Light, and he asked the people, saying:

“Where is the great city of Wondrous Light?”

The people all answered, saying:

“The city of Wondrous Light — this city here is it now; this is the dwelling place of King Great Light.”

Rejoicing in the Benefit to Come (Chengguan’s Outline): Going There, I Shall Hear Eight Things

At that time Sudhana the youth rejoiced and leapt for joy, and in his mind he thought thus:

“My good friend is within this city; I shall now surely be able to see him myself, to hear the practices that the bodhisattvas practice, to hear the essential gate by which the bodhisattvas go forth, to hear the Dharma that the bodhisattvas realize, to hear the inconceivable merit and virtue of the bodhisattvas, to hear the inconceivable mastery of the bodhisattvas, to hear the inconceivable equality of the bodhisattvas, to hear the inconceivable valor of the bodhisattvas, to hear the inconceivable vastness and purity of the sphere of the bodhisattvas.”

Having thought thus, he entered the city of Wondrous Light.

Seeing the City, One: Made of the Seven Jewels, Water of the Eight Qualities, Four Flowers Spread Everywhere

He saw that this great city was made of the seven jewels — gold, silver, beryl, crystal, pearl, tridacna shell, and agate — and that it had deep moats faced with the seven jewels, encircling it seven times over; water of the eight qualities (water possessed of eight excellent qualities: clear and pure, cool, sweet, soft and light, moistening, peaceable, removing hunger and thirst when drunk, and nourishing the faculties once drunk) filled the moats, golden sand was spread on the bed of the moats, and utpala flowers (blue lotuses), padma flowers (red lotuses), kumuda flowers (small white flowers), and puṇḍarīka flowers (white lotuses) were spread everywhere upon the water.

Seeing the City, Two: Seven Adamantine Walls, Each with Its Name

Jewelled tāla trees stood in rows seven deep, and seven kinds of adamant served as its walls, each of them encircling the city; that is to say: the adamantine wall of Lion Light, the adamantine wall of None Can Surpass It, the adamantine wall of It Cannot Be Broken Down, the adamantine wall of It Cannot Be Marred or Chipped, the adamantine wall of Firm and Unobstructed, the adamantine wall of the Treasury of the Surpassing and Wondrous Net, and the adamantine wall of Free of Dust and Pure — all of them adorned with numberless wondrous maṇi jewels set in among one another, and every kind of jewel made into the battlements upon the city wall.

Seeing the City, Three: Ten Yojanas Across, Eight Gates upon Its Faces

This city was ten yojanas across (a yojana is a name for a number of a measure of road), and it faced the eight directions around, with one gate opening on each face, all of them adorned throughout with the seven jewels; vaiḍūrya jewels were made into its ground, adorned in every way, most lovely and delightful.

Seeing the City, Four: Ten Koṭis of Thoroughfares, Measureless Beings Between Them

Within this city there were ten koṭis of great thoroughfares, and between each one of these thoroughfares there dwelt measureless myriads of koṭis of beings.

Seeing the City, Five: Ten Kinds of Storeyed Pavilions, Each with a Net Covering It Above

There were numberless storeyed pavilions of jāmbūnada gold, with nets of vaiḍūrya maṇi covering them above; numberless pavilions of silver, with nets of red pearl maṇi covering them above; numberless pavilions of vaiḍūrya, with nets of Wondrous Treasury maṇi covering them above; numberless pavilions of crystal, with nets of the Stainless Treasury maṇi-king covering them above; numberless pavilions of the maṇi jewel that Illumines the World, with nets of the Sun Treasury maṇi-king covering them above; numberless pavilions of the Indra-blue maṇi jewel, with nets of the Wondrous Light maṇi-king covering them above; numberless pavilions of the Sea of Beings maṇi-king, with nets of the Blazing Light maṇi-king covering them above; numberless pavilions of adamantine jewels, with nets of the Unconquerable Banner maṇi-king covering them above; numberless pavilions of black sandalwood, with nets of heavenly mandārava flowers covering them above; numberless pavilions of the Unequalled Fragrance King, with nets of every kind of flower covering them above.

Seeing the City, Six: Nets and Canopies, Parasols, Banners, and Pennants Set Up Everywhere

This city further had numberless maṇi nets, numberless nets of jewelled bells, numberless nets of heavenly incense, numberless nets of heavenly flowers, numberless nets of jewelled images, together with numberless canopies of jewelled cloth, numberless canopies of jewelled parasols, numberless canopies of jewelled pavilions, and numberless canopies of jewelled flower garlands, spread over it everywhere, with jewelled parasols, jewelled banners, and jewelled pennants set up in every place.

Seeing the City, Seven: The Pavilion Treasury of the True Dharma, Where the King Constantly Dwells

Right at the center of this city there was a storeyed pavilion named Treasury of the True Dharma, adorned with asaṃkhyeya jewels (asaṃkhyeya is a name for a number beyond counting), radiant and blazing, most surpassing, beyond compare, and beings who saw it were never sated in mind — and King Great Light constantly dwelt within it.

Able to See Without Defilement (Chengguan’s Outline): Toward All This He Had No Attachment

At that time Sudhana the youth had no attachment toward any of these precious jewels and wondrous things, nor even toward men and women or the sphere of the six sense objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and dharmas); he only pondered rightly upon the ultimate Dharma, single-mindedly wishing and delighting to see the good friend.

Seeing the King’s Seat: Amid the Crossroads Where Four Roads Meet, a Lion Throne

Traveling on little by little, he saw King Great Light not far from the pavilion where he dwelt, amid the crossroads where four roads meet (the heart of a street open in all four directions), seated upon a vast and adorned lion throne made of the wish-fulfilling maṇi-jewel lotus-flower treasury, with dark-blue beryl jewels for its feet, gold-colored silk for its curtains, every kind of jewel for its nets, and finest heavenly cloth for its sitting mat.

Seeing the King’s Body: Twenty-Eight Marks, Ten Similes

That king sat cross-legged upon the throne, adorned in body with the twenty-eight marks of a great man and the eighty secondary marks; like a mountain of true gold, his light and color blazing; like the sun in a clear sky, his majestic light radiant; like the moon at the full, so that those who saw him were cooled in mind; like the king of the Brahmā heaven, dwelling amid the Brahmā host; also like the great ocean, the Dharma-jewels of merit and virtue in him having no bound; also like the Snow Mountain, the marks and signs adorning him as a forest of trees; also like a great cloud, able to shake the Dharma-thunder and to awaken the throngs of beings; also like empty space, displaying every kind of Dharma gate as the stars and constellations; like Mount Sumeru, its four colors appearing everywhere within the sea of beings’ minds; also like an island of jewels, every kind of jewel of knowledge filling it full.

Host and Retinue Gathering Beings In (Chengguan’s Outline), One: The Precious Jewels and Goods Given Before the Throne

Before the king’s throne there were heaped up gold, silver, beryl, maṇi, pearl, coral, amber, conch shell, and jade disc — these precious jewels; and garments, necklaces, and every kind of food and drink, measureless and boundless, all of every kind filling the place.

He saw further measureless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of finest jewelled carriages, hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of heavenly musical entertainments, hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of heavenly wondrous incenses, hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of medicinal broths for the treatment of illness and goods for the sustaining of life — all of these things being fine and precious.

There were measureless milk-cows, their hooves and horns all of the color of gold; measureless thousand koṭis of comely women, finest sandalwood smeared upon their bodies, adorned in every way with heavenly garments and necklaces, practiced in all of the sixty-four arts without exception, and skilled in understanding all the human feelings and proprieties of the world — and all of these were given in accordance with the minds of beings.

Host and Retinue Gathering Beings In (Chengguan’s Outline), Two: The Givers Are Twenty Koṭis of Bodhisattvas, and the Intent of the Giving Is Twelve Clauses

In the cities, the settlements, and on both sides of the crossroads where four roads meet, goods for the sustaining of life were set out everywhere. Beside each one of the roads there were twenty koṭis of bodhisattvas, who took these things and gave them to beings —

for the sake of gathering in beings everywhere; for the sake of making beings rejoice; for the sake of making beings leap for joy; for the sake of making beings pure in mind; for the sake of making beings cool; for the sake of extinguishing the afflictions of beings; for the sake of making beings know every meaning and principle; for the sake of making beings enter the path of all-knowledge; for the sake of making beings cast away the mind of enmity; for the sake of making beings leave far behind the evil of bodily and verbal action; for the sake of making beings pull out all wrong views; for the sake of making beings purify all the paths of action.

Paying Respects and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Asks How to Study the Bodhisattva Practice and Cultivate the Bodhisattva Path

At that time Sudhana the youth cast his five limbs to the ground, bowed to the king’s feet, respectfully circumambulated him to the right, passing measureless times around, joined his palms and stood, and said:

“Holy one! I have already given rise, before this, to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening), yet I do not know how a bodhisattva is to study the bodhisattva practice, or how he is to cultivate the bodhisattva path. I have heard that the holy one is skilled in guiding and instructing; be willing to expound it for me!”

The King’s Answer, One: Displaying the Dharma Gate in General (Chengguan’s Outline) — the Practice of the Banner of Great Kindness

At that time the king told him, saying:

“Son of good family! I have purely cultivated the bodhisattva practice of the Banner of Great Kindness; I have brought the bodhisattva practice of the Banner of Great Kindness to fullness.

The King’s Answer, Two: The Causes and Conditions of Obtaining the Dharma — Questioning and Cultivating in the Presence of Measureless Buddhas

“Son of good family! In the presence of measureless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis, and even of unspeakably unspeakably many buddhas, I put hard questions concerning this Dharma, pondered and contemplated it, and cultivated and adorned it.

The King’s Answer, Three: The Working (Chengguan’s Outline), the First — the Twelve Clauses of Gathering and Transforming by the Dharma

“Son of good family! By this Dharma I am king; by this Dharma I give command; by this Dharma I gather in; by this Dharma I follow after the world; by this Dharma I lead beings; by this Dharma I make beings cultivate; by this Dharma I make beings enter in; by this Dharma I give beings skillful means; by this Dharma I make beings be perfumed; by this Dharma I make beings set out in practice; by this Dharma I make beings abide securely in pondering the own-nature of all dharmas; by this Dharma I make beings abide securely in the mind of kindness —

The King’s Answer, Four: With Kindness Foremost, Causing Them to Abide in Six Minds

“with kindness foremost, and complete in the power of kindness; and thus I cause them to abide securely in the mind of benefiting, the mind of giving ease, the mind of pity, the mind of gathering in, the mind of guarding beings and not forsaking them, and the mind of pulling out the suffering of beings without ceasing.

The King’s Answer, Five: The Thirteen Clauses of Causing All Beings to Be Happy Once and for All

“By this Dharma I cause all beings to be happy once and for all: to be constantly glad of themselves, to be without any suffering in body, to be cooled in mind, to cut off the craving of birth-and-death, to delight in the delight of the true Dharma, to wash away the defilement of the afflictions, to break the obstruction of evil action, to sever the stream of birth-and-death, to enter the sea of the true Dharma, to sever the destinies of the several kinds of existence, to seek all-knowledge, to purify the sea of all their minds, and to give rise to a faith that cannot be broken.

“Son of good family! I already abide securely in this practice of the Banner of Great Kindness, and am able to transform and teach the world with the true Dharma.

The King’s Answer, Six: The Working (Chengguan’s Outline), the Second — Gathering In by Fearlessness

“Son of good family! All the beings within my land have no fear of me.

The King’s Answer, Seven: The Working (Chengguan’s Outline), the Third — Gathering In by Jewels and Wealth, Opening the Treasuries and Letting Them Take What They Will

“Son of good family! If there are beings poor and destitute who come to me and seek anything of me, I open my treasuries and let them take what they will, and I tell them, saying: ‘Do not do any evil deeds, do not harm beings, do not give rise to any views, do not give rise to attachment. Since you are destitute, if there is anything you need, come to me and to the crossroads where four roads meet: everything of every kind is fully supplied there, take it as you please, and do not give rise to any misgiving.’

The King’s Answer, Eight: The Working (Chengguan’s Outline), the Fourth — Gathering In Everywhere According to Capacity, Five Pairs of Differing Sights

“Son of good family! The beings who dwell in this city of Wondrous Light are all bodhisattvas who have raised the intent of the Great Vehicle, and in accordance with what each one’s mind desires, what they see is not the same: some see this city small in its extent, some see this city vast in its extent; some see earth and sand made into its ground, some see every kind of jewel made into its adornment; some see heaped earth made into its walls, some see jewelled walls encircling it about; some see much tile and stone upon its ground, high and low and uneven, some see measureless great maṇi jewels set in among one another as its adornment, level as the palm of a hand; some see the dwellings made of earth and wood, some see halls and every kind of storeyed pavilion, steps and terraces, windows and doorways, railings and balustrades, casements and shutters — all such things being nothing other than wondrous jewels.

The King’s Answer, Nine: Wherein Lies the Difference Between Seeing It Pure and Seeing It Foul

“Son of good family! If there are beings whose minds are pure, who have in the past planted roots of good and made offering to the buddhas, who have raised the mind that goes toward the path of all-knowledge and taken all-knowledge as the ultimate place of refuge, and those whom I gathered in of old when I was cultivating the bodhisattva practice, they see this city as adorned and pure with every kind of jewel; the rest all see it as foul.

The King’s Answer, Ten: The Working (Chengguan’s Outline), the Fifth — Gathering In by Samādhi, First Telling Them in Words

“Son of good family! All the beings within this land, in the age of the five turbidities (an age in which the five turbidities come together: of the eon, of views, of afflictions, of beings, and of life span), delight in doing evil deeds. In my mind I pity them and wish to save and protect them, and so I enter the gate of the bodhisattva samādhi (samādhi: the concentration in which the mind is gathered upon one object and does not scatter) of according with the world with great kindness foremost. When I enter this samādhi, all the minds of dread, the minds of vexing and harming, the minds of enmity, and the minds of contention that those beings have — all such minds are extinguished of themselves. Why is this? Because such is the Dharma of entering the bodhisattva samādhi of conforming to the world with great kindness foremost. Son of good family! Wait but a little while, and you will presently see it before you of yourself.”

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), One: The Insentient — the City’s Ground, Walls, Halls, and Palaces Give Forth Sound and Pay Homage

At that time King Great Light entered this concentration. Within and without, this city shook in six ways, and the jewelled ground, the jewelled walls, the jewelled halls, the jewelled palaces, the terraces and towers, the storeyed pavilions, the steps and stairs, the casements and shutters — all such things gave forth a wondrous sound, and all of them bent toward the king and paid him homage.

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), Two: The Dwellers Within the City and the People of Villages and Encampments

Of all the dwellers within the city of Wondrous Light there was not one who did not at the same moment rejoice and leap for joy, and all of them cast their bodies to the ground toward the place where the king was. All the throngs of people of the villages, the encampments, and the cities came to see the king, rejoicing and paying homage.

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), Three: Birds and Beasts · Hills, Plains, Grasses, and Trees · Ponds, Pools, Springs, Wells, Rivers, and Seas

The birds and beasts near the king’s dwelling looked upon one another and gave rise to a mind of kindness and compassion, and all of them faced the king and bowed in reverence. Of all the hills and plains and all the grasses and trees there was not one that did not turn about toward the king and pay him homage. The ponds and pools, the springs and wells, and the rivers and seas all surged up and overflowed and poured out before the king.

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), Four: Ten Thousand Dragon Kings

Ten thousand dragon kings raised up great clouds of fragrance, stirred up lightning, shook forth the sound of thunder, and poured down a fine rain.

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), Five: Ten Thousand Heaven Kings and the Heavenly Women

There were ten thousand heaven kings, that is to say: the king of the heaven of the Thirty-Three, the king of the Yāma heaven, the king of the Tuṣita heaven, the king of the heaven of Good Emanations, the king of the heaven of Mastery over Others’ Emanations — such as these being foremost among them, who in empty space performed all manner of music.

Numberless heavenly women sang songs in praise, and rained down numberless clouds of flowers, numberless clouds of incense, numberless clouds of jewelled garlands, numberless clouds of jewelled garments, numberless clouds of jewelled parasols, numberless clouds of jewelled banners, and numberless clouds of jewelled pennants, making them an adornment in empty space, as an offering to that king.

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), Six: Airāvaṇa, the Great Elephant King

Airāvaṇa, the great elephant king, by the power of his mastery spread out in empty space numberless great jewelled lotus flowers, and let hang down numberless jewelled necklaces, numberless jewelled silken streamers, numberless jewelled garlands, numberless jewelled ornaments, numberless jewelled flowers, and numberless jewelled incenses, of every kind of wonder, to serve as adornment; and numberless court women sang his praises in every manner.

The Working Displayed by Concentration (Chengguan’s Outline), Seven: Beings So Venomous and Evil as to Drink Blood and Eat Flesh Also Give Rise to the Mind of Kindness

Within Jambudvīpa, moreover, there were measureless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of rākṣasa kings, yakṣa kings, kumbhāṇḍa kings, and piśāca kings, some dwelling in the great sea and some living on the land, who drank blood and ate flesh and did cruel harm to beings — and they all gave rise to a mind of kindness, willing to practice what is of benefit, understanding clearly the world to come, and doing no evil deeds; respectfully they joined their palms and bowed their heads to the king.

As it was in Jambudvīpa, so likewise was it throughout the other three continents, and even throughout the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, and even throughout the worlds of the hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas in the ten directions: all the venomous and evil beings therein were likewise so.

Rising from the Concentration: I Know Only This One Gate of Samādhi

At that time King Great Light rose from the samādhi and told Sudhana, saying:

“Son of good family! I know only this bodhisattva gate of the samādhi of according with the world with great kindness foremost.

The Nine Similes of Kindness: Bodhisattvas, with Kindness Foremost, Are These Nine Things

“As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas (mahāsattva: a great bodhisattva; mahā means great) — they are a lofty parasol, because with the mind of kindness they shade all beings everywhere; they are practice, because toward the practices of the low, the middling, and the high grades they practice all alike; they are the great earth, because with the mind of kindness they are able to bear up all beings; they are the full moon, because the light of their merit appears equally within the world; they are the clear sun, because with the light of knowledge they shine upon every object of knowing; they are a bright lamp, because they are able to break up all the darknesses within the minds of beings; they are the water-clearing pearl (a pearl that can settle turbid water clear), because they are able to settle clear the turbidity of flattery and deceit within the minds of all beings; they are the wish-fulfilling jewel, because they are wholly able to satisfy what the minds of all beings wish for; they are the great wind, because they swiftly cause beings to cultivate samādhi and to enter the great city of all-knowledge.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): Ten “How Could I”

“And as for me — how could I know their practice, be able to speak their virtue, be able to weigh the great mountain of their merit, be able to gaze up at the host of stars of their merit and virtue, be able to contemplate the wind-wheel of their great vows, be able to go into their profound Dharma gate, be able to display the great sea of their adornment, be able to make clear their Samantabhadra gate of practice, be able to reveal the cavern of their several samādhis, be able to praise the cloud of their great kindness and compassion?

Pointing to the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): Southward, the Laywoman Immovable at Secure Abiding

“Son of good family! Go from here toward the south, and there is a royal capital named Secure Abiding; there is a laywoman there (a woman of the household life) named Immovable. Go to her and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the bodhisattva practice and to cultivate the bodhisattva path?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to the king’s feet, circumambulated him numberless times, gazed up at him earnestly, took his leave, and departed.

Recalling the Previous Friend’s Teaching: Out of the City and Onto the Road, Pondering All the Way

At that time Sudhana the youth went out of the city of Wondrous Light and traveled along the road, single-mindedly and rightly recalling the teaching King Great Light had given him, holding in mind the bodhisattva’s gate of practice of the Banner of Great Kindness (the gate of practice set up with great kindness for its banner and pennant), pondering the bodhisattva’s gate of the radiance of the samādhi of according with the world, increasing that inconceivable sovereign power of vows and merit, making firm that inconceivable knowledge that ripens beings, contemplating that inconceivable great majestic virtue of the enjoyment not held in common (the enjoyment that buddhas and bodhisattvas alone possess and do not hold in common with ordinary beings), holding in mind those inconceivable marks of differentiation, pondering that inconceivable pure retinue, pondering those inconceivable deeds performed.

Benefit Gained from Cultivation (Chengguan’s Outline): Eleven Kinds of Mind Arise

As he pondered in this way, there arose in him a mind of joy, there arose a mind of pure faith, there arose a keen and sharp mind, there arose a mind of gladness, there arose a mind that leaps up, there arose a mind that rejoices and gives thanks, there arose an unmuddied mind (a mind with nothing turbid mixed into it), there arose a pure mind, there arose a firm mind, there arose a vast mind, there arose an inexhaustible mind.

Returning the Merit to the Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): He Wept, Holding in Mind How Rare a Good Friend Is

As he was pondering in just this way, he wept and shed tears, holding in mind how truly rare and hard to meet with a good friend is — the place from which all merit and virtue are born, the place from which all the practices of a bodhisattva are born, able to give birth to the pure mindfulness of all bodhisattvas, able to give birth to all wheels of dhāraṇī (the wheel that holds all things together and turns without letting them fall away), able to give birth to the radiance of all samādhis, able to give birth to the knowing and seeing of all buddhas, able to rain down everywhere the rain of Dharma of all buddhas, able to display the gates of vows of all bodhisattvas, able to give birth to a radiance of wisdom hard to measure, able to increase the root-sprouts of all bodhisattvas.

Praising at Length What the Friend Is Able to Do (Chengguan’s Outline): Ten Clauses of “Able Everywhere”

And he thought further: “A good friend is one who is able everywhere to rescue and guard all beings in the evil destinies, able everywhere to expound the various things that are level and equal, able everywhere to display which road is level and which is steep and dangerous, able everywhere to open up and make clear the deep meaning of the Great Vehicle, able everywhere to urge on the various practices of Samantabhadra, able everywhere to lead one to the city of omniscient knowledge, able everywhere to make one enter the great ocean of the Dharma realm, able everywhere to make one see the ocean of Dharma of the three times, able everywhere to bestow the place of awakening of all the holy ones, able everywhere to increase all white and pure things.”

The Deity’s Announcement: A Deity in the Sky Tells Him Four Clauses and Points Out the Next Friend

While Sudhana the youth was grieving and holding this in mind, the deity that ever follows alongside and awakens bodhisattvas, and the deity that is the Tathāgata’s messenger, spoke to him from within the empty sky, saying:

“Son of good family! Whoever is able to practice the teaching of a good friend, all the buddhas, the world-honored ones, are gladdened; whoever is able to accord with the words of a good friend comes near to the ground of omniscient knowledge; whoever is able to be without doubt toward the words of a good friend constantly meets with all good friends; whoever is able to set his mind on being constantly not apart from a good friend comes to be furnished with every benefit and good. Son of good family! You may go to the royal capital of Abiding Secure, and there you will get to see that great good friend, the laywoman Immovable.”

Seeking and Asking Around (Chengguan’s Outline): The People Tell Him She Is a Maiden

At that time Sudhana the youth rose from that radiance of samādhi-knowledge and traveled on from one place to the next until he came to the city of Abiding Secure, and everywhere he sought and asked after her: where is the laywoman Immovable now? Measureless multitudes of people all told him:

“Son of good family! The laywoman Immovable is in person a maiden; she is within her own household, guarded by her father and mother, and is at this moment expounding the wondrous Dharma to her own kin, a measureless multitude of people.”

When Sudhana the youth heard this, he was glad at heart as though he had seen his own father and mother, and he went straightway to where the laywoman Immovable was.

Seeing the Dependent Reward: Through the Door, a Golden Radiance

He entered within her house and saw that in that hall a golden radiance was shining everywhere, and whoever met with this light became cool and clear in body and mind.

Touched by the Light, He Gained Five Hundred Gates of Samādhi

Touched upon the body by this radiance, Sudhana the youth at that moment gained five hundred gates of samādhi, namely: the gate of the samādhi of knowing all rare marks, the gate of the samādhi of entering stillness, the gate of the samādhi of leaving all worlds far behind, the gate of the samādhi of the universal eye’s relinquishing and gaining, the gate of the samādhi of the Tathāgata store — he gained five hundred gates of samādhi such as these. Because he had gained these gates of samādhi, his body and mind became supple, like the suppleness of an embryo of seven days that has not yet taken form. And he smelled a subtle and wondrous fragrance, such as gods, dragons, gandharvas (a class of gods who feed upon fragrance and offer music to the buddhas), and the rest, human and non-human, could not possibly possess.

Seeing the Proper Reward: Five Surpassing Things

Sudhana the youth came forward to where she dwelt, joined his palms with reverence, and contemplated her single-mindedly; and he saw that her form and features were upright, wondrous, and surpassing, such that among all the women of the worlds of the ten directions there was none who could match her, still less surpass her — none except the tathāgatas and all the bodhisattvas who have received the consecration (bodhisattvas who have received the consecration of the buddhas and stand at the highest position). From her mouth came a subtle and wondrous fragrance; her palace was adorned, and together with her retinue there was nothing that could equal it, still less surpass it. Among all the beings of the worlds of the ten directions, not one gave rise to a mind of defiled attachment toward this laywoman; and if anyone could see her even for a moment, all his afflictions would of themselves be extinguished. Just as a million great Brahmā kings will assuredly not give rise to the afflictions of the desire realm, so it should be known it is also with the afflictions of whoever sees this laywoman. The beings of the ten directions gaze upon this woman without ever being satiated — none except those who are already furnished with great wisdom.

Bending His Body in Right Mindfulness, He Saw Eight Things About Her

At that time Sudhana the youth bent his body, joined his palms, and contemplated her in right mindfulness; and he saw of this woman that her bodily sovereignty was inconceivable, that her form and countenance had nothing in the world to equal them, that her radiance was penetrating and nothing whatever could obstruct it, that she made benefit everywhere for the sake of beings, that from the pores of her body a subtle and wondrous fragrance constantly came forth, that her retinue was boundless, that her palace was foremost, and that her merit and virtue was so deep and broad that its limit could not be known. Gladness arose in his heart, and he praised her in a verse, saying:

A Verse in Praise of Her Virtue: One Verse of Four Lines

“Guarding the pure precepts, cultivating vast forbearance, 　vigorous and never turning back, radiance shining upon the world.”

Sudhana’s Request: I Have Set My Mind on It, Yet I Do Not Know How to Study or How to Cultivate

At that time Sudhana the youth, having finished this verse, said to her:

“Holy one! I have already before this set my mind on anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind set on unsurpassed perfect awakening), yet I still do not know how a bodhisattva is to study the practice of a bodhisattva, or how he is to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva. I have heard that the holy one is skilled at leading and instructing; I would that you would expound it for me!”

Comforting Him, and Naming the Five Gates of Dharma in Answer

At that time the laywoman Immovable, with a bodhisattva’s supple words and words that gladden the mind, comforted and instructed Sudhana, saying to him:

“Good, good, son of good family! You have been able to set your mind on anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. Son of good family! I have attained the bodhisattva’s gate of liberation of the store of wisdom hard to crush down; I have attained the bodhisattva’s gate of the practice of firmly holding; I have attained the bodhisattva’s gate of the dhāraṇī of the ground of the sameness of all things; I have attained the bodhisattva’s gate of eloquence illumining all things; I have attained the bodhisattva’s gate of the samādhi of never wearying in seeking all things.”

Asking After the State: The Maiden Answers, “This Place Is Hard to Know”

Sudhana the youth said:

“Holy one! The bodhisattva’s gate of liberation of the store of wisdom hard to crush down, and so on down to the gate of the samādhi of never wearying in seeking all things — what are their states like?”

That maiden said:

“Son of good family! This place is hard to know.”

Sudhana Asks Again: Through a Good Friend I Shall Be Able to Believe and to Receive

Sudhana said to her:

“I would only that the holy one, sustained by the spiritual power of the buddhas, would proclaim it for me! Because of a good friend I shall be able to believe and to receive it, able to know and to understand it, to go into it and contemplate it, to cultivate it and accord with it, to leave every sort of discrimination behind, and to be ultimately level and equal.”

The Account of a Former Life (One): In the Kalpa Free of Defilement, the Daughter of King Lightning Bestowed

The laywoman said:

“Son of good family! In a past age there was a kalpa named ‘Free of Defilement’, and the buddha of that time was named ‘Long Arm’. At that time there was a king named ‘Lightning Bestowed’, and he had only one daughter, who was this very person of mine. When in the night watches the music had been stopped and my father and mother and my brothers had all lain down to sleep, and the five hundred maidens too had all fallen into a heavy sleep, I was upon the upper storey looking up at the constellations, and within the empty sky I saw that tathāgata, like unto a king of jeweled mountains; measureless and boundless hosts of the eight classes, gods and dragons and the rest, together with the multitudes of bodhisattvas, surrounded him on all sides; the buddha’s body sent forth everywhere a great net of radiance that reached throughout the ten directions without obstruction, and from the pores of the buddha’s body came a subtle and wondrous fragrance. I smelled this fragrance, my body became supple, and gladness arose in my heart; and I came down from the upper storey to the ground, joined my ten fingernails together, and bowed my head to the buddha. I contemplated that buddha again, and could not see the mark upon the crown of his head; I gazed to the left and to the right of his body, and did not know where its limit lay. I pondered the various marks and secondary marks of that buddha without ever being satiated, and privately in my heart I thought: ‘What sort of deeds did this buddha, this world-honored one, perform, that he obtained a body so fine and wondrous as this, with the marks and secondary marks complete, radiance fully furnished, a retinue brought to accomplishment, a palace stately and fine, merit and wisdom alike pure, dhāraṇī and samādhi inconceivable, spiritual powers sovereign, and eloquence unobstructed?’

The Account of a Former Life (Two): The Buddha Long Arm Teaches Her to Set Her Mind in Ten Ways

“Son of good family! At that time the tathāgata knew what was in my mind and said to me: ‘You should set your mind on what cannot be broken, extinguishing the afflictions; you should set your mind on what nothing can prevail over, breaking through all graspings; you should set your mind on not shrinking back, entering deeply the gate of the deep Dharma; you should set your mind on being able to endure, rescuing evil beings; you should set your mind on being without confusion, taking birth everywhere among all the destinies; you should set your mind on never being satiated, seeking to see the buddhas without ever resting; you should set your mind on never having enough, receiving in full the rain of Dharma of all the tathāgatas; you should set your mind on right pondering, bringing forth everywhere the radiance of all the buddha-teachings; you should set your mind on great upholding, turning everywhere the wheel of Dharma of all buddhas; you should set your mind on wide circulation, bestowing the treasure of Dharma upon beings according to what they wish and delight in.’

The Account of a Former Life (Three): Hearing the Dharma She Raised Ten Seekings, Her Mind Firm as Adamant

“Son of good family! When I had heard such a Dharma as this in the presence of that buddha, I sought omniscient knowledge, sought the ten powers of a buddha, sought the eloquence of a buddha, sought the radiance of a buddha, sought the body of form of a buddha, sought the marks and secondary marks of a buddha, sought the assemblies of a buddha, sought the lands of a buddha, sought the deportment of a buddha, sought the life-span of a buddha. Having set my mind in this way, my mind was firm as adamant, and all the afflictions, together with the mind of the two vehicles, could none of them break it.

The Account of a Former Life (Four): The Twelvefold “Throughout Those Kalpas” of the Practice Free of Faults

“Son of good family! From the time I set this mind, through kalpas as numerous as the dust motes of Jambudvīpa, I have never even given rise to a single thought of desire — how much less carried out the deed! Throughout those kalpas I have never given rise to anger toward my own kin — how much less toward other beings! Throughout those kalpas I have never given rise to a view of self with respect to my own body — how much less reckoned any sort of implement as belonging to me! Throughout those kalpas, in the time of dying, in the time of being born, and while abiding within the womb, I have never been confused so as to give rise to the notion of a being or to a neutral mind (a mind neither good nor evil, dull and unmarked) — how much less at other times! Throughout those kalpas, even in a dream, I have never once forgotten a buddha whom I happened to see — how much less what is seen by the ten eyes of a bodhisattva! Throughout those kalpas, upholding the true Dharma of all the tathāgatas, I have never forgotten one letter or one clause of it; even of the words of ordinary speech I have never forgotten any — how much less what is spoken from the golden mouth of a tathāgata! Throughout those kalpas, upholding the ocean of Dharma of all the tathāgatas, there is not one letter or one clause that I have not pondered and not contemplated; and it is so even of all ordinary worldly things. Throughout those kalpas, upholding all such oceans of Dharma as these, there is not one single thing in which I have failed to gain samādhi; and it is so likewise, item by item, even of the worldly arts and crafts. Throughout those kalpas, upholding the wheel of Dharma of all the tathāgatas, according with what I upheld, I have never let fall one letter or one clause; nor have I ever given rise to the cleverness of worldly skill, except for the sake of taming beings. Throughout those kalpas, seeing the ocean of the buddhas, there is not one buddha in whose presence I have failed to accomplish the pure great vow; and it is so likewise even in the presence of the conjured buddhas. Throughout those kalpas, seeing the bodhisattvas cultivating their wondrous practices, there is not one practice that I have failed to accomplish. Throughout those kalpas, of the beings I have seen, there is not one being whom I have not urged to set his mind on anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi; nor have I ever urged a single being to set his mind upon that of a hearer or a pratyekabuddha. Throughout those kalpas, with regard to all the buddha-teachings, down to one letter and one clause, I give rise to no doubt, give rise to no notion of a second thing, give rise to no notion of discrimination, give rise to no notion of variety, give rise to no notion of grasping, give rise to no notion of better and worse, give rise to no notion of love and hate.

The Account of a Former Life (Five): Fourteen Clauses of “Constantly”

“Son of good family! From that time onward I constantly see the buddhas, constantly see the bodhisattvas, constantly see true good friends, constantly hear the vows of the buddhas, constantly hear the practices of the bodhisattvas, constantly hear the gates of the perfections of the bodhisattvas, constantly hear the gate of the radiance of knowledge of the bodhisattva grounds, constantly hear the gate of the inexhaustible store of the bodhisattvas, constantly hear the gate that enters the net of boundless worlds, constantly hear the gate of the causes that give birth to the boundless realms of beings, constantly with a pure radiance of wisdom extinguish the afflictions of all beings, constantly with wisdom grow the roots of goodness of all beings, constantly manifest my own body according to what all beings delight in, constantly with pure and fine speech awaken all the beings of the Dharma realm.

Concluding Her Own Portion (Fazang’s Outline): Do You Wish to See It?

“Son of good family! I have attained the bodhisattva’s gate of the adornment of never being satiated in seeking all things; I have attained the gate of the dhāraṇī of the ground of the sameness of all things, and can manifest inconceivable sovereign transformations. Do you wish to see them?”

Sudhana said:

“Yes! It is my heart’s wish to see them.”

Entering Samādhi: Ten Thousand Gates of Samādhi

At that time the laywoman Immovable, seated upon the lion throne of the Dragon Store, entered the gate of the samādhi of the adornment of never being satiated in seeking all things, the gate of the samādhi of the adornment of the wheel that is not in vain, the gate of the samādhi in which the wheel of the knowledge of the ten powers appears before one, the gate of the samādhi of the inexhaustible store of the buddha-seed — she entered ten thousand gates of samādhi such as these.

The Working of the Samādhi: The Sixfold Shaking and the Hundred Koṭis of Tathāgatas

When she entered these gates of samādhi, in each of the ten directions there were worlds as numerous as the dust motes of ineffably many buddha-lands, and they shook in six ways, and all of them were pure, made of beryl; and within each single world there were a hundred koṭis of sets of four continents, and a hundred koṭis of tathāgatas, some dwelling in the Tuṣita heaven and so on down to entering parinirvāṇa; and every one of those tathāgatas sent forth a net of radiance, and, with the assemblies at the places of awakening throughout the Dharma realm purely surrounding him, turned the wondrous wheel of Dharma and awakened the multitude of the living.

Coming Out of Samādhi, She Confirms What He Relates

At that time the laywoman Immovable rose from samādhi and said to Sudhana:

“Son of good family! Have you seen this?”

Sudhana said:

“Yes! I have seen it all.”

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): Nine Comparisons

The laywoman said:

“Son of good family! I have attained only this radiance of the samādhi of never being satiated in seeking all things, and I expound the subtle and wondrous Dharma for all beings, making them all glad. But as for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas: they are like the golden-winged bird, which travels through the empty sky without obstruction, is able to enter the great ocean of all beings, and when it sees one whose roots of goodness have ripened, then takes hold of him and sets him upon the shore of awakening; and again like the merchant traveler, who enters the great isle of jewels and searches out the jewel of the knowledge of the ten powers of a tathāgata; and again like the fisherman, who takes the net of the true Dharma, enters the ocean of birth-and-death, and draws beings up out of the waters of craving; like the asura king, who is able everywhere to stir up the oceans of afflictions in the great city of the three existences; and again like the orb of the sun, which appears in the empty sky and shines upon the mire of the waters of craving, making it dry up; and again like the full moon, which appears in the empty sky and makes the mind-flowers of those who can be transformed open wide; and again like the great earth, which is everywhere level and equal, upon which measureless beings come to rest, and which increases the root-sprouts of all wholesome things; and again like the great wind, which meets no hindrance wherever it goes, and is able to uproot the great trees of all views; like a wheel-turning king, who travels through the world and gathers in beings by the four means of gathering in. As for me, how could I know or tell of their merit and virtue and practices?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Non-Buddhist Universal Practice in the City of Measureless Tusāra

“Son of good family! Going south from here there is a great city named ‘Measureless Tusāra’; there is there a non-Buddhist ascetic who has left the household life, named ‘Universal Practice’. Go there and ask him: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva and cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing Her Virtue, He Bows and Takes His Leave

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to her feet, circled her measureless times, gazed up at her with earnestness, took his leave, and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): Carrying the Previous Teacher’s Teaching All the Way to the City of Tusāra

At that time, Sudhana the youth, having already heard the Dharma at the place of the laywoman Immovable, single-mindedly held in mind all the instructions she had given, received them all in faith, and pondered and contemplated them. Little by little he traveled on, passing through one land and city after another, and came to the city of Tusāra, entering that city at the hour when the sun goes down, and searched place by place for that non-Buddhist ascetic Universal Practice — in the market stalls, in the neighborhoods and lanes, and along both sides of the great roads that run out in all four directions.

Seeing the Light at Midnight: Mount Well-Gained East of the City, Its Summit Bright as the Sun Just Risen

East of the city there was a mountain named Well-Gained. At the hour of midnight Sudhana the youth saw that on the summit of this mountain the grasses, the trees, and the rocks and crags shone with radiance, just as when the sun has newly risen. Having seen this, he gave rise to great gladness and thought to himself, saying: “Here I shall surely see the good friend.”

Seeing and Paying Respects (Chengguan’s Outline): He Was Walking Slowly Back and Forth on a Level Place Upon the Mountain

Then he came out of the city and climbed that mountain, and saw this non-Buddhist ascetic upon his mountain, on a level piece of ground, walking slowly back and forth; his form and features were perfect and his majestic light shone, such that even a Great Brahmā king could not match him, and ten thousand Brahmā gods surrounded him on every side.

Requesting (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Already Set My Mind, and Still I Do Not Know How to Study or How to Cultivate

Sudhana went to the place where he was, bowed to his feet with his head, circumambulated him measureless times, and, joining his palms before him, spoke thus: “Holy one! I have already first set my mind upon anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening), and yet I still do not know: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva? How is he to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva? I have heard that you, holy one, are well able to instruct others. I pray you will expound it for me!”

Conferring the Dharma (One · Chengguan’s Outline): What I Dwell In Is the Bodhisattva Practice That Reaches Everywhere

Universal Practice answered, saying: “Excellent, excellent! Son of good family! I already dwell in the ‘bodhisattva practice that reaches everywhere’ (the practice of a bodhisattva that can arrive at every single place); I have already accomplished the ‘gate of the samādhi of contemplating the world everywhere’ (the gate of concentration that contemplates the world universally); I have already accomplished the ‘power of spiritual penetration that has no support and does no making’ (the power of spiritual penetration that leans upon nothing and fabricates nothing); I have already accomplished the ‘prajñā-pāramitā of the universal gate’ (the perfection of wisdom in which every gate goes through).

Conferring the Dharma (Two · Chengguan’s Outline): I Manifest All Sorts of Bodies in the World and Am Born Among All the Destinies

“Son of good family! Everywhere in the world I am born among all the destinies, with all sorts of locations, all sorts of shapes and appearances, all sorts of practice and understanding (what is practiced and what is understood), and all sorts of dying and being born (dying in this place, being born in that). That is to say: the destiny of gods, the destiny of dragons, the destiny of yakṣas (yakṣas, swift and valiant spirits), gandharvas (spirits who feed upon fragrance and make music), asuras (the contentious ones, who are not gods), garuḍas (great golden-winged birds that feed upon dragons), kiṃnaras (spirits like humans and yet not humans, who sing and make music), mahoragas (great serpent spirits that move upon their bellies along the ground), the hells, animals, the realm of King Yama (the place over which King Yama presides), humans, non-humans, and so on — all the destinies. Among these beings, some dwell within all sorts of views, some put their faith in the two vehicles (the paths of the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha), and some again have faith and delight in the path of the Great Vehicle.

Conferring the Dharma (Three · Chengguan’s Outline): The Ten Rounds of Benefit, from the Crafts of the World All the Way to the Sovereign Body of the Buddha

“Among all such beings as these, I use all sorts of skillful means and all sorts of gates of knowledge to work their benefit. That is to say:

“Sometimes I expound for them all the sorts of crafts and skills of the world, causing them to become fully possessed of the knowledge of the dhāraṇī of every art and technique (the knowledge that holds together the crafts and techniques without losing them);

“Sometimes I expound for them the skillful means of the four means of gathering (giving, kindly speech, conduct that benefits, and sharing the same work), causing them to become fully possessed of the path of omniscient knowledge;

“Sometimes I expound for them the perfections, causing them to turn over what they have cultivated and direct it to the station of omniscient knowledge;

“Sometimes I praise for them the great mind of awakening, causing them not to lose their intent upon the unsurpassed path;

“Sometimes I praise for them the practices of the bodhisattvas, causing them to fulfill the great vow to purify buddha-lands and to deliver beings;

“Sometimes I expound for them how the doing of every kind of evil practice brings on all the sorts of suffering retribution of the hells and the rest, causing them to give rise to a deep weariness and turning away from evil deeds;

“Sometimes I expound for them how making offerings to the buddhas and planting every kind of wholesome root will certainly obtain the fruit of omniscient knowledge, causing them to give rise to a mind of gladness;

“Sometimes I speak in praise for them of all the merit and virtue possessed by the Tathāgatas, the Worthy of Offerings (those worthy to receive offerings), the Perfectly Awakened, causing them to love and delight in the body of a buddha and to seek omniscient knowledge;

“Sometimes I speak in praise for them of the majestic virtue of the buddhas, causing them to wish and delight in the indestructible body of a buddha;

“Sometimes I speak in praise for them of the sovereign body of a buddha, causing them to seek that great and majestic substance of a Tathāgata which nothing whatever is able to overshadow.

Conferring the Dharma (Four · Chengguan’s Outline): In This City No One Knows Who I Am or Where I Have Come From

“Again, son of good family! In this city of Tusāra, in every location and among every clan and kind, whether men or women, among all these throngs of people I use skillful means to display myself as having one and the same shape with them, and expound the Dharma for them according to what they ought to receive. Those beings are none of them able to know what person I am or where I have come from; it is only that those who hear are made to cultivate in accordance with the real.

“Son of good family! Just as I work the benefit of beings in this city, so too throughout all of Jambudvīpa, in the cities and towns and hamlets and every place where throngs of people dwell and stay, in just this way do I work their benefit.

Conferring the Dharma (Five · Chengguan’s Outline): The Ninety-Six Hosts Each Give Rise to Divergent Views, and in the Midst of Them All I Tame Them by Skillful Means

“Son of good family! Within Jambudvīpa there are ninety-six hosts, each giving rise to a divergent view and thereby giving rise to attachment, and in the midst of them all I use skillful means to tame them, causing them to let go of every one of their clingings to views. And as it is with Jambudvīpa, so it is with the remaining four continents; and as it is with the four continents, so it is with the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system; and as it is with the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, so it is with the oceans of beings in the measureless worlds of the ten directions — in the midst of them all I am there, and according to what the minds of those beings love and delight in, I use all sorts of skillful means and all sorts of Dharma gates, manifest all sorts of bodily forms, and use all sorts of speech and sounds to expound the Dharma for them, causing them to obtain benefit.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One Bodhisattva Practice That Reaches Everywhere

“Son of good family! I know only this one ‘bodhisattva practice that reaches everywhere.’ But as for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas — their bodies are equal in number to all beings, they gain a body no different from that of beings, they use bodies of transformation to enter everywhere among the destinies, they display the taking on of birth in every place, they display themselves universally before all beings, their pure radiance shines throughout the world, they use unobstructed great vows to dwell throughout all kalpas, they gain those various matchless practices that are like Indra’s net, they are always diligent in benefiting all beings and dwell together with them constantly without any attachment, they are everywhere and altogether equal throughout the three times of past, present, and future, they use the knowledge of no-self to shine forth all around, and they use the treasury of great compassion to contemplate all things — how then could I be able to know or to tell of practices of merit and virtue such as theirs?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Land of Vast Extent to the South, the Perfume-Selling Elder Utpala

“Son of good family! Going south from here, there is a land named ‘Vast Extent’; there is an elder there who sells perfumes, named ‘Utpala.’ Go to him and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva and cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing His Virtue, Paying Respects, and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to his feet, circumambulated him measureless times, gazed up at him with earnest devotion, and only then took his leave and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline) (1): The Eleven Clauses of “I Only Wish”

At that time Sudhana the youth, because of the teaching given him by his good friends, did not spare his own body or life, was not attached to wealth and treasure, took no delight in crowds of people, did not indulge in the five desires (the five pleasures of form, sound, scent, taste, and touch), did not cling to his kin, did not set store by kingship; he only wished to convert and deliver all beings, he only wished to adorn and purify the lands of all buddhas, he only wished to make offerings to all buddhas, he only wished to realize and know the real nature of all things, he only wished to cultivate and gather the great ocean of the vast merit and virtue of all bodhisattvas, he only wished to practice all merit and virtue with never a turning back, he only wished to practice the bodhisattva’s practice constantly throughout all kalpas by the power of great vows, he only wished to enter everywhere the assembly places of awakening of all buddhas, he only wished to enter one gate of samādhi and thereby manifest everywhere the sovereign spiritual power of all the gates of samādhi, he only wished to see all buddhas within a single pore of a buddha’s body with a mind that is never satiated, he only wished to attain the radiance of wisdom of all things and be able to uphold the Dharma store of all buddhas — what he sought single-mindedly was just these, the merit and virtue of all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline) (2): Traveling On by Stages to the Country Vast and Great

He then traveled on by stages, one station after another, until he came to the country Vast and Great, went to where that elder was, bowed to the elder’s feet, circled him measureless times, and stood with palms joined.

Seeing and Paying Reverence, Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): The Ten Clauses of “I Wish” and the One “I Do Not Yet Know”

He said to the elder:

“Holy one! I have already given rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening); I wish to seek the equal wisdom of all buddhas, I wish to fulfill the measureless great vows of all buddhas, I wish to purify the supreme form-body of all buddhas, I wish to see the pure dharma-body of all buddhas, I wish to know the vast knowledge-body of all buddhas, I wish to purify and cultivate all the gates of practice of the bodhisattvas, I wish to illumine all the samādhis of the bodhisattvas, I wish to abide in all the dhāraṇīs of the bodhisattvas (the power that holds all things together without losing them), I wish to wipe away all obstacles whatsoever, I wish to travel through all the worlds of the ten directions — yet I do not yet know how a bodhisattva is to study the bodhisattva’s practice, how he is to cultivate the bodhisattva’s path, so as to give birth to the knowledge of omniscient knowledge (the knowledge within omniscient knowledge)?”

Praising and Conferring the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline) (1): The Elder First Praises Him

The elder said to him:

“It is good! It is good! Son of good family! You have actually been able to give rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Praising and Conferring the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline) (2) The General Statement of What He Has Attained · The Head of the Separate Display of Function · The General Display of His Knowing: Knowing That Perfumes Differ in Substance

“Son of good family! I am skilled at distinguishing and knowing all perfumes, and I also know the method for blending all perfumes, that is to say: all perfumes, all perfumes for burning, all perfumes for anointing the body, all perfumes ground to powder.

The General Display of His Knowing (Chengguan’s Outline): Distinguishing Differences by Kind

“I also know in this way the places from which all the kings among perfumes come forth, and I am further skilled at clearly knowing the perfumes of the gods, the perfumes of the dragons, the perfumes of the yakṣas, and all the perfumes belonging to the gandharvas (spirits of music), the asuras, the garuḍas (golden-winged birds), the kiṃnaras (spirits of song), the mahoragas (great serpent spirits), humans, and nonhumans.

The General Display of His Knowing (Chengguan’s Outline): Knowing That Perfumes Differ in Power and Function

“I am further skilled at distinguishing and knowing the perfume that can cure all illnesses, the perfume that can cut off all evils, the perfume that gives rise to joy, the perfume that increases the afflictions, the perfume that extinguishes the afflictions, the perfume that makes one delight in and cling to what is conditioned, the perfume that makes one weary of and turn away from what is conditioned, the perfume that makes one cast off all arrogance and heedlessness, the perfume that makes one set the mind on and be mindful of the buddhas, the perfume that makes one realize and understand the gates of Dharma, the perfume that the holy ones make use of, the perfume of all the distinctions among bodhisattvas, and the perfume of all the positions of the bodhisattvas.

The General Display of His Knowing (Chengguan’s Outline): Fathoming Root and Branch to the End

“Perfumes such as these — their forms and marks, their arising, their coming forth, their being brought to completion, their purity, their ease and security, their skillful means, their objective realms, their majestic virtue, their working, and their very root — all such matters as these I have penetrated through and through.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) Elephant Store: A Perfume of the Human World, Born Because Dragons Fought

“Son of good family! In the human world there is a perfume named ‘Elephant Store,’ which is born because dragons fight one another. If one pellet of it is burned, at once a great perfume cloud rises and spreads over the whole royal capital, and for seven days it rains down a fine rain of perfume. If it touches the body, the body turns the color of gold; if it touches clothing, palaces, or storeyed pavilions, these too all turn the color of gold. If the wind carries it into the palace, then for seven days and seven nights the beings who smell it are filled with joy, happy in body and mind, without the various illnesses, not harming one another, far from the various sorrows and pains, not startled and not frightened, not confused and not angry, turning toward one another with minds of kindness, their aims and thoughts pure. Knowing that this had come about, I expounded the Dharma for them, causing them to give rise decisively to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (2) Ox Head: Smeared on the Body, One Enters Fire and Is Not Burned

“Son of good family! Mount Malaya produces a sandalwood perfume named ‘Ox Head’; if it is used to anoint the body, then even should one enter a pit of fire, the fire cannot burn him.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (3) Unconquerable: Smeared on Drums and Conches, the Enemy Armies Scatter

“Son of good family! In the ocean there is a perfume named ‘Unconquerable’; if it is used to smear drums and all manner of conches and shells, then when their sound goes forth, all the enemy armies scatter of themselves.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (4) Lotus Store: One Pellet the Size of a Sesame Seed, Perfuming All Jambudvīpa

“Son of good family! On the shore of Lake Anavatapta there comes forth an aloeswood perfume named ‘Lotus Store,’ one pellet of which is only the size of a sesame seed; if it is taken and burned, its fragrance perfumes the whole realm of Jambudvīpa everywhere, and the beings who smell it leave every offense behind, and their portion of the precepts is pure.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (5) Aruṇa: Smelling It, One Leaves Defiled Attachment Behind

“Son of good family! In the Snow Mountains there is a perfume named ‘Aruṇa’; if there are beings who smell this perfume, their minds decisively leave behind the various defiled attachments, and when I expound the Dharma for them there are none who do not attain the samādhi of freedom from defilement.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (6) Ocean Store: Used Only by a Wheel-Turning King, Who With His Four Armies Rises Into the Sky

“Son of good family! In the realm of the rākṣasas there is a perfume named ‘Ocean Store,’ and this perfume is furnished only for the use of a wheel-turning king; if one pellet is burned and used to perfume him, the king together with his four kinds of troops all rise up into empty space.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (7) Pure Adornment: Making the Minds of All the Gods Mindful of the Buddha

“Son of good family! In the Heaven of Good Dharma there is a perfume named ‘Pure Adornment’; if one pellet is burned and used to perfume it, it makes the minds of all the gods everywhere mindful of the Buddha.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (8) Pure Store: The Gods of the Yāma Heaven Gather Like Clouds to Hear the Dharma

“Son of good family! In the Suyāma Heaven there is a perfume named ‘Pure Store’; if one pellet is burned and used to perfume it, there are none among the gods of the Yāma Heaven who do not gather like clouds where their heavenly king is and hear the Dharma together.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (9) Saindhava: Before the Seat of a Bodhisattva Bound by One More Birth, Its Perfume Cloud Covers the Dharma Realm

“Son of good family! In the Tuṣita Heaven there is a perfume named ‘Saindhava’; when one pellet of it is burned before the seat of a bodhisattva bound by one more birth (a bodhisattva with only one birth remaining before he becomes a buddha), a great perfume cloud rises and covers the Dharma realm throughout, raining down everywhere all manner of offerings, making offerings to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Separately Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (10) Snatching Away the Mind: For Seven Days It Rains Down Adornments Everywhere

“Son of good family! In the Heaven of Good Transformation there is a perfume named ‘Snatching Away the Mind’; if one pellet is burned, then for seven days it rains down everywhere all manner of adornments.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One Method of Blending Perfumes

“Son of good family! I know only this one gate of Dharma, the method of blending perfumes. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they leave behind all the various evil habit-energies, they are not defiled by the desires of the world, they cut off forever the snares of the afflictions and of the hosts of demons, they pass beyond the various destinies of existence, they adorn themselves with the perfume of wisdom, they have no defiled attachment whatever to the various worlds, they fully accomplish the precepts that have nothing to which they are attached, they purify that knowledge which has nothing to which it is attached, they walk in that objective realm which has nothing to which it is attached, in every place whatsoever they have nothing to which they cling, their minds are equal, without attachment and without dependence — and how could I know their wondrous practice? Or tell of their merit and virtue? Or display all the gates of pure precepts they possess? Or reveal the faultless deeds they perform? Or distinguish their practice of body, of speech, and of mind, which is free of defilement?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Shipmaster Sovereign in the City of Storeyed Pavilions in the South

“Son of good family! South of here there is a great city named ‘Storeyed Pavilions’; in the city there is a shipmaster named ‘Sovereign.’ Go to him and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the bodhisattva’s practice and cultivate the bodhisattva’s path?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to the elder’s feet, circled him measureless times, gazed up at him with earnest longing, and only then took his leave and departed.

Contemplating the Road: High and Low · Level and Steep · Clean and Foul · Crooked and Straight

At that time, Sudhana the youth went on toward the city of Tower-Pavilion, contemplating the road all the way. What he contemplated was this: he looked at the road’s high places and its low places, he looked at the road’s level stretches and its steep ones, he looked at where the road was clean and where it was foul, he looked at where the road ran crooked and where it ran straight.

What He Held in Mind on the Road (Chengguan’s Outline): The Good Friend Is the Cause of Ten Kinds of Path

Little by little he traveled on, pondering in this way: “I ought to go and draw near to that good friend. The good friend, this person, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the paths of all the bodhisattvas, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path of the perfections, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path of gathering in sentient beings, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path of entering everywhere into the Dharma realm without obstruction, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path that makes all sentient beings put away bad understanding, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path that makes all sentient beings leave arrogance behind, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path that makes all sentient beings extinguish the afflictions, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path that makes all sentient beings cast off the various wrong views, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path that makes all sentient beings pull out every evil thorn, is the cause of accomplishing the cultivation of the path that makes all sentient beings arrive at the city of omniscient knowledge. Why is it said so? Because at the place of the good friend one is able to obtain all good dharmas; because, relying on the strength of the good friend, one is able to obtain the path of omniscient knowledge. The good friend, such a person, is hard to see and hard to meet.” In this way he pondered.

Seeing, Paying Respects, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): Upon the Sea-Shore Outside the City Gate

Little by little he traveled on, and had already arrived at that city, and saw that shipmaster dwelling upon the sea-shore outside the city gate, with a hundred thousand merchants and other measureless throngs surrounding him, and he was expounding the dharma of the great ocean, and by all kinds of skillful means was opening up and displaying for the throng the ocean of the merit and virtue of a buddha. Sudhana, having seen him, went to where he was, bowed to his feet, circled him measureless times, joined his palms before him, and spoke in this way: “Holy one! I have already first given rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening), and yet I still do not know: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva? How is he to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva? I have heard that you, holy one, are good at instructing others. I pray you will expound it for me!”

Praising and Conferring the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline): What You Have Asked, Clause by Clause, Is the Cause of the Path

The shipmaster told him, saying:

“Excellent, excellent! Son of good family! You have already been able to give rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, and now you are further able to ask about: the cause that gives birth to great knowledge, the cause that cuts off all the sufferings of birth and death, the cause of going to that great island of jewels which is omniscient knowledge, the cause of accomplishing the mahāyāna (the Great Vehicle) that cannot be broken, the cause of leaving far behind the two vehicles’ dread of birth and death and abiding in the eddy of the samādhis of stillness, the cause of the pure path of riding the carriage of the great vow and reaching everywhere to practice the bodhisattva practice in every place without obstruction, the cause of the pure path of adorning with the bodhisattva practice that knowledge which nothing whatever is able to break, the cause of the pure path of contemplating everywhere all the dharmas of the ten directions without obstruction, the cause of the pure path of being swiftly able to head toward and enter the ocean of omniscient knowledge.

Setting Forth the Name and Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): What I Cultivate Here Is Called the Practice of the Banner of Great Compassion

“Son of good family! It is right here, upon the shore road of this city, that I purely cultivate the bodhisattva practice of the banner of great compassion.

Converting and Delivering upon the Land: First Give Them What They Ask, Then Give Them What They Ought to Have

“Son of good family! I contemplate the poor and destitute sentient beings within Jambudvīpa, and for the sake of benefiting them I cultivate all kinds of austere practice, and according to what they wish and seek I cause them all to be satisfied. First, with the goods of the world, I fill their hearts full; then I give the wealth of the Dharma, causing them to rejoice, causing them to cultivate the practice of merit, causing them to give rise to the path of wisdom, causing them to increase the strength of their roots of goodness, causing them to give rise to the mind of awakening, causing them to purify the vow of awakening, causing them to make firm the strength of great compassion, causing them to cultivate the path that can extinguish birth and death, causing them to give rise to the practice that does not weary of birth and death, causing them to gather in the ocean of all sentient beings, causing them to cultivate the ocean of all merit and virtue, causing them to illumine the ocean of all dharmas, causing them to behold the ocean of all buddhas, causing them to enter the ocean of the knowledge of omniscient knowledge. Son of good family! Dwelling here, in this way I ponder, in this way I direct my attention, in this way I benefit all sentient beings.

Knowing the Jewels within the Ocean: The Four That Are Originally There · The Four That Can Be Done · The Four That Are Used

“Son of good family! I know within the ocean every island of jewels, every place of jewels, every kind of jewel, every seed of jewels. I know how to cleanse every jewel, how to bore out every jewel, how to bring forth every jewel, how to work every jewel. I know every vessel of jewels, every use of jewels, every objective realm of jewels, every radiance of jewels.

Knowing within the Ocean the Places of Peril: The Palaces of the Dragons · Of the Yakṣas · Of the Bhūtas

“I know every dwelling-place of the dragons, every dwelling-place of the yakṣas, every dwelling-place of the bhūtas (the kind that are self-born), and am good at turning aside from them all, so as to be spared those perils.

Knowing within the Ocean the Matters of the Water: The Eddies · The Billows · The Color of the Water

“I am also good at distinguishing and knowing how shallow or deep the whirling eddies run, how far or near the billows rise and fall, how good or bad the color of the water is, all of them differing one from another in all kinds of ways.

Knowing within the Ocean the Matters of Time: Sun, Moon, and Constellations · Day and Night, Dawn and Dusk

“I am also good at distinguishing and knowing the degrees along which the sun, the moon, and the constellations move in their courses, and day and night, dawn and dusk, and how the time-divisions reckoned by the sun-marker and the water-vessel lengthen and shorten.

Knowing within the Ocean the Matters of the Ship: The Ship’s Timber · Its Gear · The Force of the Water · The Set of the Wind

“I also know whether that ship’s iron and wood are firm or brittle, whether its gear is stiff or running smoothly, whether the force of the water is great or small, whether the set of the wind is against us or with us; every mark of safety and of danger such as these there is none of which I am not clearly aware, and when it is fit to go I go, and when it is fit to stop I stop. Son of good family! Because I have accomplished wisdom such as this, I am constantly able to benefit all sentient beings.

Carrying the Throng in a Good Ship: Coming Back from the Island of Jewels, Not Once Has It Been Damaged

“Son of good family! With a good ship I carry the several merchants along a safe road, and moreover expound the Dharma for them so as to make them rejoice, and lead them to arrive at the island of jewels and be furnished to the full with every kind of precious jewel, and after that I bring them back to Jambudvīpa. Son of good family! I take the great ship back and forth in this way, and have never yet let it suffer so much as one damage. If there are sentient beings able to see my body or to hear my Dharma, then they are made never again to dread the ocean of birth and death, are certain to be able to enter the ocean of omniscient knowledge, are certain to be able to dry up the various oceans of craving and desire, are able with the light of wisdom to illumine through the ocean of the three times, are able to exhaust the ocean of the suffering of all sentient beings, are able to purify the ocean of the minds of all sentient beings, are swiftly able to adorn and purify the ocean of all buddha-lands, are able everywhere to go to the great oceans of the ten directions, know everywhere the ocean of the faculties of all sentient beings, penetrate everywhere the ocean of the practice of all sentient beings, accord everywhere with the ocean of the minds of all sentient beings.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Gained Only This One

“Son of good family! I have gained only this practice of the banner of great compassion; and if there are those who see me or hear me, who dwell together with me or hold me in mind, none of them shall be in vain. But as for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they are good at ranging and crossing the great ocean of birth and death, are unstained by any of the oceans of the afflictions, are able to cast off all the oceans of false views, are able to illumine the ocean of the nature of all dharmas, are able with the four means of gathering (giving, kind speech, beneficial conduct, shared endeavour) to gather in the ocean of sentient beings, are already well settled in the ocean of omniscient knowledge, are able to extinguish the ocean of the attachments of all sentient beings, are able evenly to abide in the ocean of all times, are able by spiritual penetration to deliver the ocean of sentient beings, are able at the fitting moment to tame and subdue the ocean of sentient beings — how then could I be able to know, or be able to tell of, their practices of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The City Delightful · The Elder Unsurpassed Victory

“Son of good family! Here to the south there is a city named ‘Delightful’; and within the city there is an elder named ‘Unsurpassed Victory.’ Go to where he is and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva and cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to his feet, circled him measureless times, gazed up at him with earnest devotion, wept and shed tears, his mind unwearied in seeking good friends, and only then took his leave and departed.

Holding in Mind the Former Friend's Teaching: Setting Out with Ten Things in the Heart

At that time, Sudhana the youth gave rise to a mind of great kindness reaching everywhere and a mind of great compassion that moistens and enriches, continuing on one after another without a break; he adorned himself with the two adornments of merit and wisdom, cast off the dust and stain of every affliction, realized the evenness of all dharmas, had in his mind no high and no low, pulled out the thorns of what is not good, extinguished every obstruction, made firm vigor his wall and his moat, made the deep samādhis his park and his pleasure grove, broke the darkness of ignorance with the light of the sun-orb of wisdom, opened the flowers of wisdom with the wind of skillful means, filled the Dharma realm with the great vow that has nothing to obstruct it, and in his mind constantly entered, then and there, the city of omniscient knowledge — and in this way he went seeking the path of a bodhisattva.

Arriving at the City and Seeing the Elder (Chengguan’s Outline): A Man Who Settles Matters in a Grove

Little by little he traveled on, stage by stage, and arrived within that city. Only then did he see the elder Unsurpassed Victory, on the east side of that city, within the Grove of Freedom from Sorrow of the Banner of Great Adornment, with measureless merchants and a hundred thousand householders surrounding him, and he was in the very act of governing and deciding for people all the various affairs of the human world.

The Elder Expounds the Dharma for the Throng: Within the Deciding of Matters Is the Very Expounding of the Dharma

He then, following upon that occasion, expounded the Dharma for them, causing them forever to pull out all arrogance, to leave behind “I” and “what is mine,” to give away the goods they had heaped up, to extinguish the stain of stinginess and jealousy, so that their minds gained purity and were without the various defilements; so that they gained the strength of pure faith, constantly delighted to see the buddhas, upheld the Buddha-dharma, gave rise to the strength of a bodhisattva, set going the practice of a bodhisattva, entered the samādhis of a bodhisattva, gained the wisdom of a bodhisattva, abided in the right mindfulness of a bodhisattva, and increased the aspiring delight of a bodhisattva.

Paying Respects (Chengguan’s Outline): Casting the Body to the Ground, Rising Only After a Long While

At that time, Sudhana the youth watched that elder until he had finished expounding the Dharma for the throng, and then cast his whole body upon the ground, bowed to his feet, rose only after a long while, and addressed him, saying:

Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana’s Question and the Ten Things Within It

“Holy one! I am Sudhana! I am Sudhana! I seek single-mindedly for the practice of a bodhisattva. How is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva? How is a bodhisattva to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva? When I study in this way, shall I be able constantly to convert and deliver all sentient beings, able constantly to see before me all the buddhas, able constantly to hear all the Buddha-dharma, able constantly to uphold and maintain all the Buddha-dharma, able constantly to head into every Dharma gate, able within every land to study the practice of a bodhisattva, able within every kalpa to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva, able to know the spiritual strength of every tathāgata, able to receive the mindful protection of every tathāgata, able to gain the wisdom of every tathāgata?”

Praising (Chengguan’s Outline): First He Praises the Mind Already Given Rise To

At that time, that elder told Sudhana, saying:

“Excellent, excellent! Son of good family! You have already been able to give rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind that seeks unsurpassed perfect awakening).

Setting Forth the Name and Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): The Name of the Dharma Gate and Its Substance

“Son of good family! I have accomplished ‘the spiritual penetrating strength, without anything depended upon and without anything done, of the gate of bodhisattva practice that reaches every place.’ Son of good family! What is meant by the gate of bodhisattva practice that reaches every place?

The Working (1) The Great Thousandfold World (Chengguan’s Outline): Expounding the Dharma for the Beings of the Desire Realm

“Son of good family! Within this great threefold-thousand world (the world-system in which a thousand small-thousand worlds make a middle-thousand, and a thousand middle-thousand make the great-thousand), among all the sentient beings of the desire realm — that is to say, among all the Thirty-Three Gods, all the Suyāma Gods, all the Tuṣita Gods, all the Gods Who Delight in Their Own Emanations, all the Gods Who Command the Emanations of Others, all the Māra Gods, and among all the rest of the gods, dragons, yakṣas (swift and valiant spirits), rākṣasas (fearsome spirits that devour men), kumbhāṇḍas (spirits shaped like jars), gandharvas (spirits who feed upon fragrance and make music), asuras (the contentious ones, who are not gods), garuḍas (great golden-winged birds that feed upon dragons), kiṃnaras (spirits like humans and yet not humans, who sing and make music), mahoragas (great serpent spirits that move upon their bellies along the ground), humans and nonhumans, and among the sentient beings of the hamlets and encampments, the walled towns, and every dwelling-place — for all of these I expound the Dharma.

The Working (2) Barring What Is Evil (Chengguan’s Outline): From Casting Off What Is Not the Dharma to Forbidding What May Not Be Done

“I cause them to cast off what is not the Dharma, cause them to still their disputes, cause them to do away with fighting and battle, cause them to stop their anger and contending, cause them to break the knot of enmity, cause them to loosen their bonds, cause them to come out of prison, cause them to be spared from dread, cause them to cut off all the evil karma from the taking of life on to wrong views; and whatever may not be done, all of it I cause them to forbid themselves.

The Working (3) Giving Birth to What Is Good (Chengguan’s Outline): From Practicing Good Dharmas in Accord to Causing Them to Enter the Buddha-dharma

“I cause them to practice in accord with every good dharma, cause them to study every craft and art, and within the various worlds make benefit for them; for them I set out and distinguish all kinds of treatises and discussions, cause them to give rise to gladness, cause them little by little to ripen; and following along with the throngs of the outer paths, I expound for them the surpassing wisdom, cause them to cut off the various views, cause them to enter the Buddha-dharma. And on to all the Brahmā gods of the form realm, for them too I set forth the Dharma that rises beyond.

The Working (4) Displaying the Ten Directions by the Same Kind (Chengguan’s Outline): As in This One World, So Too in Worlds as Many as the Dust-Motes of Ten Directions

“Just as it is within this great threefold-thousand world, so too, on to worlds as many as the dust-motes of the buddha-lands of ten unspeakable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas in the ten directions, for all of them I set forth the Buddha-dharma, the bodhisattva dharma, the śrāvaka dharma, and the pratyekabuddha dharma.

The Working (5) The Expounding of the Five Destinies (Chengguan’s Outline): Expounding the Destiny · the Suffering and Bliss Within It · the Road That Leads There

“I expound the hells, I expound the sentient beings of the hells, I expound the road that leads to the hells; I expound the animals, I expound the differences among the animals, I expound the suffering the animals undergo, I expound the road that leads to the animals; I expound the world of King Yama, I expound the suffering of the world of King Yama, I expound the road that leads to the world of King Yama; I expound the world of the gods, I expound the bliss of the world of the gods, I expound the road that leads to the world of the gods; I expound the world of humans, I expound the suffering and the bliss of the world of humans, I expound the road that leads to the world of humans.

That for the Sake of Which the Dharma Is Expounded: The Eleven Clauses of “For the Sake of What”

“Because I would open up and reveal the merit and virtue of a bodhisattva, because I would cause them to cast off the faults and troubles of birth and death, because I would cause them to know and see the various subtle merits and virtues of the person of omniscient knowledge, because I would cause them to know the confusion and the undergoing of suffering within the several destinies of existence, because I would cause them to know and see the dharma that has nothing to obstruct it, because I would display why it is that all the worlds arise, because I would display that the stillness and extinction of all the worlds is what is at peace, because I would cause sentient beings to cast off the various imaginings and attachments, because I would cause them to realize the dharma of the buddhas that has nothing depended upon, because I would cause them forever to extinguish the several wheels of affliction, because I would cause them to be able to turn the Dharma wheel of a tathāgata — for the sake of sentient beings I set forth a Dharma such as this.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know This One Only

“Son of good family! I know only this one ‘spiritual penetrating strength, without anything depended upon and without anything done, of the pure Dharma gate of cultivating the bodhisattva practice that reaches every place.’ As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they are furnished to the full with every sovereign spiritual penetration, all of them able to go everywhere to every buddha-land and to gain the ground of the universal eye (the universal eye being the eye that sees all things everywhere and leaves nothing unlit; the position where that eye abides is named its ground); all of them able to hear every sound and every speech, entering universally into all dharmas with wisdom sovereign, without going against and without contending, valiant and firm beyond compare, sending forth with the broad and long tongue the even and equal sound; their bodily forms are subtle and fine, the same as those of the bodhisattvas, and with the tathāgatas they are ultimately not two and not different; their knowledge-bodies (bodies whose substance is wisdom) are vast and great, entering universally into the three times, their objective realms without bound, the same as empty space — how then could I be able to know, or be able to tell of, their practices of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Country Śroṇa · the City Kaliṅga Grove · the Nun Lion’s Stretching

“Son of good family! Here to the south there is a country named ‘Śroṇa’; within that country there is a city named ‘Kaliṅga Grove’; and there is a nun there named ‘Lion’s Stretching.’ Go to where she is and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva and cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to his feet, circled him measureless times, gazed up at him with earnest devotion, and only then took his leave and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): Reaching That Country’s City, and Asking Everywhere After This Nun

At that time, Sudhana the youth traveled on by stages, going forward little by little, and reached that country’s city, and searched and inquired everywhere after this nun. Measureless people all told him, saying:

“Son of good family! This nun is in the Sunlight Grove, which King Excellent Light gave away in charity, and she is expounding the Dharma there and benefiting measureless sentient beings.”

Seeing, Paying Respects, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): The Eight Trees in the Grove

At that time, Sudhana the youth went straight to that grove, and looked all through it.

He saw that in the grove there was a great tree named Full Moon, shaped like a storeyed pavilion, sending out great radiance that shone as far as one yojana (as far as one day’s journey); he saw a leaf tree named Universal Covering, whose shape was like a canopy, sending out the dark blue radiance of beryl (a blue-colored gem); he saw a flower tree named Flower Treasury, whose shape was tall and great, like the king of the snow mountains, raining down all kinds of wondrous flowers without end, like the pārijātaka tree (a fragrant tree of the heavens) in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. He saw further that there was a sweet-dew fruit tree, shaped like a mountain of gold, constantly sending out radiance, complete in every kind of fruit; he saw further that there was a maṇi-jewel tree named Vairocana Treasury, whose shape was beyond compare, with the mind-king maṇi jewel at its very top, and asaṃkhyeya (an uncountable number of) maṇi jewels of every color adorning it everywhere. There was also a garment tree named Pure, with garments of every color hanging down and spread out as its ornament; and there was a music tree named Joy, whose sounds were lovely, surpassing the music of the gods; and there was a fragrance tree named Universal Adornment, constantly giving off a wondrous fragrance that perfumed the ten directions everywhere without obstruction.

Seeing the Dependent Recompense (Chengguan’s Outline): The Springs and Pools, and the Six Kinds of Lion Throne

In the grove there were also flowing springs and pools, all of them adorned with the seven jewels, with the fragrant mud of black sandalwood settled within them, and the finest golden sand spread over their beds, brimming full with water of the eight qualities (light, cool, soft, sweet, clean, without stench, agreeable when drunk, and free of harm after drinking), with utpala flowers (blue lotuses), padma flowers (red lotuses), kumuda flowers (yellow lotuses), and puṇḍarīka flowers (white lotuses) covering the surface of the water, and measureless jewel trees standing in rows all around.

Beneath the jewel trees were spread lion thrones, adorned with all kinds of wondrous jewels, laid over with heavenly cloth, perfumed with every wondrous fragrance, hung about with every jeweled silk, spread over with every jeweled curtain, with nets of Jambū gold covering them above, and jeweled bells swaying slowly and giving out lovely sounds. Beneath some trees was spread the lion throne of the lotus treasury; beneath some trees was spread the lion throne of the treasury of the maṇi king of fragrance; beneath some trees was spread the lion throne of the treasury of the maṇi king of dragon adornment; beneath some trees was spread the lion throne of the treasury of the maṇi king of the gathering of jeweled lions; beneath some trees was spread the lion throne of the treasury of the Vairocana maṇi king; beneath some trees was spread the lion throne of the treasury of the Vairocana maṇi king of the ten directions; and each and every one of those thrones had a hundred thousand jeweled lion thrones surrounding it on every side, each and every one of them complete in measureless adornments.

Seeing the Dependent Recompense (Chengguan’s Outline): The Eight Comparisons for the Whole Adornment of the Grove

Within this great grove the manifold jewels were everywhere, as upon an island of jewels in the great ocean. Kāliṅda cloth (a kind of exceedingly soft cloth) was spread over the ground, soft and wondrously fine, able to give rise to a pleasant touch, sinking away underfoot when trodden on and returning to its former state when the foot was lifted; measureless birds gave out harmonious and refined sounds, and a grove of jeweled sandalwood adorned it most finely, and all kinds of wondrous flowers rained down constantly without end, as in Śakra’s grove of mingled flowers. A king of fragrance beyond compare perfumed everything everywhere, as in Śakra’s hall of good dharma. The music trees, the jeweled tāla trees, and the nets of manifold jeweled bells gave out lovely sounds, like the singing voices of the goddess Fair Mouth of the Heaven of Sovereignty. The wish-granting trees, with wondrous garments of every kind hanging down and spread out as adornment, were like the great ocean. There were hundreds of thousands of storeyed pavilions of measureless colors, adorned with manifold jewels, like the great city Well-Seeing of the palaces of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Jeweled canopies stretched far, like the peaks of Mount Sumeru. The radiance shone everywhere, like the palace of the Brahmā king.

Bringing Out the Cause of It (Chengguan’s Outline): Where the Adornment of This Grove Comes From

At that time, Sudhana the youth saw that the measureless merit and virtue and the adornments of every kind of this great grove were all accomplished by the karmic recompense of a bodhisattva, were given rise to by roots of goodness that go beyond the world, flowed forth from the merit and virtue of making offerings to the buddhas, and that nothing in all the worlds could be their equal — that all of it in this way was accomplished by the nun Lion’s Stretching, who has fathomed that dharmas are like an illusion and has gathered the vast and pure good karma of merit. The gods, dragons, and the eight kinds of beings of the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, and measureless sentient beings, all entered this grove and did not feel it pressing or narrow. Why was this? Because this nun has the inconceivable power of majestic spirit.

Seeing the Direct Recompense (Chengguan’s Outline): Eleven Comparisons Telling Her Virtue

At that time, Sudhana saw the nun Lion’s Stretching sitting throughout upon the great lion thrones beneath all the jewel trees, her bodily marks upright and fine, her deportment still, her faculties tamed and compliant, like the great elephant king; without stain or turbidity in her mind, like a pool of pure water; relieving universally all that is sought after, like a wish-granting jewel; unstained by the dharmas of the world, like a lotus flower; without dread in her mind, like a lion king; keeping the pure precepts unshakably, like Mount Sumeru; able to make the minds of those who see her cool, like the king of wondrous fragrances; able to take away the burning of the manifold afflictions of sentient beings, like the wondrous candana fragrance in the snow mountains; so that sentient beings who see her have their sufferings extinguished, like the king of medicines Well-Seeing; so that those who see her do not do so in vain, like the god Poluona (the god of water, who is able to fulfill what people wish for); able to grow and nourish the sprouts of all good roots, like a good and fertile field.

The Assemblies at Thirty Places (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) The Sixteen Seats of the Eight Kinds of Beings, of Humans, of Non-Humans, and the Rest

Upon each and every seat the assembly gathered was not the same, and the Dharma gate expounded also differed in each case.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of the gods of the Pure Abodes surrounding her together, and the god Great Sovereign as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Inexhaustible Liberation.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of the Brahmā gods surrounding her together, and the Brahmā king Loving Delight as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Wheel of Pure Speech-Sounds Differentiated in Every Gate.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the gods and goddesses of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others’ Emanations surrounding her together, and the sovereign god-king as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Pure Mind of a Bodhisattva.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the gods and goddesses of the Heaven of Good Transformation surrounding her together, and the god-king Good Transformation as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Good Adornment of All Dharmas.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the gods and goddesses of the Tuṣita Heaven surrounding her together, and the Tuṣita god-king as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Whirling of the Treasury of the Mind.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the gods and goddesses of the Suyāma Heaven surrounding her together, and the Yāma god-king as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Boundless Adornment.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the gods and goddesses of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three surrounding her together, and Śakra Devānām Indra as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Gate of Weariness and Renunciation.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the dragon king Hundred Radiances, the dragon king Nanda, the dragon king Upananda, the dragon king Manasvin, the dragon king Airāvaṇa-Upananda, the dragon king Anavatapta, and the rest, together with the dragon sons and dragon daughters, surrounding her together, and the dragon king Sāgara as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Radiant Adornment of the Objective Realm of a Buddha’s Spiritual Powers.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of yakṣas surrounding her together, and the heavenly king Vaiśravaṇa as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Treasury of Rescuing and Guarding Sentient Beings.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of gandharvas surrounding her together, and the gandharva king Upholder of the State as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Inexhaustible Joy.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of asuras surrounding her together, and the asura king Rāhu as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Gate of Swiftly Adorning the Knowledge of the Dharma Realm.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of garuḍas surrounding her together, and the garuḍa king Swift Holding as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Terrifying and Stirring the Ocean of All Existences.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of kiṃnaras surrounding her together, and the kiṃnara king Great Tree as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Radiance of the Practice of a Buddha.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of mahoragas surrounding her together, and the mahoraga king Grove of Mango Trees as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Giving Rise to a Mind of Delight in the Buddha.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with measureless hundreds of thousands of men and women surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Surpassing Practice.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the host of rākṣasas surrounding her together, and the rākṣasa king Great Tree Who Constantly Snatches Away Vital Essence as their head; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Giving Rise to a Mind of Pity and Compassion.

The Assemblies at Thirty Places (Chengguan’s Outline) (2) The Two Seats of the Two Vehicles

At times he saw her upon a seat, with sentient beings who believe in and delight in the vehicle of the śrāvakas surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Radiance of Surpassing Knowledge.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with sentient beings who believe in and delight in the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Vast Radiance of the Merit and Virtue of a Buddha.

The Assemblies at Thirty Places (Chengguan’s Outline) (3) The Twelve Seats of the Bodhisattvas and the Rest

At times he saw her upon a seat, with sentient beings who believe in and delight in the Great Vehicle surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Gate of the Radiance of the Knowledge of the Samādhi of Every Gate (a samādhi is the concentration in which the mind rests upon a single object without scattering).

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas who have first given rise to the mind surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Gathering of the Vows of All Buddhas.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the second ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Wheel of Freedom from Defilement.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the third ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Still Adornment.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the fourth ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named Giving Birth to the Objective Realm of Omniscient Knowledge.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the fifth ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Treasury of Wondrous Flowers.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the sixth ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Vairocana Treasury.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the seventh ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Universally Adorned Ground.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the eighth ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Body Whose Objective Realm Pervades the Dharma Realm.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the ninth ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Adornment of the Power of Non-Attainment.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the bodhisattvas of the tenth ground surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Unobstructed Wheel.

At times he saw her upon a seat, with the vajra-holding spirits surrounding her together; and this nun expounded for them a Dharma gate named The Nārāyaṇa Adornment of Vajra Knowledge.

Gathering Up the Many Kinds (Chengguan’s Outline): Those Who Came Were All Already Ripened

Sudhana the youth saw that in this way all the sentient beings of every destiny who were already ripened and already tamed, and who were fit to be vessels of the Dharma, all entered this grove and sat surrounding her, each beneath her seat. The nun Lion’s Stretching, following upon the differences of their wishes, their understanding, and their superiority or inferiority, expounded the Dharma for them, causing them to attain non-retrogression with respect to anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Setting Forth the Whole Cause (Chengguan’s Outline): The Ten Gates of Prajñā-Pāramitā

Why was this? Because this nun has entered the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the universal eye that relinquishes and obtains (prajñā-pāramitā is the wisdom that sees the true character of the dharmas and reaches the far shore), the prajñā-pāramitā gate of expounding all the Buddha-dharma, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the differentiation of the Dharma realm, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of scattering and destroying the wheel of all obstructions, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of giving birth to the good minds of all sentient beings, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of surpassing adornment, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the unobstructed treasury of reality, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the fullness of the Dharma realm, the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the treasury of the mind, and the prajñā-pāramitā gate of the treasury that brings forth universally; and with these ten prajñā-pāramitā gates at their head, she has entered numberless millions of prajñā-pāramitā gates such as these.

All the bodhisattvas and all the sentient beings within this Sunlight Grove were those whom the nun Lion’s Stretching first exhorted to give rise to the mind, causing them to uphold the true Dharma, to ponder it and cultivate it, and to attain non-retrogression with respect to anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Paying Respects (Chengguan’s Outline): The Thought Arises · The Radiance Is Sent Out · The Circling to the Right

At that time, Sudhana the youth saw the grove of the nun Lion’s Stretching such as this, her couches and seats such as these, her walking such as this, her assemblies such as these, her spiritual power such as this, and her eloquence such as this, and having heard besides an inconceivable Dharma gate, a vast cloud of Dharma moistened his mind, and he gave rise to a thought such as this: “I ought to circle her to the right measureless hundreds of thousands of times.”

At that time, the nun sent out a great radiance that illumined everywhere the adornments of the assemblies in that grove. Sudhana the youth thereupon saw his own body, and all the manifold trees within the grove, all circling this nun to the right, passing measureless hundreds of thousands of myriads of times. The circling done, Sudhana the youth stood with his palms joined and said to her:

Asking About the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline): Setting Out Directly What Is Sought

“Holy one! I have already first given rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, and yet I still do not know: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva? How is he to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva? I have heard that you, holy one, are good at drawing others on and instructing them. I pray you will expound it for me!”

Conferring Her Own Dharma Realm (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) Setting Forth the Name: The Accomplishing of Omniscient Knowledge

The nun said: “Son of good family! I have gained a liberation named ‘the accomplishing of omniscient knowledge.’”

Conferring Her Own Dharma Realm (Chengguan’s Outline) (2) Inquiring into and Glossing Its Substance: Within a Single Thought, Illumining the Three Times Everywhere

Sudhana said: “Holy one! Why is it named ‘the accomplishing of omniscient knowledge’?”

The nun said: “Son of good family! This radiance of knowledge, within a single thought, illumines everywhere all the dharmas of the three times.”

Conferring Her Own Dharma Realm (Chengguan’s Outline) (3) Discerning Its Working: Sudhana Asks Again About the Objective Realm

Sudhana said to her: “Holy one! What is the objective realm of this radiance of knowledge like?”

The nun said:

The Answer as to the Common Working: The King of Samādhis and the Offerings of the Mind-Made Body

“Son of good family! I have entered this gate of the radiance of knowledge and have gained the king of samādhis that brings forth all dharmas (all samādhis enter into it, and so it is called king); and because of this samādhi I have gained a mind-made body (a body formed according to the mind), and I go to the bodhisattvas bound to one more birth (bodhisattvas who will become buddhas in their next birth) in the palaces of the Tuṣita Heaven in all the worlds of the ten directions, and before each and every bodhisattva I manifest bodies as many as the dust-motes of unspeakable buddha-lands, and with each and every body I make offerings as many as the dust-motes of unspeakable buddha-lands.

That is to say: I manifest the body of a god-king and so on down to the body of a human king, holding clouds of flowers, holding clouds of garlands, incense to be burned, unguents, and powdered fragrance, garments, necklaces, banners and pennants, silken canopies, jeweled nets, jeweled curtains, jeweled treasuries, and jeweled lamps — every kind of implement of adornment such as these I hold up and use to make offerings.

And just as at the place of the bodhisattvas dwelling in the Tuṣita palaces, so also at the dwelling in the womb, the coming forth from the womb, the being at home, the leaving home, the going to the place of awakening, the accomplishing of perfect awakening, the turning of the wheel of the true Dharma, and the entering into nirvāṇa — and in the intervals between these, whether dwelling in the palaces of the gods, or dwelling in the palaces of the dragons, or on down to dwelling again in the palaces of humans, at each and every place of a tathāgata there I make offerings in just this way.

If there are sentient beings who know that I make offerings to the buddhas in this way, they all attain non-retrogression with respect to anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi; if there are sentient beings who come to where I am, I then expound prajñā-pāramitā for them.

The Answer as to the Working of Knowledge: Five Clauses of ‘Not Differentiating’

“Son of good family! I see all sentient beings and do not differentiate the mark of a sentient being, because the eye of knowledge sees them clearly and plainly; I hear all speech and do not differentiate the mark of speech, because there is no clinging within the mind; I see all tathāgatas and do not differentiate the mark of a tathāgata, because I have fathomed the dharma-body; I uphold and maintain all wheels of the Dharma and do not differentiate the mark of a wheel of the Dharma, because I have awakened to the own-nature of dharmas; within a single thought I know throughout all dharmas and do not differentiate the marks of dharmas, because I know that dharmas are like an illusion.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior

“Son of good family! I know only this liberation of the accomplishing of omniscient knowledge. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, there is no differentiating within their minds, they know all dharmas everywhere, with one body sitting upright they fill the Dharma realm, within their own bodies they manifest all lands, in a single thought they go to all the places of the buddhas, within their own bodies they manifest everywhere the spiritual power of all the buddhas, with a single hair they lift up unspeakable buddha-worlds throughout, within a single pore of their own bodies they manifest the coming to be and the falling away of unspeakable worlds, in a single thought they dwell together with unspeakably unspeakable sentient beings, and in a single thought they enter unspeakably unspeakable kalpas — and how could I be able to know or be able to tell of their practice of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend: The Land of Perilous Hardship · The City Jeweled Adornment · Vasumitrā

“Son of good family! Going from here toward the south there is a land named ‘Perilous Hardship’; within that land there is a city named ‘Jeweled Adornment’; within that city there is a woman named ‘Vasumitrā.’ Go there and ask her: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva and to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to her feet, circled her numberless times, gazed up at her with earnest devotion, and only then took his leave and departed.

The Benefit Accomplished in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): His Mind Grew Bright First

At that time, Sudhana the youth, his mind lit up and opened by the light of great knowledge, pondered and contemplated and saw the very nature of dharmas; he gained the dhāraṇī gate of comprehending all speech and sound (a dhāraṇī is the ability to hold all together and lose nothing); he gained the dhāraṇī gate of upholding all the wheels of the Dharma; he gained the strength of great compassion that makes him a place of refuge for all sentient beings; he gained the gate of light that contemplates the sense and principle of all dharmas; he gained the pure great vow that fills the Dharma realm; he gained the light of knowledge that shines everywhere upon all dharmas in the ten directions; he gained the sovereign strength that adorns all worlds everywhere; he gained the full and perfect great vow that sets going everywhere the works of all bodhisattvas.

Seeking Single-Mindedly (Chengguan’s Outline): To the City Jeweled Adornment in the Country Perilous

Little by little he traveled on, and came to the city Jeweled Adornment in the country Perilous, and everywhere he sought for the woman Vasumitrā.

The Doubt of the Shallow in Knowledge (Chengguan’s Outline): What Those in the City Who Did Not Know Her Were Thinking

In the city there were some who did not know this woman’s merit, virtue, and wisdom, and in their minds they thought in this way:

“This youth — his six faculties are still, his wisdom is clear and bright, he is neither deluded nor scattered; he looks straight ahead at a single fathom of ground (a fathom is eight feet), without a trace of weariness or slackness; he grasps at nothing and clings to nothing; his eyes look and do not blink, his mind is not shaken, and he is deep and broad, just like the great sea. He ought not, toward this woman Vasumitrā, to give rise to a mind of craving and love, or to a mind turned upside down, to take her for an object pure and pleasing, to take her for an object of desire; he ought not to be carried off by this woman’s form and color.

“This youth does not do what Māra does, does not enter Māra’s objective realm, does not sink into the mire of desire, is not bound by Māra; those places where one ought not to act, he has already been able not to act in — then with what sort of intention has he come seeking to see this woman?”

The Praise and Teaching of Those Deep in Knowledge (Chengguan’s Outline): What Those in the City Who Knew Her Beforehand Said

Among those people there were some who had known beforehand that this woman has wisdom, and they told Sudhana:

“Excellent, excellent, son of good family! That you today are able to press your search and seek out the woman Vasumitrā — you have already gained a vast and great benefit of goodness. Son of good family! You should resolutely seek the fruit-station of a buddha, resolutely wish to make yourself a support and shelter for all sentient beings, resolutely wish to pull out the poisoned arrow of craving and love from all sentient beings, resolutely wish to break in all sentient beings that thought of purity and pleasure which they hold toward the form of a woman.

The Showing of Where She Is (Chengguan’s Outline): North of the Market, Her Own House

“Son of good family! The woman Vasumitrā is within this very city, north of the market stalls and streets, dwelling in a house of her own.”

Going in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): Seeing the Dependent Surroundings, That House

At that time, Sudhana the youth, having heard these words, was glad and leapt for joy, and went straight to her gate. He saw that her dwelling was vast and adorned and lovely: jeweled walls, jeweled trees, and jeweled moats (a jeweled moat is the deep channel that runs around a house), and each of them had ten rings of encirclement; within those jeweled moats scented water stood brimming, golden sand was spread upon the bottom, and the jeweled flowers of the gods, utpala flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, and puṇḍarīka flowers (all of them lotus-kinds that grow in water) covered the surface of the water everywhere; palaces and towered pavilions were spread out in every place, doorways and windows faced one another and were set in alternation, all of them furnished with nets and bells, all of them fitted with pennants and banners, and measureless rare and precious things served for their adornment; beryl made the ground, and the many jewels were set in among it, aloeswood was burned and sandalwood smeared, jeweled bells of every kind hung down and became sound when the wind stirred them, and the flowers of the gods were strewn everywhere upon the ground; the sights of every sort of adornment and loveliness could not be told to the end, the storehouses of the several precious things numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and ten great parks and groves served for adornment.

Seeing the Proper Recompense (Chengguan’s Outline): The Person Herself

At that time, Sudhana saw this woman: her face and features were upright and adorned, her form and marks were full and complete, her skin was golden in color, her eyes and her hair were of a deep blue-black, she was neither tall nor short, neither coarse nor fine, and among the humans and gods of the desire realm there was none able to be compared with her; her voice and sound were beautiful and wondrous, surpassing the several Brahmā worlds, and of all the differing speech and sound of all sentient beings she was fully possessed, with not one that she did not comprehend; she penetrated deeply into the sense of the written word, was skilled and adroit in talk and exposition, had gained the knowledge that knows things as illusions, and had entered the gates of skillful means of every sort; with necklaces of many jewels and with adornments of every sort she adorned her body, and with a wish-fulfilling maṇi made into a jeweled crown she crowned her head; and there were measureless members of her retinue surrounding her, all of them of common roots of goodness and of one and the same practice and vow, fully possessed of the great jeweled treasury of merit without ever exhausting it. At that time the woman Vasumitrā sent forth from her body a vast and great light, shining everywhere upon all the palaces within that house; and those whom this light met gained coolness in their bodies.

Paying Respects and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): What Sudhana Asked

At that time Sudhana came forward to where she was, bowed to her feet, joined his palms and stood, and addressed her, saying: “Holy one! I have already first given rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (that is, the mind of unsurpassed, right, and even awakening), and yet I do not know how a bodhisattva is to study the practice of a bodhisattva, or how a bodhisattva is to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva. I have heard that the holy one is good at instructing others — would that you would expound it for me!”

The Setting Forth of the Name (Chengguan’s Outline): The Limit Apart from Craving and Desire

She then told Sudhana:

“Son of good family! I have gained a bodhisattva liberation named ‘the Limit Apart from Craving and Desire,’ and I manifest a body for sentient beings according to what they desire and delight in. If a god sees me, I am a goddess, and my form and my light are surpassing beyond compare; and so on in this way, down to humans and non-humans and the rest who see me: for them I manifest myself as a human woman or a non-human woman, and according to what they delight in and desire, I let them all see it.

Benefiting Beings by the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline): Ten Samādhis, Each Gained by Its Own Occasion

“If there are sentient beings bound about by the intention of desire who come to where I am, I expound the Dharma for them, and having heard the Dharma they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of the objective realm without attachment (a samādhi is the mind settled upon one object and not scattered); if there are sentient beings who merely see me for a moment, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of gladness; if there are sentient beings who merely speak with me for a moment, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of unobstructed voice and sound; if there are sentient beings who merely take my hand for a moment, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of going everywhere to all buddha-lands; if there are sentient beings who merely mount my seat for a moment, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of the light of liberation; if there are sentient beings who merely look upon me for a moment, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of still adornment; if there are sentient beings who see me stretching (stretching is the mark of extending the body), they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of crushing the outsider paths; if there are sentient beings who see me blink (to blink is a single blink of the eyes), they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of the light of a buddha’s objective realm; if there are sentient beings who embrace me, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of gathering in all sentient beings and never forsaking them; if there are sentient beings who suck my lips, they then part from craving and desire and gain the bodhisattva samādhi of increasing the treasury of merit of all sentient beings.

The General Conclusion of the Working (Chengguan’s Outline): Whoever Draws Near to Me

“Whatever sentient beings draw near to me, all of them are able to abide in the limit apart from craving, and to enter the liberation, present before them and unobstructed, of a bodhisattva’s ground of omniscient knowledge.”

Asking After the Occasion by Which the Dharma Was Gained (Chengguan’s Outline)

Sudhana addressed her, saying: “Holy one, what roots of goodness did you plant, what works of merit did you cultivate, that you have been able to accomplish such sovereignty as this?”

Answering as to the Occasion by Which the Dharma Was Gained (Chengguan’s Outline): A Passage of a Former Life

She answered, saying:

“Son of good family! I call to mind that in the past there was a buddha who appeared in the world, named ‘Lofty Practice’; and the city of his royal capital was named ‘Wondrous Gate.’ Son of good family! That tathāgata Lofty Practice, taking pity on sentient beings, entered the royal city and set his foot upon that city’s threshold, and the whole of that city shook throughout; of a sudden it became vast and broad, adorned with the many jewels, and measureless lights shone one through another in turn, flowers of every jeweled kind were strewn upon the ground, the music of the gods was struck up all at one time, and all the gods filled the empty sky. Son of good family! At that time I was an elder’s wife, named ‘Excellent Wisdom’; seeing the Buddha’s spiritual power, awakening arose in my mind, and together with my husband I went to where the Buddha was, and made an offering of one jeweled coin. At that time Mañjuśrī the youth was the Buddha’s attendant, and he expounded the Dharma for me, causing me to give rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Son of good family! I know only this one bodhisattva liberation of the limit apart from craving. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas (that is, the great bodhisattvas), they have accomplished the boundless knowledge of skillful and adroit means, their treasury is vast and great, and their objective realm is beyond compare — how then could I be able to know, or be able to tell of, their practices of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): Encompassing of the City Good Deliverance

“Son of good family! From here, going southward, there is a city named ‘Good Deliverance’; and within that city there is a householder named ‘Encompassing,’ who constantly makes offerings at the buddha-stūpa of the sandalwood seat. Go to him and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the practice of a bodhisattva and to cultivate the path of a bodhisattva?”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to her feet, circled her measureless times, gazed up at her earnestly, took his leave, and departed.

Seeing, Paying Respects, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Comes to the Gate of the Householder’s House

At that time Sudhana the youth traveled on little by little along his road, and came to the city Well Crossing, and arrived at the dwelling of that householder, and bowed to the householder’s feet, and joined his palms and stood, and opened his mouth and said:

“Holy one! I have already given rise, before this, to the mind of unsurpassed perfect awakening, and yet I do not know how a bodhisattva is to learn the bodhisattva practice or how he is to cultivate the bodhisattva path. I have heard that the holy one is very good at leading and teaching others; I would that you expound it for me!”

The Setting Forth of the Name (Chengguan’s Outline): The Liberation He Has Gained Is Called the Limit of Not Entering Parinirvāṇa

That householder told him, saying:

“Son of good family! I have gained a liberation of a bodhisattva, and its name is ‘the Limit of Not Entering Parinirvāṇa’ (to enter parinirvāṇa is to pass into final nirvāṇa; the Limit of Not Entering Parinirvāṇa is that true limit, pressed to the very end, wherein there is no tathāgata that enters nirvāṇa).

The Displaying of the Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): In His Mind There Does Not Arise the Thought of Parinirvāṇa in the Three Times

“Son of good family! In my mind there does not arise any such saying as this: ‘this tathāgata has already entered parinirvāṇa, this tathāgata is now entering parinirvāṇa, this tathāgata is going to enter parinirvāṇa.’

The Resolving of the Doubt (Chengguan’s Outline): The Buddhas Finally Do Not Enter Parinirvāṇa, and the Manifesting Is Only for the Taming of Sentient Beings

“I know that of all the buddhas, the tathāgatas of all the worlds in the ten directions, when it is pressed to the very end there is not one that truly enters parinirvāṇa — none except that, for the sake of taming sentient beings, they manifest a scene of nirvāṇa; apart from this there is no parinirvāṇa that really exists.

What the Working Rests Upon (Chengguan’s Outline): That Moment of Opening the Door of the Stūpa of the Tathāgata of the Sandalwood Seat

“Son of good family! At the time when I opened the door of that stūpa of the tathāgata of the sandalwood seat, I gained a samādhi (a concentration in which the mind rests upon one object without scattering), and its name is ‘the Lineage of the Buddhas Is Inexhaustible.’ Son of good family! In thought-moment after thought-moment I enter this samādhi, and in thought-moment after thought-moment I come to know all the measureless surpassing matters.”

Sudhana Asks Again: What Is the Objective Realm of This Samādhi Like

Sudhana said to him:

“As for this samādhi — what is its objective realm like?”

The Objective Realm of the Samādhi (1): Following Their Sequence, He Sees All the Buddhas of This World

The householder answered him, saying:

“Son of good family! When I enter this samādhi, following their sequence, I see all the buddhas of this world, that is to say: the buddha Kāśyapa, the buddha Kanakamuni, the buddha Krakucchanda, the buddha Śikhin, the buddha Vipaśyin, the buddha Tiṣya, the buddha Puṣya, the buddha Unsurpassed Victory, the buddha Unsurpassed Lotus; buddhas such as these, taken as the foremost among them.

The Objective Realm of the Samādhi (2): In the Space of a Single Thought, from a Hundred Buddhas On to Buddhas as Many as Dust Motes

“Within the space of a single thought, that shortest of times, I come to see a hundred buddhas, I come to see a thousand buddhas, I come to see a hundred thousand buddhas, I come to see a koṭi of buddhas, a thousand koṭis of buddhas, a hundred thousand koṭis of buddhas, an ayuta of koṭis of buddhas, a nayuta of koṭis of buddhas (an ayuta and a nayuta are alike names of great numbers handed down of old, each step larger than the one before), and on to buddhas as many as the dust motes of unspeakably unspeakable worlds; all such buddhas as these I see, every one of them, following the sequence.

The Objective Realm of the Samādhi (3): He Also Sees Them from the First Rousing of the Mind All the Way to the Manifesting of Spiritual Transformations

“I also see those buddhas at the first beginning when they roused the mind, planting every kind of root of goodness, obtaining surpassing spiritual penetrations, accomplishing vast vows, cultivating subtle and wondrous practices, being complete in the perfections (the practices that carry one over to the other shore — giving, the precepts, patience, vigor, concentration, and wisdom), entering the grounds of a bodhisattva, gaining the pure forbearance toward dharmas (the capacity to rest in and accept the most profound dharmas without alarm and without retreat), crushing the armies of the demons, accomplishing perfect awakening, their lands pure, the great assembly gathered and surrounding them, sending forth a great light, turning the subtle and wondrous wheel of the Dharma, manifesting spiritual transformations; and all the various differing marks within all this I am able to hold, and all of them I am able to keep in mind, and all of them I am able to contemplate, and I am also able to distinguish them one by one and display them.

The Objective Realm of the Samādhi (4): The Future and the Present, the Ten Directions and the Three Times, Are Likewise So

“All the buddhas of the future, Maitreya and the rest, and all the buddhas of the present, Vairocana and the rest, I likewise see in every case in this same way. And as it is with this one world, so with the buddhas, the śrāvakas (those who awaken to the four truths by hearing the Buddha’s voice and teaching, and so leave birth and death), the pratyekabuddhas (those who, without a teacher, awaken of themselves to dependent arising and so leave it), and the great assemblies of bodhisattvas of all three times in all the worlds of the ten directions: these too I see in every case in this same way.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Gained This One Alone, and That Objective Realm I Cannot Tell

“Son of good family! I have gained this one liberation alone that a bodhisattva gains, ‘the Limit of Not Entering Parinirvāṇa.’ But as for those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas (mahāsattva means a great being, a bodhisattva who has roused the great mind), who with the knowledge of a single thought know the three times everywhere and in a single thought enter all samādhis everywhere; whose minds the sun of the Tathāgata’s knowledge shines upon constantly, who have no discrimination toward any dharma, who comprehend that all buddhas are utterly equal, and that the Tathāgata and I and all sentient beings are equal and without any two; who know that the self-nature of all dharmas is originally pure, without pondering and without stirring, and who are yet able to enter everywhere into all the worlds, far removed from every kind of discrimination, abiding within the seal of the Dharma of the buddhas, and able to awaken all the sentient beings of the Dharma realm — such practices of merit and virtue as those, how could I ever know them, or be able to tell them?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): Avalokiteśvara upon Mount Potalaka to the South

“Son of good family! Going south from here, there is a mountain, and its name is ‘Potalaka’; and there is a bodhisattva there, and his name is ‘Avalokiteśvara.’ Go there and ask him: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practice, and how is he to cultivate the bodhisattva path?”

Speaking a Verse to Point the Way: Upon the Sea There Is a Mountain

Thereupon he spoke a passage of verse:

“Upon the sea there is a mountain, and in the mountain are many holy and worthy ones; it is made of the many jewels, and is utterly pure, Flowering trees and fruiting trees and groves fill it everywhere; springs that flow and pools and marshes are all of them there. That valorous great man is named Avalokiteśvara, and for the benefit of sentient beings he dwells upon this mountain; You ought to go and ask him about the several merits and virtues, and he of himself will show you the vast skillful means.”

Paying Respects, Taking Leave, and Departing

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to that householder’s feet, and after circling him measureless times, gazed up at him earnestly and with all his heart, and only then took his leave, withdrew, and went on his way.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): The Seven Matters of Recollecting the Buddhas

At that time, Sudhana the youth single-mindedly pondered the teaching given him by the householder who came before, entered the treasury of liberation of that bodhisattva, and gained the strength of that bodhisattva’s power to recollect at will: recollecting the sequence in which those buddhas appear in the world, recollecting the sequence in which those buddhas follow one upon another, upholding the sequence of the names of those buddhas, contemplating the wondrous Dharma expounded by those buddhas, comprehending the adornments those buddhas are furnished with, seeing those buddhas accomplish right and equal awakening, and making clear the inconceivable working of those buddhas.

Traveling On Little by Little: He Came to That Mountain and Sought Everywhere

He traveled on little by little, and came to that mountain, and everywhere sought for this great bodhisattva.

Seeing the West Side: The Marks of the Place Among the Cliffs and Valleys, and the Mark of the Expounding of the Dharma

Only then did he see, on the west side of that mountain, among the cliffs and valleys, springs flowing and winding one across another, the groves of trees lush and thick, the fragrant grasses soft, spread over the ground turning toward the right. The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara was seated cross-legged upon a boulder of adamant, and measureless bodhisattvas were seated upon the boulders as well, surrounding him with reverence, while he was expounding for the great assembly the Dharma of great kindness and compassion, causing them to gather in all sentient beings.

Sudhana Having Seen: Ten Clauses of Recollecting the Good Friend

When Sudhana had seen this, he was glad and leapt for joy; he joined his palms and looked closely, his eyes not blinking once, and in his mind he made this recollection: “The good friend is the tathāgata; the good friend is the cloud of all dharmas; the good friend is the treasury of all merit and virtue; the good friend is hard to meet with; the good friend is the jeweled cause of the ten powers (the cause by which a buddha’s ten powers are accomplished); the good friend is the inexhaustible torch of knowledge; the good friend is the sprouting root of merit; the good friend is the gate of omniscient knowledge; the good friend is the guide upon the sea of knowledge; the good friend is the equipment that aids the way and reaches to omniscient knowledge.” When the recollection was finished, he went on to where that great bodhisattva was.

Avalokiteśvara Sees Sudhana from Afar: A Passage of Consoling Encouragement

At that time, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara saw Sudhana from afar and said to him: “Welcome! You have raised the intention of the Great Vehicle and gather in sentient beings everywhere; you have given rise to an upright and straight mind and seek the Buddha’s Dharma with single purpose; your great compassion is deep and weighty, and you rescue and protect all; the wondrous practice of Samantabhadra follows on and appears before you without break; your great vow and deep mind are full and pure; you seek the Buddha’s Dharma diligently and are able to receive it all; you gather and accumulate roots of goodness and are never satisfied; you accord with good friends and do not go against their teaching. You are one born out of the great sea of the merit, virtue, and wisdom of Mañjuśrī; your mind has ripened, and you have gained the Buddha’s power. You have already obtained the light of the vast and great samādhi, and with intent mind you hope for and seek the utterly deep and wondrous Dharma; you constantly see the buddhas and give rise to great gladness; your wisdom is pure like empty space; and having made it clear to yourself, you are able as well to expound it for others, abiding in the light of the wisdom of the tathāgata.”

Sudhana Bows to His Feet and Asks for the Dharma: How a Bodhisattva Is to Learn, How to Cultivate

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to the feet of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, circled him numberless times, joined his palms, stood to one side, and said: “Sagely one! I have already raised beforehand the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and equal awakening), yet I do not know how a bodhisattva is to learn the bodhisattva practice, or how to cultivate the bodhisattva way. I have heard that the sagely one is skilled at instructing; may you expound it for me!”

Praising and Conferring the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline): First the Praise of the Raising of the Mind, Afterward the Conferring of the Name of the Dharma Gate

The bodhisattva said to him:

“Excellent, excellent! Son of good family! You have been able to raise the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

“Son of good family! I have accomplished the bodhisattva’s liberation gate of the practice of great compassion. Son of good family! With this bodhisattva gate of the practice of great compassion I teach and transform all sentient beings equally, following on without break.

The Broad Displaying of the Working (Chengguan’s Outline): Ever in the Presence of the Buddhas, Manifesting Everywhere Before Sentient Beings

“Son of good family! Abiding in this gate of the practice of great compassion, I am ever in the presence of all the tathāgatas, and I manifest everywhere before all sentient beings.

The Eleven Skillful Means of Gathering In Sentient Beings

“At times I gather in sentient beings by giving; at times by kindly speech, at times by beneficial conduct, at times by working alongside them, I gather in sentient beings; at times I manifest a form-body to gather in sentient beings; at times I manifest all manner of inconceivable nets of pure light and form to gather in sentient beings; at times by voice and sound, at times by deportment, at times by expounding the Dharma for them, at times by manifesting spiritual transformations, I cause their minds to awaken and to reach ripeness; at times I manifest by transformation a shape of the same kind as theirs, and dwell together with them and bring them to ripeness.

The Vow Concerning the Eighteen Kinds of Fear

“Son of good family! Cultivating this gate of the practice of great compassion, I vow ever to rescue and protect all sentient beings; I vow that all sentient beings may part from the fear of perilous roads, part from the fear of burning distress, part from the fear of confusion, part from the fear of bondage, part from the fear of being killed, part from the fear of poverty, part from the fear of not making a living, part from the fear of ill repute, part from the fear of death, part from the fear of being amid a great assembly, part from the fear of falling into the evil destinies, part from the fear of darkness, part from the fear of being moved and shifted, part from the fear of parting from those they love, part from the fear of meeting those they hate, part from the fear of what presses upon the body, part from the fear of what presses upon the mind, and part from the fear of sorrow and grief.

A Further Vow: Recollecting Me · Calling My Name · Seeing My Body

“I make this vow as well: ‘May all sentient beings, if they recollect me, if they call my name, if they see my body, be freed and part from every fear.’

After Parting from Fear: He Further Teaches Them to Raise the Mind and Not Turn Back

“Son of good family! By this skillful means, when I have caused sentient beings to part from fear, I further teach them to raise the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi and never again turn back from it.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Gained Only This One Gate

“Son of good family! I have gained only this bodhisattva gate of the practice of great compassion. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they have already purified all the vows of Samantabhadra, already abide in all the practices of Samantabhadra, ever practice all good dharmas, ever enter all samādhis, ever abide through all boundless kalpas, ever comprehend all dharmas of the three times, ever go to all boundless lands, ever put an end to the evils of all sentient beings, ever increase the goodness of all sentient beings, and ever cut off the stream of birth and death of sentient beings — and how could I be able to know or to expound their practices of merit and virtue?”

From the Eastern Quarter There Was a Bodhisattva Named Right Course: He Came Through the Air and Pressed the Ground with His Foot

At that time, from the eastern quarter there was a bodhisattva named ‘Right Course,’ who came through the air, reached the summit of the Encircling Mountains of the Sahā world, and pressed the ground with his foot; and that Sahā world quaked in six ways, and the whole of it turned into something adorned with all manner of jewels.

He Sent Forth the Light of His Body: It Outshone Sun, Moon, Stars, and Lightning, and All Those Lights Were Like a Mass of Gathered Ink

The bodhisattva Right Course sent forth from his body a light that covered over the light of every sun, moon, star, and flash of lightning; and all the light belonging to the eight divisions of gods and dragons, to Śakra, to the Brahmā kings, and to the four World-Protector kings was, within his light, as dark as a mass of gathered ink.

That light shone everywhere upon all the hells, the animals, the hungry ghosts, and the places governed by King Yama, so that within those evil destinies every kind of suffering was altogether quenched, the afflictions rose no more, and sorrow and grief were altogether left behind.

Raining Down Offerings Everywhere: Upon the Lands of All the Buddhas

Further, within the lands of all the buddhas, he rained down everywhere every kind of flower, fragrance, necklace (an ornament for the neck strung out of pearls and jade), garment, banner, and canopy; and all such articles of adornment as these he took and offered up to the buddhas.

He Manifested a Body According to What Sentient Beings Delighted In, and Only Then Came to Where Avalokiteśvara Was

Further, according to what sentient beings delighted in within their minds, he manifested his body everywhere within all the palaces, so that those who saw him were all gladdened; and only after this did he come to where the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara was.

Avalokiteśvara Asks Sudhana Whether He Has Seen (Zhiyan’s Outline)

At that time, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara said to Sudhana:

“Son of good family! Have you seen the bodhisattva Right Course come to this assembly or not?”

Sudhana answered, saying: “I have already seen him.”

Avalokiteśvara Teaches Him to Ask (Fazang’s Outline)

The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara said to him further:

“Son of good family! You may go forward and ask him: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practice, and how to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Sudhana Reverently Receives the Teaching, Goes to Him, and Sets Out His Request

At that time, Sudhana the youth reverently received his teaching, went at once to where that bodhisattva was, bowed to his feet, joined his palms, stood, and said:

“Sagely one! I have already raised beforehand the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and equal awakening), yet I still do not know how a bodhisattva is to learn the bodhisattva practice, or how to cultivate the bodhisattva way. I have heard that the sagely one is skilled at instructing others; may you be willing to expound it for me!”

The Setting Forth of the Name and Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): The Universal Gate of Swift Practice

The bodhisattva Right Course said:

“Son of good family! I have gained one liberation of a bodhisattva, named ‘the Universal Gate of Swift Practice.’”

Sudhana’s Three Questions: In Whose Presence It Was Gained · How Far From Here · How Long Since Setting Out

Sudhana said:

“Sagely one! In the presence of which buddha did you gain this Dharma gate? That buddha-land you came from, how far is it from here? And from setting out there until now, how long has it been?”

Praising the Profundity and Sifting the Vessel (Fazang’s Outline): This Matter Is Hard to Know

The bodhisattva Right Course said to him:

“Son of good family! This matter is very hard to know; all the devas, humans, asuras, śramaṇas, brahmins, and the rest of every world are unable to comprehend it. Only those hosts of bodhisattvas who are fiercely energetic, who neither turn back nor grow timid, who have already been gathered in by all good friends and are held in mind by the buddhas, whose roots of goodness are complete, whose resolve and delight are pure, who have gained the faculties of a bodhisattva, who have the eyes of wisdom, who are able to hear and to uphold, able to understand and to expound — they alone are able to comprehend it.”

Sudhana Requests the Exposition, Relying Upon the Power He Bears

Sudhana said:

“Sagely one! Bearing the spiritual power of the Buddha and bearing the power of the good friends, I am able to believe and able to receive; may you be willing to expound it for me!”

The Direct Answer (Chengguan’s Outline): Answering the Place Where the Dharma Was Gained — In the Presence of the Buddha Universal Victory Arising in the World Wondrous Treasury, in the East

The bodhisattva Right Course said:

“Son of good family! I came to this land from the presence of the buddha Universal Victory Arising, in the world Wondrous Treasury, in the eastern quarter; and it was in the presence of that buddha that I gained this Dharma gate.

Answering How Long Since Setting Out · Answering How Near or Far the Place Is (Chengguan’s Outline)

“From setting out there until now, there have already passed kalpas as many as the dust motes of unspeakably unspeakable buddha-lands; and within each single thought-moment I raise steps as many as the dust motes of unspeakably unspeakable buddha-lands; and each single step crosses over buddha-lands as many as the dust motes of unspeakably unspeakable worlds.

Displaying the Benefit Accomplished (Chengguan’s Outline): I Enter Every Single Buddha-Land, and Make Offerings with Wondrous Articles

“Into every single buddha-land I enter everywhere, and go to where the buddha of that land is, and make offerings there with wondrous articles of offering; and these articles are all accomplished by the unsurpassed mind, sealed by the dharma that is without contrivance, acknowledged by all the tathāgatas, and praised by all the bodhisattvas.

Seeing and Teaching Everywhere: I Know Their Minds Entirely, I Know Their Faculties Entirely

“Son of good family! Further, I see everywhere all the sentient beings within those worlds, and know their minds entirely, and know their faculties entirely; and following upon their wishes and their understanding, I manifest a body and expound the Dharma for them, at times sending forth light, at times bestowing wealth and jewels, and with all manner of skillful means I teach and tame them, without a time of rest.

Displaying the Ten Powers by Class (Chengguan’s Outline): As From the East, So Also From the Other Quarters

“As it is from the eastern quarter, so also is it just like this from the south, the west, the north, the four intermediate directions (southeast · southwest · northeast · northwest), the zenith, and the nadir.

Concluding His Own Portion (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Gained Only This Liberation of Universal Swift Practice

“Son of good family! I have gained only this one liberation of a bodhisattva, ‘the liberation of universal swift practice,’ by which I am able swiftly to reach everywhere throughout all places.

Looking Up and Pointing to the Superior: As for the Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas, There Is Nowhere in the Ten Directions They Do Not Reach

“As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, there is nowhere in the ten directions they do not reach; the objective realm of their wisdom is equal and without difference; they lay out their bodies well so that these fill the whole Dharma realm; they reach every way, enter every land, know every dharma, arrive at every age, expound every Dharma gate equally, shine upon all sentient beings at one and the same time, give rise to no discrimination in the presence of the buddhas, and are without obstruction in all places — how then could I be able to know or to expound the practice of their merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend: The City Duoluobodi · The God Mahādeva

“Son of good family! Going south from here, there is a city named ‘Duoluobodi’; and within it there is a god named ‘Mahādeva.’ Go there and ask him: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practice and to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to his feet, circled him numberless times, gazed up at him with earnest longing, and only then took his leave and departed.

Recollecting the Teaching of the Friend Before Him: Carrying Twelve Kinds of Mind the Whole Way

At that time, Sudhana the youth entered the vast and great practice of a bodhisattva, sought the objective realm of a bodhisattva’s wisdom, saw the matters of a bodhisattva’s spiritual penetrations, recollected the surpassing merit and virtue of a bodhisattva, gave rise to the great gladness of a bodhisattva, raised up the firm and vigorous effort of a bodhisattva, entered the inconceivable liberation at will of a bodhisattva, practiced the ground of a bodhisattva’s merit and virtue, contemplated the ground of a bodhisattva’s samādhi (samādhi is the mind gathered upon a single object and not scattered), abided in the ground of a bodhisattva’s comprehensive holding (comprehensive holding is to hold all the Dharma one has heard entirely and lose none of it), entered the ground of a bodhisattva’s great vow, gained the ground of a bodhisattva’s eloquence, and accomplished the ground of a bodhisattva’s powers.

Coming to the City and Asking After Him: The People of the City Pointed the Way

He traveled on little by little, stretch after stretch, until he came to that city, and asked the people there where Mahādeva now was. They all told him, saying: “He is within this very city, manifesting a vast and great body, expounding the Dharma for the assembly.”

Seeing, Paying Respect, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana’s Two Questions

At that time, Sudhana came to where Mahādeva was, bowed to his feet, joined his palms before him, and spoke in this way:

“Holy one! I have already, before this, raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind that seeks unsurpassed, right, and equal awakening), yet I do not yet know how a bodhisattva is to learn the bodhisattva practice, or how to cultivate the bodhisattva way. I have heard that the holy one is well able to instruct; would that you would expound it for me!”

He Stretched Out His Four Hands Far, Took the Water of the Four Great Oceans, and Washed His Own Face

At that time, Mahādeva stretched out his four hands far, took the water of the four great oceans, and washed his own face with it; then he took up many golden flowers and scattered them over Sudhana; and then he told him, saying:

Praising How Hard Bodhisattvas Are to Meet: A Bodhisattva Is the White Lotus Among Human Beings

“Son of good family! All bodhisattvas are very hard to get sight of and very hard to get word of; they appear rarely in the world; among sentient beings they are the very first; they are the puṇḍarīka flower among human beings. They are the refuge of sentient beings, the rescuers of sentient beings; for the worlds they make a place of peace and security, for the worlds they make a great light, and for the confused they point out the peaceful and secure right road. They are great guides who lead sentient beings into the Buddha’s Dharma gate; they are great Dharma generals who well guard the city of all-knowledge. Bodhisattvas are as hard as this to meet with; only one whose body, speech, and mind are without fault can afterward get sight of their form and image and get word of their eloquence, so that at all times they are constantly present before him.

Setting Forth the Name and the Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): My Own Dharma Gate Is Called Cloud-Net

“Son of good family! I have already accomplished a bodhisattva’s liberation, named: Cloud-Net.”

Sudhana Asks Further: What Is the Objective Realm of This Dharma Gate Like

Sudhana said: “Holy one! What is the objective realm of the liberation of Cloud-Net like?”

Manifesting the Jewels (1): Twenty Heaps of Jewels, Every One Like a Great Mountain

At that time, Mahādeva manifested before Sudhana a heap of gold, a heap of silver, a heap of beryl, a heap of crystal, a heap of tridacna shell, a heap of agate, a heap of great-blaze jewels, a heap of stainless-treasury jewels, a heap of great-light jewels, a heap of jewels manifesting the ten directions everywhere, a heap of jeweled crowns, a heap of jeweled seals, a heap of jeweled necklaces, a heap of jeweled ear-pendants (ear-pendants are jeweled ornaments that hang upon the ears), a heap of jeweled bracelets (bracelets are jeweled rings worn about the wrists), a heap of jeweled chains, a heap of pearl nets, a heap of every kind of maṇi jewel (a maṇi is a jewel-pearl that can manifest whatever a person wishes), a heap of every kind of adornment, and a heap of wish-fulfilling maṇi — every one of the heaps as high as a great mountain.

Manifesting the Jewels (2): Flowers, Incense, Garments, Music, and a Host of Maidens, All Heaped Like Mountains

He manifested further every kind of flower, every kind of garland (a garland is an ornament strung out of flowers), every kind of incense, every kind of burning incense, every kind of ointment incense, every kind of garment, every kind of banner and pennant, every kind of music, and every kind of implement for the enjoyment of the five desires — these too heaped up like mountains; and he brought forth numberless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of hosts of maidens. Then that Mahādeva told Sudhana, saying:

Teaching the Giving of Wealth (Zhiyan’s Outline): You May Take All of This Away

“Son of good family! You may take these things and make offerings with them to the tathāgatas, cultivating and gathering every kind of merit; and give them away to all, and by this gather in sentient beings, causing them to learn and cultivate the dāna-pāramitā (dāna is giving; pāramitā is going to the other shore), so that they are able to give away what is hard to give away. Son of good family! Just as I, for your sake, manifest these things and teach you to practice giving, so it is for all sentient beings as well: I would have them all perfume themselves with this one portion of roots of goodness, and in the presence of the Three Jewels and in the presence of good friends pay reverence and make offerings, increase good dharmas, and raise up the intent for unsurpassed awakening.

The Three Kinds of Sentient Beings (1): For Those Greedily Attached to the Five Desires, He Manifests an Impure Objective Realm

“Son of good family! If there are sentient beings greedily attached to the five desires and letting themselves go slack, then for them an impure objective realm is manifested;

The Three Kinds of Sentient Beings (2): For Those of Anger, Arrogance, and Much Contention, He Manifests a Dreadful Form

“if there are sentient beings full of anger, of arrogance, and constantly contending, then for them a form utterly dreadful is manifested, like a rākṣasa drinking blood and devouring flesh; and when they have seen it, they are startled and afraid and stand in dread, their mind and intent turn pliant, and they let go of the knot of enmity between one another.

The Three Kinds of Sentient Beings (3): For Those Torpid and Lazy, He Manifests Kings, Robbers, Water, Fire, and Grave Illness

“if there are sentient beings torpid and lazy, then for them are manifested kings, robbers, great waters, great fires, and every kind of grave illness; and when they have seen it, dread arises in their mind, and knowing that there is such sorrow and suffering they urge themselves onward. By these and other kinds of skillful means they are caused to let go of every unwholesome act and to practice good dharmas; they are caused to remove every obstacle to the perfections and to be furnished with the perfections; they are caused to pass beyond every perilous road of obstruction and to arrive where there is no obstruction.

Humbling Himself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One, While the Bodhisattvas Are Like Those Five Things

“Son of good family! I know only this one liberation of Cloud-Net. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas (a mahāsattva is a great being, that is, a bodhisattva who has raised the great mind), they are like Śakra, who has been able to crush the asura army of all the afflictions; they are like a great water, which is everywhere able to quench the many fires of affliction of all sentient beings; they are like a fierce fire, which is everywhere able to dry up the many waters of craving and desire of all sentient beings; they are like a great wind, which is everywhere able to blow down the many banners of view-grasping of all sentient beings (view-grasping is to grasp one’s own view as right); they are like adamant, which is wholly able to crush and break the many mountains of the view of self of all sentient beings — and how then should I be able to know or to expound their practice of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Earth Goddess Peaceful Abiding at the Site of Awakening in the Country of Magadha

“Son of good family! Here in Jambudvīpa, in the country of Magadha, at the site of awakening, there is an earth goddess whose name is Peaceful Abiding. Go there and ask her: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practice and to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Cherishing His Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to Mahādeva’s feet, circled him numberless times, and only then took his leave and departed.

Seeking, and the Earth Goddesses’ Praise (Chengguan’s Outline): A Host of Earth Goddesses Recognized Him First

At that time Sudhana the youth journeyed on stage by stage, and made for the dwelling place of the goddess Peaceful Abiding within the site of awakening in the country of Magadha. There were a million earth goddesses together in that place, and they spoke with one another face to face, saying:

“This youth who comes here is the very treasury of the Buddha. He will surely become, everywhere, the place of reliance for all sentient beings; he will surely break open everywhere the shell-treasury of ignorance of all sentient beings. This person has already been born into the lineage of the Dharma-king; he will bind upon his head, for a crown, the stainless and unobstructed silk of the Dharma; he will open the great treasury of precious things that is wisdom, and will crush all wrong doctrines and outsider ways.”

Adorning the Place and Gathering In Beings (Chengguan’s Outline): Light, Quaking, Trees, Waters, Fragrance, Music, Beasts, Buried Treasuries

At that time the earth goddess Peaceful Abiding, together with the million earth goddesses, sent forth a great light that shone everywhere throughout the three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system, and made the whole great earth quake and roar at one and the same moment; all manner of precious things made an adornment in place after place, their reflections clean and their light flowing, mirroring one another and shining clear through; every leaf-bearing tree grew at one and the same time, every flowering tree opened out all together, not one fruit-bearing tree failed to ripen, every river poured into another, and every pool and pond was brimming full; a fine rain of fragrance came down and was sprinkled everywhere over that ground, and the wind came and scattered flowers everywhere upon it; numberless musics were played all together at one moment, and the articles of adornment of the heavens all gave out lovely sounds; the bull kings, the elephant kings, the lion kings, and the rest all gave rise to joy, and leapt up, and roared, as when great mountains strike against one another and give out a sound; and in a hundred thousand places the treasuries buried beneath the ground of themselves welled up and appeared.

Promising to Display His Former Goodness (Chengguan’s Outline): Welcome, Youth — You Once Planted Roots of Goodness in This Ground

At that time the earth goddess Peaceful Abiding said to Sudhana:

“Welcome, youth! In this ground you once planted roots of goodness. I shall display them for you — would you like to see them?”

Setting Out Respect and Stating the Request (Chengguan’s Outline): Yes Indeed, I Wish to See

At that time Sudhana bowed to the feet of the earth goddess, circled her numberless times, joined his palms and stood, and said:

“Holy one! Yes indeed! I wish to see them.”

Directly Displaying the Former Cause (Chengguan’s Outline): She Pressed the Ground With Her Foot, and the Treasuries Welled Up

At that time the earth goddess Peaceful Abiding pressed the ground with her foot, and hundreds of thousands of koṭis of asaṃkhyeyas (an incalculably great number) of treasuries of themselves welled up; and she said to him:

“Son of good family! These treasuries now follow you and go after you. This is the fruit and recompense of your roots of goodness of old; it is what the power of your merit has gathered in. You should use and enjoy them freely, following your own mind.

Setting Forth the Name, Substance, and Working (Chengguan’s Outline): The Indestructible Treasury of Wisdom

“Son of good family! I have gained a liberation of a bodhisattva, named ‘the Indestructible Treasury of Wisdom,’ and I constantly bring sentient beings to accomplishment by this Dharma.

Particularly Displaying the Working (Chengguan’s Outline): Ever Since the Buddha Burning Lamp, She Has Constantly Followed the Bodhisattvas

“Son of good family! I recall that ever since the Buddha Burning Lamp I have constantly followed the bodhisattvas, revering and guarding them, and observing all the bodhisattvas’ practices of mind, their objective realm of wisdom, all their vows, their several pure practices, all their samādhis, their vast and great spiritual powers, their power of great sovereignty, and the Dharma that nothing is able to destroy; and how they go everywhere to the lands of all the buddhas, everywhere receive the predictions bestowed by all the tathāgatas, turn the Dharma wheel of all the buddhas, expound at large all the gates of the sūtras, so that the light of the great Dharma shines everywhere, and teach and tame all sentient beings, and display the spiritual transformations of all the buddhas — all of this I am able to receive, and all of it I am able to bear in mind and not forget.

The Time and Place of Gaining the Dharma (Chengguan’s Outline): The Kalpa Adornment · the World Moon Banner · the Buddha Wondrous Eyes

“Son of good family! In an age long, long past, beyond kalpas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru, there was a kalpa named ‘Adornment,’ and there was a world named ‘Moon Banner,’ and the buddha’s name was ‘Wondrous Eyes’; and it was in the presence of that buddha that I gained this Dharma gate.

“Son of good family! With regard to this Dharma gate I have entered it and come forth from it, cultivating and increasing it, and have constantly seen the buddhas and never been parted from them; from the time when I first gained it down to the present Worthy Kalpa, within that interval I have met tathāgatas, worthy of offerings, fully and rightly awakened, as many as the dust motes of unspeakably unspeakable buddha-lands, and have served them all and revered them and made offerings to them; and I have seen those buddhas go to the seat of awakening and display their great spiritual power; and I have seen all the merit and virtue and roots of goodness belonging to those buddhas.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One

“Son of good family! I know only this one Dharma gate of ‘the Indestructible Treasury of Wisdom.’ As for those bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they constantly follow the buddhas, and are able to hold the Dharma spoken by all the buddhas, and enter the utterly deep wisdom of all the buddhas, and in thought after thought fill and pervade the whole Dharma realm; they are equal to the body of a tathāgata, they give rise to the mind of the buddhas, they are complete in the Dharma of the buddhas, and they do the deeds that the buddhas do — how then could I be able to know, or to tell of, their practice of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The City of Jiapiluo · the Night Goddess Vāsantī

“Son of good family! Here in Jambudvīpa, in the city of Jiapiluo in the country of Magadha, there is a night goddess named ‘Vāsantī.’ Go to her and ask: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practice and to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to the feet of the earth goddess, circled her numberless times, gazed up at her earnestly, and only then took his leave and departed.

Cultivating and Realizing in Accord with What Came Before (Chengguan’s Outline): Carrying the Dharma Gate of the Friend Before Him Along the Road

At that time, Sudhana the youth pondered with a single mind the teaching given him by the earth goddess Peaceful Abiding, holding in memory the bodhisattva’s liberation of ‘the Indestructible Treasury of Wisdom,’ cultivating her samādhi, learning her rule and standard, contemplating her sporting (that working which is at will and unobstructed), entering her subtlety, gaining her wisdom, penetrating her evenness, knowing her boundlessness, and fathoming her utter depth.

Seeking the Friend Who Comes Next (Chengguan’s Outline): He Entered the City by the East Gate, Stood a Little While, and the Sun Went Down

He traveled on little by little, stretch after stretch, until he came to that city, and entered it by the east gate; and he had not stood there long when he saw the sun go down. In his mind he called to mind and accorded with the instruction of the bodhisattvas, thirsting to see that night goddess, and toward the good friend he gave rise to the thought that he was looking upon a tathāgata; and he thought further in this way:

“By the good friend one gains the eye that reaches everywhere, and is everywhere able to see clearly the objective realms of the ten directions; by the good friend one gains the vast and great understanding, and is everywhere able to penetrate all that the mind takes as its object (every objective realm upon which the mind lays hold); by the good friend one gains the eye of samādhi, and is everywhere able to contemplate all Dharma gates; by the good friend one gains the eye of wisdom, and is everywhere able to illumine clearly the seas of buddha-lands in the ten directions.”

Seeing the Friend, Her Recompense and Her Setting (Chengguan’s Outline): The Constellations Are All Upon Her Body

Just as he was thinking in this way, he saw that night goddess in the midst of empty space, seated within a jeweled storied pavilion upon a lion throne in a treasury of fragrant lotus flowers, her body the color of true gold, her eyes and hair blue-black (a deep blue tinged with red), her form and features upright and adorned, so that all who saw her rejoiced; with the many kinds of jeweled necklaces her body was adorned, she was clothed in a vermilion garment, upon her head she wore a brahmā crown, and all the constellations appeared plainly upon her body.

Within each and every pore upon her body there appeared images of her converting and delivering measureless and numberless sentient beings of the evil destinies and causing them to escape from peril; and of these sentient beings, some were born among human beings, some were born among the devas, some turned toward the awakening of the two vehicles (the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas), some cultivated the way of all-knowledge. And within each and every one of those pores she displayed every kind of skillful means of teaching and converting: for some she manifested a body, for some she expounded the Dharma, for some she displayed the way of the śrāvaka vehicle, for some she displayed the way of the pratyekabuddha vehicle, for some she displayed the practices of the bodhisattvas, the bodhisattvas’ valor, the bodhisattvas’ samādhi, the bodhisattvas’ mastery, the bodhisattvas’ dwelling place, the bodhisattvas’ contemplation, the bodhisattvas’ lion’s stretching (the mark of a lion stretching itself out, a simile for the great working that is without fear), the bodhisattvas’ sporting in liberation — in such ways as these did she bring sentient beings to ripeness.

Paying Respect and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): I Would Walk to the Ground of the Ten Powers

When Sudhana the youth had seen and heard all this, his mind was greatly gladdened; he threw his body down upon the ground, bowed to the feet of the night goddess, circled her numberless times, and before her joined his palms and spoke in this way:

“Holy one! I have already, before this, raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and equal awakening), and in my mind I hope, relying upon good friends, to obtain the treasury of the Dharma that is the merit and virtue of all the tathāgatas. Would that you would reveal to me the way of all-knowledge, so that walking in that way I may come to the ground of the ten powers (the ten powers being a tathāgata’s ten kinds of knowledge-power)!”

Praise (Chengguan’s Outline): Since You Revere the Good Friend in This Way, You Will Certainly Gain It

At that time, that night goddess said to Sudhana:

“Good, good! Son of good family! You are able, with a deep mind, to revere good friends, to delight in hearing their words, and to cultivate their teaching; and because of that cultivating, you will certainly gain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

Setting Forth the Name and the Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): The Liberation of the Light of the Dharma That Breaks the Deluded Darkness of All Sentient Beings

“Son of good family! I have gained the bodhisattva liberation of ‘the light of the Dharma that breaks the deluded darkness of all sentient beings.’

Nine Kinds of Sentient Being, Nine Kinds of Mind: For Every Kind of Person, One Kind of Mind

“Son of good family! Toward sentient beings of evil understanding (people whose views are upside down) I raise the mind of great kindness; toward sentient beings who do unwholesome deeds I raise the mind of great compassion; toward sentient beings who do wholesome deeds I raise the mind of rejoicing; toward sentient beings who have both kinds of conduct, good and evil, I raise the mind that is not two (the mind that does not discriminate and take up or reject); toward defiled sentient beings I raise the mind that causes purity to arise in them; toward sentient beings on wrong paths I raise the mind that causes right conduct to arise in them; toward sentient beings of low understanding (people whose understanding is narrow) I raise the mind that causes great understanding to be roused in them; toward sentient beings who delight in birth and death I raise the mind that causes them to cast off turning in the round; toward sentient beings who abide in the way of the two vehicles I raise the mind that causes them to abide in all-knowledge. Son of good family! Because I have gained this liberation, I am constantly matched with minds such as these.

The Ten Gates of Rescuing and Gathering In (Chengguan’s Outline) · The General Statement: When the Night Is Deep, the Voices Still, and Heaven and Earth Wholly Dark

“Son of good family! At the time when the color of night is dark and the voices of people are still, when ghosts, spirits, robbers, and every kind of evil being come forth to roam; at the time when dense clouds, heavy fogs, evil winds, and violent rains cover over the sun, the moon, and the constellations so that no color of them can be seen — I see sentient beings, some entering the sea, some walking upon the land, in mountain forests, in the wilds, in every kind of perilous place, some meeting with robbers, some lacking provisions, some confused as to their direction, some having lost the road, alarmed and afraid and unable to get themselves out — and at that time I rescue them by every kind of skillful means.

The First Gate: Rescuing from Peril at Sea — She Becomes Shipmaster, Fish King, Sea God

“For those in peril at sea, I display myself as a shipmaster, a fish king, a horse king, a tortoise king, an elephant king, an asura king, and a sea spirit; for those sentient beings I still the evil winds and rains, quiet the great waves, lead them upon their road, and show them where the shore and the islands are, causing them to be free of dread and all to gain peace and security. And I think further in this way: ‘With these roots of goodness I dedicate and bestow upon sentient beings, vowing to cause them to cast off every kind of suffering.’

The Second Gate: Rescuing from the Darkness of Night upon Land — She Becomes Sun, Moon, and Constellations, Morning Haze and Evening Lightning

“For all sentient beings upon the land who meet with dread in the darkness of night, I manifest myself as the sun, as the moon, and as the constellations, as the haze of morning and the lightning of evening, as every kind of light; or I make houses and dwellings, or I make crowds of people, causing them to be freed from the calamity of dread. And I think further in this way: ‘With these roots of goodness I dedicate and bestow upon sentient beings, causing them all to put out the darkness of the afflictions.’

The Third Gate: Rescuing Those Who Do Not Gain What They Seek and Those Who Walk in Mountain Peril — Six Things Not Answering to What Was Sought

All sentient beings — some cherish long life, some love a good name, some covet wealth and treasure, some hold rank and office weighty, some cling to sons and daughters, some are enamored of wife and concubine — and when what they seek does not answer to their mind, sorrow and dread arise in them abundantly; all of these I rescue, causing them to leave suffering behind.

The Third Gate, Continued — Mountain Peril: She Becomes a Good Spirit, a Fine Bird, a Numinous Herb

“For those who walk the perilous roads among the mountains and are held back by hindrances, I become for them a good spirit, manifesting a form and drawing near; I become for them a fine bird, putting forth a voice to console and gladden them; I become for them a numinous herb, spreading out a light and shining upon them; I show them where the fruit trees are, I show them where the springs and wells are, I show them the straight road, I show them the level ground, causing them to escape from every sorrow and calamity.

The Third Gate, Concluded — The Wilds: Turning the Road on the Ground into the Road in the Mind

“For those who walk in the wilds, in dense forests, upon perilous roads, who are entangled by creepers and darkened by cloud and fog and are afraid, I show them the right road, causing them to get out. And I make a vow in this way: ‘May all sentient beings fell the dense forest of views, cut through the net of craving, come out of the wilds of birth and death, put out the darkness of the afflictions, enter the level and right road of all-knowledge, and reach the place without fear, in ultimate peace and joy.’

The Fourth Gate: Rescuing Those Who Delight in and Cling to Their Land — She Makes Them Weary of It

“Son of good family! If there are sentient beings who delight in and cling to their land and are made sorrowful by it, I use skillful means to make weariness and detachment arise in them. And I make a vow in this way: ‘May all sentient beings not cling to the aggregates (the five classes of dharmas of body and mind — form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness), and may they abide in the objective realm of the sarvajña (all-knowledge) of all the buddhas.’

The Fifth Gate: Rescuing Those Who Delight in and Cling to Their Village — The Six Sense-Fields Are That Village

“Son of good family! If there are sentient beings who delight in and cling to their village, who covet and love their houses, who dwell constantly in darkness and undergo every kind of suffering, I expound the Dharma for them, causing weariness and detachment to arise in them, causing the Dharma to be complete in them, causing them to abide by the Dharma. And I make a vow in this way: ‘May all sentient beings none of them covet and delight in that village which is the six sense-fields (the six gates of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind), may they swiftly get out of the objective realm of birth and death, and may they ultimately abide in the city of all-knowledge.’

The Sixth Gate: Rescuing from the Dark Night — Those Who Take the Level Road for a Perilous One

“Son of good family! If there are sentient beings who walk in the dark of night, who are confused as to the ten directions, who upon a level road give rise to the thought of peril and upon a perilous road give rise to the thought of levelness, who take what is high for low and what is low for high, their minds confused, so that great suffering and vexation arise in them —

I use skillful means to spread out a light and shine upon them; for those who would come out, I show them the doorway; for those who would walk, I show them the road; for those who would cross a ditch or a channel, I show them the bridge; for those who would ford a river or a sea, I give them a boat or a raft; for those who like to look out upon the directions, I show them where it is perilous and where easy, where safe and where dangerous; for those who would rest, I show them where the walled towns, the waters, and the trees are.

And I make a vow in this way: ‘Just as here I shine upon the darkness of night and put it away, causing all the affairs of the world to be set out plainly, so may I everywhere, in the long night of birth and death of all sentient beings and in the dark places of ignorance, shine upon them all with the light of wisdom.

The Seventh Gate: Rescuing from Delusion and Karma — From the Four Inversions to the Five Heinous Deeds

These sentient beings have no eye of knowledge, and are covered and veiled by the thought, the mind, and the views that are upside down: they take what is impermanent for permanent, what is not joy for joy, what is not self for self, what is impure for pure; they hold firmly to a self, a person, a sentient being, they hold to the dharmas of the aggregates, the elements (the eighteen elements: the six faculties, six objects, and six consciousnesses), and the sense-fields (the twelve sense-fields: the six faculties and their six objects); they are confused about cause and effect, they do not recognize good and evil, they kill sentient beings and so on to raising wrong views, they are unfilial to father and mother, they do not revere śramaṇas or brahmins, they do not know who is an evil person, they do not recognize who is a good person, they covet and cling to evil affairs, they abide in wrong dharmas, they slander the tathāgatas, they break the wheel of the right Dharma, they curse, shame, and injure the bodhisattvas, they slight the way of the Great Vehicle, they sever the mind of awakening, they turn upon those to whom they owe kindness and kill them instead, and where no kindness is owed they constantly harbor grudges, they slander the worthies and the sages, they draw near to evil companions, they steal what belongs to stūpas and temples, they commit the five heinous deeds (killing one’s father, killing one’s mother, killing an arhat, shedding a buddha’s blood, and breaking the harmony of the saṃgha) — and before long they will fall into the place of the three evil destinies.

May I swiftly, with the light of great knowledge, break the dark ignorance of those sentient beings, and cause them speedily to raise the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.’

And once they have raised that mind, I then display for them the vehicle of Samantabhadra, and open up for them the way of the ten powers; and I display for them also the objective realm of the tathāgata, the Dharma-king; and I display for them also the city of all-knowledge of all the buddhas, the conduct of all the buddhas, the mastery of all the buddhas, the accomplishment of all the buddhas, the comprehensive holding of all the buddhas, the one body that all the buddhas share in common, and the place where all the buddhas are equal, causing them to abide therein.

The Eighth Gate: Rescuing from the Eight Sufferings — Sickness, Age, Poverty, and the Hour of Execution, When There Is Nothing to Rely On

“Son of good family! Among all sentient beings, some are bound by sickness, some are encroached upon by age, some are made to suffer by poverty, some meet with calamity, some transgress the king’s law and are about to undergo punishment, having nothing to rely upon, so that great dread arises in them; all of these I rescue, causing them to gain peace and security. And I think further in this way: ‘May I, by the Dharma, everywhere gather in sentient beings, causing them to be liberated from every affliction, from birth, old age, sickness, and death, from sorrow, grief, and the trouble of suffering, to draw near to good friends, constantly to practice the giving of the Dharma, diligently to practice wholesome deeds, swiftly to gain the pure Dharma body of a tathāgata, and to abide in the place that is ultimate and does not change.’

The Ninth Gate: Rescuing from Evil Views — Those Who Take the Rightly Awakened for the Not Rightly Awakened

“Son of good family! Among all sentient beings, there are those who enter the dense forest of views, who abide upon wrong paths, who give rise to wrong discrimination toward every kind of objective realm, who constantly do unwholesome deeds of body, speech, and mind, who falsely perform every kind of wrong austerity, who toward what is not the rightly awakened give rise to the thought of the rightly awakened and toward the very place of the rightly awakened give rise instead to the thought of what is not the rightly awakened, who are gathered in by evil friends and thereby raise evil views and are about to fall into the evil destinies; and I, by every kind of gate of skillful means, rescue and guard them, causing them to abide in right view and to be born among human beings and gods.

And I think further in this way: ‘Just as I rescue these sentient beings who are about to fall into the evil destinies, so may I everywhere rescue and guard all sentient beings, causing them all to be liberated from every kind of suffering, to abide in the sagely way of the pāramitās (the practices that reach the far shore) that goes beyond the world, to be irreversible with respect to all-knowledge, to be furnished with the vow of Samantabhadra, to draw near to all-knowledge and yet not to cast off the practices of the bodhisattvas, and constantly to be diligent in teaching and converting all sentient beings.’”

Restating in Verse (Chengguan’s Outline) (1): The Name and Substance of the Dharma Gate, and the Four Measureless Minds

At that time, Vāsantī, the goddess who presides over the night, wishing to state again the meaning of this liberation, received the spiritual power of the Buddha, contemplated the ten directions, and spoke verses for Sudhana the youth, saying:

“This gate of liberation of mine brings forth the pure light of the Dharma, and is able to break the darkness of delusion — when the time comes, only then is it expounded.

“In the boundless kalpas of the past I diligently practiced vast and great kindness, covering over all the worlds everywhere — this the sons of the Buddha ought to learn.

“The still sea of great compassion brings forth the buddhas of the three times and is able to put out the suffering of sentient beings — you ought to enter this gate.

“It can give birth to the joy of the world, and gives birth also to the joy beyond the world, and makes my mind rejoice — you ought to enter this gate.

“Having already cast away the trouble of what is conditioned, and being far also from the fruit of the śrāvakas, purely do I cultivate the powers of the buddhas — you ought to enter this gate.

Restating in Verse (Chengguan’s Outline) (2): The Purity of the Six Sense-Faculties — Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue

“My eye is utterly pure, and everywhere sees the lands of the ten directions, and sees also the buddhas within them seated beneath the tree of awakening,

bodies adorned with the marks and signs, surrounded by measureless assemblies, and within each and every pore every kind of light coming forth;

and I see the kinds of living beings dying here and being born there, turning in the round among the five destinies, constantly undergoing measureless suffering.

“My ear is utterly pure, and there is nothing it hears that it does not reach; the whole sea of speech and language it hears entire and is able to hold in memory;

and when the buddhas turn the wheel of the Dharma, that sound is subtle and beyond compare, and all the graphs that there are it is wholly able to hold in memory.

“My nose is utterly pure, and toward the Dharma is unobstructed; in all things it gains mastery — you ought to enter this gate.

“My tongue is utterly broad and great, clean and fine and able to speak, and according to what is fitting expounds the wondrous Dharma — you ought to enter this gate.

Restating in Verse (Chengguan’s Outline) (3): Body and Mind

“My body is utterly pure, even and just so throughout the three times, and according to the minds of all sentient beings it wholly appears.

“My mind is pure and unobstructed, as empty space holds the ten thousand images; everywhere it calls the tathāgatas to mind, and yet it raises no discrimination.

It knows measureless lands, the whole sea of all minds, the faculties and the desires and delights, and yet it raises no discrimination.

Restating in Verse (Chengguan’s Outline) (4): The Vastness of the Working

“With great spiritual power I shake measureless lands, and my body wholly goes everywhere, taming those sentient beings who are hard to tame.

“My merit is utterly vast and great, as empty space is without end; I make offerings to the tathāgatas and benefit all sentient beings.

“My knowledge is vast, great, and pure, and knows the sea of all dharmas, and puts away the doubts of sentient beings — you ought to enter this gate.

“I know the buddhas of the three times and all dharmas as well, and penetrate also their skillful means; this gate reaches everywhere and has no compare.

“Within each and every dust mote I see all the lands of the three times, and see also the buddhas therein — this is the power of the universal gate.

“Within the dust motes of the lands of the ten directions I wholly see Rocana seated beneath the tree of awakening, accomplishing the way and expounding the wondrous Dharma.”

Raising Two Questions (Chengguan’s Outline): How Long Ago Did You Raise the Mind

At that time, Sudhana the youth said to the night goddess: “How long ago was it that you raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi? And how long has it been since you gained this liberation, that you are able to benefit sentient beings in this way?”

Answering the Time of Raising the Mind (Chengguan’s Outline) · The First Life of the Past: In That Life I Was the King’s Consort

That goddess answered, saying:

“Son of good family! In an age of long ago, past kalpas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru, there was a kalpa named ‘Still Light,’ and a world named ‘Bringing Forth Wondrous Jewels,’ and five hundred million buddhas appeared within it. Within that world there were four continents named ‘Jewel-Moon Lamplight’; and there was a city named ‘Lotus Light’; and the king’s name was ‘Good Dharma Measure,’ who carried on his teaching by the Dharma, accomplished the seven treasures, and reigned as king over the four continents. The king had a consort named ‘Dharma-Wisdom Moon,’ and the night being deep she was asleep. At that time, to the east of that city there was a great forest named ‘Still Dwelling,’ and in the forest there was a great tree of awakening named ‘the Light of the Spiritual Power of All Buddhas Brought Forth from the Body Adorned by the King of All-Light Maṇi Jewels.’

“At that time there was a buddha named ‘King of the Thunder-Voice of All Dharmas,’ who beneath this tree accomplished right and equal awakening, and sent forth a vast and great light of measureless colors that shone throughout the world Bringing Forth Wondrous Jewels. Within the city Lotus Light there was a goddess who presides over the night, named ‘Pure Moon,’ who came to the place of the king’s consort Dharma-Wisdom Moon and shook the necklaces upon her body to wake the consort, and told her, saying:

‘Let the consort know that the tathāgata King of the Thunder-Voice of All Dharmas has accomplished unsurpassed awakening in the forest Still Dwelling.’ And she expounded for her at length the merit and virtue of the buddhas, their mastery and spiritual power, and all the practices and vows of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra.

Thereupon she caused the king’s consort to raise the intent of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi and to make offerings to that buddha and to the bodhisattvas, the śrāvakas, and the assembly of monks.

Bringing Past and Present Together (Chengguan’s Outline): That Consort Was I

“Son of good family! The king’s consort Dharma-Wisdom Moon of that time — could she be another person? She is this very body of mine!

The Benefit Accomplished by Raising the Mind (Chengguan’s Outline): For Eighty Kalpas of Sumeru-Dust I Constantly Received Peace and Joy

“Because in the presence of that buddha I raised the mind of awakening and planted roots of goodness, for kalpas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru I was not born among the evil destinies of the hells, the hungry ghosts, or the animals, nor was I born into a lowly house; my faculties were complete, I had no sufferings, among gods and human beings my merit was surpassing, I was not born in an evil age, I was constantly not apart from the buddhas and from the bodhisattvas and the great good friends, and constantly in their presence I planted roots of goodness, and through kalpas as many as the dust motes of eighty Mount Sumerus I constantly received peace and joy — and yet the faculties of a bodhisattva were not yet complete in me.

Answering How Long Ago the Dharma Was Gained (Chengguan’s Outline) · The Second Life of the Past: In That Life I Was the Daughter of the Elder Renown

“When that kalpa had passed, and a further ten thousand kalpas had passed, before the Worthy Kalpa there was a kalpa named ‘Sorrowless Universal Shining,’ and a world named ‘Stainless Wondrous Light.’ Within that world the pure and the defiled were mingled together, and five hundred buddhas appeared within it. The first of these buddhas was named ‘Sumeru-Banner Still and Wondrous Eye,’ tathāgata, worthy (worthy of offerings), rightly and equally awakened; I was the daughter of the elder Renown, named ‘Wondrous Wisdom Light,’ upright and surpassingly fine.

That night goddess Pure Moon, by the power of her vow, was born in one set of four continents in the world Stainless, in the city of King Wondrous Banner, and became a goddess presiding over the night, named ‘Pure Eye.’ At a certain time I was at the side of my father and mother, and the night being deep I was asleep and resting. That Pure Eye came to where I was, shook my house and dwelling, sent forth a great light, made her body appear, and praised the merit and virtue of the Buddha, saying:

‘The tathāgata Wondrous Eye is seated upon the seat of awakening and has just now accomplished right awakening.’

Thereupon she exhorted me, and my father and mother, and all our kinsfolk, to go swiftly and see the Buddha; and she herself went before as our guide and led us to where the Buddha was, and we set forth offerings on a great scale.

Gaining the Samādhi and Gaining the Liberation (Chengguan’s Outline): At the First Sight of the Buddha, the Samādhi · Because of Hearing the Dharma, the Liberation

“No sooner had I seen the Buddha than I gained a samādhi named ‘the Wheel of the Light of Knowledge of the Three Times That Brings Forth the Seeing of Buddhas and the Taming of Sentient Beings.’ Because I obtained this samādhi, I was able to call to mind kalpas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru, and to see also the buddhas who appeared within them, and in the presence of those buddhas to hear the wondrous Dharma; and because of hearing the Dharma, I then gained this liberation of ‘the light of the Dharma that breaks the darkness of all sentient beings.’

Having gained this liberation, I then saw my own body going everywhere to worlds as many as the dust motes of buddha-lands, and saw also all the buddhas of those worlds, and saw further my own body in the presence of those buddhas; and I saw also all the sentient beings of those worlds, and understood their speech and sounds, and knew their faculties and natures, and knew that in the past they had been gathered in by good friends, and according to what they delighted in I manifested a body for them, causing gladness to arise in them.

Displaying the Working at Length (Chengguan’s Outline): Growing Thought by Thought, until It Fills the Dharma Realm

“The liberation that I gained there at that time grew thought by thought, and this mind had no interval; and I saw further my own body going everywhere to worlds as many as the dust motes of a hundred buddha-lands, and this mind had no interval; and I saw further my own body going everywhere to worlds as many as the dust motes of a thousand buddha-lands, and this mind had no interval; and I saw further my own body going everywhere to worlds as many as the dust motes of a hundred thousand buddha-lands. In this way, thought following upon thought, and so on until I went everywhere to worlds as many as the dust motes of unspeakably unspeakable buddha-lands, and I saw also all the tathāgatas within those worlds; and I saw myself, too, in the presence of those buddhas, hearing the wondrous Dharma, holding and remembering it, contemplating and resolving it; and I knew also the seas of the past deeds of those buddhas and the seas of their great vows; and the buddha-lands that those tathāgatas adorned and purified, I too adorned and purified; and I saw also all the sentient beings of those worlds, and according to what was fitting for them I manifested a body for them and taught, converted, and tamed them. This gate of liberation grew thought by thought, and in this way it came at last to fill the Dharma realm.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One

“Son of good family! I know only this bodhisattva liberation of ‘the light of the Dharma that breaks the darkness of all sentient beings.’ As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they accomplish the boundless practices and vows of Samantabhadra, they enter everywhere the seas of all Dharma realms, they gain the bodhisattvas’ samādhi of the mastery of the adamantine banner of knowledge, they bring forth great vows, they hold and sustain the lineage of the buddhas; in thought after thought they fill out and complete the whole sea of great merit and virtue, and adorn and purify all vast and great worlds; with knowledge that is at will they teach, convert, and ripen all sentient beings; with the sun of wisdom they put away the dark obstacles of all the worlds; with valiant knowledge they awaken all sentient beings from their torpid sleep; with the moon of wisdom they resolve the doubts of all sentient beings; with a pure voice they sever the clinging of all becoming; and within each and every dust mote of all the Dharma realm they display all mastery and spiritual power, their eye of knowledge clear and pure, seeing evenly throughout the three times — and how then could I be able to know their wondrous practice, or to tell of their merit and virtue, or to enter their objective realm, or to display their mastery?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): Universal Virtue Pure Light, within the Site of Awakening

“Son of good family! Here in Jambudvīpa, within the site of awakening in the country of Magadha, there is a goddess who presides over the night, named ‘Universal Virtue Pure Light.’ It was from her that I originally raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, and she constantly awakens me with the wondrous Dharma. Go to her and ask: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practice and to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Verses Cherishing Her Virtue (Chengguan’s Outline) (1): Praising the Surpassing Excellence of Her Body and Mind

At that time, Sudhana the youth, facing the goddess Vāsantī, spoke verses, saying:

“I see your pure body, its marks and signs surpassing the world, like Mañjuśrī, and like the king of jeweled mountains.

“Your Dharma body is pure, and throughout the three times wholly even; the worlds enter wholly within it, and neither their forming nor their breaking obstructs it.

“I look upon all the destinies, and everywhere see your form and image; and within each and every pore the stars and the moon are set out each in its place.

“Your mind is utterly vast and great, filling the ten directions as empty space does; the buddhas enter wholly within it, pure and without discrimination.

Verses Cherishing Her Virtue (2): Making Clear That the Great Working Has No Bound

“Within each and every pore numberless lights are wholly sent forth, and in the presence of the buddhas of the ten directions they everywhere rain down the implements of adornment.

“Within each and every pore numberless bodies each appear, and within the lands of the ten directions by skillful means they deliver sentient beings.

“Within each and every pore measureless lands are displayed, and according to the desires and delights of sentient beings they are purified in every kind of way.

Verses Cherishing Her Virtue (3): The Benefit to Beings Is Not in Vain

“If there are sentient beings who hear your name and see your body, they all obtain the benefit of merit and virtue and accomplish the way of awakening.

“Those who for many kalpas have been in the evil destinies only then get to see and hear of you, and they too ought to receive it with gladness, because it can put out the afflictions.

Verses Cherishing Her Virtue (4): Concluding That Her Virtue Is Without End

“Through kalpas as many as the dust motes of a thousand lands one might praise the virtue of a single hair of yours; the number of the kalpas could still be exhausted, but the merit and virtue would in the end have no end.”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, when Sudhana the youth had finished speaking these verses, he bowed to her feet, circled her measureless times, gazed up at her with earnest longing, and took his leave and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): First He Called to Mind, Once Through, the Merit and Virtue of the Night Goddess Before Him

At that time, Sudhana the youth had already come to know the bodhisattva treasury born of the first raising of the mind of awakening by that night goddess Vāsantī, the bodhisattva vows she had raised, the bodhisattva perfections she had purified, the bodhisattva grounds she had entered, the bodhisattva practices she had cultivated, the way of going forth she had walked, the great sea of the light of all-knowledge, the mind that rescues sentient beings everywhere, the cloud of great compassion that covers everywhere, and the practices and vows of Samantabhadra that she is constantly able to bring forth, in all the buddha-lands, to the ends of the future.

Seeing, Paying Respect, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): All Three Questions Are Asked upon the Bodhisattva Ground

He traveled on little by little until he came to where the night goddess Universal Virtue Pure Light was, bowed to her feet, circled her numberless times, and before her joined his palms and spoke in this way:

“Holy one! I have already, before this, raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and equal awakening); yet I do not know: how is a bodhisattva to cultivate the bodhisattva ground? How is he to bring forth the bodhisattva ground? How is he to accomplish the bodhisattva ground?”

Praise (Chengguan’s Outline): First She Praises Him for Being Able to Raise the Mind, and Then for Being Able to Ask

The night goddess answered, saying:

“Good, good! Son of good family! You have already been able to raise the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi, and now you are further able to ask about the cultivating, the bringing forth, and the accomplishing of the bodhisattva ground.

The General Answer of the Direct Conferring of the Dharma Gate (Chengguan’s Outline): A Bodhisattva Who Accomplishes These Ten Dharmas Can Fulfill the Bodhisattva Practices

“Son of good family! A bodhisattva who accomplishes ten dharmas is able to fulfill the bodhisattva practices. What are the ten? First, gaining the pure samādhi and constantly seeing all the buddhas; second, gaining the pure eye and constantly beholding the marks and signs, and the adornment, of all the buddhas; third, knowing the great sea of the measureless and boundless merit and virtue of all the tathāgatas; fourth, knowing the sea of the light of the Dharma of all the buddhas, measureless as the Dharma realm is measureless; fifth, knowing that all the tathāgatas send forth, from each and every pore, seas of great light equal in number to sentient beings, benefiting measureless sentient beings, all of them; sixth, seeing that all the tathāgatas bring forth, from each and every pore, seas of flaming light of every jeweled color; seventh, in thought after thought bringing into appearance the seas of the transformations of all the buddhas, filling the Dharma realm, reaching the utmost of the objective realms of all the buddhas and taming sentient beings; eighth, gaining the Buddha’s voice, the same as the sea of the speech and sounds of all sentient beings, and turning the Dharma wheel of all the buddhas of the three times; ninth, knowing the boundless seas of the names of all the buddhas; tenth, knowing the inconceivable power of mastery with which all the buddhas tame sentient beings. Son of good family! A bodhisattva who accomplishes these ten kinds of dharma is then able to fulfill all the practices of a bodhisattva.

Setting Forth the Name and the Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): What This Gate of Liberation Is Called

“Son of good family! I have gained a bodhisattva liberation named ‘Quiescence, Meditative Concentration, Joy, and the Universally Roaming Stride.’

The Working, First (Chengguan’s Outline): Seeing the Buddhas of the Three Times Everywhere and Yet Not Grasping — Ten Clauses of “Is Not”

“I see everywhere all the buddhas of the three times, and I see too those buddhas’ pure lands, their places of the Way, their assemblies, their spiritual powers, their names, their expounding of the Dharma, their life spans, their speech and sounds, and their bodily marks, in all their many kinds of difference — all of them plainly seen, and yet without grasping. Why is this? Because I know of the tathāgatas: they do not go, for the destinies of the world are forever quieted; they do not come, for their essential nature is unborn; they are not born, for the Dharma body is even; they are not extinguished, for there is no mark of birth at all; they are not real, for they abide in dharmas that are like an illusion; they are not false, for they are benefiting sentient beings; they do not shift, for they have passed beyond birth and death; they do not perish, for their essential nature is constant and does not change; they are one mark, for all speech is left behind; they are without mark, for nature and mark are from the first empty and still.

The Working, Second (Chengguan’s Outline): The Four Dhyānas, Every One of Them Fastened upon Sentient Beings

“Son of good family! When I know all the tathāgatas in this way, then toward this ‘bodhisattva gate of the liberation of Quiescence, Meditative Concentration, Joy, and the Universally Roaming Stride’ I penetrate it plainly, accomplish and increase it, ponder and contemplate it, make it firm and adorn it; and not giving rise to any deluded thought or discrimination, rescuing and guarding all sentient beings with great compassion, single-minded and unmoving, I cultivate the first dhyāna; stilling all the works of the mind, gathering in all sentient beings, the power of knowledge valiant, the mind of gladness delighted, I cultivate the second dhyāna; pondering the own-nature of all sentient beings, weary of and turning away from birth and death, I cultivate the third dhyāna; being wholly able to extinguish all the sufferings and burning distress of all sentient beings, I cultivate the fourth dhyāna.

The Working, Third (Chengguan’s Outline): The Many Merits and Virtues Brought Forth out of Dhyāna

“Increasing and fulfilling the vows of all-knowledge, bringing forth the seas of all samādhis, entering the gates of the sea of the liberations of the bodhisattvas, sporting in all spiritual powers, accomplishing all transformations, and with pure knowledge entering the Dharma realm everywhere.

The Working, Fourth, Part One (Chengguan’s Outline): For Sentient Beings Heedless at Home, Causing Thirteen Perceptions to Arise

“Son of good family! When I cultivate this liberation, I bring sentient beings to ripeness by every kind of skillful means. That is to say: toward sentient beings who are heedless at home, I cause to arise the perception of impurity, the perception of what is to be loathed, the perception of weariness, the perception of oppression, the perception of bondage, the perception of the rākṣasa, the perception of impermanence, the perception of suffering, the perception of no-self, the perception of emptiness, the perception of non-arising, the perception of not being one’s own master, and the perception of old age, sickness, and death. I myself do not give rise to delight or clinging toward the five desires, and I exhort sentient beings too not to cling to the joy of desire, but to abide only in the joy of the Dharma, to go forth from the home and to enter what is not a home.

“If there are sentient beings dwelling in a place of open leisure, for them I still the many kinds of evil sound; in the still of night I expound the deep Dharma for them; I give them the conditions for practicing in accord; I open for them the gate of going forth from the home; I show them the right road; I make a light for them; I remove their obstruction of darkness; I extinguish their fear; I praise the work of going forth from the home; I praise the Buddha, the Dharma, the Saṃgha, and the good friends as being furnished with every kind of merit and virtue; and I praise as well the practice of drawing near to good friends.

The Working, Fourth, Part Two (Chengguan’s Outline): Cutting Off Evil and Giving Birth to Good

“Furthermore, son of good family! When I cultivate this liberation, I cause sentient beings not to give rise to unlawful greed, not to give rise to wrong discrimination, and not to do the many kinds of deed that are offenses; and if they have already done them, I cause them all to be brought to a stop. If they have not yet given rise to wholesome dharmas, have not yet cultivated the practice of the pāramitās, have not yet sought all-knowledge, have not yet raised the great kindness and compassion, have not yet done the deeds of humans and devas, I cause them all to give rise to these; and if they have already given rise to them, I cause them to increase them. Conditions in accord with the Way such as these do I give them, and so on until I cause them to accomplish the knowledge of all-knowledge.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Have Gained Only This One

“Son of good family! I have gained only this ‘bodhisattva gate of the liberation of Quiescence, Meditative Concentration, Joy, and the Universally Roaming Stride.’ As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they are furnished with all the practices and vows of Samantabhadra; they penetrate all the boundless Dharma realm; they are constantly able to increase all roots of goodness; they illumine and see the ten powers of all the tathāgatas; they abide in the objective realms of all the tathāgatas; they dwell constantly in birth and death, and yet their minds are without obstruction; they are swiftly able to fulfill the vows of all-knowledge; they are able to go everywhere to all worlds; they are able to behold all the buddhas, every one; they are able everywhere to hear and receive all the Dharma of the buddhas; they are able to break the deluded darkness of all sentient beings; they are able, in the great night of birth and death, to bring forth the light of all wisdom — how then could I know, or tell of, the practices that are their merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): To the Right of the Site of Awakening There Is Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings

“Son of good family! Not far from here, to the right of the site of awakening, there is a night goddess named ‘Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings.’ Go there and ask her: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practices and cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

The Verses Restating Begin

At that time, the night goddess Universal Virtue Pure Light, wishing to state again the meaning of this liberation, spoke verses for Sudhana the youth, saying:

The Verses Restating (One) (Chengguan’s Outline): Restating the First Four Dharmas — Samādhi and Seeing the Buddhas · The Pure Eye Beholding the Marks · The Great Sea of Merit and Virtue · The Sea of the Light of the Dharma

“If there is a mind of faith and understanding, then one sees to the full the buddhas of the three times; that person’s eye being purified, he can enter the sea of the buddhas.

“Look you upon the bodies of the buddhas, pure, their marks adorned; the power of their spiritual power in a single thought fills the Dharma realm entire.

“The Tathāgata Rocana, at the place of the Way accomplishing right awakening, throughout the whole Dharma realm turns the pure Dharma wheel.

“The Tathāgata knows the nature of dharmas, quiescent and without a second; with pure marks adorning his body, he shows himself throughout all the worlds.

The Verses Restating (Two) (Chengguan’s Outline): The Fifth Verse Leaps Ahead to Restate the Seventh Dharma · The Sixth Restates the Sixth · The Seventh Turns Back to Restate the Fifth

“The Buddha’s body is inconceivable, filling the Dharma realm entire, appearing everywhere in all lands, and there is nothing that does not see it.

“The Buddha’s body constantly sends forth light, equal to the dust motes of all lands; in every kind of pure color, thought after thought it fills the Dharma realm.

“From a single pore of the Tathāgata there is sent forth an inconceivable light, illumining everywhere the many kinds of living beings and causing their afflictions to be extinguished.

The Verses Restating (Three) (Chengguan’s Outline): The Eighth Verse Restates the Tenth Dharma · The Ninth Restates the Eighth · The Tenth Restates the Ninth

“From a single pore of the Tathāgata there are brought forth inexhaustible transformations, filling throughout the Dharma realm and extinguishing the sufferings of sentient beings.

“The Buddha sends forth one wondrous sound, and each kind of being, according to its kind, is made to understand; everywhere he rains down the vast and great Dharma, causing them to raise the intention toward awakening.

“When the Buddha cultivated the many practices of old, he had already gathered me in; and so I am able to see the Tathāgata, appearing everywhere in all lands.

The Verses Restating (Four) (Chengguan’s Outline): The Last Two Verses Restate the Humbling and the Pointing to the Superior · The Final Verse Restates the Pointing Out of the Next Friend

“The buddhas who appear in the world are as many in number as sentient beings; the objective realms of their many kinds of liberation are not what I am able to know.

“All the bodhisattvas enter into a single pore of a buddha; a wondrous liberation such as this is not what I am able to know.

“Near to this place there is a night goddess named Joyful Eyes Beholding; you ought to go to where she is and ask about the cultivating of the bodhisattva practices.”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to her feet, circled her numberless times, gazed up at her with earnest longing, and took his leave and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): The Eight Clauses of Calling the Good Friend to Mind

At that time, Sudhana the youth honored the teaching that the good friend had given him, and did as the good friend had told him, and in his mind he thought in this way: “A good friend is hard to see and hard to meet with; seeing a good friend can cause one’s own mind not to be scattered; seeing a good friend can break down the mountain of hindrances; seeing a good friend can bring one into the sea of great compassion to rescue and protect sentient beings; seeing a good friend can gain the light of wisdom that shines everywhere upon the Dharma realm; seeing a good friend, one can wholly cultivate the way of all-knowledge; seeing a good friend, one can everywhere behold the seas of buddhas of the ten directions; seeing a good friend, one can see the buddhas turning the wheel of the Dharma and hold it in memory without forgetting.”

The Goddess Joyful Eyes Bestows Her Power: The Ten Clauses of Causing Him to Know the Drawing Near to a Good Friend

Having thought in this way, he set his mind upon going to where the night goddess Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings was.

At that time the goddess Joyful Eyes bestowed her power upon Sudhana the youth, causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend can bring forth every kind of root of goodness, and can make them grow and ripen. That is to say: causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can furnish oneself with the equipment that aids the way; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can give rise to a valiant mind; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can accomplish deeds that are hard to destroy; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can gain a power that is hard to subdue; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can enter into boundless quarters; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can cultivate for a long time and far; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can accomplish boundless undertakings; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can walk measureless ways; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can gain the power of swiftness to go everywhere to the buddha-lands; causing him to know that drawing near to a good friend, one can, without leaving the place where one originally is, reach everywhere throughout the ten directions.

Sudhana Straightway Gives Rise to the Thought: The Ten Clauses of ‘By Drawing Near to a Good Friend’

At that time Sudhana the youth straightway gave rise to a thought such as this: “By drawing near to a good friend, one can valiantly and diligently cultivate the way of all-knowledge; by drawing near to a good friend, one can swiftly bring forth every kind of sea of great vows; by drawing near to a good friend, one can, for the sake of all sentient beings, bear boundless suffering to the end of the kalpas to come; by drawing near to a good friend, one can put on the armor of great vigor, so that within a single mote of dust the sound of one’s expounding the Dharma fills the Dharma realm; by drawing near to a good friend, one can swiftly go to all the seas of quarters; by drawing near to a good friend, upon a way as fine as a single hair one can cultivate the bodhisattva practices to the end of the kalpas to come; by drawing near to a good friend, one can in thought after thought walk the bodhisattva practices and ultimately abide in the station of all-knowledge; by drawing near to a good friend, one can enter into the ways of every kind of adornment that are the sovereign spiritual power of all the tathāgatas of the three times; by drawing near to a good friend, one can constantly enter everywhere into the gates of all the Dharma realms; by drawing near to a good friend, one constantly takes the Dharma realm as one’s object and has never stirred out of it, and yet one can go everywhere to the lands of the ten directions.”

Seeing, Paying Respect, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): He Sees the Night Goddess Entered into the Liberation of the Banner of Great Mighty Power and Universal Joy

At that time, Sudhana the youth, having given rise to this thought, went to where the night goddess Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings was.

He saw that night goddess within the assembly and place of the Way of the Tathāgata, seated upon a lion throne in a treasury of lotus flowers, entered into the liberation of the Banner of Great Mighty Power and Universal Joy; and upon her body, from each and every pore, there came forth measureless kinds of clouds of transformation bodies, which, according to the manner in which sentient beings were to be delivered, expounded the Dharma for them with subtle and wondrous speech and sound, gathering in everywhere measureless sentient beings of every kind, and causing them all to rejoice and gain benefit. That is to say:

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (1) Giving: Inward and Outward Both Given, and What Is Hard to Give Up Given Up

There came forth measureless clouds of transformation bodies, filling all the worlds of the ten directions, which expounded the dāna-pāramitā (giving gone to the far shore) that the bodhisattvas practice: toward all things whatever there is no clinging attachment, and to all sentient beings there is universal giving; her mind is even, without slighting anyone, and the life of the body within and the goods and wealth without are all given away, and what is hard to give up she can give up as well.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (2) Discipline: The Fragrance of Discipline Perfuming Everywhere

Again there came forth measureless clouds of transformation bodies equal in number to sentient beings, filling the Dharma realm, appearing everywhere before all sentient beings, which expounded the keeping of pure discipline without lack or transgression, the cultivating of every kind of ascetic practice in full, having nothing to lean upon among the worlds and no craving attachment among the objective realms; which expounded the turning round and round in birth and death, expounded the rise and fall, the suffering and the joy of humans and gods, expounded that all objective realms are impure, expounded that all dharmas are impermanent, expounded that all conditioned activities are wholly suffering and without savor, causing the worlds to cast off inversion and to abide in the objective realm of the buddhas and keep the discipline of the Tathāgata. In this way she set forth every kind of practice of discipline, and the fragrance of discipline perfumed everywhere, causing all sentient beings to gain ripeness.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (3) Forbearance: Cut Apart and Beaten, and the Mind at Ease

Again there came forth every kind of cloud of bodies equal in number to sentient beings, which expounded the ability to bear all the manifold sufferings, that is to say: to be cut apart, to be beaten, to be reviled, to be insulted, and her mind is at ease and unmoved, neither stirred nor scattered; toward every practice she is neither cast down nor lifted up, toward sentient beings she gives rise to no conceit of self, and toward the nature of the dharmas she abides and bears with it; which expounded that the mind of awakening has no exhausting, and that because the mind has no exhausting knowledge too has no exhausting, so that the afflictions of all sentient beings are everywhere cut off; which expounded that sentient beings are lowly and ugly and not furnished with the marks of the body, causing them to give rise to weariness and turning away; and which praised the pure and subtle form and marks of the tathāgatas, their unsurpassed body, causing them to give rise to longing and delight. In such ways as these, by skillful means, she brought sentient beings to ripeness.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (4) Vigor: Eleven Clauses of Valiant Vigor

Again there came forth every kind of cloud of bodies equal to the realm of sentient beings, which, according to what sentient beings delighted in within their minds, expounded valiant vigor in cultivating the dharmas that aid the way of all-knowledge; valiant vigor in subduing the enemy Māra; valiant vigor in giving rise to the mind of awakening, unstirred and unturned back; valiant vigor in delivering all sentient beings so that they come out of the sea of birth and death; valiant vigor in wiping out all the perils of the evil destinies; valiant vigor in demolishing the mountain of no-knowledge; valiant vigor in making offerings to all the buddhas and tathāgatas without giving rise to weariness; valiant vigor in receiving and holding the Dharma wheel of all the buddhas; valiant vigor in breaking apart all the mountains of hindrance; valiant vigor in teaching and ripening all sentient beings; valiant vigor in adorning and purifying all the lands of the buddhas. In such ways as these, by skillful means, she brought sentient beings to ripeness.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (5) Meditation: From Shame and Conscience to the Sea of Samādhis

Again there came forth every kind of measureless cloud of bodies, which by every kind of skillful means caused sentient beings to give rise to joy within their minds, to cast off evil intentions and to weary of all desires; which expounded for them shame and conscience, causing sentient beings to store up and guard their faculties; which expounded for them the unsurpassed and pure practice of purity; which expounded for them that the realm of desire is the objective realm of Māra, causing them to give rise to dread; which displayed for them the not delighting in the joys of desire of the world, but abiding in the joy of the Dharma, and entering, according to the sequence, into the joys of the meditations and the samādhis, causing them to ponder and contemplate and to wipe out every affliction they had; and which set forth for them further the sovereign play of the spiritual power and the transforming manifestations of all the bodhisattvas’ seas of samādhis, causing sentient beings to rejoice and be at ease, to leave behind their sorrows and dreads, so that their minds were pure, their faculties keen, and they held the Dharma dear and cultivated it and made it grow.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (6) Prajñā (Chengguan’s Outline): Drying Up the Sea of Doubt · Demolishing the Mountain of Views · Breaking the Darkness of Delusion

Again there came forth every kind of cloud of bodies equal to the realm of sentient beings, which expounded for them the going to the lands of the ten directions, making offerings to the buddhas and to teachers and elders and true good friends, receiving and holding the Dharma wheel of all the buddhas with diligence and without slackening; and which further set forth for them and praised the seas of all the tathāgatas, contemplated the seas of all the Dharma gates, revealed the nature and the marks of all dharmas, threw open the gates of all the samādhis, opened up the objective realm of wisdom, and dried up the sea of doubt of all sentient beings; which showed the vajra of wisdom and demolished the mountain of wrong views of all sentient beings; which raised up the sun-wheel of wisdom and broke the darkness of delusion of all sentient beings. All of them she caused to rejoice and to accomplish all-knowledge.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (7) Skillful Means (Chengguan’s Outline): Expounding According to What Suits Them

Again there came forth every kind of cloud of bodies equal to the realm of sentient beings, going everywhere before all sentient beings and, according to the manner in which they were to be delivered, expounding the Dharma for them with every kind of speech: for some expounding the spiritual powers and the power of merit of the world; for some expounding that the three realms are all to be dreaded, causing them no longer to do the deeds of the world, to leave the place of the three realms, and to come out of the dense forest of wrong views; for some praising the way of all-knowledge, causing them to go beyond the station of the two vehicles; for some setting forth that one abides neither in birth and death nor in nirvāṇa, causing them to cling neither to the conditioned nor to the unconditioned; for some setting forth the abiding in the palaces of the gods and even the abiding at the place of the Way, causing them to long and to delight and to give rise to the intention of awakening. In such ways as these, by skillful means, she taught and converted sentient beings, and caused them all ultimately to gain all-knowledge.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (8) Vows (Chengguan’s Outline): The Eleven Manifestings in Thought After Thought

Again there came forth clouds of bodies as many as the dust motes of all the worlds, going everywhere before all sentient beings: in thought after thought manifesting all the practices and vows of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra; in thought after thought manifesting pure great vows filling the Dharma realm; in thought after thought manifesting the adorning and purifying of all the seas of worlds; in thought after thought manifesting the making of offerings to all the seas of tathāgatas; in thought after thought manifesting the entering into all the seas of Dharma gates; in thought after thought manifesting the entering into all the seas of worlds, the seas of worlds as many as dust motes; in thought after thought manifesting, in all the lands, the pure cultivation of the way of all-knowledge to the end of the kalpas to come; in thought after thought manifesting the entering into the powers of the Tathāgata; in thought after thought manifesting the entering into all the seas of skillful means of the three times; in thought after thought manifesting the going to all the lands and displaying every kind of spiritual power and transformation; in thought after thought manifesting all the practices and vows of the bodhisattvas, causing all sentient beings to abide in all-knowledge. What she did in this way was constant and without rest.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (9) Power: Thirteen Clauses of Power

Again there came forth clouds of bodies equal in number to the minds of all sentient beings, going everywhere before all sentient beings, which expounded the bodhisattvas’ boundless power of gathering together the dharmas that aid the way of all-knowledge, the indestructible power of seeking all-knowledge, the power that has no exhausting, the power of not turning back in cultivating the unsurpassed practice, the power without interruption, the power of being undefiled by the dharmas of birth and death, the power of being able to break all the hosts of Māra, the power of leaving far behind all the stains of affliction, the power of being able to break all the mountains of hindrance of karma, the power of abiding through all kalpas cultivating the practice of great compassion without wearying, the power of shaking all the lands of the buddhas and causing all sentient beings to give rise to joy, the power of being able to break all the outer paths, and the power of turning the wheel of the Dharma everywhere in the world. By such skillful means as these she ripened sentient beings, causing them to arrive at all-knowledge.

The Clouds of Bodies from the Pores (10) Knowledge: The Ten Knowledges of the Perfection of Knowledge

Again there came forth measureless clouds of transformed form-bodies equal in number to the minds of all sentient beings, going everywhere to the measureless worlds of the ten directions and, according to the minds of sentient beings, setting forth all the bodhisattvas’ practice of knowledge. That is to say: expounding the knowledge that enters the seas of all the realms of sentient beings; expounding the knowledge that enters the seas of the minds of all sentient beings; expounding the knowledge that enters the seas of the faculties of all sentient beings; expounding the knowledge that enters the seas of the practices of all sentient beings; expounding the knowledge that delivers all sentient beings and has never missed the time; expounding the knowledge that brings forth the sounds of all the Dharma realms; expounding the knowledge that in thought after thought reaches throughout all the seas of Dharma realms; expounding the knowledge that in thought after thought knows the perishing of all the seas of worlds; expounding the knowledge that in thought after thought knows the coming to be, the abiding, the adornments, and the differences of all the seas of worlds; expounding the knowledge that in thought after thought sovereignly draws near and makes offerings to all the tathāgatas and hears and receives their Dharma wheel. Displaying in this way the perfection of knowledge, she caused sentient beings all to rejoice greatly, to be at ease and glad, so that their minds were pure and they gave rise to settled understanding and sought all-knowledge without turning back. Expounding in this way the bodhisattvas’ perfections and thereby ripening sentient beings, she in this way set forth all the bodhisattvas’ every kind of dharma of practice, and thereby made benefit for them.

The Body That Sets Forth Her Original Practice (Chengguan’s Outline) (1): Fourteen Classes of Clouds of Bodies in Likeness

Again, within each and every one of her pores there came forth measureless kinds of clouds of bodies of sentient beings. That is to say: there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gods of Akaniṣṭha, of Good Manifestation, of Good Seeing, of Without Heat, and of Without Affliction; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gods of Lesser Extent, of Vast Fruit, of Merit Born, and of the Cloudless; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gods of Universal Purity, of Measureless Purity, and of Lesser Purity; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gods of Radiant Sound, of Measureless Light, and of Lesser Light; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gods of Great Brahmā, of Brahmā’s Ministers, and of Brahmā’s Multitude; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gods of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others’ Emanations, of the Heaven of Delight in Emanations, of the Tuṣita Heaven, of the Suyāma Heaven, and of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, together with their palace women and the hosts of the sons of the gods; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the gandharva (spirit of heavenly music) king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, of gandharva sons and gandharva daughters; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of Virūḍhaka, of kumbhāṇḍa (jar-shaped demon) kings, of kumbhāṇḍa sons and kumbhāṇḍa daughters; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the dragon king Virūpākṣa, of dragon sons and dragon daughters; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the yakṣa (valiant demon) king Vaiśravaṇa, of yakṣa sons and yakṣa daughters; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the kiṃnara (spirit of song) king Great Tree, of the mahoraga (great serpent spirit) king Good Wisdom, of the garuḍa (golden-winged bird) king Great Swift Power, of the asura (not-god) king Rāhu, and of King Yama, the Dharma King, together with their sons and their daughters; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the kings of humankind, together with their sons and their daughters; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the śrāvakas, the pratyekabuddhas, and the hosts of the buddhas; there came forth clouds of bodies in the likeness of the earth spirits, the water spirits, the fire spirits, the wind spirits, the river spirits, the sea spirits, the mountain spirits, the tree spirits, and even the day spirits, the night spirits, and the spirits who preside over the quarters. They reached throughout the ten directions and filled the Dharma realm.

The Body That Sets Forth Her Original Practice (2): Manifesting Twenty-One Sounds

Before all those sentient beings she manifested every kind of sound. That is to say: the sound of the wind-wheel, the sound of the water-wheel, the sound of flames of fire, the sound of the tide of the sea, the sound of the earth quaking, the sound of great mountains striking one against another, the sound of the citadels of the gods shaking, the sound of maṇi jewels striking one against another, the sound of the kings of the gods, the sound of the dragon kings, the sound of the yakṣa kings, the sound of the gandharva kings, the sound of the asura kings, the sound of the garuḍa kings, the sound of the kiṃnara kings, the sound of the mahoraga kings, the sound of the kings of humankind, the sound of the Brahmā kings, the sound of the goddesses singing, the sound of the music of the gods, and the sound of the king of maṇi jewels.

The Body That Sets Forth Her Original Practice (3): With Sound She Expounds the Merit of the Ten Perfections Gathered Since She First Raised the Mind

With such kinds of sound as these she expounded the merit and virtue that the night goddess Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings had gathered together since she first raised the mind. That is to say: she served all the good friends, drew near to the buddhas, and cultivated the dharmas of goodness; she practiced the dāna-pāramitā (giving), and what was hard to give up she could give up; she practiced the śīla-pāramitā (discipline), casting away the position of a king, palaces, and kin, and going forth from home to learn the way; she practiced the kṣānti-pāramitā (forbearance), able to bear all the sufferings of the world, and the ascetic practices the bodhisattvas cultivate and the right Dharma they keep were all made firm, and her mind was unstirred; and she could also bear all the evil deeds and evil words that sentient beings did to her body and mind, bearing all deeds so that they were not lost or ruined, bearing all dharmas so as to give rise to settled understanding, and bearing the nature of the dharmas so as to be able to ponder them truly; she practiced the vīrya-pāramitā (vigor), giving rise to the practice of all-knowledge and accomplishing the dharmas of a buddha; she practiced the dhyāna-pāramitā (meditation), and all the equipment of her dhyāna-pāramitā, all its cultivating, all its accomplishing, all its purity, all the samādhis and spiritual powers it gave rise to, and all the gates of the seas of samādhi it entered, were wholly displayed; she practiced the prajñā-pāramitā (wisdom), and all the equipment of her prajñā-pāramitā, all its purity, the sun of great wisdom, the cloud of great wisdom, the treasury of great wisdom, the gate of great wisdom, were wholly displayed; she practiced the perfection of skillful means, and all the equipment of her perfection of skillful means, all its cultivation, all its nature, all its purport, all its purity, and all that answers to it, were wholly displayed; she practiced the perfection of vows, and all the nature of her perfection of vows, all its accomplishing, all its cultivating, and all that answers to it, were wholly displayed; she practiced the perfection of power, and all the equipment of her perfection of power, all its causes and conditions, all its purport, all its setting forth, and all that answers to it, were wholly displayed; she practiced the perfection of knowledge, and all the equipment of her perfection of knowledge, all its nature, all its accomplishing, all its purity, all its places, all its growth, all its entering deep, all its light, all its displaying, all its purport, all that answers to it, all its discerning, all its aspects of practice, all the dharmas that answer to it, all the dharmas it gathers in, the dharmas it knows, the deeds it knows, the lands it knows, the kalpas it knows, the ages it knows, the appearing of buddhas it knows, the buddhas it knows, the bodhisattvas it knows, the bodhisattvas’ minds, the bodhisattvas’ stations, the bodhisattvas’ equipment, the bodhisattvas’ setting out, the bodhisattvas’ dedications, the bodhisattvas’ great vows, the bodhisattvas’ Dharma wheel, the bodhisattvas’ discerning of dharmas, the bodhisattvas’ sea of dharmas, the bodhisattvas’ seas of Dharma gates, the bodhisattvas’ whirling currents of dharmas, the bodhisattvas’ purport of dharmas — such objective realms as these that answer to the perfection of knowledge were wholly displayed, and thereby she ripened sentient beings.

The Body That Sets Forth Her Original Practice (4): Expounding the Sequence of Succession

She expounded further the sequence of succession of the merit and virtue this night goddess had gathered together since she first raised the mind; the sequence of succession of the roots of goodness she had cultivated; the sequence of succession of the measureless perfections she had cultivated; the sequence of succession of her dying here and being born there and of her names; and drawing near to good friends, serving the buddhas, receiving and holding the right Dharma, cultivating the bodhisattva practices, entering the samādhis, and by the power of samādhi seeing everywhere the buddhas, seeing everywhere the lands, knowing everywhere the kalpas, entering deep into the Dharma realm, contemplating sentient beings, entering the sea of the Dharma realm, knowing the dying here and the being born there of sentient beings, gaining the pure divine ear so as to hear all sounds, gaining the pure divine eye so as to see all forms, gaining the knowledge of others’ minds so as to know the minds of sentient beings, gaining the knowledge of former abodes so as to know the matters of the past, gaining the knowledge of the spiritual power of the base of miracles, which has nothing to lean upon and nothing that it does, so as to travel sovereignly throughout the lands of the ten directions — the sequence of succession of all these; and gaining the bodhisattva liberation, entering the sea of the bodhisattva liberation, gaining the bodhisattva mastery, gaining the bodhisattva valor, gaining the bodhisattva stride, abiding within the bodhisattva perception, and entering the bodhisattva way — the sequence of succession of all the merit and virtue of all these. All of this she set forth, distinguishing and displaying it, and thereby ripening sentient beings.

The Benefit of Her Expounding: Five Benefits of Deliverance Throughout the Ten Directions

While she expounded in this way, in thought after thought, in each of the ten directions she adorned and purified unspeakably unspeakable many lands of the buddhas, delivered measureless sentient beings of the evil destinies, caused measureless sentient beings to be born among the gods and among humans in wealth and nobility and mastery, caused measureless sentient beings to come out of the sea of birth and death, caused measureless sentient beings to abide in the station of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas, and caused measureless sentient beings to abide in the station of the Tathāgata.

Beholding Her Working and Gaining Benefit (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana’s Realizing Entry and the Ten Clauses of ‘Why Is This So’

At that time Sudhana the youth, having seen and heard all the rare things manifested above, contemplated them in thought after thought, pondered and understood them, and entered deep and abided in them; and bearing up the Buddha’s majestic power and the power of the liberation, he then gained the bodhisattva’s inconceivable liberation of the power of mastery of the Banner of Great Mighty Power and Universal Joy. Why is this so? Because he had cultivated together with the night goddess Joyful Eyes in times gone by; because the spiritual power of the Tathāgata bestowed itself upon him; because inconceivable roots of goodness protected and aided him; because he had gained the faculties of a bodhisattva; because he was born within the family of the Tathāgata; because he was gathered in by the power of good friends; because he was guarded and borne in mind by the tathāgatas; because the Tathāgata Vairocana had once taught and converted him; because that portion of his roots of goodness had already ripened; and because he was able to cultivate the practices of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra.

Rejoicing in the Benefit and Praising (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Praises the Night Goddess in Ten Verses

At that time Sudhana the youth, having gained this liberation, gave rise to joy within his mind, joined his palms toward the night goddess Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings, and praised her with verses, saying:

“Through measureless and numberless kalpas, she has learned the buddhas’ most profound Dharma; according to the manner in which sentient beings are to be delivered, she manifests a subtle and wondrous form-body.

“Knowing that sentient beings are sunk in confusion and bound about by deluded thoughts, therefore every kind of body is manifested, and according to what suits them all are tamed.

“The Dharma body is constantly still, pure and without a second mark; for the sake of teaching and converting sentient beings, she displays every kind of shape.

“Toward the aggregates, the elements, and the sense-fields, she has never had any clinging, and yet she displays practice and a form-body, taming all sentient beings.

“Clinging neither to inward dharmas nor to outward, having already crossed the sea of birth and death, yet she manifests every kind of body, and dwells within the realms of existence.

“Far removed from every kind of discrimination, unstirred by frivolous argument, for the sake of those who cling to deluded thoughts, she proclaims and expounds the Dharma of the ten powers.

“With a single mind she abides within samādhi, and for measureless kalpas is unstirred; from her pores there come forth clouds of transformation bodies that make offerings to the buddhas of the ten directions.

“Having gained the buddhas’ power of skillful means, in thought after thought without any bound, she displays every kind of body, and everywhere gathers in the multitudes of beings.

“Knowing the adornments of the many kinds of deeds of the seas of existence, for their sake she expounds the unobstructed Dharma, and causes them all to be pure.

“Her form-body is subtle and wondrous beyond compare, pure as Samantabhadra; according to the minds of sentient beings, she displays the marks of the world.”

Bringing Out the Cause (Chengguan’s Outline): Sudhana Asks How Long Ago the Mind Was Raised and When the Dharma Was Gained

At that time Sudhana the youth, having finished this hymn, said: “Goddess! You raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right and equal awakening) — how long has it been until now? And having gained this liberation, how long has that been?”

At that time Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings, the goddess who presides over the night, answered with verses, saying:

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (1) The Kalpa Still Sound (Chengguan’s Outline): The General Heading and Eight Verses on Her Former Life

“I call to mind a past age, beyond as many kalpas as the dust motes of a land; that land was named Maṇi Light, and that kalpa was named Still Sound.

“There were a million nayutas of koṭis of sets of four continents, and the kings within them were of that number too, each one ruling and governing his own.

“Among them was one royal city, and its name was Fragrant Banner Jewel; its adornments were the most excellent and wondrous, and those who saw it were glad and pleased.

“Within it was a wheel-turning king, and the marks of his body were exceedingly subtle and wondrous, the thirty-two marks and signs, with the secondary marks that follow the form for their adornment;

“he was born by transformation from a lotus flower, a body of golden light; rising into empty space he shone upon far and near, reaching everywhere throughout the realm of Jambudvīpa.

“That king had a thousand sons, all valiant and upright in the marks of their bodies; his assisting ministers were a full koṭi, all having knowledge and skilled in means;

“his consorts and attendants were ten koṭis, their faces and forms like goddesses, their intentions gentle and benefiting sentient beings, and with minds of kindness they waited upon that king.

“That king taught and converted by the right Dharma, everywhere throughout the four continents, and within the great earth encircled by the ring of mountains, all was abundant and flourishing.

“I at that time was a jewel maiden, furnished with the sound of a pure brahmā voice; from my body there issued a golden light that shone as far as a thousand yojanas.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (2) The Kalpa Still Sound: Ten Verses Making Clear the Occasion of Her Raising the Mind

“The light of the sun had already sunk, and the music had all fallen still; the great king and those who waited upon him had all gone peacefully to sleep.

“At that time the buddha Sea of Virtue appeared in the world, and displayed the power of his spiritual powers, filling the realms of the ten directions;

“he sent forth a sea of great light, like the dust motes of all the lands in number, and every kind of sovereign body filled the ten directions throughout.

“The great earth shook and gave forth a wondrous sound, proclaiming everywhere that a buddha had appeared in the world; the hosts of gods, humans, dragons, and spirits all rejoiced.

“Within each and every pore, there came forth a sea of transformation bodies of the Buddha, filling the ten directions throughout, expounding the wondrous Dharma according to what suited sentient beings.

“I at that time within a dream saw the Buddha’s every kind of spiritual transformation, and I heard the profound and wondrous Dharma as well, and within my mind there arose great joy.

“There were ten thousand goddesses who preside over the night, dwelling together within empty space, praising the Buddha’s appearing in the world, and coming at that moment to awaken me:

“‘Worthy and wise one, you should rise! The Buddha has appeared within your land; within a sea of kalpas he is hard to meet with, and those who see him gain purity.’

“I at that time then woke from sleep, and straightway beheld a pure light. I contemplated: from where does this light come? And I saw the Buddha beneath the king of awakening trees,

“his body adorned with all the marks, like a king among mountains of jewels; within each and every pore, he sent forth a sea of great light.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (3) The Kalpa Still Sound: One Verse Truly Displaying the Raising of the Mind and Six Verses on the Virtues That Followed

“Having seen him, joy arose within my mind, and I gave rise to a thought such as this: ‘May I gain, as the Buddha has, a vast and great spiritual power.’

“I at that time straightway awakened the great king and his kin, so that all saw the Buddha’s light, and all were glad and fortunate.

“I at that time, together with the great king, with a thousand myriad koṭis of riders following, and sentient beings measureless as well, went together to where the Buddha was.

“For twenty thousand years, I made offerings to that tathāgata, and the four continents made of the seven jewels, I offered up and gave away entire.

“At that time that tathāgata expounded the Sūtra of the Universal Cloud of Merit, answering everywhere to the minds of the multitudes of beings, and adorning every kind of sea of vows.

“A night goddess awakened me, and caused me to gain benefit; I vowed to take on such a body, and to awaken those who are heedless.

“From this I first raised the highest vow for awakening, going to and fro within the realms of existence, and that mind I have never let go.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (4) The Kalpa Still Sound: Five Verses on Meeting with Further Buddhas

“From then on I made offerings to ten koṭis of nayutas of buddhas, constantly enjoying the joys of gods and humans, and benefiting the multitudes of beings.

“The first buddha was Sea of Merit; the second, Lamp of Merit; the third, Wondrous Jewel Banner; the fourth, Knowledge of Empty Space;

“the fifth, Lotus Treasury; the sixth, Unobstructed Wisdom; the seventh, King of the Dharma Moon; the eighth, Wheel of the Lamp of Knowledge;

“the ninth, the Two-Legged Honored One, King of the Lamp of the Mountain of Jewel Flames; the tenth, the Tamer and Guide, Flower Light Sound of the Three Times.

“Such buddhas as these I made offerings to, all of them, and yet I had not gained the eye of wisdom that enters the sea of liberation.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (5) The Kalpa Excellence of the Gods (Chengguan’s Outline): Four and a Half Verses

“From then on there followed in sequence the land All Jewel Light, and that kalpa was named Excellence of the Gods, where five hundred buddhas appeared in the world.

“The first was Wheel of Moonlight; the second was named Lamp of the Sun; the third was named Banner of Light; the fourth was Jewel Sumeru;

“the fifth was named Flower Flame; the sixth was titled Sea of Lamps; the seventh was the buddha Blazing; the eighth was the buddha Treasury of the Gods;

“the ninth was Banner of the King of Light; the tenth was King of Universal Knowledge Light. Such buddhas as these I made offerings to, all of them,

“and still, within the dharmas, I reckoned as existing what does not exist.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (6) The Kalpa Brahmā Light (Chengguan’s Outline)

“From then on there was a further kalpa, named Brahmā Light; the world was named Lotus Lamp, and its adornments were most excellent and wondrous.

“There were measureless buddhas there, each one having measureless assemblies, and I made offerings to them all, honoring them and hearing the Dharma.

“The first was the buddha Jewel Sumeru; the second was the buddha Sea of Merit;

“the third was the buddha Sound of the Dharma Realm; the fourth was the buddha Thunder of the Dharma; the fifth was named the buddha Banner of the Dharma; the sixth was named the buddha Earth Light;

“the seventh was named Light of the Power of the Dharma; the eighth was named Awakening of Empty Space; the ninth was Sumeru Light; the tenth was Cloud of Merit.

“Such tathāgatas as these I made offerings to, all of them, and still I was not able to understand the dharmas clearly and enter the sea of the buddhas.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (7) The Kalpa Moon of Merit (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Thereafter there was a further kalpa, named Moon of Merit; at that time there was a world, and its name was Banner of Merit.

“There the buddhas were eighty nayutas in number, and with subtle and wondrous offerings and a deep mind of reverence I made offerings to them.

“The first was the gandharva king; the second was named the Great Tree King; the third was Sumeru of Merit and Virtue; the fourth was the buddha Jewel Eye;

“the fifth was Rocana; the sixth was Light Adornment; the seventh was the buddha Sea of the Dharma; the eighth was the buddha Light Excellence;

“the ninth was named the buddha Worthy Excellence; the tenth was the buddha King of the Dharma. Such buddhas as these I made offerings to, all of them,

“and yet I had not gained the deep knowledge that enters the sea of the dharmas.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (8) The Kalpa Still Wisdom (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Thereafter there was a further kalpa, named Still Wisdom, and the land was named Vajra Jewel, its adornments all excellent and wondrous.

“Within it were a thousand buddhas, who appeared in sequence; the afflictions of sentient beings were few, and the assemblies were all pure.

“The first was the buddha Vajra Navel; the second was the buddha Unobstructed Power;

“the third was named Shadow of the Dharma Realm; the fourth was titled Lamp of the Ten Directions; the fifth was named Light of Compassion; the sixth was named Sea of Discipline;

“the seventh was Wheel of the Lamp of Forbearance; the eighth was Light of the Dharma Wheel; the ninth was named Light Adornment; the tenth was named Still Light.

“Such buddhas as these I made offerings to, all of them, and yet I was still not able to awaken deeply to the pure Dharma that is like empty space.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (9) The Kalpa Good Appearing (Chengguan’s Outline)

“I traveled through all the lands, and there cultivated every practice. Following in sequence there was a further kalpa, named Good Appearing,

“and the land was named Fragrant Lamp Cloud, made of the pure and the mixed and defiled together. Koṭis of buddhas appeared within it, adorning the land and the kalpa,

“and the many kinds of Dharma they expounded I was able to hold in memory. The first was named the buddha Vast Renown; next was named the buddha Sea of the Dharma;

“the third was named Sovereign King; the fourth was named Cloud of Merit; the fifth was the buddha Excellence of the Dharma; the sixth was the buddha Crown of the Gods;

“the seventh was the buddha Flame of Knowledge; the eighth was Sound of Empty Space; the ninth, the Two-Legged Honored One, was named Universal Birth and Surpassing Excellence;

“the tenth, the Unsurpassed One, was named Light Excelling Between the Brows. All these buddhas I made offerings to, every one,

“and yet I was still not able to be pure and leave behind the ways of every hindrance.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (10) The Kalpa Gathered Firm King (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Following in sequence there was a further kalpa, named Gathered Firm King, and the land was named King of the Jewel Banner, all of it well laid out.

“There were five hundred buddhas, who appeared within it; I made offerings to them with reverence, seeking the unobstructed liberation.

“The first was Wheel of Merit; next was Still Sound;

“next was named Sea of Merit; next was named King of Sunlight; the fifth was King of Merit; the sixth was Marks of Sumeru;

“next was named Sovereign in the Dharma; the next buddha was King of Merit; the ninth was Sumeru of Merit; the tenth was King of Light.

“Such buddhas as these I made offerings to, all of them, and all the ways of purity I entered everywhere without remainder,

“and yet, as to the gates I had entered, I was not able to accomplish forbearance.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (11) The Kalpa Wondrous Excellent Lord (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Following in sequence there was a further kalpa, named Wondrous Excellent Lord, and the land was named Still Sound, where the afflictions of sentient beings were thin.

“Within it buddhas appeared, eighty nayutas in number; to all of them I made offerings, cultivating the most excellent way.

“The first buddha was named Flower Gathering; the next buddha was named Sea Treasury;

“next was named Born of Merit and Virtue; next was titled Topknot of the King of the Gods; the fifth was Maṇi Treasury; the sixth was Mountain of True Gold;

“the seventh was Honored One of the Jewel Gathering; the eighth was the buddha Banner of the Dharma; the ninth was named Excellent Wealth; the tenth was named Wisdom.

“These ten were the foremost, and my offerings left none of them out.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (12) The Kalpa Thousand Merits (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Following in sequence there was a further kalpa, named Thousand Merits; at that time there was a world, titled Lamp of the Banner of Good Transformation; and sixty koṭis of nayutas of buddhas arose in the world.

“The first was Still Banner; next was Śamatha; the third was King of a Hundred Lamps; the fourth was Still Light;

“the fifth was Dense Shade of Cloud; the sixth was Great Brightness of the Sun; the seventh was titled Light of the Lamp of the Dharma; the eighth was named Surpassing Flame;

“the ninth was named Treasury of the Excellence of the Gods; the tenth was named Great Roaring Sound. Such buddhas as these I constantly made offerings to, all of them,

“and I had not yet gained the pure forbearance that enters deep into the sea of the dharmas.

The Verses Answering with Her Former Life (13) The Kalpa Adornment Without Clinging (Chengguan’s Outline): Only the Offerings Are Told

“Following in sequence there was a further kalpa, named Adornment Without Clinging; at that time there was a world, named Boundless Light; and within it thirty-six nayutas of buddhas appeared.

“The first was Sumeru of Merit and Virtue; the second was Mind of Empty Space; the third was Furnished with Adornments; the fourth was Thunder Sound of the Dharma;

“the fifth was Sound of the Dharma Realm; the sixth was Cloud of Wondrous Sound; the seventh was Shining upon the Ten Directions; the eighth was Sound of the Sea of the Dharma;

“the ninth was Sea of Merit; the tenth was Banner of Merit. Such buddhas as these I made offerings to, all of them.

When the Dharma Was Gained (Chengguan’s Outline) (1): Four Verses on the Three Grounds Without Effort

“Next a buddha appeared, named Banner of Merit; I was then a god of the Moon Face, and I made offerings to this lord among humans.

“At that time the Buddha expounded for me the wondrous Dharma gate that has nothing to lean upon; having heard it, I bore it in mind with a concentrated mind, and brought forth every kind of sea of vows.

“I gained the pure eye, the comprehensive holding of the samādhi of cessation, and was able, in thought after thought, to see wholly the seas of buddhas.

“I gained the treasury of great compassion, the eye of skillful means that is light everywhere, making the mind of awakening grow, and accomplishing the powers of the Tathāgata.

When the Dharma Was Gained (2): Eight Verses Bringing to Completion the Station of Samantabhadra’s Practice

“I saw sentient beings inverted, clinging to the permanent, the joyful, the self, and the pure, covered over by the darkness of delusion, and by deluded thought giving rise to afflictions.

“They walk and rest within the dense forest of wrong views, going to and fro within the sea of covetous desire, gathering within the evil destinies, and doing measureless kinds of deeds.

“Within all the destinies, they take on bodies according to their deeds; birth, aging, death, and every kind of trouble press upon them with measureless suffering.

“For the sake of those sentient beings, I raised the unsurpassed mind, vowing to become as the World-Honored Ones furnished with the ten powers throughout the ten directions are.

“Taking the buddhas and sentient beings as my object, I gave rise to a cloud of great vows, and from this cultivated and gathered merit and virtue, going forward upon the way of skillful means.

“The clouds of vows all cover over everything, entering everywhere into every way, furnished with the perfections, filling the Dharma realm.

“Swiftly entering the grounds, entering the seas of skillful means of the three times, and within a single thought cultivating all the unobstructed practices of the buddhas.

“Son of the Buddha, I at that time gained entry into the way of Samantabhadra, knowing the ten Dharma realms, and all the gates of their differences.

Bringing Together Past and Present (Chengguan’s Outline): The Wheel-Turning King Was Mañjuśrī · The One Who Awakened Her Was an Emanation of Samantabhadra

“Son of good family! What do you think — that wheel-turning sage king of those days, named Lord of the Ten Directions, the one who was able to carry on and make flourish the family of the buddhas, was he another? He is Mañjuśrī the youth! And the night goddess who awakened me at that time was nothing other than an emanation of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra! I who at that time was the king’s jewel maiden, having been awakened by that night goddess, was caused to see the Buddha and to raise the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. From then until now, through as many kalpas as the dust motes of a buddha-land, I have not fallen into the evil destinies, but have constantly been born among humans and among the gods, and in every place have constantly seen the buddhas, and at last, in the presence of the buddha Wondrous Lamp Banner of Merit, I gained this bodhisattva liberation of the Banner of Great Mighty Power and Universal Joy, and by this liberation I benefit all sentient beings in this way.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Son of good family! I have gained only this liberation gate of the Banner of Great Mighty Power and Universal Joy. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they in thought after thought go everywhere to the presence of all the tathāgatas and swiftly are able to go forward into the sea of all-knowledge; in thought after thought, by the gate of setting out, they enter into all the seas of great vows; in thought after thought, by the gate of the sea of vows, to the end of the kalpas to come, they bring forth in thought after thought all practices. Within each and every practice they bring forth bodies as many as the dust motes of all the lands; each and every body enters everywhere into all the gates of the Dharma realm; and in each and every gate of the Dharma realm, within all the buddha-lands, they expound every kind of wondrous practice according to the minds of sentient beings. Within each and every dust mote of all the lands they see wholly the boundless seas of tathāgatas; in the presence of each and every tathāgata they see wholly the spiritual power of the buddhas throughout the Dharma realm; in the presence of each and every tathāgata they see wholly the bodhisattva practices cultivated in kalpas gone by; in the presence of each and every tathāgata they receive and hold and guard all the Dharma wheels; in the presence of each and every tathāgata they see wholly the seas of every kind of spiritual transformation of all the tathāgatas of the three times. But how could I know or tell of their merit and virtue and their practice?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): The Night Goddess Wondrous Virtue Who Saves All Beings

“Son of good family! Within this assembly there is a night goddess named Wondrous Virtue Who Saves All Beings. Go there and ask her: how should a bodhisattva enter the bodhisattva practices and purify the bodhisattva way?”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time Sudhana the youth bowed to her feet, circled her numberless times, gazed up at her with earnest longing, took his leave, and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): He Sets Out Carrying the Teaching of the One Before

At that time, Sudhana the youth, in the presence of the night goddess Joyful Eyes Beholding Beings, had heard the liberation gate of the Banner of Universal Joy; he trusted it, he understood it, he advanced upon it, he entered it; plainly and clearly he accorded with it, pondering it and cultivating it, calling to mind all the instructions the good friend had given him, not laying them down in his heart for so much as a moment, all his faculties undistracted, single-mindedly wishing to see the good friend, everywhere in the ten directions seeking with diligence and hardship and never slackening, wishing always to draw near and so to bring forth every kind of merit and virtue, sharing one and the same root of good with the good friend, gaining the good friend’s practice of subtle skillful means, in reliance upon the good friend entering the sea of vigor, and through measureless kalpas never being far apart from her. Having raised this vow, he went on to where the night goddess Wondrous Virtue Who Saves All Beings was.

Manifesting Light and Bestowing Power (Chengguan’s Outline): A Light from Between Her Brows, Entering the Crown of His Head

At that time, that night goddess, for the sake of Sudhana the youth, displayed the liberating spiritual power of a bodhisattva subduing sentient beings; with every kind of mark and sign she adorned her body, and from between her two brows she sent forth a great light, named Lamp of Knowledge Illuminating Everywhere, Banner of Purity, having measureless lights as its retinue, and that light shone everywhere upon all the worlds. Having shone upon the worlds, it entered the crown of Sudhana’s head and filled his body. Sudhana at that moment straightway gained the samādhi of the Wheel of Ultimate Purity.

Receiving the Light and Gaining Benefit (Chengguan’s Outline) (One): Between the Two Night Goddesses, Every Single Dust Mote

Having gained this samādhi, he saw in full, in the space between the two places where the two night goddesses were, all the dust motes of earth, the dust motes of water, and the dust motes of fire, the dust motes of vajra and maṇi and the many jewels, the dust motes of flowers and incense, of strings of gems, and of all the implements of adornment — of all such dust motes as there were, within each and every dust mote he saw severally the forming and the decaying of worlds as many as the dust motes of a buddha-land. And he saw the massing of all the great elements, earth and water and fire and wind. He saw too all the worlds joined one to the next, all of them upheld and made to abide by the earth-wheel. Every kind of mountain and sea, every kind of river and pool, every kind of grove of trees, every kind of palace — that is to say: the palaces of the devas, the palaces of the dragons, the palaces of the yakṣas, on down to the palaces and dwellings of the mahoragas, of humans and of nonhumans, and the hells, the animals, the realm of King Yama and all their places of dwelling, the turning without rest within the destinies, the coming and going of birth and death, the receiving of retribution according to deeds, each and every one of them different — there was not one that he did not see in full.

Receiving the Light and Gaining Benefit (Two): The Ten Differences among the Worlds, and the Night Goddess Appearing Everywhere

He saw further the differences among all the worlds. That is to say: some worlds are foul and mixed, some worlds are pure, some worlds tend toward the foul and mixed, some worlds tend toward the pure, some worlds are foul and mixed yet pure, some worlds are pure yet foul and mixed, some worlds are wholly pure, some worlds have a shape level and even, some abide overturned, some abide tilted upon their side. Within all such worlds as these and within all the destinies, he saw this night goddess Who Saves All Beings, at all times and in all places, according to the differences among sentient beings in shape and appearance, in speech, and in practice and understanding, by the power of skillful means appearing everywhere before them and converting and delivering them according to what was fitting.

Receiving the Light and Gaining Benefit (Three): The Nineteen Fears of the Human Destiny, Each One Made to Be Let Go

She causes sentient beings in the hells to be spared all the bitter poisons of suffering; causes sentient beings among the animals not to devour one another; causes sentient beings among the hungry ghosts to be without hunger and thirst; causes the dragons and the rest to leave behind all fear; causes sentient beings of the realm of desire to leave behind the suffering of the realm of desire; causes sentient beings of the human destiny to leave behind the fear of the dark of night, the fear of being reviled and abused, the fear of ill repute, the fear of standing amid a great assembly, the fear of not making a living, the fear of death, the fear of falling into the evil destinies, the fear of cutting off the roots of good, the fear of turning back from the mind of awakening, the fear of meeting an evil friend, the fear of parting from a good friend, the fear of falling to the ground of the two vehicles, the fear of every kind of birth and death, the fear of dwelling together with sentient beings of another kind, the fear of being born in an evil time, the fear of being born among an evil clan, the fear of doing evil deeds, the fear of deeds and afflictions raising obstruction, and the fear of being bound by clinging to perceptions — all such fears as these she causes them to let go.

Receiving the Light and Gaining Benefit (Four): The Nine Classes of Sentient Beings, and the Nineteen Purposes of Her Rescuing and Protecting

He saw further all sentient beings — those born from eggs, those born from wombs, those born from moisture, those born by transformation, those having form, those without form, those having perception, those without perception, those neither having perception nor without perception — and she appears everywhere before them, ever diligently rescuing and protecting them. What she does it for is this: in order to accomplish the bodhisattva’s power of great vows; in order to enter deeply into the bodhisattva’s power of samādhi; in order to make firm the bodhisattva’s power of spiritual powers; in order to bring forth the power of Samantabhadra’s practices and vows; in order to enlarge the bodhisattva’s sea of great compassion; in order to gain the unobstructed great kindness that covers and protects sentient beings everywhere; in order to gain the measureless joy and bliss given everywhere to sentient beings; in order to gain the wisdom and skillful means that gather in all sentient beings everywhere; in order to gain the bodhisattva’s vast liberation and sovereign spiritual power; in order to adorn and purify all buddha-lands; in order to awaken to all dharmas; in order to make offerings to all buddhas; in order to receive and uphold the teaching of all buddhas; in order to gather all roots of good and cultivate all wondrous practices; in order to enter the sea of the minds of all sentient beings without obstruction; in order to know the faculties of all sentient beings and to teach and ripen them; in order to purify away the obstructions to faith and understanding in all sentient beings and to take away their evil obstructions; in order to break the dark of ignorance in all sentient beings; in order to cause them to gain the pure light of all-knowledge.

Paying Respect and Praising with the Three Kinds of Action (Chengguan’s Outline): The Night Goddess Puts Away the Marks of Adornment and Returns to Her Own Form

At that time, Sudhana the youth, having seen this night goddess with such inconceivable spiritual power of a most profound realm, displaying everywhere the bodhisattva liberation that subdues all sentient beings, rejoiced measurelessly, cast his five limbs to the ground and made obeisance with his head and face, and single-mindedly gazed up at her. At that time, that night goddess then put away the marks of bodhisattva adornment and returned to her own original form, and yet did not put away her sovereign spiritual power.

Sudhana’s Verses of Praise (One): What I Have Seen Is a Body Such as This

At that time, Sudhana the youth, reverently joining his palms, withdrew and stood to one side, and in verses praised her, saying:

“I, Sudhana, have gained the sight of such great spiritual power; my mind gives rise to rejoicing, and I speak verses in praise.

I see the wondrous body of the honored one, adorned with the many marks and signs; it is like the stars in the sky, all of them pure and adorned.

The surpassing light she sends forth is as many as the dust motes of measureless lands; in every kind of subtle and wondrous color it shines everywhere upon the ten directions.

Sudhana’s Verses of Praise (Two): The Light of the Pores, the Light Between the Brows, the Light of the Mouth, the Light of the Eyes

The light sent forth from each and every pore is as many as the minds of sentient beings; at the tip of every ray of light there is born a jeweled lotus flower;

from within the flowers are born bodies of transformation, able to extinguish the suffering of sentient beings; from within the light is born a wondrous fragrance, perfuming sentient beings everywhere;

and further there rains down every kind of flower, making offerings to all buddhas. From between her two brows she sends forth a wondrous light, its measure equal to Mount Sumeru,

touching everywhere all that has consciousness, causing them to extinguish the dark of delusion. From within her mouth she sends forth a pure light, like measureless suns,

shining everywhere upon the vast realm of Vairocana. From within her eyes she sends forth a pure light, like measureless moons,

shining everywhere upon the lands of the ten directions, extinguishing in all of them the film of delusion upon the world.

Sudhana’s Verses of Praise (Three): Manifesting Bodies of Transformation of Every Kind, Extinguishing All Fear

She manifests bodies of transformation in every kind of shape, their forms equal to those of sentient beings,

filling the worlds of the ten directions, delivering them from the sea of the three realms of existence. Her wondrous body pervades the ten directions, appearing everywhere before sentient beings,

extinguishing the peril of water, the peril of fire, the peril of thieves, the peril of kings, and all such fears.

Sudhana’s Verses of Praise (Four): It Was upon the Teaching of Joyful Eyes That I Was Able to Come This Far

Carrying the instruction of the night goddess Joyful Eyes, today I have been able to come to the honored one,

and to see the mark between the honored one’s brows sending forth a great and pure light,

shining everywhere upon the seas of the ten directions, extinguishing in all of them every darkness,

showing forth the power of spiritual power, and coming to enter into my body.

Meeting with this perfect light, my mind gave rise to great rejoicing,

and I gained the samādhi of total retention, and saw everywhere the buddhas of the ten directions.

Sudhana’s Verses of Praise (Five): Within Each and Every Dust Mote, Lands as Many as Dust Motes Are Seen

In the places through which I have passed, I have seen all the dust motes,

and within each and every dust mote I have seen severally lands as many as dust motes.

Some are measureless lands, all of them turbid and foul,

where sentient beings undergo every kind of suffering and ever wail and weep aloud.

Some are lands defiled yet pure, where the pleasures are few and the sorrows many;

bodhisattvas display the likeness of the three vehicles and go there to deliver them.

Some are lands pure yet defiled, which sentient beings delight to see,

where bodhisattvas ever fill the whole and uphold the dharmas of the buddhas.

Within each and every dust mote there are measureless seas of pure lands;

these are what the Buddha Vairocana adorned and purified in kalpas gone by.

The Buddha, in all the lands, sits in every one beneath the tree of awakening,

accomplishes the Way and turns the wheel of Dharma, delivering all the flocks of the living.

I see the Deva Who Saves All Beings, in those measureless lands,

going everywhere to all the buddhas and making offerings to them.”

Question and Answer upon the Cause (Chengguan’s Outline): Three Questions

At that time, Sudhana the youth, having finished speaking these verses, said to the night goddess Wondrous Virtue Who Saves All Beings: “Deva-spirit! This liberation is now most profound and rare! What is it called? How long has it been since you gained this liberation? What sort of practice did you cultivate that it came to be pure?”

Praising Its Depth as Hard to Tell (Chengguan’s Outline): This Is Not What Gods and Humans and the Two Vehicles Can Fathom

The night goddess said:

“Son of good family! This place is hard to know; the devas and humans and all those of the two vehicles cannot fathom it. Why is this so? Because it is the realm of one who abides in the practice of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra; the realm of one who abides in the treasury of great compassion; the realm of one who rescues and protects all sentient beings; the realm of one who is able to purify away all three evil destinies and eight difficulties; the realm of one who is able, in all buddha-lands, to carry on and raise up the buddha-seed without letting it be cut off; the realm of one who is able to uphold all the buddha-dharmas; the realm of one who is able, in all kalpas, to cultivate the bodhisattva practice and to bring the sea of great vows to fullness; the realm of one who is able, within all the seas of the Dharma realm, with the pure light of knowledge to extinguish the obstruction of the dark of ignorance; the realm of one who is able, with the light of the wisdom of a single thought, to shine everywhere upon all the seas of skillful means of the three times. Carrying the power of the Buddha, I shall now tell it for you.

Her Former Life (One): The Kalpa Perfect Purity, the World Vairocana’s Great Majestic Virtue

“Son of good family! In an ancient age gone by, past kalpas as many as the dust motes of a buddha-land, at that time there was a kalpa named ‘Perfect Purity,’ and there was a world named ‘Vairocana’s Great Majestic Virtue,’ and Tathāgatas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru appeared within it. That buddha-world had as its substance all the maṇi jewels that are kings of fragrance, was adorned with the many jewels, and abode upon a sea of undefiled and luminous maṇi kings. Its shape was truly round, and it was made up of the pure and the foul together; clouds of canopies made of all the implements of adornment covered it above, and mountains that were rings of all-adorning maṇi encircled it a thousand times over. There were a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of sets of four continents, all of them wondrously and finely adorned; upon some of the four continents there dwelt sentient beings who did evil deeds, upon some of the four continents there dwelt sentient beings of mixed deeds, upon some of the four continents there dwelt sentient beings possessed of roots of good, and some of the four continents were dwelt in by the great bodhisattvas who are wholly pure.

Her Former Life (Two): That One Set of Four Continents to the East, Named Banner of Jeweled Lamps and Flowers

“At the eastern border of this world, beside the encircling ring of mountains, there was a set of four continents named ‘Banner of Jeweled Lamps and Flowers.’ Its lands were pure and its food and drink abundant; without the labor of plowing, rice and grain grew of themselves; its palaces and towers were all of them marvelous; wish-fulfilling trees of every kind stood ranked in rows in place after place, fragrance-trees of every kind ever brought forth clouds of fragrance, garland-trees of every kind ever brought forth clouds of garlands, flower-trees of every kind ever rained down wondrous flowers; jewel-trees of every kind brought forth all manner of marvelous jewels, and measureless colored lights shone all about; music-trees of every kind brought forth all manner of music, and as the wind stirred them they performed the sound of wondrous tones; the maṇi jewel-kings of the light of sun and moon shone everywhere upon all, and by day and by night pleasure was enjoyed without a moment’s break.

Her Former Life (Three): A Thousand Great Rivers, a Million Koṭis of Cities, a Million Koṭis of Nayutas of Villages

“Upon this set of four continents there were a million koṭis of nayutas of the lands of kings, and each land had a thousand great rivers encircling it all about, and every river had wondrous flowers spread over it, drifting along as the water flowed and bringing forth the sound of heavenly music, and jewel-trees of every kind were ranked and planted along its two banks, with all manner of rare and precious things for adornment, and boats came and went, giving delight and sport according to the wishes of people’s hearts. Between every two rivers there were a million koṭis of cities, and every city had a million koṭis of nayutas of villages; and all such walled towns and villages as these had each of them measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of palaces and gardens encircling them about.

Her Former Life (Four): The Wheel-Turning King, the Queen, and the King’s Daughter of the Land of Jeweled Flower Lamps

“Within Jambudvīpa upon this set of four continents there was a land named ‘Jeweled Flower Lamps,’ at peace and abundant and joyful, its people flourishing; and the sentient beings within it were all of them furnished with the practice of the ten good deeds. A wheel-turning king appeared within it, named ‘Vairocana Wondrous Jewel Lotus Topknot,’ who had come to be born of a sudden within a lotus flower, having the thirty-two marks as his fine adornment and the seven treasures complete, ruling as king over the four continents and ever guiding the flocks of the living with the true Dharma. The king had a thousand sons, upright and valiant, able to subdue their foes; he had a million koṭis of nayutas of palace women and court maidens, all of whom had planted roots of good together with the king, had cultivated the practices together with him, and had been born at the same time as he, upright and lovely as heavenly maidens, their bodies of the color of true gold and ever giving off light, from the pores of whose bodies wondrous fragrance ever came forth; and of good ministers and brave generals he had a full ten koṭis. The king had a chief queen named ‘Perfect Countenance,’ who was the king’s treasure among women, upright and surpassing, her skin of the color of gold, her eyes and her hair of a deep blue-black, her speech like the sound of Brahmā, upon her body a heavenly fragrance, and ever giving off a light that shone a thousand yojanas afar. He had one daughter named ‘Eyes of the Wondrous Virtue of the Flame of Universal Knowledge,’ her form upright and dignified, her color and appearance surpassingly fine, so that sentient beings who saw her never had their fill of looking. At that time, the lifespan of sentient beings was measureless, and yet there were also those who were cut off midway and died untimely; and their shapes and colors of every kind, their sounds of every kind, their names of every kind, their clans of every kind, the foolish and the wise, the brave and the timid, the poor and the rich, the suffering and the happy, in measureless classes were each and every one of them different.

Her Former Life (Five): One Word of Mutual Reviling Diminished Their Lifespan and Their Strength of Color

“At that time, someone said to another: ‘My body is upright; your form is mean and ugly.’ Having said this, they reviled and abused one another and gathered unwholesome deeds; and because of these deeds, their lifespan, their strength of color, and every pleasant thing were all diminished.

Her Former Life (Six): The Tree of Awakening North of the City, the Fragrant Pool before the Tree, the Great Lotus Flower within the Pool

“At that time, to the north of that city there was a tree of awakening named ‘Banner of the Sound of the Dharma-Cloud of Universal Light,’ having as its root the firm maṇi king in which, in thought after thought, the adornments of the places of the Way of all the Tathāgatas appear, having all maṇi as its trunk and the many-colored wondrous jewels as its leaves, spread out in due order and matched one with another, so that in the four directions and above and below it was perfect and adorned; it sent forth jeweled lights and brought forth wondrous sounds, proclaiming the most profound realm of all the Tathāgatas. Before that tree there was a fragrant pool named ‘Light of Jeweled Flowers,’ which gave out the thunder-tone of the expounding of the Dharma; it had wondrous jewels for its banks, and a million koṭis of nayutas of jewel-trees encircled it, and every tree had the shape of the tree of awakening, and strings of gems of the many jewels hung down all about, and measureless towers all made of jewels were spread throughout the place of the Way as its adornment. Within that fragrant pool there came forth a great lotus flower named ‘Cloud of the Adorned Realm of All the Tathāgatas of the Three Times Made Manifest,’ and buddhas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru appeared within it. The first of these buddhas was named ‘Banner of the Wondrous Virtue of the Jewel-Flame of Universal Knowledge,’ who upon this flower first realized anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi and for measureless thousands of years expounded the true Dharma and ripened sentient beings.

Her Former Life (Seven): Before That Tathāgata Became a Buddha, Ten Thousand Years Beforehand This Flower Began to Send Forth Light

“In the time when that Tathāgata had not yet become a buddha, ten thousand years beforehand, this great lotus flower sent forth a pure light named ‘Manifesting All Spiritual Powers and Ripening Sentient Beings’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, their minds of themselves opened and awakened, and there was nothing they did not understand, and so they knew that ten thousand years later a buddha would appear. Nine thousand years beforehand it sent forth a pure light named ‘Lamp That Frees All Sentient Beings from Defilement’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they gained a pure eye and saw all forms, and so they knew that nine thousand years later a buddha would appear. Eight thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Sound of the Fruits of the Deeds of All Sentient Beings’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they were all able of themselves to know the retribution of all their deeds, and so they knew that eight thousand years later a buddha would appear. Seven thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Sound That Brings Forth All Roots of Good’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, all their faculties became perfect, and so they knew that seven thousand years later a buddha would appear. Six thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Sound of the Inconceivable Realm of the Buddha’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, their minds became vast and everywhere gained sovereignty, and so they knew that six thousand years later a buddha would appear. Five thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Sound of the Adorning and Purifying of All Buddha-Lands’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they all saw all the pure buddha-lands, and so they knew that five thousand years later a buddha would appear. Four thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Lamp of the Realm of All Tathāgatas without Difference’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they were all able to go and behold all the buddhas, and so they knew that four thousand years later a buddha would appear. Three thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Bright Lamp of the Three Times’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they were all able to see before them the seas of all the former deeds of all the Tathāgatas, and so they knew that three thousand years later a buddha would appear. Two thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Lamp of the Knowledge of the Tathāgata Free of Film’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they gained the universal eye and saw the spiritual transformations of all the Tathāgatas, the lands of all the buddhas, and the sentient beings of all the worlds, and so they knew that two thousand years later a buddha would appear. One thousand years beforehand it sent forth a great light named ‘Causing All Sentient Beings to See the Buddha and Gather All Roots of Good’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they gained the accomplishment of the samādhi of seeing the buddhas, and so they knew that one thousand years later a buddha would appear. Next after this, seven days beforehand, it sent forth a great light named ‘Sound of the Rejoicing of All Sentient Beings’; if there were sentient beings who met with this light, they gained the seeing of all the buddhas everywhere and gave rise to great rejoicing, and so they knew that seven days later a buddha would appear.

Her Former Life (Eight): The Seven Days Fulfilled, All the Worlds Quaked

“When the seven days were fulfilled, all the worlds quaked entirely, and were purely pure and without defilement, and in thought after thought there appeared everywhere all the pure buddha-lands of the ten directions, and there appeared too the adornments of every kind of those lands; and if there were sentient beings whose faculties were ripe and full and who ought to see the Buddha, they all came to the place of the Way.

Her Former Life (Nine): The Mountains, the Seas, the Cities, the Walls, the Palaces, the Music, the Speech — All of Them Gave Out Sound

“At that time, within that world all the encircling ring-mountains, all the Sumeru mountains, all the mountains, all the great seas, all the earth, all the cities, all the walls, all the palaces, all the music, and all the speech gave forth sounds, praising and telling of the realm of the spiritual power of all the buddhas, the Tathāgatas; and there came forth too all clouds of fragrance, all clouds of burning incense, all clouds of powdered incense, all clouds of fragrant maṇi in the likeness of images, all clouds of jewel-flames, all clouds of the treasury of flames, all clouds of maṇi garments, all clouds of strings of gems, all clouds of wondrous flowers, all clouds of the light of the Tathāgatas, all clouds of the halos of the Tathāgatas, all clouds of music, all clouds of the sound of the vows of the Tathāgatas, all clouds of the seas of the speech and tones of the Tathāgatas, and all clouds of the marks and signs of the Tathāgatas, showing forth the inconceivable marks of a Tathāgata’s appearing in the world.

Her Former Life (Ten): About This Flower There Were Yet Flowers as Many as the Dust Motes of Ten Buddha-Lands

“Son of good family! This great jeweled lotus-flower king of the adorned realm of all the Tathāgatas of the three times shone upon everywhere had lotus flowers as many as the dust motes of ten buddha-lands encircling it about, and within all those lotus flowers there were lion seats of the treasury of maṇi jewels, and upon every seat there was a bodhisattva sitting cross-legged.

Her Former Life (Eleven): Becoming a Buddha Here, He Became a Buddha in All the Worlds of the Ten Directions

“Son of good family! When that Tathāgata, the King Banner of the Wondrous Virtue of the Jewel-Flame of Universal Knowledge, accomplished anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi here, he then accomplished anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi within all the worlds of the ten directions; and according to the minds of sentient beings he appeared before them all and turned the wheel of Dharma for them. In every one of the worlds he caused measureless sentient beings to leave behind the suffering of the evil destinies, caused measureless sentient beings to gain birth among the devas, caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the ground of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is going forth, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is the banner of valor, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is the light of the Dharma, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is pure faculties, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is the power of equality, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is entering the city of the Dharma, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that is the indestructible power of spiritual powers reaching everywhere to all places, caused measureless sentient beings to enter the practice of awakening that is the way of the skillful means of the universal gate, caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the practice of awakening that is the gate of samādhi, caused measureless sentient beings to accomplish the practice of awakening that takes as its object all pure realms, caused measureless sentient beings to raise the mind of awakening, caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the bodhisattva way, caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the way of the pure perfections, caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the first ground of the bodhisattva, caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the second ground of the bodhisattva and on to the tenth ground, caused measureless sentient beings to enter the surpassing practices and vows of the bodhisattva, and caused measureless sentient beings to abide upon the pure practices and vows of Samantabhadra.

“Son of good family! When that Tathāgata Banner of the Wondrous Virtue of the Jewel-Flame of Universal Knowledge manifested such inconceivable and sovereign spiritual power and turned the wheel of Dharma, within each and every one of those worlds, according to what suited them, in thought after thought he subdued measureless sentient beings.

Her Former Life (Twelve): Samantabhadra Knew That the People of That City Were Then in Their Arrogance

“At that time, the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, knowing that the sentient beings within the city of the King of Jeweled Flower Lamps were presuming upon their own color and appearance and upon all their circumstances and were giving rise to arrogance, slighting and despising others, then manifested by transformation a marvelous body, upright and surpassing, and went to that city and sent forth a great light that shone everywhere upon all, causing the light of that sage king and of all the marvelous jewels, of the sun and moon and stars, and of the bodies of sentient beings, all of it, not to appear — just as when the sun comes out the many shadows are robbed of their brightness, and as a lump of ink set against Jambū-river gold. At that time, the sentient beings all spoke thus: ‘Who is this? Is it a deva? Is it Brahmā? That he should now send forth such a light, causing the light and color of all our bodies to be unable to appear.’ They pondered it in every way, and none was able to understand it.

Her Former Life (Thirteen): Samantabhadra Tells the King: A Buddha Has Appeared in Your Land

“At that time, the bodhisattva Samantabhadra abode in the empty sky above the jeweled palace of that wheel-turning king, and told them, saying: ‘Great king, you should know that now within your land a buddha has arisen in the world, beneath the tree of awakening, Banner of the Sound of the Dharma-Cloud of Universal Light.’ At that time, the daughter of the sage king — Wondrous Eyes of the Lotus Flower — seeing the sovereignty of the light of the form-body that the bodhisattva Samantabhadra manifested, and hearing the wondrous sounds that came forth from all the implements of adornment upon his body, rejoiced in her mind and made this thought: ‘May it be that all the roots of good I have gain such a body, such an adornment, such marks and signs, such deportment, such sovereignty. Now this great sage is able, within the dark of the long night of the birth and death of sentient beings, to send forth a great light and to show forth that a Tathāgata has arisen in the world; may it be that I too gain the like, and become for all sentient beings a light of wisdom, breaking all the dark of their ignorance. May it be that in whatever place I receive birth, I ever gain not to be parted from this good friend.’

Her Former Life (Fourteen): The Wheel-Turning King and His Retinue Rise into the Sky and in Verses Praise the Buddha and Urge the Multitude to Go with Him

“Son of good family! At that time, the wheel-turning king, with his treasure-woman, his thousand sons, his retinue, his great ministers and counselors, and his fourfold armies, and with the measureless people within the city, encircling him before and behind, by the king’s spiritual power rose together into the empty sky to the height of one yojana, and sent forth a great light that shone upon the four continents, causing all people everywhere to be able to gaze up at it; and wishing to cause sentient beings to go together to see the Buddha, he then in verses praised him, saying:

“‘The Tathāgata has appeared in the world, saving and protecting everywhere all the flocks of the living;

you should all of you rise up quickly and go to where the Guide is.

Through measureless and numberless kalpas does a buddha at last arise in the world,

expounding the deep and wondrous Dharma, benefiting the whole of the great assembly.

The Buddha beholds all the worlds, upside down and ever deluded,

turning round within the suffering of birth and death, and thereupon gives rise to the mind of great compassion.

Through numberless thousands of koṭis of kalpas he cultivated the practice of awakening,

wishing to deliver sentient beings, and all of this by the power of great compassion.

His head, his eyes, his hands, his feet, and the rest, all of them he was able to give up,

and for the sake of seeking awakening he passed thus through measureless kalpas.

Through measureless thousands of koṭis of kalpas a Guide is hard to meet with;

to see him, to hear him, and to be able to serve him — none of it is passed in vain.

Now I shall go together with you all to behold and pay respect to the Tamer of Beings,

who sits upon the seat of the Tathāgata, has subdued Māra and accomplished right awakening.

Gaze up at the body of the Tathāgata, sending forth measureless light,

in every kind of subtle and wondrous color, doing away with every darkness.

Within each and every one of his pores he sends forth inconceivable light,

shining everywhere upon all the flocks of the living, causing them all to rejoice greatly.

You should all of you give rise to a vast mind of vigor,

and go to where that Tathāgata is, and with reverence make offerings to him.’

Her Former Life (Fifteen): Ten Thousand Kinds of Great Clouds of Offerings, Going to the Place of the Way

“At that time, the wheel-turning sage king, having spoken verses in praise of the Buddha and awakened all sentient beings, brought forth from the king’s roots of good ten thousand kinds of great clouds of offerings, and went to the place of the Way, toward where the Tathāgata was. That is to say: all clouds of jeweled canopies, all clouds of flower-curtains, all clouds of jeweled garments, all clouds of nets of jeweled bells, all clouds of seas of fragrance, all clouds of jeweled seats, all clouds of jeweled banners, all clouds of palaces, all clouds of wondrous flowers, and all clouds of every implement of adornment, spread throughout the empty sky as its adornment. Having arrived, he bowed to the feet of the Tathāgata, the King Banner of the Wondrous Virtue of the Jewel-Flame of Universal Knowledge, circled him measureless hundreds of thousands of times, and then before the Buddha took his seat upon a jeweled lotus-flower seat that shone everywhere upon the ten directions.

Her Former Life (Sixteen): The King’s Daughter Loosens Her Strings of Gems and Scatters Them upon the Buddha, and Sees That the Cause Is Small and the Fruit Is Great

“At that time, the daughter of the wheel-turning king — Eyes of the Wondrous Virtue of the Flame of Universal Knowledge — then loosened all the implements of adornment upon her body and took them and scattered them upon the Buddha. At that time, these implements of adornment became in the empty sky a jeweled canopy, with jeweled nets hanging down and dragon kings upholding them, and all the palaces ranked between them; ten kinds of jeweled canopy encircled it about, its shape like a tower, pure within and without, with clouds of strings of gems of every kind and jewel-trees and seas of fragrance and maṇi as its adornment. Within this jeweled canopy there was a tree of awakening, its branches and leaves luxuriant, covering everywhere the Dharma realm, and in thought after thought displaying measureless adornments. The Tathāgata Vairocana sat beneath this tree, with bodhisattvas as many as the dust motes of unspeakable buddha-lands encircling him before and behind, all of them born of the practices and vows of Samantabhadra and abiding in the abode of the bodhisattvas that is without difference. She saw too that there were all the lords of all the worlds; she saw too the sovereign spiritual power of the Tathāgata; she saw further all the kalpas in due order and the forming and decaying of the worlds; she saw further within all those worlds the due order of the arising of all the buddhas; she saw further that within all those worlds there was in each and every one the bodhisattva Samantabhadra making offerings to the Buddha and subduing sentient beings; she saw further that of all those bodhisattvas there was not one who was not within Samantabhadra’s body; she saw too her own body within his body; she saw too her own body before all the Tathāgatas, before all the Samantabhadras, before all the bodhisattvas, and before all sentient beings; she saw further that within all those worlds there were each of them worlds as many as the dust motes of a buddha-land, with every kind of border, every kind of upholding, every kind of shape, every kind of substance-nature, every kind of arrangement, every kind of adornment, every kind of purity, every kind of cloud of adornment covering them above, every kind of name of kalpa, every kind of arising of buddhas, every kind of three times, every kind of quarter and place, every kind of abiding in the Dharma realm, every kind of entering the Dharma realm, every kind of abiding in the empty sky, every kind of site of awakening of a Tathāgata, every kind of power of spiritual powers of a Tathāgata, every kind of lion seat of a Tathāgata, every kind of sea of the great assembly of a Tathāgata, every kind of difference among the assemblies of a Tathāgata, every kind of subtle skillful means of a Tathāgata, every kind of turning of the wheel of Dharma by a Tathāgata, every kind of wondrous tone and sound of a Tathāgata, every kind of sea of the speech of a Tathāgata, and every kind of cloud of the sūtras of a Tathāgata; and having seen these, her mind became pure and she gave rise to great rejoicing. The Tathāgata, the King Banner of the Wondrous Virtue of the Jewel-Flame of Universal Knowledge, proclaimed for her a sūtra named ‘The Turning of the Wheel of Dharma by All Tathāgatas,’ having sūtras as many as the dust motes of ten buddha-lands as its retinue.

Her Former Life (Seventeen): Having Heard the Sūtra, She Gained Ten Thousand Gates of Samādhi

“At that time, that woman, having heard this sūtra, then gained the accomplishment of ten thousand gates of samādhi; her mind was soft and pliant and without coarseness or hardness, like one just received into the womb, like one just born, like a sāla tree just putting out its shoots. That mind of samādhi of hers was likewise so. That is to say: the samādhi of seeing all buddhas before her, the samādhi of shining everywhere upon all lands, the samādhi of entering the gates of all three times, the samādhi of expounding the wheel of Dharma of all buddhas, the samādhi of knowing the sea of the vows of all buddhas, the samādhi of awakening all sentient beings and causing them to come forth from the suffering of birth and death, the samādhi of ever vowing to break the dark of all sentient beings, the samādhi of ever vowing to extinguish the suffering of all sentient beings, the samādhi of ever vowing to bring forth the joy of all sentient beings, the samādhi of teaching all sentient beings without giving rise to weariness, the samādhi of the unobstructed banner of all bodhisattvas, and the samādhi of going everywhere to all pure buddha-lands — such were they as these.

Her Former Life (Eighteen): Having Gained the Samādhis, She Gained Further Thirty Minds and Seas of Vows as Many as the Dust Motes of Ten Buddha-Lands

“Having gained such ten thousand samādhis as these, she gained further the mind of wondrous concentration, the unmoving mind, the rejoicing mind, the comforting mind, the vast mind, the mind that accords with the good friend, the mind that takes as its object the most profound all-knowledge, the mind that abides in the sea of vast skillful means, the mind that lets go of all clinging, the mind that does not abide in the realms of any world, the mind that enters the realm of the Tathāgata, the mind that shines everywhere upon all the seas of form, the mind without vexation and harm, the mind without haughtiness, the mind without weariness, the mind without turning back, the mind without indolence, the mind that ponders the self-nature of all dharmas, the mind that abides in the sea of the gates of all dharmas, the mind that beholds the sea of the gates of all dharmas, the mind that understands the sea of all sentient beings, the mind that rescues and protects the sea of all sentient beings, the mind that shines everywhere upon the sea of all worlds, the mind that brings forth everywhere the sea of the vows of all buddhas, the mind that breaks utterly the mountains of all obstructions, the mind that gathers the merit that aids the way, the mind that sees before it the ten powers of the buddhas, the mind that shines everywhere upon the realms of the bodhisattva, the mind that increases what aids the bodhisattva way, and the mind that takes as its object everywhere the seas of all quarters. Single-mindedly she pondered the great vows of Samantabhadra and gave rise to seas of vows as many as the dust motes of ten buddha-lands of all the Tathāgatas: the vow to adorn and purify all buddha-realms, the vow to subdue all sentient beings, the vow to know everywhere the whole Dharma realm, the vow to enter everywhere all the seas of the Dharma realm, the vow to cultivate the bodhisattva practice in all buddha-lands to the ends of the kalpas to come, the vow not to give up any bodhisattva practice to the ends of the kalpas to come, the vow to gain the drawing near to all the Tathāgatas, the vow to gain the serving of all good friends, the vow to gain the making of offerings to all buddhas, and the vow to cultivate the bodhisattva practice in thought after thought and to increase all-knowledge without a break — such were they as these. Giving rise to such seas of vows as these, as many as the dust motes of ten buddha-lands, she accomplished all the great vows of Samantabhadra.

Her Former Life (Nineteen): That Tathāgata Then Told Her of Her Own Beginnings

“At that time, that Tathāgata further opened forth and expounded for her the roots of good she had gathered ever since she raised the mind, the wondrous practices she had cultivated, and the great fruits she had gained, causing her to awaken and to accomplish all the seas of the vows of the Tathāgata, and single-mindedly to turn toward the station of all-knowledge.

“Son of good family! Before this, yet another ten great kalpas back, there was a world named ‘Maṇi of the Light of the Sun-Wheel,’ and the buddha’s title was ‘Wondrous Mark of the Banner of Indra.’ This maiden Wondrous Eyes, within the Dharma that Tathāgata left behind, was urged by the bodhisattva Samantabhadra to repair a buddha-image upon a lotus seat that had fallen into ruin; and having repaired it, she painted it further with colors, and having painted it with colors, she adorned it further with jewels, and thereupon gave rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.

“Son of good family! I call to mind the past: it was because of the good friend, the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, that I planted this root of good. From then until now I have never fallen into the evil destinies, but have ever been born among the clans of all the deva-kings and the human kings, upright and lovely, my many marks perfect, so that people delight to see me; ever have I seen the buddhas, and ever have I gained the drawing near to the bodhisattva Samantabhadra; and even to this day he is still guiding and awakening me and ripening me and causing me to rejoice.

Her Former Life (Twenty): Bringing Together Past and Present — the Father King Is Maitreya, the Queen Is the Next Night Goddess, That Daughter Is I

“Son of good family! What do you think? The wheel-turning sage king of that time, Vairocana Treasury Wondrous Jewel Lotus Topknot — was he another person? He is the bodhisattva Maitreya of today. The queen of that time, Perfect Countenance, is the night goddess Ocean of Tranquil Sound, whose dwelling place now is not far from here. The maiden of that time, Eyes of Wondrous Virtue, is my own self. At that time, being a maiden, I was urged by the bodhisattva Samantabhadra to repair the buddha-image upon the lotus seat, which was made the cause and condition of unsurpassed awakening and caused me to give rise to the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi. It was at that time that I first began to raise the mind; then he guided me further and caused me to gain the sight of the Buddha Banner of Wondrous Virtue, and I loosened the strings of gems upon my body and scattered them upon the Buddha as an offering, and saw the Buddha’s spiritual power and heard the Buddha expound the Dharma, and then gained the bodhisattva liberation gate of Appearing Everywhere in All Worlds and Subduing Sentient Beings. In thought after thought I saw buddhas as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru, and saw too those buddhas’ places of the Way, their assemblies, and their pure lands; and to all of them I gave honor and made offerings with reverence, and heard them expound the Dharma, and cultivated in accord with the teaching.

Her Former Life (Twenty-One): The Ten Buddhas of the Kalpa Great Light, and the Ten Kinds of Body I Took

“Son of good family! After that kalpa Perfect Purity of the world Vairocana’s Great Majestic Virtue, there next came a world named ‘Wondrous Adornment of the Jewel-Wheel,’ the kalpa named ‘Great Light,’ and five hundred buddhas appeared within it, and I served and revered and made offerings to them all. The first of them was a buddha named ‘Banner of Great Compassion’; when he first went forth from the home, I was a night goddess and made offerings to him with reverence. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Banner of the Vajra Nārāyaṇa’; I was a wheel-turning king and made offerings to him with reverence; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘The Appearing of All Buddhas,’ having sūtras as many as the dust motes of ten buddha-lands as its retinue. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Vajra Unobstructed Virtue’; I at that time was a wheel-turning king and made offerings to him with reverence; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘Shining Everywhere upon the Faculties of All Sentient Beings,’ having sūtras as many as the dust motes of Mount Sumeru as its retinue; and I received and upheld them all. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Wondrous Adornment of the Mountain of Fire-Flames’; I at that time was the daughter of an elder; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘The Treasury Shining Everywhere upon the Three Times,’ having sūtras as many as the dust motes of Jambudvīpa as its retinue; and I heard them all and received and upheld them according to the Dharma. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘King High and Surpassing of the Sea of All Dharmas’; I was an asura king and made offerings to him with reverence; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘Distinguishing the Whole Dharma Realm,’ having five hundred divisions of sūtras as its retinue; and I heard them all and received and upheld them according to the Dharma. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Light of the Dharma of the Sea and the Peaks’; I was the daughter of a dragon king, and rained down clouds of wish-fulfilling maṇi jewels as an offering; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘Increasing the Sea of Rejoicing,’ having a million koṭis of sūtras as its retinue; and I heard them all and received and upheld them according to the Dharma. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Lamp of the Mountain of Jewel-Flames’; I was a sea spirit, and rained down clouds of jeweled lotus flowers and made offerings with reverence; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘The Light of the Sea of Skillful Means of the Dharma Realm,’ having sūtras as many as the dust motes of a buddha-land as its retinue; and I heard them all and received and upheld them according to the Dharma. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Wheel of the Light of the Sea of Merit’; I at that time was a seer possessed of the five spiritual powers, and manifested great spiritual powers, with sixty thousand seers encircling me before and behind, and rained down clouds of incense and flowers as an offering; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘The Lamp of the Dharma without Clinging,’ having sixty thousand divisions of sūtras as its retinue; and I heard them all and received and upheld them according to the Dharma. Next there was a buddha who appeared in the world named ‘Treasury of the Merit of Vairocana’; I at that time was a spirit presiding over the earth, named ‘Bringing Forth the Sense of Equality,’ and together with measureless earth spirits I rained down clouds of all jewel-trees, all treasuries of maṇi, and all jeweled strings of gems as an offering; and that buddha proclaimed for me a sūtra named ‘Bringing Forth the Treasury of the Knowledge of All Tathāgatas,’ having measureless sūtras as its retinue; and I heard them all and received and upheld them without forgetting. Son of good family! Coming down in due order in this way, the last buddha among them was named ‘Lamp of Wondrous Virtue Filling the Empty Sky and the Dharma Realm’; I was a courtesan, named ‘Fair Countenance’; seeing the Buddha enter the city, I made offerings with song and dance; carrying the Buddha’s spiritual power, I leapt up into the sky and in a thousand verses praised the Buddha; and the Buddha for my sake sent forth the light from between his brows, named ‘Great Light Adorning the Dharma Realm,’ which touched my body all over; and I, having received this light, then gained a liberation gate named ‘The Treasury of the Skillful Means of the Dharma Realm That Does Not Turn Back.’

Her Former Life (Twenty-Two): Within This One World There Are Kalpas as Many as These

“Son of good family! Within this world there are such kalpas as these, as many as the dust motes of a buddha-land, and all the Tathāgatas appeared within them; and I served them all and revered them and made offerings to them; and the true Dharma those Tathāgatas expounded I have kept in mind, all of it, down to not forgetting a single line or a single phrase. In the presence of each and every one of those Tathāgatas I extolled and praised all the buddha-dharmas and worked vast benefit for measureless sentient beings; in the presence of each and every one of those Tathāgatas I gained the light of all-knowledge, made manifest the sea of the Dharma realm of the three times, and entered into all the practices of Samantabhadra.

“Son of good family! Because I rely upon the light of all-knowledge, in thought after thought I see measureless buddhas; and having seen the buddhas, all the practices of Samantabhadra that I had not gained before and had not seen before are brought to fullness. Why is this so? Because I have gained the light of all-knowledge.”

The Verses Restating (One): The Charge to Listen, and That First Kalpa

At that time, the night goddess Who Saves All Beings, wishing to make clear once more the meaning of this liberation, carried the spiritual power of the Buddha and for Sudhana the youth spoke verses, saying:

“Sudhana, hear me tell of the deep Dharma, hard to see,

shining everywhere upon the three times, upon all the gates of difference.

As I first raised the mind and sought singly the merit of the buddhas,

so the liberations I entered you should now listen to closely.

I call to mind the ages past, past kalpas as many as the dust motes of the lands,

and further back there was a kalpa named Perfect Purity.

At that time there was a world named Lamp Shining Everywhere,

where buddhas as many as the dust motes of Sumeru arose within it in the world:

The Verses Restating (Two): The First Set of Ten Buddhas, Where the Dharma Gate Was First Awakened To

the first buddha named Flame of Knowledge, the next buddha named Banner of the Dharma,

the third Sumeru of the Dharma, the fourth Lion of Virtue,

the fifth King of Stillness, the sixth Extinguisher of All Views,

the seventh High Repute, the eighth Great Merit,

the ninth named Surpassing Sun, the tenth named Moon Countenance.

In the presence of these ten buddhas the Dharma gate was first awakened to.

The Verses Restating (Three): The Second Set and the Third Set of Ten Buddhas

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first named Abode of Empty Sky, the second named Universal Light,

the third named Dwelling in All Quarters, the fourth named Sea of Right Mindfulness,

the fifth named High Surpassing Light, the sixth named Cloud of Sumeru,

the seventh the Buddha Flame of the Dharma, the eighth the Buddha Surpassing Mountain,

the ninth Flower of Great Compassion, the tenth Flower of the Dharma Realm.

When these ten appeared, the Dharma gate was awakened to a second time.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first the Buddha Banner of Light, the second the Buddha Wisdom,

the third the Buddha Meaning of the Mind, the fourth the Buddha Lord of Virtue,

the fifth the Buddha Wisdom of the Devas, the sixth the Buddha King of Wisdom,

the seventh the Buddha Surpassing Knowledge, the eighth the Buddha King of Light,

the ninth the Buddha Valor, the tenth the Buddha Lotus Flower.

In the presence of these ten buddhas the Dharma gate was awakened to a third time.

The Verses Restating (Four): The Fourth Set through the Seventh Set of Ten Buddhas

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first Mountain of Jewel-Flames, the second Sea of Merit,

the third Light of the Dharma, the fourth Treasury of the Lotus Flower,

the fifth Eye of Sentient Beings, the sixth Jewel of Fragrant Light,

the seventh Merit of Sumeru, the eighth King of the Gandharvas,

the ninth Treasury of Maṇi, the tenth Color of Stillness.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first buddha Vast Knowledge, the next buddha Light of Jewels,

the third Cloud of the Empty Sky, the fourth Surpassing Marks,

the fifth Perfect Discipline, the sixth Nārāyaṇa,

the seventh Virtue of Sumeru, the eighth Wheel of Merit,

the ninth Banner Unsurpassed, the tenth Mountain of the Great Tree.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first Treasury of the Sāla, the second Body of the Lord of the World,

the third High and Manifest Light, the fourth Vajra Shining,

the fifth Majestic Power of the Earth, the sixth Most Profound Dharma,

the seventh Sound of the Wisdom of the Dharma, the eighth Banner of Sumeru,

the ninth Surpassing Light, the tenth Wondrous Jewel Light.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first Light of Brahmā, the second Sound of the Empty Sky,

the third Body of the Dharma Realm, the fourth Wheel of Light,

the fifth Banner of Wisdom, the sixth Lamp of the Empty Sky,

the seventh Subtle and Wondrous Virtue, the eighth Light Shining Everywhere,

the ninth Light of Surpassing Merit, the tenth Cloud of Great Compassion.

The Verses Restating (Five): The Eighth Set through the Eleventh Set of Ten Buddhas

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first Wisdom of the Light of Power, the second Appearing Everywhere Before Them,

the third High and Manifest Light, the fourth Body of Light,

the fifth the Buddha Arising of the Dharma, the sixth the Buddha Marks of Jewels,

the seventh Swift Wind, the eighth Banner of Valor,

the ninth Wondrous Jeweled Canopy, the tenth Shining upon the Three Times.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first Light of the Sea of Vows, the second Vajra Body,

the third Virtue of Sumeru, the fourth King of the Banner of Mindfulness,

the fifth Wisdom of Merit, the sixth Lamp of Wisdom,

the seventh Banner of Light, the eighth Vast Knowledge,

the ninth Knowledge of the Dharma Realm, the tenth Knowledge of the Sea of the Dharma.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first named Dharma of Giving, the next named Wheel of Merit,

the third named Surpassing Wondrous Cloud, the fourth named Lamp of the Knowledge of Forbearance,

the fifth named Sound of Stillness, the sixth named Banner of Stillness,

the seventh named Lamp of the World, the eighth named Deep Great Vows,

the ninth named Banner Unsurpassed, the tenth named Sea of the Flame of Knowledge.

Thereafter in due order there were again ten buddhas who appeared in the world:

the first buddha Sovereign in the Dharma, the second buddha Unobstructed Wisdom,

the third named Wisdom of the Sea of Intent, the fourth named Many Wondrous Sounds,

the fifth named Sovereign Giving, the sixth named Appearing Everywhere Before Them,

the seventh named Body According to Their Delight, the eighth named Abiding in Surpassing Virtue,

the ninth the Buddha Original Nature, the tenth the Buddha Worthy Virtue.

The Verses Restating (Six): To Those Buddhas I Made Offerings, and If You Cultivate, Before Long You Too Shall Gain It

Within kalpas as many as the dust motes of Sumeru, all the buddhas there were,

who all of them were lamps for the world — to them all I once made offerings.

Within kalpas as many as the dust motes of a buddha-land, all the buddhas who appeared,

to them all I once made offerings, and thereby entered this liberation gate.

Through measureless kalpas I cultivated and gained this way;

if you are able to cultivate, before long you too shall gain it.

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline): I Know Only This One

“Son of good family! I know only this bodhisattva liberation of Appearing Everywhere in All Worlds and Subduing Sentient Beings. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, they gather boundless practices, bring forth every kind of understanding, manifest every kind of body, are furnished with every kind of faculty, bring to fullness every kind of vow, enter every kind of samādhi, raise up every kind of spiritual transformation, are able in every kind of way to behold the dharmas, enter every kind of gate of wisdom, and gain every kind of light of the Dharma; how then could I know or tell of their practices of merit and virtue?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): Not Far from Here There Is One Named Ocean of Tranquil Sound

“Son of good family! Not far from here there is a night goddess named ‘Ocean of Tranquil Sound,’ who sits upon a lotus-flower seat adorned with a maṇi banner of light, with a million asaṃkhyeyas of night goddesses encircling her before and behind. Go to her and ask: how is a bodhisattva to study the bodhisattva practice and cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth bowed to her feet, circled her numberless times, gazed up at her with earnest devotion, took his leave, and departed.

Seeking in Accord with the Teaching (Chengguan’s Outline): Carrying What He Gained from the One Before On to the Next

At that time, Sudhana the youth, at the place of the night goddess Wondrous Virtue Who Saves All Beings, heard the bodhisattva liberation gate of universally manifesting in all worlds and subduing sentient beings; he understood it clearly and had faith in it, and dwelt within it at ease; and only then did he go on to where the night goddess Ocean of Tranquil Sound was.

Seeing, Paying Respect, and Inquiring (Chengguan’s Outline): He Bows to Her Feet, Circles Her, Joins His Palms, and Asks

He bowed to the night goddess’s feet, circled her numberless times, joined his palms before her, and spoke in this way:

“Holy one! I have already raised, before this, the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (the mind of unsurpassed, right, and universal awakening); and I wish to rely upon a good friend, to learn the bodhisattva practices, to enter the bodhisattva practices, to cultivate the bodhisattva practices, to abide in the bodhisattva practices. I only pray that out of kindness and compassion you will take pity on me and tell me: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practices? How is he to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Praise (Chengguan’s Outline): What She Praises First Is That upon Which He Relies

At that time, that night goddess said to Sudhana:

“Good, good! Son of good family! You are able to rely upon a good friend in seeking the bodhisattva practices.

Briefly Setting Forth the Name and Substance (Chengguan’s Outline): The Name of the Dharma Gate

“Son of good family! I have gained the bodhisattva liberation gate of the vast joy adorned that comes forth in thought after thought.”

The Four Questions (Chengguan’s Outline): What This Dharma Gate Does, What It Walks In, What It Sets in Motion, What It Beholds

Sudhana said: “Great sage! What undertaking is this liberation gate? What realm is it that it walks in? What skillful means is it that it sets in motion? What beholding is it that it carries out?”

Answering What Skillful Means It Sets in Motion (Chengguan’s Outline): The Nineteen Kinds of Mind Raised

The night goddess said:

“Son of good family! I raise a mind of pure and equal delight; I raise a mind of delight that is apart from all the dust and defilement of the world, purely and firmly adorned and not to be broken; I raise a mind that lays hold of the station of no turning back and never turns back; I raise a mind that adorns the jewel mountain of merit and virtue and does not shake; I raise a mind that has nowhere it dwells; I raise a mind that universally manifests before all sentient beings and rescues and protects them; I raise a mind that sees the sea of all buddhas without ever having enough; I raise a mind that seeks the pure power of the vows of all bodhisattvas; I raise a mind that dwells in the sea of the light of great knowledge.

“I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to pass beyond the wilderness of grief and vexation; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to cast off sorrow, grief, suffering, and vexation; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to cast off the forms, sounds, scents, tastes, touches, and dharmas that are not to their liking; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to cast off the suffering of parting from what is loved and the suffering of meeting with what is hated; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to cast off evil conditions, delusion, and the like sufferings; I raise a mind that makes myself a refuge for all sentient beings who are in danger and hardship; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to come forth from the place of the suffering of birth and death; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to cast off the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, death, and the like; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings to accomplish the unsurpassed joy of the Dharma of the Tathāgata; I raise a mind that causes all sentient beings all to receive joy and delight.

Answering What Undertaking It Is (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) Curing the Ten Veils by Converting with the Ten Perfections: The First Fifteen Gates

“Having raised these minds, I then expound the Dharma for them, causing them to arrive by degrees at the ground of all-knowledge. That is to say —

“If I see sentient beings taking delight in and clinging to the palaces and houses they dwell in, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to penetrate the own-nature of all dharmas and to leave behind every kind of clinging; if I see sentient beings fond of and attached to father and mother, elder and younger brothers, elder and younger sisters, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to take part in the pure assemblies of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; if I see sentient beings fond of and attached to wife and child, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to cast off the love and defilement of birth and death, to give rise to a mind of great compassion, and to be equal and undivided toward all sentient beings; if I see sentient beings dwelling within a royal palace with court women in attendance, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain a place in the gathering of the sages and to enter the teaching of the Tathāgata; if I see sentient beings defiled by and attached to objective realms, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to enter the realm of the Tathāgata.

“If I see sentient beings much given to anger and hatred, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to dwell in the Tathāgata’s perfection of forbearance (the practice of patient endurance); if I see sentient beings indolent in mind, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the pure perfection of vigor; if I see sentient beings scattered in mind, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the Tathāgata’s perfection of meditation (the practice of concentration); if I see sentient beings fallen into the thicket of wrong views and covered over by the dark screen of ignorance, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to come forth from the thicket and the darkness; if I see sentient beings without wisdom, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain prajñā-pāramitā (the practice of wisdom); if I see sentient beings defiled by and attached to the three realms, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to come forth from birth and death; if I see sentient beings of low and mean purpose, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to fulfill the great vow of the Buddha’s awakening; if I see sentient beings dwelling only in the practices that benefit themselves, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to raise the great vow of benefiting all sentient beings; if I see sentient beings feeble in the strength of their purpose, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the bodhisattva’s perfection of powers; if I see sentient beings deluded and dark in mind, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the bodhisattva’s perfection of knowledge.

Answering What Undertaking It Is (2) Causing Them to Gain the Merit and Virtue of the Buddha’s Cause and Fruit: The Middle Twelve Gates

“If I see sentient beings whose form and marks are not complete, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the Tathāgata’s pure body of form; if I see sentient beings whose appearance is ugly, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the unsurpassed pure Dharma body; if I see sentient beings whose form and marks are coarse and ill, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the Tathāgata’s subtle and wondrous body of form; if I see sentient beings whose feelings are much given to grief and vexation, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the Tathāgata’s ultimate peace and joy; if I see sentient beings afflicted by poverty, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the bodhisattva’s jewel treasury of merit and virtue.

“If I see sentient beings dwelling in groves and gardens, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to seek diligently the causes and conditions of the Buddha-Dharma; if I see sentient beings walking upon the road, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to go toward the way of all-knowledge; if I see sentient beings within a village, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to come forth from the three realms; if I see sentient beings dwelling among human beings, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to pass beyond the way of the two vehicles and to dwell in the ground of the Tathāgata; if I see sentient beings living within a walled city, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain a dwelling within the city of the King of the Dharma; if I see sentient beings dwelling in the four corner quarters, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain the wisdom that is equal in the three times; if I see sentient beings dwelling in the several quarters, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain wisdom and to see all dharmas.

Answering What Undertaking It Is (3) Breaking Down the Hindrances of Delusion by Gates of Counteraction: The Last Ten Gates

“If I see sentient beings much given to the practice of greed, I expound for them the gate of the contemplation of impurity, causing them to cast off the love and defilement of birth and death; if I see sentient beings much given to the practice of anger, I expound for them the gate of the contemplation of great kindness, causing them to gain entry into it and to cultivate it diligently; if I see sentient beings much given to the practice of delusion, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain a bright and keen knowledge and to behold the sea of all dharmas; if I see sentient beings whose practice is of greed, anger, and delusion in equal parts, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to gain entry into the sea of the vows of the several vehicles; if I see sentient beings taking delight in the joys of birth and death, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to weary of them and turn away; if I see sentient beings weary of the sufferings of birth and death and fit to be converted by the Tathāgata, I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to be able to take birth by manifesting it through skillful means; if I see sentient beings loving and clinging to the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness — the five classes of dharmas of body and mind), I expound the Dharma for them, causing them to dwell in the realm that has nothing to lean upon; if I see sentient beings low and mean in mind, I display for them the way of excellent adornment; if I see sentient beings in whom conceit and arrogance arise, I expound for them the forbearance of the Dharma that is equal; if I see sentient beings crooked and flattering in mind, I expound for them the straight mind of the bodhisattva.

Summing Up the Undertaking (Chengguan’s Outline): What the Converting of Beings Accomplishes Is Where the Joy Is Born

“Son of good family! With these measureless gifts of the Dharma I gather in sentient beings, and with every kind of skillful means I teach, convert, and subdue them, causing them to leave far behind the evil destinies, to receive the joys of devas and human beings, to be freed from the bonds of the three realms, and to dwell in all-knowledge; and at that time I gained the sea of the light of the Dharma of vast joy, and my mind was glad and free, at peace and content.

Answering What Beholding It Carries Out (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) Beholding the Assemblies at the Bodhisattvas’ Places of the Way

“Furthermore, son of good family! I constantly behold the assemblies at the places of the Way of all bodhisattvas — how they cultivate every kind of vow and practice, manifest every kind of pure body, have every kind of constant radiance, send forth every kind of light; how with every kind of skillful means they enter the gates of all-knowledge, enter every kind of samādhi, manifest every kind of spiritual transformation, send forth every kind of sea of sound, are furnished with every kind of adorned body, enter every kind of gate of the Tathāgata, go to every kind of sea of lands, see every kind of sea of buddhas, gain every kind of sea of eloquence, illumine every kind of realm of liberation, gain every kind of sea of the light of knowledge, enter every kind of sea of samādhi, sport in every kind of gate of liberation, go toward all-knowledge by every kind of gate, adorn the Dharma realm of empty space with every kind of adornment, cover over empty space everywhere with every kind of cloud of adornment, behold every kind of assembly at a place of the Way, gather every kind of world, enter every kind of buddha-land, go to every kind of sea of the quarters, receive every kind of command of the Tathāgata, come from the presence of every kind of tathāgata, dwell together with every kind of bodhisattva, rain down every kind of cloud of adornment, enter every kind of skillful means of the Tathāgata, behold every kind of sea of the Dharma of the Tathāgata, enter every kind of sea of wisdom, and sit upon every kind of adorned throne.

“Son of good family! I behold this assembly at the place of the Way, and know that the Buddha’s spiritual power is measureless and boundless, and thereupon great joy arises.

Answering What Beholding It Carries Out (2) Beholding the Buddha: Eight Passages of What Is Seen, and in Each Passage Joy Arises

“Son of good family! I behold the tathāgata Vairocana bringing forth, in thought after thought, an inconceivable pure body of form; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again I behold the Tathāgata, in thought after thought, sending forth a great light that fills the Dharma realm; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again I see, from each and every pore of the Tathāgata, in thought after thought, seas of light coming forth as many as the motes of dust in measureless buddha-lands, and each and every light having, as its retinue, lights as many as the motes of dust in measureless buddha-lands, each and every one of them pervading all the Dharma realm and extinguishing the sufferings of all sentient beings; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again, son of good family! I behold, upon the Tathāgata’s crown and his two shoulders, in thought after thought, clouds of mountains of jeweled flame coming forth as many as the motes of dust in all buddha-lands, filling all the Dharma realms of the ten directions; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again, son of good family! I behold, from each and every pore of the Tathāgata, in thought after thought, clouds of fragrant light coming forth as many as the motes of dust in all buddha-lands, filling all the buddha-lands of the ten directions; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again, son of good family! I behold, from each and every mark and sign of the Tathāgata, in thought after thought, clouds of tathāgata bodies adorned with every mark coming forth as many as the motes of dust in all buddha-lands, going everywhere to all the worlds of the ten directions; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again, son of good family! I behold, from each and every pore of the Tathāgata, in thought after thought, clouds of the Buddha’s transformations coming forth as many as the motes of dust in buddha-lands that cannot be told, manifesting the whole course of the Tathāgata from his first raising of the mind, his cultivation of the perfections, his being furnished with the way of adornment, and his entering upon the bodhisattva grounds; and having seen this, great joy arises.

“Again, son of good family! I behold, from each and every pore of the Tathāgata, in thought after thought, clouds of the bodies of the kings of the devas coming forth as many as the motes of dust in buddha-lands that cannot be told and cannot be told, together with the sovereign spiritual transformations of those kings of the devas, filling and pervading all the Dharma realms of the ten directions; and to those who are to be converted by the body of a king of the devas, he manifests his body before them and expounds the Dharma for them; and having seen this, great joy arises.

Answering What Beholding It Carries Out (3) The Clouds of the Bodies of the Nine Kings Are of the Same Kind; Summing Up What Was Gained

“As with the clouds of the bodies of the kings of the devas, so also with the clouds of the bodies of the remaining kings — the nāga kings, the yakṣa kings, the gandharva kings, the asura kings, the garuḍa kings, the kiṃnara kings, the mahoraga kings, the human kings, and the Brahmā kings — there is not one of them that does not come forth in this way from each and every pore and expound the Dharma in this way; and having seen these, in thought after thought great joy arose in me, and great faith and delight arose, equal in measure to the Dharma realm and to all-knowledge.

“What in the past had never been gained, now for the first time was gained; what in the past had never been realized, now for the first time was realized; what in the past had never been entered, now for the first time was entered; what in the past had never been fulfilled, now for the first time was fulfilled; what in the past had never been seen, now for the first time was seen; what in the past had never been heard, now for the first time was heard. For what reason? Because I am able to understand the mark of the Dharma realm; because I know that all dharmas are of one mark alone; because I am able to enter the way of the three times equally; because I am able to expound all the boundless dharmas.

Answering What Realm It Walks In (Chengguan’s Outline) (1) The Ten Gates Expounded as Dharma

“Son of good family! I have entered this bodhisattva sea of the light of the liberation of the vast joy adorned that comes forth in thought after thought.

“Again, son of good family! This liberation is without bound, because it enters universally the gates of all Dharma realms; this liberation is without exhausting, because it raises equally the mind of the nature of all-knowledge; this liberation is without limit, because it enters into the thoughts in the minds of all sentient beings, which have no limit; this liberation is deep, because it is the realm known to tranquil wisdom; this liberation is vast, because it pervades the realms of all tathāgatas; this liberation cannot be destroyed, because it is what the bodhisattva’s eye of knowledge knows; this liberation is without a floor, because it exhausts the very source and floor of the Dharma realm.

“This liberation is the universal gate itself, because within a single matter it universally sees all spiritual transformations; this liberation is in the end not to be laid hold of, because all Dharma bodies are equal and undivided; this liberation is in the end without arising, because it is able to understand that dharmas are like an illusion.

Answering What Realm It Walks In (2) The Twenty-Two Similes

“This liberation is like a reflected image, because it is born of the light of the vow of all-knowledge; this liberation is like a transformation, because it converts and gives birth to the excellent practices of the bodhisattvas; this liberation is like the great earth, because it is the place upon which all sentient beings rest; this liberation is like the great waters, because it is able to moisten all with great compassion; this liberation is like a great fire, because it is able to dry up the water of the greed and craving of sentient beings; this liberation is like a great wind, because it causes sentient beings swiftly to go toward all-knowledge; this liberation is like the great ocean, because it adorns all sentient beings with every kind of merit and virtue; this liberation is like Mount Sumeru, because it brings forth the sea of the Dharma jewels of all-knowledge; this liberation is like a great walled city, because it is adorned by all wondrous dharmas; this liberation is like empty space, because it universally holds the spiritual power of the buddhas of the three times; this liberation is like a great cloud, because it universally rains down the rain of the Dharma for sentient beings.

“This liberation is like the pure sun, because it is able to break down the darkness of the ignorance of sentient beings; this liberation is like the full moon, because it fulfills the sea of vast merit; this liberation is like suchness, because it is wholly able to pervade every place; this liberation is like one’s own shadow, because it is transformed and comes forth from one’s own good deeds; this liberation is like an echo answering a call, because it expounds the Dharma for each according to what is fitting; this liberation is like a reflected image, because it shines forth in accord with the minds of sentient beings; this liberation is like the great tree king, because it opens out the flowers of all spiritual powers; this liberation is like the vajra, because from the very beginning it cannot be broken; this liberation is like a wish-fulfilling jewel, because it brings forth measureless sovereign powers; this liberation is like the maṇi jewel king of the stainless treasury, because it manifests all the spiritual powers of the tathāgatas of the three times; this liberation is like the maṇi jewel of the banner of joy, because it is able to bring forth equally the sound of the Dharma wheel of all buddhas.

Summing Up and Exhorting to Cultivate (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Son of good family! I have now spoken these parables for you; you should ponder them, and in accord with them awaken and enter.”

Making Clear the Cause of Gaining the Liberation (Chengguan’s Outline): He Asks How One Must Cultivate to Gain This Liberation

At that time, Sudhana the youth said to the night goddess Ocean of Tranquil Sound: “Great sage! How is one to cultivate, so as to gain this liberation?”

The Answer: The Ten Great Treasuries of the Dharma

The night goddess said:

“Son of good family! When a bodhisattva cultivates ten kinds of vast treasury of the Dharma, he is then able to gain this liberation. Which are the ten?

“First is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of giving, so that all are made content in accord with the minds of sentient beings; second is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of pure discipline, so as to enter universally into the sea of the merit and virtue of all buddhas; third is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of forbearance, so as to be able to ponder throughout the nature of all dharmas; fourth is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of vigor, so as to go toward all-knowledge and constantly not to turn back; fifth is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of meditative concentration, so as to be able to extinguish the burning vexation of all sentient beings; sixth is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of wisdom, so as to be able to understand throughout the sea of all dharmas; seventh is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of skillful means, so as to be able to ripen throughout the seas of all sentient beings; eighth is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of the vows, so as to cultivate the bodhisattva practices to the end of the kalpas to come, throughout all buddha-lands and all seas of sentient beings; ninth is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of the powers, so as to manifest, in thought after thought, within all the seas of Dharma realms and all buddha-lands, the accomplishing of right and universal awakening, constantly without rest; tenth is cultivating the vast treasury of the Dharma of pure knowledge, so as to gain the knowledge of the Tathāgata and to know throughout all the dharmas of the three times without hindrance.

“Son of good family! If bodhisattvas dwell within these ten great treasuries of the Dharma, they are then able to obtain this liberation, pure and increasing, gathered up and firm, dwelt in and complete.”

Making Clear How Long Ago the Mind Was Raised (Chengguan’s Outline): He Asks How Long It Has Been Since She Raised the Mind

Sudhana the youth said: “Holy one! You raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi: how long has it been until now?”

The Answer (1) Displaying the Sea of Lands in General (Chengguan’s Outline)

The night goddess said:

“Son of good family! To the east of this World-Sea of the Adornment of the Flower Treasury, past ten world-seas, there is a world-sea named All Pure Light Jewel; within that world-sea there is a world-seed named Light and Sound of the Vows of All Tathāgatas; and within it there is a world named Pure Light and Golden Adornment — it has for its substance every kind of fragrant vajra maṇi king, its shape is like a storied pavilion, it has clouds of many wondrous jewels for its bounds, it rests upon a sea of every kind of jeweled necklace, and clouds of wondrous palaces cover it over; the pure and the defiled are mingled together there.

The Answer (2) At the First Buddha She Raised the Mind; Under the Next Nine Buddhas the Matter Went On

“Within that world, in an age long past, there was a kalpa named Universal Light Banner, and a country named Wondrous Treasury Universally Full, and a place of the Way named Light of the Wondrous Moon of the Treasury of All Jewels, and a buddha named Sound of the Dharma Realm That Does Not Turn Back, who accomplished anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi there; and I at that time was a spirit of the tree of awakening, named Banner of Light of the Lamp Furnished with Merit, and I guarded that place of the Way. When I saw that buddha accomplish right and universal awakening and manifest his spiritual power, I raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi; and at that very time I obtained a samādhi named Universally Illumining the Sea of the Tathāgata’s Merit and Virtue.

“Within that place of the Way, next a tathāgata arose in the world, named Mountain of Majestic Virtue of the Dharma Tree; and I at that time came to the end of my life and was born again in that same place as the night goddess who presides over the place of the Way, named Light of Wondrous Merit and Knowledge; and seeing that tathāgata turn the wheel of the right Dharma and manifest great spiritual powers, I obtained a samādhi named Universally Illumining All Realms Free of Greed.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named King of the Sound of the Sea of All Dharmas; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named the Ground That Gives Birth and Growth to All Good Dharmas.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named King of the Banner of the Lamp of Jeweled Light; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Universally Manifesting Clouds of the Light of Spiritual Power.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named Light of the Sumeru of Merit and Virtue; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Universally Illumining the Sea of Buddhas.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named King of the Sound of the Dharma Cloud; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Lamp of the Sea of All Dharmas.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named King of the Shining of the Lamp of Knowledge; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Pure Lamp of Light That Extinguishes the Sufferings of All Sentient Beings.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named Banner of Wondrous Virtue and Valor in the Dharma; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Treasury of the Light of the Tathāgatas of the Three Times.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named Lamp of the Knowledge of the Dharma, Lion-Valiant; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Wheel of Wisdom Unhindered in All Worlds.

“Next a tathāgata arose in the world, named King of the Mountain of the Power of Knowledge; and I at that time, being a night goddess, was able to see the Buddha, and served and made offerings to him, and so obtained a samādhi named Universally Illumining the Faculties and Practices of the Sentient Beings of the Three Times.

The Answer (3) Concluding the Brief and Displaying the Broad (Chengguan’s Outline): Buddhas as Many as the Motes of Dust in One Kalpa, and the Four Buddhas of the Sahā World

“Son of good family! Within the kalpa Universal Bright Light Banner of the world Pure Light and Golden Adornment, tathāgatas as many as the motes of dust in buddha-lands, so many as this, arose in the world. And I at that time was sometimes a king of the devas, sometimes a nāga king, sometimes a yakṣa king, sometimes a gandharva king, sometimes an asura king, sometimes a garuḍa king, sometimes a kiṃnara king, sometimes a mahoraga king, sometimes a human king, sometimes a Brahmā king, sometimes in the body of a deva, sometimes in the body of a human being, sometimes in the body of a man, sometimes in the body of a woman, sometimes in the body of a boy, sometimes in the body of a girl; and with every kind of offering I made offerings to all those tathāgatas, and I also heard the dharmas those buddhas expounded.

“Coming to the end of my life there, I was born again within this world, and passed through kalpas as many as the motes of dust in buddha-lands cultivating the bodhisattva practices; and afterward, coming to the end of my life, I was born in the Sahā world of this World-Sea of the Adornment of the Flower Treasury, and met with the tathāgata Krakucchanda, and served and made offerings to him, and obtained a samādhi named Light Free of All Dust and Defilement. Next I met with the tathāgata Kanakamuni, and served and made offerings to him, and obtained a samādhi named Universally Manifesting All Seas of Lands. Next I met with the tathāgata Kāśyapa, and served and made offerings to him, and obtained a samādhi named Setting Forth the Sea of the Speech and Sounds of All Sentient Beings. Next I met with the tathāgata Vairocana, who at this place of the Way accomplished right and universal awakening and manifests, in thought after thought, the power of his great spiritual transformations; and I at that time was able to see it, and so obtained this liberation of the vast joy adorned that comes forth in thought after thought.

The Answer (4) Making Clear the Working (Chengguan’s Outline): The Sea That Is Entered, and the Fourfold Unfolding

“Having obtained this liberation, I am able to enter seas of the establishing of the Dharma realm as numerous as the dust-motes in ten untellable-untellable buddha-lands, and to see, in all those seas of the establishing of the Dharma realm, all the motes of dust of all buddha-lands, and within each and every mote of dust buddha-lands as numerous as the dust-motes in ten untellable-untellable buddha-lands. And within each and every buddha-land there is the tathāgata Vairocana seated at the place of the Way, who, in thought after thought, accomplishes right and universal awakening and manifests every spiritual transformation; and of the spiritual transformations he manifests, each and every one pervades all the seas of the Dharma realm.

“And I see my own body also in the presence of all those tathāgatas, and hear also the wondrous Dharma they expound; and I see also, from each and every pore of all those buddhas, seas of transformations coming forth, and the power of spiritual powers manifested, turning the wheel of the right Dharma in accord with the minds of sentient beings, within all seas of Dharma realms, all seas of worlds, all world-seeds, and all worlds.

“I have gained the power of swift dhāraṇī (comprehensive holding), and hold and ponder all letters and all meanings; with clear knowledge I enter universally into all pure treasuries of the Dharma; with sovereign knowledge I range universally over all the deep seas of the Dharma; with pervading knowledge I understand universally every kind of vast meaning of the three times; with equal knowledge I penetrate universally the dharmas of the buddhas, in which there is no differing.

“In this way I awaken to and understand all Dharma gates; and within each and every Dharma gate, I awaken to and understand all clouds of sūtras; and within each and every cloud of sūtras, I awaken to and understand all seas of the Dharma; and within each and every sea of the Dharma, I awaken to and understand all classes of the Dharma; and within each and every class of the Dharma, I awaken to and understand all clouds of the Dharma; and within each and every cloud of the Dharma, I awaken to and understand all streams of the Dharma; and within each and every stream of the Dharma, all seas of great joy come forth; and each and every sea of great joy brings forth all the grounds; and each and every ground brings forth all seas of samādhi; and from each and every sea of samādhi I gain all seas of seeing the buddhas; and from each and every sea of seeing the buddhas I gain all seas of the light of knowledge; and each and every sea of the light of knowledge universally illumines the three times and enters throughout the ten directions.

Making Clear the Working (Chengguan’s Outline) (continued): The Thirty Clauses of Knowing and Seeing

“I know the seas of the practices of measureless tathāgatas in ages past; I know the seas of all the former deeds of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the giving, hard to give, of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the pure wheel of discipline of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the pure forbearance of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the vast vigor of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the deep meditative concentration of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of prajñā-pāramitā of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the perfection of skillful means of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the perfection of vows of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the perfection of powers of measureless tathāgatas; I know the seas of the perfection of knowledge of measureless tathāgatas.

“I know that measureless tathāgatas in ages past passed beyond the bodhisattva grounds; I know that measureless tathāgatas in ages past dwelt upon the bodhisattva grounds within measureless seas of kalpas and manifested the power of spiritual powers; I know that measureless tathāgatas in ages past entered the bodhisattva grounds; I know that measureless tathāgatas in ages past cultivated the bodhisattva grounds; I know that measureless tathāgatas in ages past put in order the bodhisattva grounds; I know that measureless tathāgatas in ages past beheld the bodhisattva grounds.

“I know that measureless tathāgatas, when in ages past they were bodhisattvas, constantly saw the buddhas; I know that measureless tathāgatas, when in ages past they were bodhisattvas, saw seas of buddhas to the full and dwelt together with seas of kalpas; I know that measureless tathāgatas, when in ages past they were bodhisattvas, were born throughout the seas of lands with measureless bodies; I know that measureless tathāgatas, when in ages past they were bodhisattvas, cultivated vast practices throughout the Dharma realm; I know that measureless tathāgatas, when in ages past they were bodhisattvas, manifested every kind of gate of skillful means, subduing and ripening all sentient beings.

“I know that measureless tathāgatas send forth a great light that universally illumines all the seas of lands of the ten directions; I know that measureless tathāgatas manifest great spiritual power and appear universally before all sentient beings; I know the vast ground of knowledge of measureless tathāgatas; I know that measureless tathāgatas turn the wheel of the right Dharma; I know that measureless tathāgatas manifest a sea of marks; I know that measureless tathāgatas manifest a sea of bodies; I know the vast sea of powers of measureless tathāgatas.

“Those tathāgatas, from their first raising of the mind until the Dharma comes to its end — in thought after thought I am able to know and see it all.

Concluding by Answering His Question (Chengguan’s Outline): The Number Answering How Long Ago Stands Here

“Son of good family! You asked me, saying, ‘How long has it been since you raised the mind?’ Son of good family! In ages past, having passed through kalpas as numerous as the dust-motes in two buddha-lands, I was, as has been told above, a spirit of the tree of awakening within the world Pure Light and Golden Adornment; and I heard the tathāgata Sound of the Dharma Realm That Does Not Turn Back expound the Dharma, and raised the mind of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi; and within kalpas as numerous as the dust-motes in two buddha-lands I cultivated the bodhisattva practices, and only then was born within the Worthy Kalpa of this Sahā world.

“From the buddha Krakucchanda down to the buddha Śākyamuni, and all the buddhas yet to come within this kalpa, I draw near to them and make offerings to them all in this way. And as it is with the offerings to all the buddhas yet to come within the Worthy Kalpa of this world, so also, in all worlds and in all kalpas, to all the buddhas yet to come I likewise draw near and make offerings in this way.

“Son of good family! That world Pure Light and Golden Adornment is even now present, and the appearing of buddhas there goes on without break. You should with a concentrated mind cultivate this bodhisattva gate of great valor.”

The Night Goddess’s Ten Verses (Chengguan’s Outline: the first one admonishes to listen and exhorts to cultivate · the next eight truly make clear her practice of old · the last one concludes the bounds of the practice)

At that time, the night goddess Ocean of Tranquil Sound, who presides over the night, wishing to set forth again the meaning of this liberation, spoke in verse for Sudhana the youth:

“Sudhana, listen as I tell of this pure gate of liberation; having heard it, let joy arise, and cultivate it diligently until it is brought to the end.

“In ages past, within seas of kalpas, I raised a mind of great faith and delight, pure as empty space, and constantly beheld all-knowledge.

“Toward the buddhas of the three times I raised a mind of faith and delight, one and all; and toward their assemblies too I wished constantly to draw near.

“In ages past I saw the buddhas, and made offerings for the sake of sentient beings; I came to hear the pure Dharma, and in my mind was great joy.

“Constantly I honored father and mother, and revered them and made offerings to them; in this way, without rest or indolence, I entered this gate of liberation.

“The aged, the sick, the poor, and those whose faculties are not complete — all of them I pitied and relieved, and caused them to gain peace and rest.

“Peril of water and peril of fire, peril of the king and peril of thieves, and every kind of terror within the sea — the practices I cultivated in ages past were all for the rescuing of those sentient beings.

“The afflictions constantly blaze, and beings are covered over and bound by the hindrance of their deeds and fall into every perilous road; and I rescue those sentient beings.

“Within all the evil destinies there are measureless bitter torments, birth and old age and sickness and death; and I shall extinguish them all.

“I vow that to the end of the kalpas to come I shall, for all the multitude of beings everywhere, extinguish the suffering of birth and death and cause them to gain the ultimate joy of the Buddha.”

Humbling Herself and Pointing to the Superior (Chengguan’s Outline)

“Son of good family! I know only this liberation of the vast joy adorned that is born in thought after thought. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas — they enter deeply into all the seas of the Dharma realm, they know entirely the number of all the kalpas, they see universally the forming and the breaking up of all lands — but how could I know or tell of their merit and their practice?

Pointing Out the Next Friend (Chengguan’s Outline): Guarding All Cities and Increasing Majestic Power

“Son of good family! Within this assembly of the Tathāgata at this site of awakening there is a night goddess who presides over the night, named Guarding All Cities and Increasing Majestic Power. Go to where she is and ask her: how is a bodhisattva to learn the bodhisattva practices and to cultivate the bodhisattva way?”

Sudhana’s Ten Verses (Chengguan’s Outline: the first one makes clear that it is through the friend that he came to see · the next two display her excellence by setting up a contrast · the next six display her excellence in her very marks · the last one sums it up in perfect fusion)

At that time, Sudhana the youth beheld with a concentrated mind the body of the night goddess Ocean of Tranquil Sound, who presides over the night, and spoke in verse:

“Because of the teaching of a good friend I have come here to the deva-spirit, and see the deva-spirit dwelling upon a jeweled throne, her body’s measure without any bound.

“It is not those who cling to form and marks, who reckon dharmas to be truly existent, poor in knowledge and shallow in awareness, who are able to know the venerable one’s realm.

“The devas and human beings of the world may behold her for measureless kalpas and still be unable to fathom her, because her form and marks are without bound.

“She is far apart from the five aggregates, nor does she dwell in any place; she has cut off forever the doubts of the world, and manifests her sovereign power.

“She lays hold neither of inner nor of outer dharmas, unshaken and unhindered, and with the pure eye of wisdom she sees the spiritual power of the buddhas.

“Her body is the treasury of the right Dharma, her mind is the knowledge that is unhindered; having gained the shining of the light of knowledge, she turns back and shines upon the multitude of beings.

“Her mind gathers up boundless deeds and adorns the several worlds; she understands that the world is wholly mind, and manifests a body equal to sentient beings.

“She knows that the world is wholly like a dream, that all buddhas are like reflections, that all dharmas are like echoes, and she causes sentient beings to cling to nothing.

“For the sentient beings of the three times she manifests her body in thought after thought, and yet her mind dwells nowhere, and she expounds the Dharma throughout the ten directions.

“The boundless seas of lands, the seas of buddhas and the seas of sentient beings, are all within a single mote of dust — and this is the power of this venerable one’s liberation.”

Cherishing Her Virtue and Taking Leave (Chengguan’s Outline)

At that time, Sudhana the youth, having finished speaking these verses, bowed to her feet, circled her measureless times, gazed up at her with earnest longing, took his leave, and departed.