華嚴經 白話全本 · 冊4Avataṃsaka Sūtra · Complete Vernacular · Vol. 4

The General Announcement: The Ten Treasuries, Which the Buddhas of the Three Times Have Spoken, Will Speak, and Speak Now

At that time the bodhisattva Merit Grove spoke again to the bodhisattvas seated there, saying:

“Son of the Buddha! A bodhisattva-mahāsattva has ten kinds of treasury, which the buddhas of the past, of the future, and of the present have already spoken, will speak, and are speaking now. Which are the ten? They are: the treasury of faith, the treasury of the precepts, the treasury of shame, the treasury of abashment, the treasury of learning, the treasury of giving, the treasury of wisdom, the treasury of mindfulness, the treasury of retention, and the treasury of eloquence — these are the ten.

The First, the Treasury of Faith: What Is Believed Is Ten Clauses of Dharma; Hearing the Inconceivable, the Mind Does Not Shrink

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of faith of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva believes that all dharmas are empty, believes that all dharmas are without marks, believes that all dharmas have nothing to be wished for, believes that all dharmas are without making, believes that all dharmas have nothing that can be discriminated, believes that all dharmas have no place to lean upon, believes that all dharmas cannot be measured, believes that all dharmas have nothing above them, believes that all dharmas are hard to surpass, believes that all dharmas are from the first unborn.

“If a bodhisattva is able in this way to accord with all dharmas, then, having given rise to a pure faith: hearing that the dharma of the buddhas is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that all buddhas are inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the realm of beings is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the Dharma realm is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the realm of space is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the realm of nirvāṇa is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the age past is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the age to come is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that the present age is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink; hearing that entering into all kalpas (units of exceedingly long time) is inconceivable, his mind does not shrink.

“Why is this? Because this bodhisattva, toward the buddhas, believes firmly and without wavering, and knows that the wisdom of a buddha is boundless and inexhaustible. Within the measureless worlds of the ten directions, in each and every world there are measureless buddhas who, with regard to anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi (unsurpassed perfect awakening), have already attained it, are attaining it now, and will attain it; have already come forth into the world, are coming forth now, and will come forth; have already entered nirvāṇa, are entering it now, and will enter it; and the wisdom of those buddhas neither increases nor decreases, neither arises nor ceases, neither advances nor retreats, is neither near nor far; there is in it no knowing that discriminates, nor is there any forsaking.

“This bodhisattva enters the wisdom of the Buddha and accomplishes a faith boundless and inexhaustible; and having gained this faith, his mind does not turn back, his mind is not confused, it cannot be broken, it is defiled by nothing, it always has a root, it accords with the noble ones, it dwells in the house of the Tathāgata, it guards and upholds the seed-nature of all the buddhas, it increases the faith and understanding of all bodhisattvas, it accords with the roots of goodness of all the tathāgatas, and it gives birth to the skillful means of all the buddhas. This is called: the treasury of faith of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva. A bodhisattva who dwells in this treasury of faith is then able to hear and to retain all the Buddha's dharmas and to expound them for beings, causing them all to be awakened.

The Second, the Treasury of the Precepts: The Names of the Ten Kinds of Precept

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of the precepts of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva accomplishes the precept of universal benefit, the precept of not receiving, the precept of not dwelling, the precept of no regret, the precept of no contention, the precept of not injuring or troubling, the precept of no defiled admixture, the precept of no greedy seeking, the precept of no fault, and the precept of no transgression.

The Second, the Treasury of the Precepts (One to Five): Universal Benefit · Not Receiving · Not Dwelling · No Regret · No Contention

“What is the precept of universal benefit? This bodhisattva receives and upholds pure precepts, and this is fundamentally for the sake of benefiting all beings.

“What is the precept of not receiving? This bodhisattva does not receive and practice any of the precepts that the outer paths possess; he is simply of his own nature diligent, and he practices and upholds the equal pure precepts of the tathāgatas, the buddhas of the three times.

“What is the precept of not dwelling? When this bodhisattva receives and upholds the precepts, his mind does not dwell in the desire realm, does not dwell in the form realm, does not dwell in the formless realm. Why is this? Because it is not in order to seek birth in those places that he upholds the precepts.

“What is the precept of no regret? This bodhisattva constantly gains a dwelling in a mind that has no regret. Why is this? Because he does not commit grave offenses, does not practice flattery and deceit, and does not break the pure precepts.

“What is the precept of no contention? This bodhisattva does not disparage what was laid down before, nor does he set up new precepts besides; his mind constantly accords, and heads toward the precepts that go to nirvāṇa, which he receives and upholds in full without transgressing them; he does not, because he himself upholds the precepts, trouble and disturb others so as to make them give rise to suffering; he only wishes that all beings may be constantly joyful in mind, and so upholds the precepts.

The Second, the Treasury of the Precepts (Six to Ten): Not Troubling or Harming · No Admixture · No Greedy Seeking · No Fault · No Transgression

“What is the precept of not troubling or harming? This bodhisattva does not, on account of the precepts, go and study spells and techniques of every kind, or compound medicines, so as to trouble and harm beings; he upholds the precepts only in order to rescue and protect all beings.

“What is the precept of no admixture? This bodhisattva does not cling to extreme views (views that lean to one side), does not uphold precepts that are of mixed admixture; he only contemplates dependent origination and upholds the precepts of emergence.

“What is the precept of no greedy seeking? This bodhisattva does not display an appearance different from others so as to make manifest that he himself has virtue; he upholds the precepts only for the sake of fulfilling the dharma of emergence.

“What is the precept of no fault? This bodhisattva does not exalt himself, saying that he upholds the precepts; and seeing those who break the precepts, he does not despise or disparage them so as to make them ashamed and mortified; he upholds the precepts only by making his mind one.

“What is the precept of no transgression? This bodhisattva forever cuts off killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, divisive speech (words that sow discord between others), and harsh speech, together with meaningless speech, greed, anger, and wrong views, and receives and upholds in full the ten kinds of good action. When the bodhisattva upholds this precept of no transgression, he thinks in this way: ‘All beings who transgress the pure precepts do so through inversion; only the Buddha, the World-Honored One, is able to know by what causes and conditions beings give rise to inversion and transgress the pure precepts. I ought to accomplish unsurpassed awakening and to expound the true Dharma widely for beings, causing them to leave inversion far behind.’ This is called: the second treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of the precepts.

The Third, the Treasury of Shame: Recalling the Evils Done in the Past, Shame Arises

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of shame of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva recalls the evil deeds of every kind that he did in the past and gives rise to shame. That is to say, that bodhisattva thinks within himself in this way:

‘From beginningless ages, life after life, I and all beings have all in turn been one another's father and mother, elder and younger brother, elder and younger sister, man and woman; and because we possessed greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, flattery and deceit, and all the remaining afflictions, we troubled and harmed one another, we bullied and plundered one another in turn, we committed adultery, injury, and slaughter, and there was no evil we did not do; and all beings have likewise been just so, doing every kind of evil in full with afflictions of every kind, and therefore we did not respect one another, did not honor one another, did not serve and comply with one another, did not humble ourselves to one another, did not rouse and guide one another, did not cherish and protect one another, but killed and harmed one another and became one another's enemies and foes.

‘I consider for myself this body of mine and all beings: past, future, and present, what we practice is the dharma of no shame, and there is no buddha of the three times who does not know it and see it. If I do not now cut off this conduct that has no shame, the buddhas of the three times will likewise see me. How then shall I go on practicing thus and not stop? This is by no means to be allowed. Therefore I ought with a concentrated mind to cut it off, to attain unsurpassed perfect awakening, and to expound the true Dharma widely for beings.’

“This is called: the third treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of shame.

The Fourth, the Treasury of Abashment: Abashed at the Greedy Seeking of the Five Desires, He Cultivates Abashment

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of abashment of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva is abashed at himself, that from of old, amid the five desires (the five objects of desire: forms, sounds, scents, tastes, and things touched), he sought greedily in every way and never had a time of satiety, and thereby increased greed, hatred, delusion, and all the afflictions: ‘I now ought not to practice these things again.’ And he thinks further in this way:

‘Beings are without wisdom; they give rise to afflictions of every kind, they practice evil dharmas of every kind in full, they do not respect one another, they do not honor one another, and so on until they become in turn one another's enemies and foes. Of evils such as these there is none they do not do in full; and having done them they rejoice, they pursue and praise them, they are blind and without the eye of wisdom, and there is nothing they truly know and see.

‘Within a mother's womb they enter the womb and receive birth, and accomplish this defiled and impure body, which must come in the end to white hair and a wrinkled face. One who has wisdom contemplates that this body is but an impure dharma born of sexual desire, and the buddhas of the three times all know it and see it. If to this day I still practice these things, then I am deceiving the buddhas of the three times. Therefore I ought to cultivate abashment, swiftly to accomplish unsurpassed perfect awakening, and to expound the true Dharma widely for beings.’

“This is called: the fourth treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of abashment.

The Fifth, the Treasury of Learning (1): The Four Clauses of Dependent Origination, and the Worldly and the World-Transcending · the Conditioned and the Unconditioned · the Determinate and the Indeterminate

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of learning of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva knows: because this thing exists, therefore that thing exists; because this thing does not exist, therefore that thing does not exist; because this thing arises, therefore that thing arises; because this thing ceases, therefore that thing ceases; this is a dharma of the world, this is a dharma beyond the world; this is a conditioned dharma, this is an unconditioned dharma; this is a dharma that can be determinately declared, this is a dharma that is indeterminate.

“What is ‘because this thing exists, that thing exists’? It is: because ignorance exists, formations exist.

“What is ‘because this thing does not exist, that thing does not exist’? It is: because consciousness does not exist, name-and-form does not exist.

“What is ‘because this thing arises, that thing arises’? It is: because craving arises, suffering arises.

“What is ‘because this thing ceases, that thing ceases’? It is: because becoming ceases, birth ceases.

“What are the dharmas of the world? They are: form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

“What are the dharmas beyond the world? They are: the precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation.

“What are the conditioned dharmas? They are: the desire realm, the form realm, the formless realm, and the realm of beings.

“What are the unconditioned dharmas? They are: space, nirvāṇa, cessation through reckoning conditions (the cessation gained by the power of discriminating investigation), cessation not through reckoning conditions (the cessation gained without discriminating investigation), and the abiding of the dharma-nature of dependent origination.

“What are the dharmas that can be determinately declared? They are: the four noble truths, the four fruits of the ascetic, the four eloquences (the four unobstructed kinds of eloquence), the four fearlessnesses, the four stations of mindfulness, the four right exertions, the four bases of supernormal power, the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the eight branches of the noble path.

The Fifth, the Treasury of Learning (2): What Is Listed as the Indeterminate Dharmas, and the Rousing of Intention to Hold the Treasury of Much Learning

“What are the dharmas that are indeterminate? They are: the world has an end, the world has no end, the world both has an end and has no end, the world neither has an end nor has no end; the world is eternal, the world is not eternal, the world is both eternal and not eternal, the world is neither eternal nor not eternal; after the Tathāgata's passing into cessation he exists, after the Tathāgata's passing into cessation he does not exist, after the Tathāgata's passing into cessation he both exists and does not exist, after the Tathāgata's passing into cessation he neither exists nor does not exist; I and beings exist, I and beings do not exist, I and beings both exist and do not exist, I and beings neither exist nor do not exist;

“In the past, how many tathāgatas have entered parinirvāṇa? How many śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas have entered parinirvāṇa? In the future, how many tathāgatas will there be? How many śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas? How many beings? At present, how many buddhas dwell in the world? How many śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas dwell in the world? How many beings dwell in the world? What sort of tathāgata came forth first? What sort of śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha came forth first? What sort of being came forth first? What sort of tathāgata comes forth last? What sort of śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha comes forth last? What sort of being comes forth last? What dharma is most at the beginning? What dharma is most at the end? From what place does the world come, and to what place does it go? How many worlds are formed? How many worlds decay? From what place does a world come, and to what place does it go? What is the first limit of birth-and-death? What is the last limit of birth-and-death? — these are called the dharmas that are indeterminate.

“The bodhisattva-mahāsattva thinks in this way: ‘All beings, within birth-and-death, have no much learning and are unable to understand clearly all these dharmas. I ought to rouse the intention, to hold the treasury of much learning, to attain unsurpassed perfect awakening, and to expound the true Dharma for all beings.’ This is called: the fifth treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of much learning.

The Sixth, the Treasury of Giving: The Names of the Ten Kinds of Giving · The Giving That Divides and Reduces

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of giving of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva practices ten kinds of giving, namely: the giving that divides and reduces, the giving that exhausts all, inward giving, outward giving, inward and outward giving, the giving of everything, the giving of the past, the giving of the future, the giving of the present, and ultimate giving.

“Son of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva's giving that divides and reduces? This bodhisattva is by nature kind and loves to practice giving. If he obtains a fine flavor, he does not take it for his own use alone; he must first give it to beings and only then eat; and with whatever he uses it is always so. When he himself takes food, he thinks in this way: ‘Within my body there are eighty thousand families of worms that dwell in dependence on me; when my body is full and at ease, they too are full and at ease; when my body is hungry and in distress, they too are hungry and in distress. I now take all this food and drink, and I vow that beings may universally attain fullness and satisfaction.’ It is for the sake of giving to them that he himself eats, and he does not crave the flavor of the food. And he thinks further in this way: ‘Through the long night of birth-and-death I have loved and clung to this body, and it is in order to make it full that I have received food and drink. Now with this food I give bounty to beings, and I vow that toward this body I may forever cut off craving and clinging.’ This is called: the giving that divides and reduces.

The Sixth, the Treasury of Giving: The Giving That Exhausts All · Inward Giving

“What is the bodhisattva's giving that exhausts all? Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva obtains food and drink of the finest flavor, flowers of fragrance, clothing, and the requisites of life of every kind; if he uses them himself he will be at ease and his years prolonged, and if he spares his own portion and gives it to another he will be destitute and die young. At such a time, someone may come and say: ‘All that you now have you ought to give to me.’ The bodhisattva thinks within himself: ‘From beginningless ages, for hunger's sake, I have lost body and life countless times, and I have never gained so much as a hair's tip of the good profit that comes of benefiting beings. Now I too ought, as of old, to relinquish my own life; and therefore, for the sake of benefiting beings, I should give away everything, according to what I have; and even to the exhausting of my life I shall not begrudge it in the least.’ This is called: the giving that exhausts all.

“What is the bodhisattva's inward giving? Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva is in the very prime of youth, upright and fair, and adorns his body with flowers of fragrance and with clothing; he has just received the anointing of the crown and ascended the throne of a wheel-turning king, is furnished with the seven treasures, and rules as king over the four continents. At such a time, someone may come and say to the king: ‘Great king, you should know! I am now aged, my body bound with grave illness, solitary and destitute, weak and worn, and death is not far off; if I could obtain the hands and feet, the blood and flesh, the head and eyes, the bones and marrow of the great king's body, my body and life would surely have hope of surviving. I only pray that the great king will weigh it no further and will begrudge nothing; only let him take pity and be compassionate, and give these to me!’ Then the bodhisattva thinks in this way: ‘This body of mine will certainly die hereafter, and there is not the least benefit in it; I ought in good time to relinquish it quickly, and with it to relieve beings.’ Having thought thus, he gives it to him, and in his mind there is no regret afterward. This is called: inward giving.

The Sixth, the Treasury of Giving: Outward Giving · Inward and Outward Giving

“What is the bodhisattva's outward giving? Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva is young and in full vigor, his countenance fair, furnished with every mark, and adorns his body with precious flowers and fine garments; he has just received the anointing of the crown and ascended the throne of a wheel-turning king, is furnished with the seven treasures, and rules as king over the four continents. At such a time, someone may come and say to the king: ‘I am now poor and destitute, pressed by sufferings of every kind. I only pray that you will be kind and take particular pity and thought upon me, relinquishing this royal throne to relieve me; let me govern, and enjoy the blessings and happiness of a king!’ Then the bodhisattva thinks in this way: ‘All that flourishes must certainly decay, and when it decays one can no longer benefit beings. I now ought to accord with what he seeks and to fill his heart's desire.’ Having thought thus, he gives the royal throne to him and has no regret at all. This is called: outward giving.

“What is the bodhisattva's inward and outward giving? Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva, as was said above, occupies the station of a wheel-turning king, is furnished with the seven treasures, and rules as king over the four continents. At such a time, someone may come and say to him: ‘This throne of a wheel-turning king the great king has occupied for a long time already, and I have never obtained it. I only pray that the great king will relinquish it to me, and, together with the great king's own body, that he will serve as my subject and servant!’ Then the bodhisattva thinks in this way: ‘My body, my wealth and treasure, and my royal throne are all impermanent dharmas that will come to ruin. I am now in the fullness of vigor and possess the riches of the world; one who begs stands before me, and I ought to use what is not firm to seek the firm Dharma.’ Having thought thus, he gives it to him, and even with his own body he respectfully and diligently performs labor for him, and in his mind there is no regret afterward. This is called: inward and outward giving.

The Sixth, the Treasury of Giving: The Giving of Everything · The Giving of the Past

“What is the bodhisattva's giving of everything? Son of the Buddha! This bodhisattva likewise, as was said above, occupies the station of a wheel-turning king, is furnished with the seven treasures, and rules as king over the four continents. At such a time, measureless poor and destitute people come before him and say: ‘The great king's fame is heard universally throughout the ten directions; we have admired your manner and therefore have come here. We now each have something we seek; may you universally take pity and thought upon us, and cause us all to be satisfied!’ Then those poor people ask of that great king — some beg his land, some beg his wife and children, some beg his hands and feet, blood and flesh, heart and lungs, head and eyes, marrow and brain. The bodhisattva then thinks within himself: ‘All love and affection must come in the end to parting, and there is no benefit in it for beings. I now, wishing forever to relinquish craving and love, take all these things that must certainly be scattered and use them to fulfill the wishes of beings.’ Having thought thus, he gives them all to them, and in his mind there is no regret, nor does he give rise to a mind that loathes and despises beings. This is called: the giving of everything.

“What is the bodhisattva's giving of the past? This bodhisattva hears of all the merits that the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past possess, and having heard of them he does not cling to them; he understands clearly that they are not truly existent, he gives rise to no discrimination, he neither craves them nor savors them, nor does he seek to take them, and he has nothing to lean upon; he sees all dharmas as a dream, in which there is nothing firm; toward roots of goodness of every kind he gives rise to no notion that they truly exist, and has nothing to lean upon; it is only in order to teach and transform those beings who grasp and cling, and to bring the Buddha's dharma to maturity, that he expounds it for them; and he contemplates further: ‘The dharmas of every kind that are past, though sought throughout the ten directions, are altogether unobtainable.’ Having thought thus, toward the dharmas of the past he relinquishes them all in the end. This is called: the giving of the past.

The Sixth, the Treasury of Giving: The Giving of the Future · The Giving of the Present

“What is the bodhisattva's giving of the future? This bodhisattva hears of what the buddhas of the future practice, and understands clearly that it is not truly existent; he does not grasp and cling to marks, he does not take particular delight in being born in the lands of those buddhas, he neither savors nor clings, and neither does he give rise to weariness; he does not dedicate and direct his roots of goodness to that place, nor does he thereby lose his roots of goodness there, but constantly and diligently cultivates, and has never abandoned or forsaken it; he only wishes, by means of that realm, to gather in beings, to expound the truth for them, and to bring them to maturity in the Buddha's dharma; yet this dharma is neither in a place nor not in a place, neither inward nor outward, neither near nor far. And he thinks further in this way: ‘If a dharma is not truly existent, then there is nothing that cannot be relinquished.’ This is called: the giving of the future.

“What is the bodhisattva's giving of the present? This bodhisattva hears of the gods of the retinue of the four heavenly kings, the gods of the Thirty-Three, the Yāma gods, the Tuṣita gods, the gods who delight in emanations, the gods who freely enjoy the emanations of others, the Brahmā gods, the gods of the body of Brahmā, the gods who assist Brahmā, the gods of the retinue of Brahmā, the great Brahmā gods, the gods of light, the gods of lesser light, the gods of measureless light, the gods of the sound of light, the pure gods, the gods of lesser purity, the gods of measureless purity, the gods of universal purity, the vast gods, the gods of lesser vastness, the gods of measureless vastness, the gods of vast fruit, the gods without affliction, the gods without heat, the gods of good vision, the gods of good manifestation, and the gods of the highest form, and on to hearing of the merits with which śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are furnished. Having heard of them, his mind is not confused, does not sink, does not gather, and is not scattered; he only contemplates that the formations are like a dream and are not real, and has no craving or clinging; in order to cause beings to relinquish the evil destinies, his mind gives rise to no discrimination, and he cultivates the bodhisattva path, accomplishes the Buddha's dharma, and reveals and expounds it for them. This is called: the giving of the present.

The Sixth, the Treasury of Giving: Ultimate Giving

“What is the bodhisattva's ultimate giving? Son of the Buddha! Suppose there are measureless beings — some without eyes, some without ears, or without nose and tongue and hands and feet — who come to his place and say to the bodhisattva: ‘This body of mine is of thin blessing, and my faculties are maimed and lacking. I only pray that you will be kind, and by skillful means relinquish what you yourself have, so as to make me complete.’ The bodhisattva, hearing this, gives to him at once; and even if because of this, for asaṃkhyeya kalpas (long kalpas beyond number), his own faculties are not complete, he does not give rise to a single thought of regret or of begrudging.

“He simply contemplates this body himself: from the first entering of the womb it is an impure and minute form, the womb divides into segments and the faculties grow, and it passes through birth, old age, sickness, and death; and he contemplates further that this body has nothing real about it, has nothing of shame or abashment, is not a thing of the worthy and the noble, is foul and unclean, held together by the joints of its bones, smeared over with blood and flesh, its nine apertures constantly flowing with impurity, loathed and despised by others. Having contemplated thus, he does not give rise to a single thought of love and clinging. And he thinks further in this way: ‘This body is perilous and brittle and has nothing firm about it. Why then should I now give rise to fondness and clinging? I ought to give it to another and fill his wish. Just as I do this, so with this shall I guide and open the way for all beings, causing them to give rise to no craving and love toward body and mind, and all to accomplish the pure body of wisdom.’ This is called: ultimate giving. This is the sixth treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of giving.

The Seventh, the Treasury of Wisdom (1): Knowing Seven Gates as They Really Are · The Dharmas Cannot Be Destroyed

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of wisdom of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva knows form as it really is, knows the arising of form as it really is, knows the cessation of form as it really is, knows the path to the cessation of form as it really is; he knows feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness as they really are, knows the arising of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness as it really is, knows the cessation of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness as it really is, knows the path to the cessation of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness as it really is; he knows ignorance as it really is, knows the arising of ignorance as it really is, knows the cessation of ignorance as it really is, knows the path to the cessation of ignorance as it really is; he knows craving as it really is, knows the arising of craving as it really is, knows the cessation of craving as it really is, knows the path to the cessation of craving as it really is; he knows the śrāvaka as it really is, knows the dharma of the śrāvaka as it really is, knows the arising of the śrāvaka as it really is, knows the nirvāṇa of the śrāvaka as it really is; he knows the pratyekabuddha as it really is, knows the dharma of the pratyekabuddha as it really is, knows the arising of the pratyekabuddha as it really is, knows the nirvāṇa of the pratyekabuddha as it really is; he knows the bodhisattva as it really is, knows the dharma of the bodhisattva as it really is, knows the arising of the bodhisattva as it really is, knows the nirvāṇa of the bodhisattva as it really is.

“How does he know this? He knows that all of it is produced from the causes and conditions of the formations of karmic retribution, that all is false and empty and without reality, is not self and is not firm, and that there is not the least dharma that can be obtained as established. Wishing to cause beings to know its true nature, he expounds it widely for them.

“What is it that he expounds? He expounds that the dharmas cannot be destroyed. What dharmas cannot be destroyed? Form cannot be destroyed; feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness cannot be destroyed; ignorance cannot be destroyed; the dharma of the śrāvaka, the dharma of the pratyekabuddha, and the dharma of the bodhisattva cannot be destroyed. Why is this? Because all dharmas are without making, without a maker, without speech, without a place, unarisen, unoriginated, not given, not taken, without movement, and without function.

“The bodhisattva accomplishes measureless treasuries of wisdom such as these, and with but little skillful means he understands all dharmas, is of himself clear and penetrating, and does not need another to awaken him.

The Seventh, the Treasury of Wisdom (2): The Ten Kinds of What Cannot Be Exhausted

“This inexhaustible treasury of wisdom is said to be inexhaustible because of ten kinds of what cannot be exhausted. Which are the ten? They are: because skill in much learning cannot be exhausted; because drawing near to good friends cannot be exhausted; because being well able to discriminate the phrases and their meaning cannot be exhausted; because entering deeply into the Dharma realm cannot be exhausted; because adorning with the wisdom of one flavor cannot be exhausted; because accumulating all merit with a mind that does not tire cannot be exhausted; because entering all the gates of dhāraṇī (the gates of total retention) cannot be exhausted; because being able to discriminate the speech and the sounds of all beings cannot be exhausted; because being able to cut off the doubts of all beings cannot be exhausted; because manifesting for all beings the spiritual power of all buddhas, teaching and taming them, and causing them to cultivate without ceasing cannot be exhausted — these are the ten. This is the seventh treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of wisdom. One who dwells in this treasury attains inexhaustible wisdom and is universally able to awaken all beings.

The Eighth, the Treasury of Mindfulness (1): What Is Recalled — Lives · Kalpas · Buddhas · Teachings · Assemblies · Dharmas · Faculties · Afflictions · Concentrations

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of mindfulness of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva relinquishes folly and confusion and attains mindfulness complete in full:

“He recalls one life past and two lives, and on to ten lives, a hundred lives, a thousand lives, a hundred thousand lives, measureless hundreds of thousands of lives; the kalpa of formation, the kalpa of decay, the kalpa of formation-and-decay, more than one kalpa of formation, more than one kalpa of decay, more than one kalpa of formation-and-decay; a hundred kalpas, a thousand kalpas, a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, and on to kalpas beyond number, measureless, boundless, without equal, uncountable, unweighable, unthinkable, immeasurable, unspeakable, and unspeakably unspeakable;

“He recalls the name of one buddha, and on to the names of unspeakably unspeakable buddhas; he recalls one buddha coming forth into the world and declaring predictions, and on to unspeakably unspeakable buddhas coming forth into the world and declaring predictions; he recalls one buddha coming forth into the world and declaring sūtras (scriptures that tally with the truth), and on to unspeakably unspeakable buddhas coming forth into the world and declaring sūtras; and as with the sūtras, so also with the geya (verses that restate), the predictions, the gāthā (verses chanted), the nidāna (occasions and causes), the udāna (utterances spoken without being asked), the accounts of former things, the accounts of former births, the extensive teachings, the unprecedented, the parables, and the discussions;

“He recalls one assembly of the Dharma, and on to unspeakably unspeakable assemblies of the Dharma; he recalls the expounding of one kind of dharma, and on to the expounding of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of dharma; he recalls the various natures of one faculty, and on to the various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of faculty; he recalls the measureless various natures of one faculty, and on to the measureless various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of faculty; he recalls the various natures of one affliction, and on to the various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of affliction; he recalls the various natures of one samādhi, and on to the various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of samādhi.

The Eighth, the Treasury of Mindfulness (2): The Ten Kinds of Mindfulness, and the Marks of Dwelling in Mindfulness

“This mindfulness is of ten kinds, namely: mindfulness that is still, mindfulness that is pure, mindfulness that is unmuddied, mindfulness that is clear through, mindfulness apart from dust, mindfulness apart from dusts of every kind, mindfulness apart from defilement, mindfulness that shines, mindfulness that may be loved and delighted in, and mindfulness that is unobstructed.

“When the bodhisattva dwells in this mindfulness: none in all the world is able to disturb him, none of the differing doctrines is able to move him, the roots of goodness of former ages are all made pure, he is undefiled toward the dharmas of the world of every kind, the hosts of Māra and the followers of other paths cannot destroy him, and when he changes his body and receives birth he loses nothing; past, present, and future, he teaches the Dharma without end; within all the worlds he dwells together with beings and has never had a fault; he enters the assemblies and the sites of awakening of all the buddhas without obstruction, and gains a drawing near to the places of all the buddhas. This is called: the eighth treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of mindfulness.

The Ninth, the Treasury of Retention: Retaining Without Forgetting · Only a Buddha Can Fully Know It

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of retention of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva retains the sūtras spoken by all the buddhas, and of the phrases therein and their meaning he loses nothing;

“He retains for one life, and on to unspeakably unspeakable lives; he retains the name of one buddha, and on to the names of unspeakably unspeakable buddhas; he retains one number of kalpas, and on to unspeakably unspeakable numbers of kalpas; he retains the prediction of one buddha, and on to the predictions of unspeakably unspeakable buddhas; he retains one sūtra, and on to unspeakably unspeakable sūtras; he retains one assembly of the Dharma, and on to unspeakably unspeakable assemblies of the Dharma; he retains the expounding of one kind of dharma, and on to the expounding of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of dharma; he retains the measureless various natures of one faculty, and on to the measureless various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of faculty; he retains the various natures of one affliction, and on to the various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of affliction; he retains the various natures of one samādhi, and on to the various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of samādhi.

“Son of the Buddha! This treasury of retention is boundless and hard to fill, hard to reach the bottom of, hard to draw near to; none is able to subdue it; it is measureless and inexhaustible, possessed of great majestic power; it is the realm of a buddha, and only a buddha is able to know it fully. This is called: the ninth treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of retention.

The Tenth, the Treasury of Eloquence (1): What Is Expounded Is Inexhaustible · The Number of Kalpas May Be Exhausted, but the Meaning Is Hard to Exhaust

“Son of the Buddha! What is the treasury of eloquence of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva? This bodhisattva has deep wisdom and understands the character of reality; he expounds the dharmas widely for beings and does not go against the scriptures of any of the buddhas;

“He expounds one chapter of dharma, and on to unspeakably unspeakable chapters of dharma; he expounds the name of one buddha, and on to the names of unspeakably unspeakable buddhas; and in like manner he expounds one world, expounds the prediction of one buddha, expounds one sūtra, expounds one assembly of the Dharma, expounds the setting forth of one kind of dharma, expounds the measureless various natures of one faculty, expounds the measureless various natures of one affliction, expounds the measureless various natures of one samādhi, and on to expounding the measureless various natures of unspeakably unspeakable kinds of samādhi;

“Or he expounds for one day, or expounds for half a month or for a month, or expounds for a hundred years, a thousand years, a hundred thousand years, or expounds for one kalpa, a hundred kalpas, a thousand kalpas, a hundred thousand kalpas, or expounds for a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of kalpas, or expounds for kalpas beyond number and measureless and on to unspeakably unspeakable kalpas. The number of the kalpas may be exhausted, but the meaning of one letter and one phrase is hard to exhaust.

The Tenth, the Treasury of Eloquence (2): Gaining Dhāraṇī, He Teaches the Dharma Without End

“Why is this? Because this bodhisattva has accomplished the ten kinds of inexhaustible treasury. Having accomplished this treasury, he attains the gate of dhāraṇī that gathers in all dharmas present before him, with a million asaṃkhyeyas of dhāraṇīs as its retinue; and having attained this dhāraṇī, with the light of the Dharma he expounds the Dharma widely for beings.

“When he teaches the Dharma, with a broad and long tongue he sends forth a subtle and wondrous sound that fills all the worlds of the ten directions; according to the faculties of beings he causes them all to be satisfied, their minds to gain joy, and all the bonds and stains of the afflictions to be extinguished. He is well able to enter deeply into all sounds, speech, letters, and eloquence, causing the buddha-seed of all beings not to be cut off and their pure minds to continue unbroken; and with the light of the Dharma too he expounds the Dharma without end, and does not give rise to weariness.

“Why is this? Because this bodhisattva has accomplished the boundless body that exhausts space and pervades the Dharma realm. This is the tenth treasury of a bodhisattva-mahāsattva, the treasury of eloquence. This treasury is without end, without segment, without interval, without break, without alteration, without partition and obstruction, and without turning back; it is profound and without bottom, hard to enter into, and universally enters the gate of all the Buddha's dharmas.

The Concluding Praise: The Ten Inexhaustible Dharmas, Which Cause All That Is Done in the World to Attain the Ultimate Great Inexhaustible Treasury

“Son of the Buddha! These ten kinds of inexhaustible treasury have ten kinds of inexhaustible dharma, which are able to cause the bodhisattvas ultimately to accomplish unsurpassed awakening. Which are the ten?

“Because they benefit all beings; because they dedicate and direct well by the original vow; because in all kalpas they are not cut off; because to the exhausting of the realm of space they awaken beings and their minds have no limit; because they dedicate and direct toward the conditioned and yet do not cling; because within the realm of a single thought all dharmas are inexhaustible; because the mind of the great vow does not alter; because they are well able to gather in the dhāraṇīs; because they are borne in mind and protected by all the buddhas; because they understand clearly that all dharmas are like an illusion.

“These are the ten kinds of inexhaustible dharma, which are able to cause all that is done in all the world to attain the ultimate great inexhaustible treasury.”

The whole assembly manifesting at once (Chengguan's outline): in each and every Jambudvīpa of the ten directions the Tathāgata is seen seated beneath the tree

At that time, because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in all the worlds of the ten directions, within each and every Jambudvīpa of the four continents, the Tathāgata was seen seated beneath the tree of awakening; in each place there were bodhisattvas who, upheld by the Buddha's spiritual power, expounded the meaning of the Dharma; and there was not one of them that did not take itself to be facing the Buddha constantly.

Ascending without leaving (Chengguan's outline): not leaving from beneath this tree of awakening, nor the summit of Sumeru, nor the palace of the Yāma Heaven, and yet going to the Tuṣita Heaven

At that time the World-Honored One, again by his spiritual power, did not leave from beneath this tree of awakening, nor the summit of Mount Sumeru, nor the palace of the Yāma Heaven, and yet he had already gone to that great hall in the Tuṣita Heaven adorned with all wondrous jewels.

Seeing the Buddha and adorning the place (Chengguan's outline): the heaven-king sees the Buddha coming from afar and spreads out a lion seat of the Maṇi Treasury

At that time the king of the Tuṣita Heaven saw from afar the Buddha coming, and thereupon spread out upon the hall a lion seat of the Maṇi Treasury (a seat made with maṇi jewels for its treasury, taking its sense from the fearlessness of the lion).

That lion seat was gathered and formed out of every kind of wondrous jewel of the heavens; it was what the roots of goodness cultivated in the past had brought about; it was what the spiritual power of all the Tathāgatas made manifest; it was born of the roots of goodness of measureless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas and asaṃkhyeyas (all of these are names of exceedingly great numbers); it arose from the pure Dharma of all the Tathāgatas; it was adorned and polished bright by the power of boundless merit. It is the fruit that pure deeds bring about, and it cannot be marred or destroyed; those who look upon it give rise to gladness and love, and there is no time at which they have their fill of it; it is a dharma that transcends the world, and is undefiled by the world; all sentient beings come and observe it, and not one of them is able to exhaust its wondrous beauty.

The adornment of the body of the seat (Chengguan's outline): tiers of steps, nets of gold, hangings, canopies, and jeweled garments

There were a million koṭis of tiers of steps, encircling it round about; a million koṭis of nets of gold, a million koṭis of flower hangings, a million koṭis of jeweled hangings, a million koṭis of garland hangings (hangings knotted out of flower-garlands), and a million koṭis of fragrance hangings, spread out above it; flower-garlands hung down, and their fragrance perfumed everything; a million koṭis of flower canopies, a million koṭis of garland canopies, and a million koṭis of jeweled canopies, held up by the gods and ranged in rows on the four sides; and a million koṭis of jeweled garments, spread out upon it.

Further adorning with pavilions (Chengguan's outline): pavilions and nets

A million koṭis of pavilions, adorned with shining splendor; a million koṭis of maṇi nets and a million koṭis of jeweled nets, spread out and covering it above; a million koṭis of nets of jeweled necklaces, hanging down on the four sides; a million koṭis of nets of adornments (nets knotted out of the implements used for adorning), a million koṭis of nets of canopies, a million koṭis of nets of garments, and a million koṭis of nets of jeweled hangings, spread out above it; a million koṭis of nets of jeweled lotus flowers, opening out in flourishing splendor; and a million koṭis of nets of jeweled fragrance, whose scent was wondrous, meeting and gladdening the hearts of all.

The adornment of hangings (Chengguan's outline · his particular explanation of twelve phrases): the several hangings and the jeweled flowers

A million koṭis of hangings with jeweled bells, those bells stirring faintly and sending forth a harmonious and refined sound; a million koṭis of hangings of sandalwood jewels, their fragrance perfuming everything; a million koṭis of hangings of jeweled flowers, those flowers opening out in flourishing splendor; a million koṭis of hangings of garments of every wondrous color, such as are rare in the world; a million koṭis of bodhisattva hangings, a million koṭis of hangings of mingled colors, a million koṭis of hangings of true gold, a million koṭis of hangings of lapis lazuli, and a million koṭis of hangings of jewels of every kind, all of them spread out above it; a million koṭis of hangings of all jewels, adorned with great maṇi jewels; a million koṭis of wondrous jeweled flowers, polishing and setting it off round about; and a million koṭis of bimba hangings (bimba means the substance that bears an image, for upon such hangings the images of outer things can appear), set among the rest with surpassing wonder.

Adorning the body of the seat (Chengguan's outline · his particular explanation of nine phrases): garlands, fragrances, necklaces, and figured silks

A million koṭis of jeweled garlands and a million koṭis of fragrant garlands, hanging down on the four sides; a million koṭis of portions of the firm fragrance of the heavens, that fragrance perfuming everything; a million koṭis of necklaces of the adornments of the heavens, a million koṭis of necklaces of jeweled flowers, a million koṭis of necklaces of excellent treasury jewels, a million koṭis of necklaces of maṇi jewels, and a million koṭis of necklaces of ocean maṇi jewels, adorning the body of the seat; and a million koṭis of bolts of wondrous jeweled figured silk, used as hanging bands.

Wondrous jewels made into doors and windows (Chengguan's outline): the seventeen phrases from “Indra adamantine jewels” onward

A million koṭis of Indra adamantine jewels, a million koṭis of sovereign maṇi jewels, and a million koṭis of treasuries of true gold of wondrous color, used as the ornament that sets them apart; a million koṭis of Vairocana maṇi jewels and a million koṭis of Indra maṇi jewels, shining with radiance; a million koṭis of firm maṇi jewels of the heavens, used to make the windows; a million koṭis of maṇi jewels of pure merit, displaying and setting forth wondrous colors; a million koṭis of jewels of the pure and wondrous treasury, used to make the door-leaves (the panels of a door); a million koṭis of half-moon jewels most excellent in the world, a million koṭis of maṇi jewels of the treasury free of defilement, and a million koṭis of lion-faced maṇi jewels, adorning it in alternation; a million koṭis of mind-king maṇi jewels, granting according to the wish whatever is sought; a million koṭis of jāmbūnada maṇi jewels, a million koṭis of maṇi jewels of the pure treasury, and a million koṭis of imperial-banner maṇi jewels, all of them sending forth light and spreading out to cover it above; and a million koṭis of maṇi jewels of the silver treasury and a million koṭis of Sumeru-banner maṇi jewels, adorning its treasury.

The adornment of necklaces hanging down round about (Chengguan's outline): twelve phrases of necklaces

A million koṭis of pearl necklaces, a million koṭis of lapis lazuli necklaces, a million koṭis of necklaces of red-colored jewels, a million koṭis of maṇi necklaces, a million koṭis of necklaces of jeweled radiance, a million koṭis of necklaces of maṇi jewels of every kind of treasury, a million koṭis of necklaces of red pearls most delightful to behold, a million koṭis of necklaces of maṇi jewels of the treasury of boundless colors and marks, a million koṭis of necklaces of utterly pure and incomparable jewels, and a million koṭis of necklaces of maṇi jewels of surpassing radiance, hanging down and spread out round about, serving as adornment; a million koṭis of maṇi bodies, adorning it with surpassing wonder; and a million koṭis of Indra jewels of wondrous color.

The adornment of fragrances (Chengguan's outline): sixteen phrases of the several fragrances

A million koṭis of portions of black sandalwood fragrance, a million koṭis of portions of the fragrance of inconceivable realms, a million koṭis of portions of the wondrous fragrance of the ten directions, a million koṭis of portions of the most excellent fragrance, and a million koṭis of portions of the fragrance most delightful and lovable, all of them sending forth their scent and perfuming the ten directions everywhere; a million koṭis of portions of bimbara fragrance, spreading everywhere throughout the ten directions; a million koṭis of portions of pure-light fragrance, perfuming sentient beings everywhere; a million koṭis of portions of the fragrance of boundless colors of every kind, perfuming everywhere the lands of all the buddhas and never ceasing; a million koṭis of portions of unguent fragrance (fragrance for smearing upon the body), a million koṭis of portions of perfuming fragrance, and a million koṭis of portions of incense fragrance, their scent rising and perfuming everything everywhere; a million koṭis of portions of the lotus-treasury aloeswood fragrance, sending forth a great sound; a million koṭis of portions of the fragrance of playful delight, able to turn the hearts of all; a million koṭis of portions of aruṇa fragrance (aruṇa means the color red), its scent perfuming everywhere and its savor sweet; and a million koṭis of portions of the fragrance able to awaken, everywhere pervading all things and causing the faculties of those who smell it to become still.

There were, further, a million koṭis of portions of the fragrance of the king of incomparable fragrances, adorning it in every kind of way.

Raining down clouds as adornment (Chengguan's outline): twenty phrases of raining clouds

There rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly fragrance; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly powdered fragrance (fragrance ground into powder); there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly kusuma flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly padma flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly utpala flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly kumuda flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly puṇḍarīka flowers (these five are all names of heavenly flowers); there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly mandāra flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of all heavenly flowers; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly garments; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of maṇi jewels; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly canopies; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly pennants; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly crowns; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly adornments; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly jeweled garlands; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly jeweled necklaces; there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly sandalwood fragrance; and there rained down a million koṭis of layers of clouds of heavenly aloeswood fragrance.

The adornment on the four sides outside the seat (Chengguan's outline): forty-eight phrases

They set up a million koṭis of jeweled banner-poles, hung a million koṭis of jeweled pennants, let down a million koṭis of jeweled silk streamers, lit a million koṭis of censers, spread out a million koṭis of jeweled garlands, held up a million koṭis of jeweled fans, and carried a million koṭis of jeweled whisks. They hung a million koṭis of nets of jeweled bells, which, stirred by a faint breeze, sent forth a subtle and wondrous sound; a million koṭis of jeweled balustrades encircled it round about; a million koṭis of jeweled tāla trees stood ranged in order; a million koṭis of windows of wondrous jewels were splendidly adorned; a million koṭis of jeweled trees let down their shade round about; a million koṭis of jeweled pavilions stretched broad and were splendidly ornamented; a million koṭis of jeweled gateways hung with necklaces spread down; a million koṭis of golden bells sent forth a subtle and wondrous sound; a million koṭis of necklaces bearing the mark of good fortune hung down in purity; a million koṭis of jeweled svastikas (jewels of the auspicious mark, shaped like the graph for “myriad”) were able to take away every kind of evil; a million koṭis of golden treasuries were woven with threads of gold; a million koṭis of jeweled canopies, with poles of every kind of jewel, were held up and ranged in rows; a million koṭis of nets of every jeweled adornment adorned it in alternation; a million koṭis of jewels of radiance sent forth every kind of light; a million koṭis of shafts of light shone everywhere; a million koṭis of sun-treasury wheels and a million koṭis of moon-treasury wheels were gathered and formed of measureless colored jewels; a million koṭis of flames of fragrance shone with a light that penetrated all; a million koṭis of lotus-treasuries opened out fresh and flourishing; a million koṭis of jeweled nets, a million koṭis of flower nets, and a million koṭis of fragrance nets spread out and covered it above; a million koṭis of heavenly jeweled garments, a million koṭis of heavenly garments of blue color, a million koṭis of heavenly garments of yellow color, a million koṭis of heavenly garments of red color, a million koṭis of heavenly garments of rare and wondrous color, a million koṭis of heavenly garments rare and wondrous, made of jewels of every kind, a million koṭis of garments perfumed with fragrances of every kind, a million koṭis of garments made of all jewels, and a million koṭis of fresh white garments were all skillfully spread out, and those who saw them all rejoiced. A million koṭis of heavenly bell-banners and a million koṭis of golden-net banners sent forth a subtle and wondrous sound; a million koṭis of heavenly silk banners were complete in every hue; a million koṭis of fragrance banners hung and spread nets of fragrance; a million koṭis of flower banners rained down all flowers; a million koṭis of heavenly garment banners hung and spread wondrous garments; a million koṭis of heavenly maṇi jewel banners were adorned with every kind of jewel; a million koṭis of heavenly adornment banners were set off with a multitude of implements; a million koṭis of heavenly garland banners had flower-garlands of every kind ranged in rows on the four sides; and a million koṭis of heavenly canopy banners, whose jeweled bells chimed together, so that those who heard them all rejoiced.

The adornment of the sounds of music (Chengguan's outline): ten phrases of heavenly music

A million koṭis of heavenly conches sent forth a subtle and wondrous sound; a million koṭis of heavenly drums sent forth a great sound; a million koṭis of heavenly harps sent forth a subtle and wondrous note; a million koṭis of heavenly moutuoluo drums (moutuoluo means the leading drum, which is struck first when the music of the heavens begins to play) sent forth a great and wondrous note; a million koṭis of heavenly assorted musics played all together at one time; a million koṭis of heavenly sovereign musics sent forth a subtle and wondrous sound, and that sound pervaded all the buddha-lands everywhere; a million koṭis of heavenly musics of transformation, whose sound was like an echo, answered all things everywhere; a million koṭis of heavenly drums, being stroked and struck, sent forth a wondrous note; a million koṭis of heavenly musics of according with the wish sounded of themselves, their measures in harmony one with another; and a million koṭis of heavenly assorted musics sent forth a subtle and wondrous sound and extinguished the afflictions of every kind.

The adornment of the sounds of the Dharma (Chengguan's outline): twenty phrases of the sounds of the Dharma

A million koṭis of sounds delighting the mind praised and made offerings; a million koṭis of vast sounds praised and served him; a million koṭis of profound sounds praised the practice; a million koṭis of manifold wondrous sounds praised the Buddha's deeds and their fruit; a million koṭis of subtle sounds praised the principle as it truly is; a million koṭis of unobstructed and true sounds praised the Buddha's original practice (what he practiced in the past); a million koṭis of pure sounds praised his making offerings to the buddhas in the past; a million koṭis of sounds of the gates of the Dharma praised the most excellent fearlessness of the buddhas; a million koṭis of measureless sounds praised the merit of the bodhisattvas as having no end; a million koṭis of sounds of the bodhisattva grounds praised and disclosed the practice that answers to all the grounds of the bodhisattva; a million koṭis of unbroken sounds praised the Buddha's merit as having no interruption; a million koṭis of sounds of according praised and extolled the practice of seeing the Buddha; a million koṭis of profound sounds of the Dharma praised the principle that answers to the unobstructed wisdom of all dharmas; a million koṭis of vast sounds filled all the buddha-lands with their sound; a million koṭis of unobstructed and pure sounds followed what the minds of the hearers delighted in and caused them all to rejoice; a million koṭis of sounds of not abiding in the three realms caused those who heard them to enter deeply into the nature of dharmas; a million koṭis of sounds of joy caused those who heard them to be without obstruction in their minds and to receive them in deep faith and reverence; a million koṭis of sounds of the Buddha's realm were such that, following whatever sound they sent forth, they were able to disclose the meaning of all dharmas; a million koṭis of dhāraṇī sounds (dhāraṇī means total retention) well proclaimed the distinctions among all the phrases of the Dharma and determined and penetrated the secret treasury of the Tathāgata; and a million koṭis of sounds of all dharmas were harmonious and flowing, able to accord with the delight of the multitude in perfect concord.

Expanding the surpassing distinction spoken of above (Chengguan's outline): the thirty-nine phrases on the benefit gained by seeing the seat

There were a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of the first arousing of the mind who, as soon as they saw this seat, redoubled and increased the mind of omniscience; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of governing the ground, pure and joyful in the ground of their minds; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of cultivating practice, pure in their understanding; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of noble birth, abiding in excellent aspiration; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas complete in skillful means, giving rise to the practice of the great vehicle; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of the abode of the rectified mind, diligently cultivating every bodhisattva path; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of non-retrogression, purely cultivating all the bodhisattva grounds; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of youthful truth, obtaining the light of all the bodhisattva samādhis; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas who are princes of the Dharma-king, entering the inconceivable realms of the buddhas; and a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of consecration, able to manifest the ten powers of measureless Tathāgatas (these ten are the names of the ten abodes).

A million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained sovereign spiritual penetrations; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas gave rise to pure understanding; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas gave rise to love and delight in their minds; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were of deep faith that cannot be broken; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were vast in the power of their might; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas increased in renown; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas expounded the meaning of the Dharma and made wisdom determined; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were right in mindfulness and undistracted; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas gave rise to determined wisdom; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the power of hearing and retaining, able to retain all the Buddha's Dharma; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas brought forth measureless and vast understanding; and a million koṭis of bodhisattvas abode in the faculty of faith.

A million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the dāna perfection (giving, which crosses to the other shore), able to give away everything; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the śīla perfection (keeping the precepts, which crosses to the other shore), complete in upholding the many precepts; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the perfection of patience, unmoved in mind and all of them able to bear all the Buddha's Dharma; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the perfection of vigor, able to practice measureless vigor that leads out; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the perfection of meditation, complete in the light of measureless concentration; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the prajñā perfection (wisdom, which crosses to the other shore), the light of whose wisdom is able to shine everywhere; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas accomplished great vows, all of them pure; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the lamp of wisdom, illumining the gates of the Dharma; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were shone upon by the light of the Dharma of the buddhas of the ten directions; and a million koṭis of bodhisattvas pervaded the ten directions, expounding the Dharma that is free of delusion.

A million koṭis of bodhisattvas entered everywhere into all the lands of the buddhas; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas, in their dharma-body, arrived at once at all the buddha-lands; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the Buddha's voice, able to awaken sentient beings far and wide; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the skillful means that brings forth omniscience; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas obtained the accomplishing of all the gates of the Dharma; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas accomplished the wisdom of the Dharma, like a jeweled banner, able to display all the Buddha's Dharma everywhere; and a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were able to manifest the realms of the Tathāgata in their entirety.

The reverence of the gods (Chengguan's outline): the seventeen phrases in which the eight classes, humans and gods, set forth reverence in the three kinds of action

A million koṭis of heaven-kings bowed in reverence; a million koṭis of dragon kings gazed upon him and had not their fill; a million koṭis of yakṣa kings joined their palms above their heads; a million koṭis of gandharva kings gave rise to a mind of pure faith; a million koṭis of asura kings cut off all thought of pride; a million koṭis of garuḍa kings held silk streamers in their beaks; a million koṭis of kiṃnara kings leapt up in joy; a million koṭis of mahoraga kings gazed up in joy (these are the eight classes); a million koṭis of rulers of the worlds bowed their heads in salutation; a million koṭis of kings of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three gazed up without blinking; a million koṭis of Yāma heaven-kings rejoiced and praised him; a million koṭis of Tuṣita heaven-kings prostrated their whole bodies in salutation; a million koṭis of kings of the Heaven of Delight in Emanations bowed their heads in reverence; a million koṭis of kings of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others' Emanations joined their palms in reverence; a million koṭis of Brahmā heaven-kings observed him with a single mind; a million koṭis of Maheśvara heaven-kings made offerings in reverence; and a million koṭis of bodhisattvas lifted up their voices in praise.

The gods revere and make offerings (Chengguan's outline): twenty-six phrases

A million koṭis of goddesses made offerings with concentrated minds; a million koṭis of gods of the same vow leapt up in joy; a million koṭis of gods who had dwelt together with him in the past praised him with wondrous sounds; a million koṭis of gods of Brahmā's Body prostrated their whole bodies in salutation; a million koṭis of gods of Brahmā's Ministers joined their palms above their heads; a million koṭis of gods of Brahmā's Multitude encircled him as his guard; a million koṭis of Great Brahmā gods praised and extolled his measureless merit; a million koṭis of gods of the Heaven of Light cast their five limbs to the ground; a million koṭis of gods of Lesser Light proclaimed in praise how hard it is to meet with a time when a buddha is in the world; a million koṭis of gods of Measureless Light bowed toward the Buddha from afar; a million koṭis of gods of Radiant Sound praised how exceedingly hard the Tathāgata is to see; a million koṭis of gods of the Pure Heaven came here together with their palaces; a million koṭis of gods of Lesser Purity bowed their heads in salutation with pure minds; a million koṭis of gods of Measureless Purity, willing to see the Buddha, cast themselves down; a million koṭis of gods of Universal Purity revered and honored him, drawing near and making offerings; a million koṭis of gods of the Vast Heaven called to mind their roots of goodness of old; a million koṭis of gods of Lesser Extent gave rise to the thought that the Tathāgata is a rare thing; a million koṭis of gods of Measureless Extent honored him with resolve and gave rise to good deeds of every kind; a million koṭis of gods of Vast Fruit bent their bodies in reverence; a million koṭis of gods Without Affliction, firm in the faculty of faith, bowed in reverence; a million koṭis of gods Without Heat joined their palms and called the Buddha to mind, and their hearts had not their fill; a million koṭis of gods of Good Seeing saluted him with head and face; a million koṭis of gods of Good Manifestation were mindful of making offerings to the Buddha, their minds without slackening or rest; a million koṭis of Akaniṣṭha gods bowed their heads in reverence; a million koṭis of gods of every kind all greatly rejoiced and lifted up their voices in praise; and a million koṭis of gods each pondered well and made adornments.

The bodhisattvas' offerings of things (Chengguan's outline): twelve phrases

A million koṭis of bodhisattva gods upheld the Buddha's seat, adorning it without cease. A million koṭis of flower-hand bodhisattvas rained down all flowers; a million koṭis of fragrance-hand bodhisattvas rained down all fragrances; a million koṭis of garland-hand bodhisattvas rained down all garlands; a million koṭis of powdered-fragrance-hand bodhisattvas rained down all powdered fragrances; a million koṭis of unguent-hand bodhisattvas rained down all unguents; a million koṭis of garment-hand bodhisattvas rained down all garments; a million koṭis of canopy-hand bodhisattvas rained down all canopies; a million koṭis of banner-hand bodhisattvas rained down all banners; a million koṭis of pennant-hand bodhisattvas rained down all pennants; a million koṭis of jewel-hand bodhisattvas rained down all jewels; and a million koṭis of adornment-hand bodhisattvas rained down all adornments.

The gods' offering of their bodies (Chengguan's outline): four phrases

A million koṭis of divine sons came forth from the palaces of the heavens to where the seat was; a million koṭis of divine sons, with minds of pure faith, came together with their palaces; a million koṭis of divine sons of noble birth held up the seat with their bodies; and a million koṭis of divine sons of consecration raised their whole bodies and held up the seat.

The bodhisattvas' offering of the cultivation of the Dharma (Chengguan's outline): ten phrases

A million koṭis of bodhisattvas of pondering pondered in reverence; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas of noble birth gave rise to pure minds; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were glad and delighted in their faculties; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were pure in their deep minds; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were pure in faith and understanding; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were pure in all their deeds; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were sovereign in receiving birth; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were illumined by the light of the Dharma; a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were accomplished in the grounds (the grounds of the bodhisattva); and a million koṭis of bodhisattvas were well able to teach and transform all sentient beings.

Expanding the mark of cause spoken of above (Chengguan's outline): ten phrases making clear whence the seat came

This seat was born of a million koṭis of roots of goodness; it was sustained by a million koṭis of buddhas; it was brought to fullness by a million koṭis of merits; it was made pure by a million koṭis of excellent minds; it was made clean and bright by a million koṭis of great vows; it arose from a million koṭis of good practices; it was made firm by a million koṭis of good dharmas; it was manifested by a million koṭis of spiritual powers; it was accomplished by a million koṭis of merits; and it was praised with a million koṭis of dharmas of praise.

The concluding extension to the ten directions (Chengguan's outline): the kings of the Tuṣita Heaven in all the worlds are all alike

Just as the king of the Tuṣita Heaven of this world set out a high seat for the Tathāgata, so too did the kings of the Tuṣita Heaven of all the worlds set out the seat for the Buddha in this way, adorn it in this way, keep to this manner in this way, delight in faith in this way, purify their minds in this way, take joy in this way, rejoice in this way, honor him in this way, give rise to the thought of a rare thing in this way, leap up in this way, and long for him in this way — all of them alike.

Welcoming the Buddha and raising up offerings (Chengguan's outline): the heaven-king, leading the divine sons, goes out to welcome him, and with pure minds they rain down ten kinds of clouds

At that time the king of the Tuṣita Heaven, having finished setting out the seat for the Tathāgata, gave rise to reverence in his mind, and together with a hundred thousand koṭis of asaṃkhyeyas of divine sons of the Tuṣita Heaven went out to welcome the Tathāgata; with pure minds they rained down asaṃkhyeyas of clouds of colored flowers, rained down clouds of inconceivable colored fragrance, rained down clouds of garlands of every color, rained down clouds of vast and pure sandalwood, rained down clouds of measureless canopies of every kind, rained down clouds of fine and wondrous heavenly garments, rained down clouds of boundless and manifold wondrous jewels, rained down clouds of heavenly adornments, rained down clouds of measureless incense of every kind, and rained down clouds of powdered fragrance of all sandalwood, aloeswood, and firm fragrances.

When those hosts of divine sons each brought forth these clouds from their own bodies, hundreds of thousands of koṭis of asaṃkhyeyas of divine sons of the Tuṣita Heaven, together with the rest of the divine sons in the assembly, greatly rejoiced in their minds and bowed their heads in reverence; asaṃkhyeyas of goddesses leapt up in longing and gazed upon the Tathāgata. Inexpressibly many hosts of bodhisattvas in the palace of Tuṣita, dwelling in empty space, with diligent and single minds made offerings to the Buddha with every kind of offering that surpasses those of the gods, and saluted him in reverence. Asaṃkhyeyas of musics played all at one time.

Seeing the Buddha and raising up offerings (Chengguan's outline): by three powers they see the Buddha and together raise up this thought

At that time, because of the majestic spiritual power of the Tathāgata, because of the flowing forth of roots of goodness of old, and because of inconceivable sovereign power, all the gods and the goddesses in the palace of Tuṣita saw the Buddha from afar as though he were directly before their eyes, and together raised up this thought: “The Tathāgata's appearing in the world is hard to meet with; today I have obtained sight of him who is complete in omniscience and unobstructed with regard to the Dharma, the Perfectly Awakened One.”

Thus they pondered, thus they observed, and with the great assembly gathered together they all at one time went out to welcome the Tathāgata; and each of them, holding in heavenly garments all flowers, holding all fragrances, holding all jewels, holding all adornments, holding all heavenly sandalwood powdered fragrance, holding all heavenly aloeswood powdered fragrance, holding all heavenly wondrous jeweled powdered fragrance, holding all heavenly fragrant flowers, and holding all heavenly mandāra flowers, scattered them all as an offering to the Buddha.

Raising the mind and raining down offerings (Chengguan's outline): ten phrases in which the mind is raised and the offerings adorn empty space

Hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of divine sons of the Tuṣita Heaven, dwelling in empty space, all gave rise in the presence of the Buddha to a mind of the realm of wisdom, and burned every fragrance, whose scent became clouds and adorned empty space; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of joy, and rained down clouds of all heavenly flowers, adorning empty space; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of reverence, and rained down clouds of all heavenly canopies, adorning empty space; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of making offerings, and scattered clouds of all heavenly garlands, adorning empty space; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of faith and understanding, and spread out asaṃkhyeyas of nets of gold, covering empty space, and all the jeweled bells constantly sent forth a wondrous sound; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of the most excellent field of merit, and with asaṃkhyeyas of hangings adorned empty space, raining down clouds of all necklaces without cease; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of deep faith, and with asaṃkhyeyas of heavenly palaces adorned empty space, and all the heavenly musics sent forth a subtle and wondrous note; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of the most excellent and hardest to meet with, and with asaṃkhyeyas of clouds of heavenly garments of every color adorned empty space, raining down wondrous garments of every kind beyond compare; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of measureless joy and exultation, and with asaṃkhyeyas of heavenly jeweled crowns adorned empty space, raining down measureless heavenly crowns, vast and becoming clouds; and again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of joy, and with asaṃkhyeyas of jewels of every color adorned empty space, raining down clouds of all necklaces without cease.

Setting forth offerings of various kinds (Chengguan's outline): nine phrases

Hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of divine sons all gave rise in the presence of the Buddha to a mind of pure faith, and scattered countless heavenly flowers of every color and burned countless heavenly fragrances of every color, making offerings to the Tathāgata; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of great adorning transformation, and took countless heavenly sandalwood powdered fragrances of every color and scattered them upon the Tathāgata; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of joy and exultation, and took countless canopies of every color and followed after the Tathāgata; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of increase, and took countless heavenly jeweled garments of every color and spread them upon the road, making offerings to the Tathāgata; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of purity, and took countless heavenly jeweled banners of every color and went out to welcome the Tathāgata; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of increasing joy, and took countless heavenly adornments of every color, making offerings to the Tathāgata; again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of faith that cannot be broken, and took countless heavenly jeweled garlands, making offerings to the Tathāgata; and again in the presence of the Buddha they gave rise to a mind of incomparable joy, and took countless heavenly jeweled pennants of every color, making offerings to the Tathāgata. Hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of divine sons, with minds tamed and still and without heedlessness, took countless heavenly musics of every color, which sent forth a wondrous sound, making offerings to the Tathāgata.

The bodhisattvas raise up offerings (Chengguan's outline): offerings of the environing recompense that practice has formed

Hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of inexpressibly many hosts of bodhisattvas who had dwelt beforehand in the palace of Tuṣita made offerings to the Buddha with every kind of offering surpassing those of the gods — offerings born of the dharma that surpasses the three realms, born of the practice that departs from the afflictions, born of the mind that pervades all without obstruction, born of the dharma of profound skillful means, born of measureless and vast wisdom, born of the inconceivable roots of goodness increased by firm and pure faith, accomplished by arising from asaṃkhyeyas of skillful transformations, made manifest by the mind that makes offerings to the Buddha, and sealed by the Dharma-gate of non-doing;

and again with all the jeweled canopies born of the perfections, all the flower hangings born of the pure understanding of all the realms of the buddhas, all the garments born of the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, all the nets of bells born of the mind that enters the unobstructedness of the adamantine Dharma, all the firm fragrances born of the mind that understands all dharmas to be like an illusion, all the wondrous seats of the manifold jewels of the buddhas born of the mind that pervades all the realms of the buddhas and the seats of the Tathāgatas, all the jeweled banners born of the mind that makes offerings to the Buddha without slackening, all the jeweled palaces in which the Buddha dwells born of the joyful mind that understands dharmas to be like a dream, and all the clouds of jeweled lotus flowers, all the clouds of firm fragrance, all the clouds of flowers of boundless color, all the clouds of wondrous garments of every color, all the clouds of boundless pure sandalwood fragrance, all the clouds of wondrously adorned jeweled canopies, all the clouds of incense, all the clouds of wondrous garlands, and all the clouds of pure adornments born of the roots of goodness of non-attachment and the roots of goodness of non-arising — all of them filling the Dharma realm, with offerings surpassing those of the gods they made offerings to the Buddha.

The offering of the recompense proper to the body, brought forth from the body (Chengguan's outline): from each single body there come forth inexpressibly many bodhisattvas

From the body of each one of those bodhisattvas there came forth inexpressibly many hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of bodhisattvas, all of them filling the Dharma realm and the realm of space, their minds equal to the buddhas of the three times, arisen from the dharma that is without inversion, sustained by the power of measureless Tathāgatas, disclosing to sentient beings the path of security, complete in inexpressibly many names, syllables, and phrases (the three by which meaning is expressed), entering everywhere into measureless dharmas, bringing forth from all the seeds of dhāraṇī an inexhaustible treasury of eloquence, without fear in their minds, giving rise to great joy, and praising the Tathāgata without having their fill, with inexpressibly many measureless and inexhaustible dharmas of praise as it truly is.

Beholding the Buddha's excellent virtues (Chengguan's outline): they see the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, the inconceivable hero among humankind

At that time all the gods and all the hosts of bodhisattvas saw the Tathāgata, the Worthy One (he who is worthy to receive offerings), the Perfectly Awakened One — the inconceivable hero among humankind.

His body is measureless and cannot be reckoned; he manifests inconceivable transformations of every kind and causes countless sentient beings to rejoice greatly in their minds; he pervades everywhere the whole realm of space and the whole Dharma realm, and adorns them with the Buddha's adornment; he causes all sentient beings to abide in roots of goodness; he manifests the spiritual power of measureless buddhas and surpasses every path of words; he is revered together by all the great bodhisattvas; following what should be taught and transformed, he causes them all to rejoice; he abides in the vast body of all the buddhas, and his merit and roots of goodness have all been made pure; his form and marks are foremost, and none can outshine them; the realm of his wisdom cannot be exhausted, and he is born of a samādhi beyond compare.

His body is without limit and dwells throughout the bodies of all sentient beings, causing measureless sentient beings all to rejoice greatly and causing the lineage of omniscience not to be cut off; he abides in the ultimate dwelling place of all the buddhas and is born in the house of the buddhas of the three times; he causes uncountable sentient beings to be pure in faith and understanding, and causes all bodhisattvas to accomplish wisdom and to be glad in their faculties; the cloud of the Dharma covers everywhere the realm of space and the Dharma realm, teaching and taming without omission; following the minds of sentient beings, he causes them all to be satisfied and causes them to abide in the wisdom free of discrimination; he goes beyond all sentient beings and obtains omniscience, sending forth a great light, and causes the roots of goodness of former lives all to be made manifest; he causes all sentient beings everywhere to give rise to a vast mind, and causes all sentient beings to abide in the indestructible wisdom of Samantabhadra.

He dwells throughout the lands of all sentient beings; he is born from the true Dharma of non-retrogression; he abides in the Dharma realm wherein all things are equal; he understands clearly what is fitting for the minds of sentient beings; he manifests inexpressibly, inexpressibly many bodies of the Tathāgata differing in every kind of way, which the words of the world cannot exhaust in praise; he is able to cause all sentient beings constantly to be mindful of the Buddha, and he fills the Dharma realm and delivers the multitudes far and wide; following what would benefit those of the first arousing of the mind, he bestows the Dharma upon them, causing them to be tamed and pure in faith and understanding; the form-body he manifests is inconceivable, and he regards sentient beings equally, without attachment in his mind; he abides in the unobstructed abode and obtains the Buddha's ten powers, without obstruction; his mind is constantly settled in stillness and has never been distracted; he abides in omniscience and is well able to expound the true meaning of phrases and words of every kind, able wholly to enter the boundless ocean of wisdom and to bring forth measureless treasuries of the wisdom of merit; he constantly illumines the Dharma realm everywhere with the sun of the Buddha, and by the power of his original vows he constantly appears and is not hidden; he constantly abides in the Dharma realm, dwelling in what the Buddha dwells in, without alteration; he has no attachment to self or to what belongs to self, and abides in the dharma that transcends the world, undefiled by worldly dharmas.

In all the worlds he sets up the banner of wisdom, and that wisdom is vast, surpassing the world, without attachment or defilement; he rescues sentient beings and causes them to come forth from the mire, and settles them in the highest ground of wisdom, and all his merit benefits sentient beings without end; he knows the wisdom of all bodhisattvas, and their faith and inclination being determined, they will accomplish perfect awakening in time to come; with great loving-kindness and compassion he manifests inexpressibly many measureless buddha-bodies adorned in every kind of way; with a wondrous voice he expounds measureless dharmas, and following the minds and intentions of sentient beings he causes them all to be satisfied; in the past, the future, and the present his mind is constantly pure, and he causes sentient beings not to be attached to objects; he constantly confers predictions upon all the bodhisattvas, causing them all to enter the lineage of the buddhas, to be born in the house of the Buddha, and to obtain the Buddha's consecration; he constantly roams and transforms throughout the ten directions and has never rested, and yet he takes no delight or attachment in anything at all; the Dharma realm and the buddha-lands he is able to go to everywhere, and there is no mind of any sentient being that he does not know; all his merit has left the world behind and is pure; he does not abide in birth and death, and yet in the world he appears everywhere like a shadow; with the moon of wisdom he illumines the Dharma realm everywhere, and comprehends that in all things there is nothing to be obtained; he constantly knows by wisdom that the worlds are like an illusion, like a shadow, like a dream, like a transformation, and that all of them have mind for their own nature, and thus he abides; and following the different recompense of the deeds of sentient beings, the differences of what their minds delight in, and the diversity of their faculties, he manifests the buddha-body.

The Tathāgata constantly takes countless sentient beings as his object, and for them expounds that the world arises altogether from conditions, knowing that the marks of all dharmas are wholly without mark, and that there is only the one mark, the root of wisdom; wishing to cause sentient beings to depart from attachment to marks of every kind, he manifests the nature and marks of all the worlds and moves within the world, and discloses to them unsurpassed awakening; in order to rescue and guard all sentient beings he appears in the world and discloses the path of the buddhas, causing them to obtain sight of the bodily marks of the Tathāgata, to take them as object and call them to mind, and to cultivate them diligently; extinguishing the marks of the afflictions of the world, they cultivate the practice of awakening, their minds not scattered and stirred, and in the gate of the great vehicle they all obtain fulfillment, accomplishing the benefit and meaning of all the buddhas, all of them able to observe the roots of goodness of sentient beings without destroying the pure recompense of their deeds; his wisdom is clear and enters everywhere into the three times, and he has forever left behind all the discriminations of the world; he sends forth a net of light that illumines the ten directions everywhere, and there is no world it does not fill; his form-body is wondrous and fair, and those who see it do not give rise to weariness; with great merit, wisdom, and spiritual penetration he brings forth every kind of bodhisattva practice; the realms of his faculties are sovereign and complete; he performs the deeds of the buddhas, and having performed them he is hidden away; he is well able to disclose the path of omniscience of the past, the present, and the future, and for the bodhisattvas he rains down everywhere measureless rain of dhāraṇī, causing them to give rise to vast desire and delight, to receive and uphold and cultivate it, and to accomplish the merit of all the buddhas.

He adorns his own body with full and blazing boundless wondrous form, and there is no world that does not see it manifest; he has forever left behind all the dharmas of obstruction; with regard to the true meaning of all dharmas he has already obtained purity, and with regard to the dharmas of merit he has obtained sovereignty; he acts as the great Dharma-king, illumining everywhere like the sun; he acts as a field of merit for the world, complete in great majestic virtue; in all the worlds he manifests his transformation body everywhere, sending forth the light of wisdom and causing them all to awaken; wishing to cause sentient beings to know that the Buddha is complete in boundless merit, he is bound at the brow with an unobstructed silk band and receives the station, and in accordance with the world opens the way by skillful means; with the hand of wisdom he comforts sentient beings, and acts as a great king of physicians who well heals every sickness; all the measureless lands of all the worlds he is able to go to everywhere, and has never rested; his pure eye of wisdom has left behind every kind of veiling film, and he is able to see all things clearly; toward sentient beings who do unwholesome and evil deeds he tames them in every kind of way and causes them to enter the path; he is skilled in taking up and setting aside as the time requires, without rest; if sentient beings give rise to a mind of equality, then for them he manifests the recompense of equal deeds, and following what their minds delight in and following the fruit of their deeds he manifests for them the buddha-body with transformations of every kind and expounds the Dharma for them, causing them to understand and to obtain the wisdom of the Dharma, so that their minds greatly rejoice and their faculties leap up, they see measureless buddhas, give rise to deep and weighty faith, give rise to roots of goodness of every kind, and never retrogress; all sentient beings, bound as they are by their deeds, sleep long in birth and death, and the Tathāgata's appearing in the world is able to awaken them, to comfort their minds and cause them to be without sorrow or fear; if there are any who obtain sight of the Buddha, he causes them all to realize and enter the wisdom of the meaning of non-dependence, so that their wisdom is skillful and they comprehend that the adornment of the realms is wondrous and fair, with nothing that can outshine it; the mountain of wisdom and the sprout of the Dharma have all been made pure; he manifests now a bodhisattva and now a buddha-body, causing sentient beings to arrive at the ground where there is no calamity; he is adorned by countless merits, and appears in the world formed by the deeds he has practiced; the pure adornment of all the buddhas is in every case accomplished by the deeds of omniscience; he constantly keeps to his original vows and does not forsake the world, acting as a firm good friend for sentient beings; pure and foremost, of undefiled radiance, he causes all sentient beings to obtain sight of him; the sentient beings of the six destinies are measureless and boundless, and by his spiritual power the Buddha constantly follows after them and does not forsake them; if there are any who in the past planted the same roots of goodness, he causes them all to be made pure; and toward all sentient beings of the six destinies he does not forsake his original vows and is without deceit, but wholly takes them in by the skillful means of good dharmas, causing them to cultivate pure deeds; he crushes the strife of all the demons, and from the unobstructed limit he brings forth vast power, the most excellent sun-treasury without obstruction; upon the realm of the pure mind he manifests images, and there is no world that does not behold them, and with dharmas of every kind he bestows widely upon sentient beings; the Buddha is a treasury of boundless light, and his powers and wisdom are all complete; he constantly illumines sentient beings everywhere with a great light, and following what they wish for causes them all to be satisfied and to depart from enemies of every kind; he acts as a superior field of merit, a common refuge for all sentient beings; whatever he bestows, he causes them all to be pure; cultivating but a little good conduct they receive measureless merit, and he causes them all to enter the inexhaustible ground of wisdom; he acts as the lord who plants roots of goodness and purifies the minds of all sentient beings, and as the highest and finest field that brings forth merit for all sentient beings; his wisdom is exceedingly profound and his skillful means are good, and he is able to deliver all the suffering of the three evil destinies.

Thus they had faith and understanding, thus they observed, thus they entered the deep abyss of wisdom, thus they roamed in the ocean of merit, thus they arrived everywhere at the wisdom of space, thus they knew the field of merit of sentient beings, thus with right mindfulness present before them they observed, thus they observed the Buddha's deeds and his marks, thus they observed the Buddha manifesting everywhere in the world, and thus they observed the Buddha's sovereign spiritual penetrations.

Seeing the working of the Buddha's light (Chengguan's outline): light issues from his pores, and the great assembly all sees it

At that time that great assembly saw that upon the body of the Tathāgata, from each and every pore, there came forth hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of lights, and that each and every light had asaṃkhyeyas of colors, asaṃkhyeyas of purities, and asaṃkhyeyas of illuminations, causing asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to observe, asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to rejoice, asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to be at ease, asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to increase in deep faith, asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to be pure in their aspiration, asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to be cool and clear in their faculties, and asaṃkhyeyas of sentient beings to revere and honor him.

At that time the great assembly all saw the Buddha's body send forth hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of inconceivable great lights, each and every light having inconceivable colors and inconceivable radiance, shining through the inconceivable and boundless Dharma realm. By the Buddha's spiritual power there issued a great and wondrous sound; and that sound proclaimed hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of inconceivable verses of praise, surpassing all the words that the worlds possess, accomplished by roots of goodness that transcend the world.

Again there were manifested hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of inconceivable subtle and wondrous adornments, which in hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of inconceivable kalpas could not be praised to the end, and all of which were brought forth by the inexhaustible sovereignty of the Tathāgata. Again there were manifested inexpressibly many buddhas, Tathāgatas, arising and appearing in the world, causing sentient beings to enter the gate of wisdom and to understand the profound meaning. Again there were manifested all the transformations of inexpressibly many buddhas, Tathāgatas, exhausting the Dharma realm and the realm of space, causing all the worlds to be equally pure. Such things as these were all born of the unobstructed omniscience in which the Tathāgata abides, and were also born of the inconceivable excellent virtues that the Tathāgata has cultivated.

Again there were manifested hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of inconceivable flames of light of wondrous jewels, which arose from the great vows and roots of goodness of old: because he had made offerings to measureless Tathāgatas and cultivated pure conduct without heedlessness; because of the roots of goodness born of the mind of Sarvajñā (the mind of omniscience) being without obstruction; in order to display that the Tathāgata's power is vast and pervading; in order to cut off the doubts of all sentient beings; in order to cause them all to obtain sight of the Tathāgata; in order to cause measureless sentient beings to abide in roots of goodness; in order to display that the spiritual power of the Tathāgata cannot be outshone; in order to cause sentient beings everywhere to enter the ultimate ocean; in order to cause the great hosts of bodhisattvas of all the buddha-lands to come and gather; and in order to disclose the inconceivable gates of the Buddha's Dharma.

The intent in manifesting these excellent virtues (Chengguan's outline): the Tathāgata's great compassion covers all, and he would have sentient beings believe and increase

At that time the great compassion of the Tathāgata covered all everywhere, and he displayed all the adornments that omniscience possesses, wishing that among the sentient beings in inexpressibly many hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of worlds, those who did not yet believe should be caused to believe, those who believed should be caused to increase, those who had increased should be caused to become pure, those who had become pure should be caused to ripen, and those who had ripened should be caused to have their minds tamed;

to observe the profound Dharma, to be complete in measureless light of wisdom, to bring forth measureless and vast minds, and to be without retrogression in the mind of Sarvajñā; not to go against the nature of dharmas, not to fear the true limit, to realize the true principle, to fulfill the practice of all the perfections, and to have their roots of goodness that transcend the world all made pure; to be like Samantabhadra, to obtain the Buddha's sovereignty, to leave the realm of the demons, to enter the realms of the buddhas, to know the profound Dharma, to obtain wisdom hard to conceive, and never to retrogress in the vow of the great vehicle; constantly to see the buddhas and never to forsake them; to accomplish the wisdom of realization, to realize measureless dharmas, to be complete in the power of the boundless treasury of merit, and giving rise to a mind of joy to enter the ground where there is no doubt; to leave evil behind and be pure, to rely upon omniscience, to see the Dharma unmoved, to be able to enter the assemblies of all bodhisattvas, and constantly to be born in the house of the Tathāgatas of the three times.

The cause of manifesting these adornments (Chengguan's outline): seventeen phrases making clear why these adornments are manifested

The adornments such as these which the World-Honored One manifested were all formed by the roots of goodness gathered beforehand in the past: in order to tame all sentient beings; in order to disclose the great majestic virtue of the Tathāgata; in order to illumine the treasury of unobstructed wisdom; in order to manifest that the Tathāgata's boundless excellent virtues blaze in the utmost degree; in order to display the Tathāgata's inconceivable great transformations; in order to manifest the buddha-body in all the destinies by the power of spiritual penetration; in order to manifest that the Tathāgata's spiritual transformations are without limit; in order that the aspirations he originally set up should all be fulfilled; in order to display that the Tathāgata's valiant wisdom is able to go everywhere; in order to be sovereign with regard to the Dharma and to become the Dharma-king; in order to bring forth all the gates of wisdom; in order to display that the body of the Tathāgata is pure; and further in order to manifest that his body is the most surpassingly wondrous; in order to display his realization of the equal Dharma of the buddhas of the three times; in order to disclose the pure treasury of roots of goodness; in order to display the surpassingly wondrous form to which nothing in the world can be compared; in order to display that he is complete in the marks of the ten powers, so that those who see them have not their fill; and in order to act as the sun of the world and illumine the three times.

All the merits of this sovereign Dharma-king are manifested from roots of goodness of old. All the bodhisattvas, praising and proclaiming them throughout all kalpas, could not exhaust them either.

Inviting the Buddha to dwell in the palace (Chengguan's outline): the heaven-king joins his palms and thrice says “Welcome”

At that time the king of the Tuṣita Heaven, having prepared for the Tathāgata such offerings as these, together with hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of divine sons of the Tuṣita Heaven joined his palms toward the Buddha and said to the Buddha:

“Welcome, World-Honored One! Welcome, Well-Gone One (he who has gone well and does not come again to receive birth)! Welcome, Tathāgata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One! We pray only that you would take pity and dwell here within this palace!”

The Tathāgata accepts the invitation (Chengguan's outline): he accepts the heaven-king's invitation and enters the Hall Adorned with All Jewels

At that time the World-Honored One, adorning himself with the Buddha's adornment and complete in great majestic virtue, in order to cause all sentient beings to give rise to great joy; in order to cause all bodhisattvas to give rise to deep understanding; in order to cause all the divine sons of the Tuṣita Heaven to increase in desire and delight; in order to cause the king of the Tuṣita Heaven to make offerings and serve him without having his fill; in order to cause measureless sentient beings to take the Buddha as the object of their mindfulness and to arouse the mind; in order to cause measureless sentient beings to plant the merit of the roots of goodness of seeing the Buddha without end; in order to cause them constantly to be able to give rise to pure faith; in order to cause them to see the Buddha and make offerings without seeking anything; in order to cause all their aspirations to be pure; in order to cause them to gather roots of goodness diligently without slackening or rest; and in order to cause them to give rise to the great vow and to seek omniscience — accepted the heaven-king's invitation and entered the Hall Adorned with All Jewels. As it was in this world, so also in all the worlds that the ten directions possess it was just so.

After he has entered, the adornments appear (Chengguan's outline): within the hall there are of themselves wondrous and fair adornments

At that time that Hall Adorned with All Jewels of itself had wondrous and fair adornments, surpassing the adornments of the gods: all the jeweled nets covered it round about; there rained down everywhere clouds of all supremely wondrous jewels; there rained down everywhere clouds of all adornments; there rained down everywhere clouds of all jeweled garments; there rained down everywhere clouds of all sandalwood fragrance; there rained down everywhere clouds of all firm fragrance; there rained down everywhere clouds of all jeweled adorned canopies; there rained down everywhere clouds of inconceivable heaps of flowers; and there issued everywhere inconceivable sounds of music, extolling the omniscience of the Tathāgata, all of them answering to the wondrous Dharma. All the offerings such as these surpassed the offerings of the gods.

The heaven-king gains benefit (Chengguan's outline): the music blazes on without ceasing, and yet his mind is without disturbance

At that time, within the palace of Tuṣita, the music and the songs of praise blazed on without ceasing; and by the Buddha's spiritual power the mind of the king of the Tuṣita Heaven was without disturbance, the roots of goodness of old all came to fullness, measureless good dharmas became the more firm, his pure faith increased, he gave rise to great vigor, he gave rise to great joy, he purified the aspiration of his deep mind, he aroused the mind of awakening, he was mindful of the Dharma without interruption, and he retained it entire without forgetting.

Praising in verse by the sustaining power (Chengguan's outline): he calls to mind the roots of goodness planted in the presence of the buddhas of the past and speaks verses

At that time the king of the Tuṣita Heaven, sustained by the majestic power of the Buddha, thereupon called to mind of himself the roots of goodness he had planted in the presence of the buddhas of the past, and spoke these verses:

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Unobstructed Moon, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Adorned Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Vast Wisdom, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Golden-Colored Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Universal Eye, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Lotus-Flower Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata titled Coral, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Jewel-Treasury Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Lion of Discourse, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Mountain-King Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Sun's Illumining, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Hall of Many Flowers, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a buddha titled Boundless Light, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Tree-Adorned Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Banner of the Dharma, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Jeweled Palace Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a Tathāgata named Lamp of Wisdom, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Fragrant-Mountain Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.

“In the past there was a buddha titled Light of Merit, most excellent among all things auspicious; he once entered this Maṇi Hall, and therefore this place is the most auspicious of all.”

The concluding extension to the ten directions: the kings of the Tuṣita Heaven of the ten directions likewise praise him in the same way

Just as the king of the Tuṣita Heaven of this world, sustained by the spiritual power of the Buddha, praised in verse the buddhas of the past, so too the kings of the Tuṣita Heaven within all the worlds of the ten directions praised the merits of the Buddha in just this way.

The Tathāgata takes his seat (Chengguan's outline): upon the lion seat of the Maṇi Jewel Treasury he sits with his legs fully crossed

At that time the World-Honored One, upon the lion seat of the Maṇi Jewel Treasury in the Hall Adorned with All Jewels, sat with his legs fully crossed (sitting with the two feet folded one upon the other), his dharma-body pure and his wondrous functioning sovereign, of one and the same realm with the buddhas of the three times; abiding in omniscience, entering with all the buddhas into one and the same nature; his buddha-eye clear, seeing all dharmas without obstruction; possessed of great majestic power, roaming and transforming everywhere throughout the Dharma realm and never resting; complete in great spiritual penetrations, so that wherever there are sentient beings who may be taught and transformed he is able to go everywhere; adorning himself with the unobstructed adornment of all the buddhas, knowing well the time, and speaking the Dharma for the great assembly; while inexpressibly many hosts of bodhisattvas, each from lands of every kind in other quarters, came together and gathered; the assembly pure, the dharma-body without duality, without anything to depend upon and yet able to be sovereign, giving rise to the conduct of a buddha-body.

The offerings within the hall (Chengguan's outline): having sat upon this seat, there are of themselves offerings surpassing those of the gods

After he had sat upon this seat, within that hall there were of themselves measureless and countless offerings, surpassingly wondrous and fair, surpassing those of the gods, that is to say: flower-garlands, garments, unguents, powdered fragrance, jeweled canopies, banners and pennants, music, and songs of praise. Such things as these, each and every one of them, could not be reckoned. With vast minds they revered and honored him and made offerings to the Buddha; and in all the Tuṣita Heavens of the ten directions it was likewise just so.

Bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions Gather Like Clouds: Their Names Are All “Banner,” the Worlds Are All Called “Wondrous,” and the Buddha-Titles Too Are All “Banner”

At that time, because of the Buddha's spiritual power, in each of the ten directions there was one great bodhisattva, and each of them, together with bodhisattvas as many as the dust-motes of ten thousand buddha-lands, came to where the Buddha was, from the many worlds that lie beyond lands as many as the dust-motes of ten thousand buddha-lands. Their names were these: the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, the bodhisattva Firm Banner, the bodhisattva Valiant Banner, the bodhisattva Light Banner, the bodhisattva Wisdom Banner, the bodhisattva Jewel Banner, the bodhisattva Vigor Banner, the bodhisattva Stainless Banner, the bodhisattva Constellation Banner, the bodhisattva Dharma Banner.

The lands they had come from were these: the world Wondrous Jewel, the world Wondrous Joy, the world Wondrous Silver, the world Wondrous Gold, the world Wondrous Maṇi, the world Wondrous Vajra, the world Wondrous Padma, the world Wondrous Utpala, the world Wondrous Sandalwood, the world Wondrous Fragrance. Each of them, in the presence of his own buddha, purely cultivated the brahma-conduct (conduct that is pure and undefiled), and the buddhas they served were these: the Buddha Inexhaustible Banner, the Buddha Wind Banner, the Buddha Liberation Banner, the Buddha Deportment Banner, the Buddha Bright-Mark Banner, the Buddha Constant Banner, the Buddha Most Excellent Banner, the Buddha Sovereign Banner, the Buddha Brahmā Banner, the Buddha Contemplation Banner.

When these bodhisattvas had come to where the Buddha was, they bowed their heads to the Buddha's two feet; and by the Buddha's spiritual power there was conjured up a lion throne of the treasury of wondrous jewels, with a net of jewels spread over it above, filling everywhere all around; and this multitude of bodhisattvas, each following the quarter from which he had come, sat down upon those thrones with legs crossed (sitting with the two feet folded one upon the other).

From their bodies they all sent forth pure light-rays as many as a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas (all of these being names of exceedingly great numbers). All this measureless light arose from the bodhisattvas' minds pure as jewels and from their great vows that leave every sort of fault behind, and it served to display the pure dharma of the sovereign freedom of all buddhas; by the equal power of these bodhisattvas' vows it was able to rescue and guard all sentient beings everywhere, and it was what all the world delights to see, and those who saw it did not see it in vain, but were all brought to discipline.

This multitude of bodhisattvas had all accomplished measureless merit. Namely: they journeyed everywhere through all the buddha-lands without obstruction, and saw that pure dharma-body which rests upon nothing; with a body of wisdom they manifested measureless bodies, going throughout the ten directions to serve the buddhas; they entered into the measureless, boundless, inconceivable dharma of the sovereign freedom of the buddhas, and abided in the measureless gates of omniscience, and with the light of wisdom they were well able to understand all dharmas; among all dharmas they gained fearlessness, and according to what they expounded they reached to the very limit of the future; their eloquence was without end, and with great wisdom they opened the gate of retention (the ability to gather up and hold all dharmas without losing them), their eye of wisdom pure and entering into the deep and vast Dharma realm, the realm of their wisdom without bound, ultimately pure as empty space.

Just as in this world there was in the palace of the Tuṣita Heaven a multitude of bodhisattvas that came and gathered in this way, so too in all the palaces of the Tuṣita Heaven in the ten directions there were bodhisattvas of just these names who came and assembled, and the lands they had come from and the titles of the buddhas were likewise all equal and without difference.

The World-Honored One Emits Light from the Wheels of His Two Knees: They See One Another, and in Ages Past They Planted Roots of Goodness Together with Vairocana

At that time the World-Honored One sent forth from the place of the wheels of his two knees a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of rays of light, illumining everywhere all the worlds of the ten directions to the very limit of the Dharma realm and the realm of empty space. The bodhisattvas over there all saw the marks of the spiritual transformation of the Buddha here; and the bodhisattvas here likewise saw the marks of the spiritual transformation of all the tathāgatas over there.

These bodhisattvas had all, in ages past, planted roots of goodness together with the Tathāgata Vairocana and cultivated the practice of a bodhisattva; they had all already awakened into the sovereign and profound liberation of the buddhas, and had gained the body of the Dharma realm in which there is no difference, and entered into all lands with no dwelling anywhere; they saw measureless buddhas and went to serve them all; within a single thought they moved throughout the entire Dharma realm, sovereign and unobstructed; their thought was pure, like a jewel beyond price; measureless, numberless buddhas, tathāgatas, constantly guarded and were mindful of them and together conferred power upon them, so that they reached the ultimate and foremost other shore; they constantly abided with pure recollection in the unsurpassed awakening, and thought after thought constantly entered into the place of omniscience; entering the great with the small and the small with the great, they gained sovereign freedom in all of it, penetrating without obstruction; they had already gained the buddha-body and dwelt together with the buddhas; they had obtained omniscience, and from omniscience their bodies were born; wherever all the tathāgatas walked, they were all able to enter in after them; they opened and made clear measureless gates of wisdom, and reached the other shore of the great wisdom that is like a vajra banner, and obtained the samādhi of the vajra, cutting off every sort of doubt; they had already gained the sovereign spiritual penetrations of the buddhas, and everywhere throughout all the lands of the ten directions they taught and disciplined a hundred thousand koṭis of myriads of numberless sentient beings; toward all numbers, although they clung to nothing, they were well able to train in them and to accomplish them ultimately, establishing all dharmas by skillful means.

Such was this multitude of bodhisattvas — as many as a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of things that cannot be spoken, inexhaustibly pure, running through the three times, a treasury of all measureless merit — and they all came and assembled where the Buddha was; and in all the places of the buddhas that the light shone upon and revealed, it was likewise entirely thus.

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Vajra Banner: The Tathāgata Does Not Appear in the World, Nor Is There Any Nirvāṇa

At that time the bodhisattva Vajra Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“The Tathāgata has not appeared in the world, nor has he entered nirvāṇa; it is only by the power of his original great vow that he manifests this dharma of sovereign freedom.

“This dharma is hard to conceive of and to discuss, and it is not a place the mind can reach; only when wisdom has gone to the other shore can one see the realm of the buddhas.

“The body of form is not the Buddha, and with sound it is likewise; yet neither is it apart from form and sound that one could otherwise see the Buddha's power of spiritual penetration.

“Those whose wisdom is slight cannot know the true realm of the buddhas; those who have long cultivated pure karma are able to understand this matter thoroughly.

“The perfect awakening has no place it comes from, and when it goes there is nothing it goes from; that pure and subtle body of form appears because of his spiritual power.

“Within measureless worlds he manifests the body of the Tathāgata and expounds the subtle dharma at large, and yet his mind clings to nothing.

“His wisdom is without bound; he understands all dharmas thoroughly, enters everywhere into the Dharma realm, and manifests the power of sovereign freedom.

“Sentient beings and all dharmas alike he understands thoroughly and without obstruction; he manifests everywhere every sort of form and image, spread through all the buddha-lands.

“One who wishes to seek omniscience and swiftly to accomplish the unsurpassed awakening should, with a pure and subtle mind, cultivate the practice of awakening.

“If there be one who sees such awesome spiritual power of the Tathāgata, he should then make offerings to this most excellent World-Honored One and give rise to no doubt.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Firm Banner: He Passes Beyond the Path of Words, Pure as Empty Space

At that time the bodhisattva Firm Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“The Tathāgata is excellent beyond compare, so profound that he cannot be told; he has passed beyond the path of words, pure as empty space.

“Look upon that lion among men and his power of sovereign spiritual penetration: he himself has already left discrimination behind, and yet he can let others see him within their discriminating.

“The Guide, for the sake of sentient beings, opens up and expounds the profound and subtle dharma; it is because of this cause and condition that he manifests this body beyond compare.

“This is the great wisdom, the place where the buddhas walk; one who wishes to understand this matter should constantly draw near to the Buddha.

“Let the karma of the mind be constantly pure, making offerings to the tathāgatas, and from first to last let there be no mind of weariness — thus one is able to enter the path of the Buddha.

“Furnished with inexhaustible merit, abiding firmly in the mind of awakening — because of this the net of doubt is removed, and one gazes upon the Buddha without ever being sated.

“Penetrating all dharmas thoroughly — this is what it is to be a true son of the Buddha; such a one is able to understand the power of the sovereign freedom of the buddhas.

“What the vast wisdom expounds is this: desire (the mind that seeks and hopes) is the root of all dharmas; therefore one should give rise to an excellent hope, and set one's will upon seeking the unsurpassed awakening.

“If there be one who reveres the Buddha and thought after thought is mindful of repaying the Buddha's kindness, this person will in the end never depart from the place where all the buddhas abide.

“Where is there a man of wisdom who, having gained the sight and hearing of the Buddha, would not cultivate the pure vow nor tread the path that the Buddha treads?”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Valiant Banner: So Too Is the Pure Mind — by the Buddha's Power One Sees the Tathāgata

At that time the bodhisattva Valiant Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“Just as a bright and clear eye, by the light of the sun, sees every sort of form, so too is the pure mind: by the Buddha's power it sees the Tathāgata.

“Just as by the power of vigor one can exhaust the very source and bottom of the great sea, so too is the power of wisdom: it is able to see measureless buddhas.

“Just as in a good and fertile field what is sown must surely grow, so too can such a pure mind-ground bring forth the dharma of the buddhas.

“Just as a man who obtains a treasury of jewels is forever parted from the suffering of poverty, so too the bodhisattva who gains the Buddha's dharma is parted from defilement and his mind becomes pure.

“Just as the agada medicine (a fine medicine able to neutralize every poison) can neutralize every poison, so too is the Buddha's dharma: it is able to extinguish every trouble of the afflictions.

“The true and real good friend is one whom the Tathāgata praises; and it is because of that good friend's awesome spirit that one gains the hearing of the dharma of the buddhas.

“Though for numberless kalpas one were to give wealth and jewels to the Buddha, if one does not know the Buddha's true mark, this is still not called giving.

“Measureless forms of every sort adorn the body of the Buddha; yet it is not within those forms that one is able to see the Buddha.

“The Tathāgata, the perfectly awakened one, is still and constantly unmoving, and yet he is able to manifest his body everywhere, filling the worlds of the ten directions.

“Just as the realm of empty space neither arises nor perishes, so too is the dharma of the buddhas: ultimately there is no arising and no perishing.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Light Banner: One Buddha-Body Manifests Everywhere All Buddhas

At that time the bodhisattva Light Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“In all the many worlds, among humans and in the heavens above, everywhere they see the Tathāgata's pure and subtle body of form.

“Just as the power of one mind is able to bring forth every sort of mind, so too does one buddha-body manifest everywhere all buddhas.

“Awakening has no second dharma, nor has it any sort of mark; and yet within the two dharmas he manifests an adorned body that has marks.

“Understanding thoroughly that the nature of dharmas is from the first empty and still, and that it arises as an illusion arises — what he practices is without end, and thus does the Guide manifest.

“The dharma-bodies of all the buddhas of the three times are wholly pure; according to what sentient beings ought to be taught by, he manifests everywhere his subtle body of form.

“The Tathāgata does not give rise to the thought: I shall make a body such as this; it is of itself and spontaneously that he manifests, and he has never given rise to discrimination.

“The Dharma realm is without difference and has nothing it rests upon; and yet within the world he manifests measureless bodies.

“The buddha-body is not a transformation, nor is it a non-transformation; within the dharma that is without transformation he manifests a form that has transformation.

“The perfect awakening cannot be measured; it is equal to the Dharma realm and to empty space; deep and vast, it has no shore or bottom, and the path of words is wholly cut off.

“The Tathāgata is well able to penetrate through and to walk the path in every place; the Dharma realm and every sort of land — wherever he goes there is no obstruction.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Wisdom Banner: Just as the Pure Full Moon Appears Everywhere in All Waters

At that time the bodhisattva Wisdom Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“If there be one who can believe and accept that omniscience is without obstruction, and who cultivates the practice of awakening, his mind cannot be measured.

“Within all the lands he manifests everywhere measureless bodies; and yet the body is not in any place, nor does it abide in any dharma.

“Of every single tathāgata, the bodies manifested by spiritual power, through inconceivable kalpas, cannot be exhausted by reckoning and counting.

“The sentient beings of the three times — their number may still be known; but what the Tathāgata manifests — that number cannot be got at.

“At times he manifests one body, or two, or on to measureless bodies; he manifests everywhere in the buddha-lands of the ten directions, and yet in truth there are not two.

“Just as the pure full moon appears everywhere in all the waters — though the images are measureless, the moon itself has never been two.

“So too this unobstructed wisdom accomplished the right and perfect awakening; it manifests everywhere in all the buddha-lands, and yet the substance of the Buddha too is not two.

“It is not one, nor is it two, nor is it measureless; according to what sentient beings ought to be taught by, he manifests measureless bodies.

“The buddha-body is not past, nor is it future; within a single thought it manifests birth, the attaining of the path, and nirvāṇa.

“Just as the forms made by an illusionist have no birth and no arising, so too is the buddha-body: it manifests, and yet in truth there is no birth.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Jewel Banner: The Tathāgata's Attaining of Awakening Is Truly Not Tied to a Day

At that time the bodhisattva Jewel Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“The buddha-body has no measure, and yet it can manifest a body that has measure; according to what sentient beings ought to see, thus does the Guide manifest.

“The buddha-body has no place, and yet it fills every place; like empty space it has no bound, and thus it is hard to conceive of and to discuss.

“It is not a place the mind can reach, nor does the mind arise within it; within the realm of the buddhas there is ultimately no arising and no perishing.

“Just as what an eye with cataract sees (such things as flowers in the sky) is neither within nor without, so too, when the world sees the buddhas, one should know that it is likewise.

“It is for the sake of benefiting sentient beings that the Tathāgata appears in the world; sentient beings see that there is an appearing, and yet in truth there is no arising in the world.

“One may not see the Buddha by lands, nor by day and night; the year, the month, and on to a single kṣaṇa — one should know that all of them are likewise.

“Sentient beings speak in this way: on such a day the Buddha attained the path; but the Tathāgata's attaining of awakening is truly not tied to any one day.

“The Tathāgata has left discrimination behind; he does not belong to the world and passes beyond every sort of number; and the Guides of the three times, in their appearing in the world, are all of them thus.

“Just as the pure orb of the sun is not joined with the darkness of night, and yet men say a certain day and a certain night, so too is the dharma of the buddhas.

“All the kalpas of the three times are not joined with the Tathāgata, and yet men speak of the buddhas of the three times: such is the dharma of the Guide.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Vigor Banner: All the Guides Are the Same in Body, and So Too in Import

At that time the bodhisattva Vigor Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“All the Guides are the same in body, and so too in import; everywhere in the buddha-lands of the ten directions they manifest in every sort of way, according to what is fitting.

“Look upon that Muni, the World-Honored One, and what he does, which is utterly extraordinary: he fills the entire Dharma realm, and in every place there is nothing left out.

“The buddha-body is not within, nor is it without; it appears because of his spiritual power: such is the dharma of the Guide.

“According to the karma amassed in former lives by the several kinds of sentient beings, bodies of these several sorts are manifested, each of them different.

“The bodies of the buddhas are thus: measureless and beyond counting; save only for the World-Honored One of great awakening, there is none able to conceive of them or discuss them.

“Just as that ‘self’ is hard to conceive of, and mind and karma cannot get hold of it, so too is the Buddha's being hard to conceive of: he is not what mind or karma can manifest.

“Just as a buddha-land is inconceivable, and yet its pure adornments are seen, so too is the Buddha's being hard to conceive of: there is no subtle mark of his that is not manifested.

“Just as all dharmas arise because of a multitude of conditions, so too is the seeing of the Buddha: it must borrow a multitude of good karma.

“Just as the wish-fulfilling jewel is able to satisfy the minds of sentient beings, so too is the dharma of the buddhas: it satisfies all vows entirely.

“Within measureless lands the Guides arise in the world; because of the power of their vows they respond everywhere in the ten directions.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Stainless Banner: Taking the Buddha as One's Object, Single-Mindedly Recollecting Without Ceasing

At that time the bodhisattva Stainless Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“The Tathāgata's light of great wisdom purifies everywhere the many worlds; and when the worlds have been purified, he then opens up and reveals to them the dharma of the buddhas.

“Suppose there were one who wished to see buddhas as many as the number of sentient beings, there is none that would not accord with his mind, and yet in truth there is no place from which they come.

“Taking the Buddha as one's object, single-mindedly recollecting without ceasing — this person gains the sight of the Buddha, and the number he sees is equal to his mind.

“Accomplishing the white and pure dharma, furnished with every sort of merit, toward omniscience he single-mindedly recollects and does not let go with his mind.

“The Guide, for the sake of sentient beings, expounds the dharma according to what is fitting; and wherever there are those who may be taught, he manifests everywhere his most excellent body.

“The buddha-body and the world, all of them are without self; awakening to this he accomplishes the perfect awakening, and again expounds it for sentient beings.

“All the lions among men have measureless power of sovereign freedom; they manifest bodies as many as the recollections of sentient beings, and those bodies are each of them different.

“The world is a body such as this, and the bodies of the buddhas too are thus; to understand their own-nature — this is what is called the Buddha.

“The Tathāgata knows and sees everywhere, and understands clearly all dharmas; and the Buddha's dharma and awakening, the two of them alike cannot be got at.

“The Guide has no coming and no going, nor has he any dwelling; far removed from every sort of inversion — this is what is called right and perfect awakening.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Constellation Banner: The Buddhas Are Inconceivable — Who Is Able to Conceive of the Buddha?

At that time the bodhisattva Constellation Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“The Tathāgata dwells nowhere, and yet he dwells everywhere in all the buddha-lands; to all the lands he goes, and in all places he is seen.

“The Buddha, according to the minds of sentient beings, manifests everywhere every sort of body: the attaining of the path, the turning of the wheel of the Dharma, and the entering into parinirvāṇa.

“The buddhas are inconceivable — who is able to conceive of the Buddha? Who is able to see the perfect awakening? Who is able to manifest the most excellent one?

“All dharmas are suchness, and the realm of the buddhas is likewise; and there is not so much as a single dharma that within suchness has arising or perishing.

“Sentient beings falsely discriminate: this is the Buddha, this is the world; but one who understands thoroughly the nature of dharmas has no Buddha and no world.

“The Tathāgata appears everywhere before sentient beings and causes them to give rise to faith and joy; and yet the substance of the Buddha cannot be got at, and they too have seen nothing.

“If one is able, toward the world, to leave every attachment behind, and with an unobstructed mind to rejoice, then one is able to gain awakening in regard to the dharma.

“What is manifested by spiritual power — this is what is called the Buddha; but seek it throughout all the times of the three times, and it is nowhere to be had.

“If one is able in this way to understand mind and mentation and all dharmas, then one knows and sees all of them, and swiftly gains the accomplishing of the Tathāgata.

“Within words are displayed all the sovereign freedoms of the Buddha; the perfect awakening is itself beyond words, and it is only by borrowing words that it is expounded.”

The Ten Verses of the Bodhisattva Dharma Banner: Rather Would One Constantly and Fully Undergo All the Sufferings of Every World

At that time the bodhisattva Dharma Banner, sustained by the Buddha's spiritual power, contemplated everywhere the ten directions and spoke these verses:

“Rather would one constantly and fully undergo all the sufferings of every world than in the end be far from the Tathāgata and not behold his power of sovereign freedom.

“If there be any sentient beings who have not yet given rise to the mind of awakening, once they gain the hearing of the Buddha's name, they are determined to accomplish awakening.

“If there be a man of wisdom who within a single thought gives rise to the mind that seeks the path, he will surely accomplish the unsurpassed World-Honored One; only let him give rise to no doubt.

“The Tathāgata's power of sovereign freedom is hard to meet with even through measureless kalpas; if one can give rise to a single thought of faith, one swiftly ascends the unsurpassed path.

“Though thought after thought one were to make offerings to measureless buddhas, if one does not know the true and real dharma, that is still not called making offerings.

“If one hears a dharma such as this — that the buddhas are born from just this — then though one pass through measureless suffering, one will not cast away the practice of awakening.

“Once one hears this great wisdom, the dharma into which the buddhas enter, one is able everywhere within the Dharma realm to become a Guide of the three times.

“Though one were to the very limit of the future to journey through all the buddha-lands of the buddhas, if one does not seek this subtle dharma, one will in the end not accomplish awakening.

“Sentient beings, from a beginningless beginning, have long drifted and turned within birth and death, unable to understand the true and real dharma; and it is for this that the buddhas arise in the world.

“The dharmas cannot be destroyed, nor is there any that can destroy them; the great light of sovereign freedom is displayed everywhere throughout the world.”