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Sūtra 42 (posted 12/2013, updated 02/2014) Book information on Home page
At that time Samantabhadra[1] Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva told the other Bodhisattvas in the assembly, “Buddha-Sons, what has just been revealed according to sentient beings’ capacities is a brief description of a small part of a Tathāgata’s state. Why? Buddha-Bhagavāns appear in worlds because sentient beings have no wisdom, do evil, imagine a self and its belongings, have attachment to their bodies, hold inverted views,[2] harbor doubts, make differentiations, are driven by their afflictions, and drift in the stream of birth and death, far away from the Tathāgata path.
“Buddha-Sons, I do not see even one fault as severe as a Bodhisattva getting angry with other Bodhisattvas. Why? Because, Buddha-Sons, if a Bodhisattva gets angry with other Bodhisattvas, he opens the door of a million hindrances to bodhi.
“What are these one million hindrances? They include the hindrance of not seeing bodhi; the hindrance of not hearing the Dharma; the hindrance of being reborn in an impure world; the hindrance of being reborn to walk an evil life-path; the hindrance of being reborn in a difficult place;[3] the hindrance of being plagued with illness; the hindrance of being slandered; the hindrance of being reborn as a stubborn and stupid sentient being; the hindrance of losing right mindfulness; the hindrance of being reborn with little intelligence; the hindrance of being reborn with flawed faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind; the hindrance of having evil teachers; the hindrance of having evil comrades; the hindrance of delighting in the Small Vehicle; the hindrance of delighting in associating with the mediocre; the hindrance of disbelieving and disliking those with great virtues; the hindrance of delighting in the company of those who turn away from the right views; the hindrance of being reborn into a family on the wrong path; the hindrance of abiding in the dominion of māras; the hindrance of turning away from a Buddha’s teachings; the hindrance of not seeing beneficent friends; the hindrance of having difficulties in preserving his roots of goodness; the hindrance of increasing involvement with evil ways; the hindrance of living in squalid places; the hindrance of being reborn in a remote country where the Dharma is inaccessible; the hindrance of being reborn into an evil family; the hindrance of being reborn as an evil god, dragon, yakṣa, gandharva, asura, garuḍa, kiṁnara, mahoraga, or rakṣasa; the hindrance of disliking the Buddha Dharma; the hindrance of learning only elementary teachings; the hindrance of having attachment to the Small Vehicle; the hindrance of disliking the Great Vehicle [Mahāyāna]; the hindrance of having a fearful nature; the hindrance of having an anxious and distressed mind; the hindrance of having attachment to the cycle of birth and death; the hindrance of not focusing on the Buddha Dharma; the hindrance of disliking to hear about or see a Buddha’s display of His command of transcendental powers; the hindrance of not developing a Bodhisattva’s capacities; the hindrance of not taking a Bodhisattva’s pure actions; the hindrance of losing a Bodhisattva’s profound mind; the hindrance of not making great Bodhisattva vows; the hindrance of not resolving to acquire [sarvajña] the overall wisdom-knowledge; the hindrance of being lax in Bodhisattva actions; the hindrance of inability to purify his karmas; the hindrance of inability to accumulate great merits; the hindrance of inability to sharpen his intellect; the hindrance of ending the aspiration to acquire vast wisdom; the hindrance of not supporting Bodhisattva actions; the hindrance of delighting in maligning words of wisdom; the hindrance of turning far away from Buddha bodhi; the hindrance of delighting in staying in the dominion of māras; the hindrance of not training to attain a Buddha’s state; the hindrance of not resolving to make vast Bodhisattva vows; the hindrance of not delighting in working with Bodhisattvas; the hindrance of not seeking to develop a Bodhisattva’s roots of goodness; the hindrance of having a skeptical nature; the hindrance of having a deficient mind.
“Moreover, not practicing a Bodhisattva’s equal almsgiving leads to the hindrance of inability to relinquish anything; not observing Tathāgatas’ precepts leads to the hindrance of violating the precepts; not developing endurance [of adversity] leads to these hindrances: delusion, anger, and hurtful behavior; not making a Bodhisattva’s energetic progress leads to the hindrance of indolence; not attaining samādhi leads to the hindrance of a chaotic mind; not practicing prajñā-pāramitā[4] leads to these hindrances: evil wisdom, inability to determine wisely what is right or wrong, no skillful means to deliver sentient beings, inability to observe a Bodhisattva’s wisdom, and inability to know a Bodhisattva’s ways to achieve liberation.
“Moreover, not acquiring a Bodhisattva’s ten vast eyes leads to the hindrance of having eyes like those born blind; not hearing the hindrance-free Dharma leads to the hindrance of having a mouth like a dumb goat’s; not being equipped with the excellent marks [of a great man] leads to the hindrance to the sense of smell; inability to comprehend sentient beings’ words leads to the hindrance to the sense of taste; despising sentient beings leads to the hindrance to the sense of touch; allowing the mind to rampage leads to the hindrance to the mind.
“Moreover, doing any of the three evil karmas [killing, stealing, sexual misconduct] leads to the hindrance of [evil] body karmas. Constantly committing any of the four faults[5] leads to the hindrance of [evil] voice karmas. Harboring greed, anger, and wrong views leads to the hindrance of [evil] mind karmas. [Other hindrances include] the hindrance of seeking the Dharma with a thieving mind; the hindrance of turning away from the Bodhisattva state; the hindrance of cringing from a Bodhisattva’s bold valor; the hindrance of being indolent on a Bodhisattva’s liberation path; the hindrance of giving up a Bodhisattva’s radiant wisdom door; the hindrance of becoming too weak to have a Bodhisattva’s power of mindfulness; the hindrance of inability to retain a Tathāgata’s teachings; the hindrance of inability to stay on the Bodhisattva Way, which can end his rebirths in the Three Realms of Existence; the hindrance of inability to train on the indestructible Bodhisattva Way; the hindrance of seeking the right position [nirvāṇa] of riders of the Two Vehicles; the hindrance of turning away from families of past, present, and future Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
“Buddha-Sons, if a Bodhisattva gets angry with other Bodhisattvas, he opens the door of a hundred million hindrances. Why? Because, Buddha-Sons, I do not see even one fault as severe as a Bodhisattva getting angry with other Bodhisattvas.
“Therefore, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who wants to complete Bodhisattva actions quickly should diligently practice ten dharmas. What are these ten? They are (1) never abandon any sentient beings; (2) regard Bodhisattvas as Tathāgatas; (3) never malign the Dharma of Buddhas; (4) know that worlds are countless; (5) have faith and delight in Bodhisattva actions; (6) never abandon the bodhi mind, which is as vast as the open sky and the dharma realm; (7) observe that bodhi leads to a Tathāgata’s power; (8) diligently practice unimpeded eloquence; (9) tirelessly teach and transform sentient beings; (10) abide in the world without attachments. These are the ten.
“Buddha-Sons, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who abides in these ten dharmas has ten purities. What are these ten? They are (1) purity of understanding of the profound Dharma; (2) purity of staying close to beneficent learned friends; (3) purity of protecting and upholding the Dharma of Buddhas; (4) purity of understanding of the domain of space; (5) purity of delving into the dharma realm; (6) purity of observing the boundless mind; (7) purity of having the same roots of goodness as those of all Bodhisattvas; (8) purity of having no attachment to any kalpas; (9) purity of observing past, present, and future; (10) purity of carrying out the Dharma of all Buddhas. These are the ten.
“Buddha-Sons, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who abides in these ten purities has ten kinds of vast wisdom-knowledge [jñāna]. What are these ten? They are (1) wisdom-knowledge of all sentient beings’ mental activities; (2) wisdom-knowledge of all sentient beings’ karmic requitals; (3) wisdom-knowledge of the Dharma of all Buddhas; (4) wisdom-knowledge of the profound and secret tenets of the Dharma of all Buddhas; (5) wisdom-knowledge of all dhāraṇī doors; (6) wisdom-knowledge of all words and eloquent expressions; (7) wisdom-knowledge of all sentient beings’ languages, voices, and expressions; (8) wisdom-knowledge to manifest bodies in all worlds; (9) wisdom-knowledge to manifest images in all assemblies; (10) wisdom-knowledge to acquire the overall wisdom-knowledge through all life-journeys.
“Buddha-Sons, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who abides in these ten kinds of wisdom-knowledge sees ten entrances. What are these ten? (1) All worlds enter the tip of one hair; the tip of one hair enters all worlds. (2) All sentient beings’ bodies enter one body; one body enters all sentient beings’ bodies. (3) An ineffable number of kalpas enter one thought; one thought enters an ineffable number of kalpas. (4) The teachings of all Buddhas enter one teaching; one teaching enters the teachings of all Buddhas. (5) An ineffable number of sensory fields enter one sensory field;[6] one sensory field enters an ineffable number of sensory fields. (6) An ineffable number of faculties enter one faculty;[7] one faculty enters an ineffable number of faculties. (7) All faculties enter one non-faculty; one non-faculty enters all faculties. (8) All perceptions enter one perception; one perception enters all perceptions. (9) All sounds of words enter the sound of one word; the sound of one word enters the sounds of all words. (10) The three time frames [past, present, and future] enter one time frame; one time frame enters all three time frames. These are the ten.
“Buddha-Sons, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who has seen these ten entrances abides in ten superb minds. What are these ten? They are (1) the superb mind that knows the verbal and non-verbal expressions in all worlds; (2) the superb mind that thinks of all sentient beings; (3) the superb mind that pervades the domain of space; (4) the superb mind that is as vast as the boundless dharma realm; (5) the superb mind that contains the profound and secret Buddha Dharma; (6) the superb mind that does not differentiate dharmas; (7) the superb mind that removes all doubts; (8) the superb mind that sees that past, present, and future are the same; (9) the superb mind that knows the equality of past, present, and future Buddhas; (10) the superb mind that has the immeasurable power of all Buddhas.
“Buddha-Sons, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who abides in these ten superb minds has Buddhas’ ten skillful means. What are these ten? They are (1) skillful means to understand the profound Buddha Dharma; (2) skillful means to reveal the vast Buddha Dharma; (3) skillful means to expound various teachings of the Buddha Dharma; (4) skillful means to realize the equality of dharmas as pronounced in the Buddha Dharma; (5) skillful means to understand different teachings of the Buddha Dharma; (6) skillful means to realize that different teachings of the Buddha Dharma are no different; (7) skillful means to delve into the majestic Buddha Dharma; (8) skillful means to enter the Buddha Dharma, using only one method; (9) skillful means to enter the Buddha Dharma, using countless methods; (10) skillful means not to turn away from the Buddha Dharma, using his own mind and power. These are the ten.
“Buddha-Sons, a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who has heard these teachings [on universally worthy actions] should resolve to accept and retain them with respect. Why? Because a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who retains these teachings will, with a little effort, quickly attain anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi and acquire the entire Buddha Dharma, which is the same as that of all past, present, and future Buddhas.”
Then, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, as the way things naturally are, in the ten directions, worlds as numerous as the dust particles in a million koṭi nayuta ineffable Buddha Lands quaked in six different ways. The sky rained down, like clouds, all adornments, such as flowers, fragrances, powdered incense, garment canopies, banners, and jewels, that surpassed their celestial counterparts. It spread clouds that played music; clouds in which appeared images of Bodhisattvas; clouds in which appeared images of Tathāgatas; clouds that praised the ineffable goodness of Tathāgatas; clouds that emitted Tathāgata tones pervading the entire dharma realm; clouds that adorned ineffable worlds; clouds that ineffably fortified the bodhi mind; clouds that radiated ineffable light; clouds that expounded the Dharma through ineffable spiritual powers. It was in this world with four continents, in the palace in the bodhimaṇḍa under the bodhi tree, that Bodhisattvas saw the Tathāgata attain samyak-saṁbodhi and expound this dharma [through Samantabhadra Bodhisattva], and the same transpired in all worlds in the ten directions.
Then, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, as the way things naturally are, from the ten directions, beyond worlds as numerous as the dust particles in ten ineffable worlds, Bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles in ten Buddha Lands came to visit this world. Filling [the sky in] the ten directions, they said [to Samantabhadra Bodhisattva], “Very good, very good! Buddha-Son, only you can expound this profound dharma of Buddha-Tathāgatas’ greatest vow to bestow the prophecy [of attaining Buddhahood]. All of us are called Samantabhadra. From the World of Universal Victory, where Universal Banner Command Tathāgata resides, we each came to visit this world. Through the Buddha’s spiritual power, we too expound this dharma everywhere. What we expound is the same as that expounded in this assembly, neither more nor less. Through the Buddha’s spiritual power, we came to this bodhimaṇḍa to testify for you. As we Bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles in ten Buddha Lands came to testify in this bodhimaṇḍa, we do the same in all worlds in the ten directions.”
Then Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, through the spiritual power of the Buddha and the power of his own roots of goodness, scanned everywhere in worlds in the ten directions throughout the dharma realm. He spoke in verse to teach Bodhisattva actions, to reveal the realm of Buddha bodhi, to reveal the realm of great vows, to account for the kalpas of all worlds, to describe Buddhas’ timely appearances, to explain that Their appearances to sentient beings with mature faculties enable them to make offerings [to Them], to affirm that Their appearances in worlds are never fruitless, to affirm that planted roots of goodness will definitely yield fruit, and to reveal that Bodhisattvas with great virtues assume appropriate forms to expound the Dharma to all sentient beings to enlighten them.
All of you should rejoice
And remove your [mental] coverings.[8]
Single-mindedly listen with respect
To Bodhisattva vows and actions.
Past Bodhisattvas have become
[Buddhas] Supreme lions among men.
I will describe in an orderly manner
Their practices,
And reveal their kalpas,
Worlds, and karmas,
As well as those of the unsurpassed honored ones
Who have appeared in the world.
Past Buddhas
Appeared in worlds because of Their great vows
To benefit sentient beings and
End their suffering.
All Bodhisattvas, [to become] lions among speakers,[9]
Ceaselessly train to
Realize the equality of dharmas as taught by Buddhas
And acquire the overall wisdom-knowledge.
They see that in the past
All lions among men
Emitted a web of vast radiance,
Illuminating everywhere [in worlds] in the ten directions.
They ponder, and make this vow:
‘I should become a lamp for the world,
Acquire a Buddha’s virtues,
Ten Powers, and overall wisdom-knowledge.
I should rescue and deliver
All sentient beings
Burning in greed, anger, and delusion,
And end their suffering on evil life-paths.’
Having made this vow,
Which is firm and never withdrawn,
They take all Bodhisattva actions,
And acquire the ten hindrance-free powers.
Carrying out their vow,
They train diligently, never regressing.
Their actions are never false, and
They become lions among speakers.
In a worthy kalpa,[10]
A thousand Buddhas appear in the world, one at a time.
I will describe in an orderly manner
Their universal eyes.[11]
As it is this way in one worthy kalpa,
So too it is in countless kalpas.
I will also reveal in detail
Future Buddhas’ actions.
As they prevail in one Buddha Land,
So too they prevail in countless Buddha Lands.
I will now describe the actions of
Future honored ones, who have the Ten Powers.
One at a time, Buddhas appear in each world.
According to Their names and vows,
According to the prophecies They have received,
According to their lifespans,
According to the true Dharma they have carried out
In pursuit of the hindrance-free bodhi,
And according to [the capacities of] sentient beings They teach,
They enable the true Dharma to remain in the world.
According to the Buddha Lands and sentient beings They purify,
They turn the Dharma wheel,
Expounding the Dharma at the right times
To purify sentient beings in an orderly manner.
According to sentient beings’ karmas,
Actions, and levels of faith and understanding,
Whether high, middling, or low,
They transform them, and make them train and learn.
A Bodhisattva acquires wisdom-knowledge
And takes the most excellent actions.
He always does universally worthy works
To widely deliver sentient beings.
His body karmas are hindrance free,
His voice karmas are pure, and
So are his mind karmas,
Throughout his past, present, and future lives.
A Bodhisattva trains in this way
To complete walking the universally worthy path.
He unveils the sun of pure wisdom,
Illuminating everywhere in the dharma realm.
Although future kalpas
And worlds are ineffable,
In one thought, he knows them all
But does not differentiate them.
A Bodhisattva who trains in this way can enter
The supreme ground.
I will briefly pronounce
Such Bodhisattva works.
His wisdom being boundless,
He reaches a Buddha’s state.
He can enter everywhere,
And his actions never regress.
Equipped with universally worthy wisdom,
He fulfills his universally worthy vows.
He acquires unsurpassed wisdom-knowledge, and
I will describe his universally worthy actions.
In a dust particle,
He sees myriad worlds.
If sentient beings heard this,
They would be puzzled and go mad.
As it is with one dust particle.
So it is with all dust particles.
It is inconceivable that
Worlds enter one dust particle.
Every dust particle contains worlds in the ten directions,
In the past, present, and future.
He knows and can differentiate among
Countless worlds and among all life-paths.
Every dust particle contains
Countless kinds of Buddha Lands.
Although their kinds are countless,
He knows every one of them.
He knows and can differentiate
All things in the dharma realm, such as
Their various features
And their various kinds.
He goes deep into the sphere of subtle wisdom-knowledge
To differentiate among all worlds
And clearly explain
Their formation kalpas and destruction kalpas.
He knows that kalpas can be shortened,
Because past, present, and future are but one thought.
He knows all processes and can differentiate them,
Whether the same or not the same.
He enters all worlds,
Whether immense or not immense.
One body contains countless worlds;
One world contains countless bodies.
He knows all worlds
In the ten directions, and
Their differences and
Countless features.
In the past, present, and future,
There are countless worlds.
Equipped with profound wisdom-knowledge,
He knows their formations and destructions.
This worthy and virtuous one knows deeply
That the formations or destructions of
Worlds in the ten directions
Are ineffable.
There are worlds with
Various adornments.
There are life-paths
Purified by sentient beings’ [good] karmas.
There are worlds with
Countless taints
Resulting from sentient beings’ [evil] actions
Driven by their afflictions.
He knows that countless worlds
Are but one world.
He enters these worlds,
Whose numbers cannot be known.
Although all worlds
Enter one world,
They are not merged into one,
Nor are they jumbled.
Some worlds face up or down;
Some worlds are located high or low.
All such differences are sentient beings’ perceptions,
And he knows them all and can differentiate them all.
Although immense worlds are
Countless and boundless,
He knows that many are one and
One is many.
Universally worthy Buddha-sons
Can use universally worthy wisdom-knowledge
To know the number of worlds,
Though their number has no limit.
They know that all worlds,
Sentient beings,
Buddhas, and dharmas
In truth are manifestations.
All worlds,
Minute or immense,
Bedecked with various adornments,
Arise from karmas.
Innumerable Buddha-sons,
Who have trained well, enter the dharma realm,
Displaying their command of transcendent powers
Everywhere in worlds in the ten directions.
Except for Buddhas,
No one can finish saying,
In kalpas as numerous as the number of sentient beings,
The names of those worlds.
As no one can finish saying,
In countless kalpas,
The various names of worlds and
Their Tathāgatas,
Much less can one describe the supreme wisdom-knowledge
Contained in the Dharma of past, present, and future Buddhas,
Which arises from the dharma realm
And pervades the Tathāgata ground.
[A Bodhisattva] uses his pure hindrance-free mindfulness
And boundless hindrance-free wisdom
To describe the dharma realm
And arrive at the opposite shore.[12]
In one thought, he knows
All past worlds,
Minute or immense,
With adornments brought by immeasurable karmas.
In those worlds, lions among men
Had done various kinds of training for Buddhahood,
Attained samyak-saṁbodhi,
And displayed the power of Their command.
A Bodhisattva knows
All future worlds in
Countless successive kalpas,
And all Buddhas who will appear there.
He knows Their vows, actions,
And states,
And that They will train diligently
To attain samyak-saṁbodhi.
He knows Their assemblies,
Lifespans, and the sentient beings They will deliver,
As well as Their Dharma Doors,
Through which They will turn the Dharma wheel to benefit multitudes.
A Bodhisattva with this wisdom-knowledge
Abides on the ground of universal worthy actions.
He acquires illuminating wisdom
That gives birth to all Buddhas.
He knows that
All present worlds
Enter this one world
And pervade the dharma realm.
In these worlds,
All present Buddhas
Have achieved command of dharmas
And acquired unimpeded eloquence.
He also knows Their assemblies,
Pure Lands, and power to manifest in response [to sentient beings],
And ponders these things
For countless koṭis of kalpas.
He also knows
The awesome spiritual power
Of every World-Honored One, Tamer of Men,
And His store of endless wisdom-knowledge.
A Bodhisattva grows the hindrance-free eye,
The hindrance-free ear, nose, and body,
And the hindrance-free wide-ranging and far-reaching tongue,
Delighting all sentient beings.
He has the supreme hindrance-free mind,
Which is vast, pure,
And filled with wisdom,
And knows the three time frames [past, present, and future].
Having learned well all manifestations,
He manifests worlds, sentient beings,
Time frames, taming of sentient beings,
And his ultimate arrival on the opposite shore.
Various differences in the world
Are produced by one’s perceptions.
Using a Buddha’s facilitation wisdom-knowledge,[13]
He clearly understands this.
The number of Buddha assemblies is ineffable, and
He appears in every assembly,
Enabling all sentient beings to see Tathāgatas
Deliver innumerable multitudes.
A Bodhisattva knows that a Buddha’s profound wisdom
Is like the sun rising in the world,
And it appears in all worlds
Without rest.
He fully understands that worlds
Are false names, without reality, and that
Sentient beings and worlds
Are like dreams, like reflections.
He does not differentiate
Dharmas in the world.
His not making differentiations means that
He does not even perceive differences.
He understands that
Immeasurable, countless kalpas are but one thought.
He knows that thoughts are no thought,
And this is the way he sees the world.
In one thought, he passes
Countless worlds
Throughout countless kalpas,
While remaining motionless in his original place.
An ineffable number of kalpas
Are but one moment,
Without altering or shortening them.
He fully understands the ultimate moment.
The mind abides in the world;
The world abides in the mind.
A Bodhisattva does not falsely identify them
As dual or non-dual.
Sentient beings, worlds, kalpas,
Buddhas, and the Buddha Dharma
Are equally
Illusory manifestations in the dharma realm.
He manifests countless bodies
In worlds in the ten directions.
He knows that a body is born from causes and conditions,
And has no attachment to it.
From the wisdom-knowledge of non-duality
Appears a lion among men,
Who has no attachment to non-duality,
Because He knows that there is neither duality nor non-duality.
A Bodhisattva knows that
Dharmas are like mirages, like reflections,
Like echoes, like dreams,
Like illusions, like manifestations.
Accordingly, he follows
Buddhas’ footsteps
And acquires universally worthy wisdom-knowledge,
Illuminating everywhere in the profound dharma realm.
Discarding all attachments to
Worlds and sentient beings,
He elicits great compassion and
Purifies the world.
A Bodhisattva constantly thinks of
The wonderful teachings of the lion among speakers,
Which are as pure as the open sky and
Provide great skillful means.
Seeing that the world is always deluded,
He resolves to rescue and deliver all.
His actions are always pure,
Which prevail everywhere in the dharma realm.
He who realizes the true reality of dharmas knows that
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
The Buddha Dharma, and worldly dharmas
Are no different.
A Tathāgata’s store of the dharma body[14]
Is everywhere in the world.
Although it is in the world,
It has no attachment to it.
As an analogy, reflections in clear water
Neither come nor go.
Likewise, the dharma body
Pervades the world.
Free from afflictions and attachments,
This body and its world are pure.
It is as clear as the open sky
Because dharmas have no birth.
It is an endless body,
With neither birth nor death.
Neither permanent nor impermanent,
It appears in the world.
It enables Bodhisattvas to discard the wrong views,
And reveals the right view that
Dharma nature neither comes nor goes,
And has no self and its belongings.
As an analogy, a magician conjures
Various things,
Which come from nowhere
And go to nowhere.
An illusion has neither measure
Nor no measure,
But it can manifest measure or no measure
To multitudes.
With his mind in samādhi,
A Bodhisattva develops roots of goodness,
Which give birth to a Buddha,
Who is beyond measure and no measure.
Both measure and no measure are
Deluded perceptions.
He differentiates among all life-paths and
Has no attachment to measure or no measure.
The profound Dharma of Buddhas
Is vast and abides in nirvāṇa.
With immeasurable, profound wisdom-knowledge,
He knows profound life-paths.
A Bodhisattva is free from delusion, and
His mind continues to be pure.
Using transcendental powers,
He skillfully delivers innumerable sentient beings.
He enables those not abiding [in the Dharma] to abide, and
Reveals the bodhimaṇḍa to those who abide.
As he does so throughout the dharma realm,
His mind has no attachment to anything.
Although he abides in the true reality of dharmas,
He does not enter parinirvāṇa.
Throughout the dharma realm,
He enlightens sentient beings.
He knows the numbers of all dharmas and sentient beings,
But has no attachment to them.
He pours down the Dharma rain
To water the world.
Although thought after thought
He attains true enlightenment in all worlds,
He continues to train in Bodhisattva actions,
Never regressing.
He fully knows
Various bodies in the world.
Because he knows all bodies,
He realizes his Buddha body.
He knows all sentient beings,
Kalpas, and worlds.
All things in the ten boundless directions
Are encompassed in the ocean of his wisdom-knowledge.
Although sentient beings’ bodies are countless,
He appears to every one of them.
Although a Buddha’s body is boundless,
A Bodhisattva clearly sees it.
Praising Tathāgatas, who appear
In one thought,
Cannot be finished
In countless kalpas.
Buddhas who have appeared
Enter parinirvāṇa everywhere.
In one thought,
Their countless relics [śarīra] are distributed.
In the future,
Whoever seeks Buddha bodhi and
Activates the immeasurable bodhi mind
Will definitely acquire wisdom-knowledge.
He who abides in taking universally worthy actions
Knows all Tathāgatas
Who appear in worlds
In the past, present, and future.
[A Bodhisattva] knows and differentiates
Countless training grounds,
Enters into the sphere of wisdom,
And turns the no-regress Dharma wheel.
His subtle and profound wisdom that
Goes deep into a Tathāgata’s state
And never regresses
Is called the universally worthy wisdom.
All unsurpassed honored ones
Enter a Buddha’s state.
Their training never regressing,
They attain unsurpassed bodhi.
Various karmas are accumulated
Through perceptions
In the immeasurable and boundless mind, and
A Bodhisattva knows all of them equally well.
Thought after thought,
He knows all ineffable minds,
Impure or pure,
Still learning [śaikṣa] or having nothing more to learn [aśaikṣa].[15]
He knows that the mind is neither dual nor non-dual,
Neither impure nor pure,
Nor a chaotic mixture,
But that it arises from its perceptions.
He clearly sees that
All sentient beings
Have various perceptions,
Which form various worlds.
Whoever uses such skillful means
To train in the most excellent actions
That arise from the Buddha Dharma
Can be called a universally worthy one.
Sentient beings have perceptions of
Good and evil life-paths.
Hence they are reborn in heaven
Or in hell.
A Bodhisattva observes the world, which is
Formed by karmas and deluded perceptions.
Because perceptions are endless,
The world is immeasurable.
All worlds are
Manifestations of the web of perceptions.
This illusory web is easy
To enter in one thought.
Eye, ear, nose, tongue,
Body, and mind
Are different according to worldly perceptions,
But they equally can perceive sense objects.
Every object of the eye
Can be perceived by countless eyes.
[Although an eye object has] various appearances,
Which are countless and ineffable,
Perceptions [of this object] are no different,
And arise without disorder.
Everyone follows his own karmas
To receive corresponding requitals.
The universally worthy one has the immeasurable power
To know them all.
His great wisdom-knowledge
Can fathom all eye objects.
He can know and differentiate among
All things in the world,
As he trains in all actions,
Never regressing.
He knows all the words of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
Sentient beings, and worlds,
And all the words spoken
In the past, present, and future.
The future is the past;
The present is the future.
He clearly sees that
The three time frames encompass one another.
He uses countless ways
To enlighten worlds.
The limits of his wisdom-knowledge and skillful means
Cannot be found.
1. Samantabhadra means universally worthy. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva exemplifies a Bodhisattva’s universally worthy vows and actions that arise from wisdom, and sets an example of fulfilling all universally worthy vows by taking universally worthy actions. The often-cited universally worthy action vow taught by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is contained in the 40-fascicle Chinese version of the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of Buddha Adornment (T10n0293), fascicle 40. It comprises ten vowed actions (Rulu 2012b, 107). (Return to text)
2. See “inversion” in the glossary. (Return to text)
3. See “eight difficulties” in the glossary. (Return to text)
4. See “prajñā-pāramitā” defined in the glossary’s “six pāramitās.” (Return to text)
5. The four faults are false speech, divisive speech, abusive speech, and suggestive speech. These are the fourth through seventh of the “ten evil karmas” in the glossary. (Return to text)
6. See “twelve fields” in the glossary. (Return to text)
7. See “six faculties” in the glossary. (Return to text)
8. See “five coverings” in the glossary. (Return to text)
9. According to text 1579, the Chinese version of Asaṅga’s Treatise on the Yoga Teacher Ground (Yogācārya-bhūmi-śāstra), fascicle 88, a Buddha is a lion among speakers for six reasons. First, when he makes a statement, it is not a contention but enables all nonbelievers to believe and believers to believe even more. Second, when He makes a statement, He remains serene, without fear. Third, He is never defeated by the arguments of gods or humans. Fourth, when those with worldly intellect challenge Him, they become tongue-tied. Fifth, the multitude in the assembly is convinced that He has won. Sixth, His words have commanding solemnity while opponents’ words have none (T30n1579, 0800a13–26). (Return to text)
10. The present kalpa of our world is called the Worthy Kalpa, and four Buddhas have already appeared, one at a time, Śākyamuni Buddha being the fourth one. See “past seven Buddhas” in the glossary. (Return to text)
11. The universal eye (普眼) is the impartial eye that ends all afflictions and karmas, the eye of universal compassion that watches all sentient beings, or the eye that sees that one dharma contains all dharmas. (Return to text)
12. The opposite shore is that shore of nirvāṇa, opposite this shore of saṁsāra. (Return to text)
13. See “facilitation wisdom-knowledge” defined in the glossary’s “two kinds of wisdom-knowledge.” (Return to text)
14. See “dharma body” defined in the glossary’s “three bodies of a Buddha.” The store of the dharma body is one of the five stores revealed in the Śrīmālādevi Sūtra, in which Śrīmālā explains that the Tathāgata store [tathāgata-garbha] is the store of the dharma realm, the store of the dharma body, the store of transcendence of the world, and the store of one’s pure nature (T12n0353, 0222b22–c1). In his treatise Śrīmālā’s Treasure Cavern, Jizang (吉藏, 549–623) explains that the store of the dharma body means that holy ones have faith and delight in their true nature, and realize the Tathāgata virtues [eternity, bliss, true self, and purity]” (T37n1744, 0085b19–c10). (Return to text)
15. See the phrases “still learning” and “nothing more to learn” defined in the glossary’s “voice-hearer fruits.” (Return to text)