All emitting crystal clouds
Extolling the praises of Buddha.
The enlightenment site produces wondrous sound,
Extremely deep and far reaching,
Able to eliminate the suffering of sentient beings;
This is the Buddha’s spiritual power.
Everyone’s paying reverent respect,
All greatly joyful at heart,
Together before the World Honored One,
Gazing at the King of Truth.
“When the prince, Light of Great Power, spoke these verses, his voice pervaded the world Supreme Sound, by the mystic power of the Buddha. The king, Benevolent Mind a Joy to Behold, heard these verses and was greatly pleased; he looked at his retinue and said in verse,
You should quickly assemble
All the various kings,
Their princes and great ministers,
Their governors, and the rest.
Announce in all the cities
They should beat the great drum
Gathering all the people
To go and see the Buddha.
At every single crossroad
Jewel bells should be rung:
Let wives, children, households,
Together go to see the Buddha.
All the city castles
Should be ordered cleaned:
Raise beautiful banners everywhere
Decorated with jewels.
Myriad skeins of jewel gauze,
Music wafting like clouds,
Beautifully arrayed in the sky:
Let everywhere be filled.
Let the streets be cleaned,
Showered with beautiful cloth;
Adorn your jeweled chariots
And see the Buddha with me.
Each, according to his power
Shower ornaments everywhere,
All like clouds spreading
Filling the whole sky.
Lotus canopies of fragrant flames,
Half-moon jewel necklaces,
And countless fine garments:
You should dispense them all.
Seas of the greatest perfumes,
Discs of finest crystal,
As well as purest sandalwood:
All should fill the skies.
Garlands of many jewels,
Ornaments pure and flawless,
As well as crystal lamps:
Set all of them in the air.
Bring them all to the Buddha
With hearts full of joy;
Wives, children, retinue, all
Go see the World Honored One.
“Then the king, together with his thirty-seven thousand wives and concubines, five hundred sons, and sixty thousand great ministers, of whom the chief was Power of Wisdom, as well as others, a company totalling seventy-seven million billion trillion, went out of the city of Flame Light, all of them traveling through the sky by the power of the king, their various offerings filling the sky. Coming to the Buddha’s place, they prostrated themselves at his feet, then sat to one side.
“There was also the celestial king Banner of Good Influence from the city Beautiful Flowers, with a company of ten billion trillion. There was also the dragon king Pure Light from the city Ultimate Greatness, with a company of twenty-five billion. There was also the yaksha king Fierce Strength from the city Supreme Diamond Banner, with a company of seventy-seven billion. There was also the gandharva king Gladdening Sight from the city Undefiled, with a company of ninety-seven billion. There was also the titan king Contemplation of Pure Form from the city Beautiful Sphere, with a company of fifty-eight billion. There was also the garuda king Exercise of Ten Powers, from the city Exquisite Array, with a company of ninety-nine billion. There was also the kinnara king Indestructible Qualities from the city Playful Enjoyment, with a company of eighteen billion. There was also the mahoraga king Banner of Noble Repute from the city Diamond Banner, with a company of three billion hundred thousand trillion. There was also the brahma king Supreme from the city Pure Adornments, with a company of eighteen billion. The kings from a million billion trillion such cities, along with their retinues, all went together to the Buddha Supreme Cloud on the Mountain of All Virtues, prostrated themselves at his feet, then sat to one side.
“Then that Buddha, in order to harmonize and pacify the sentient beings, expounded the scripture Universal Collection of Methods of Freedom of All Buddhas of Past, Present, and Future, along with subsidiary scriptures as numerous as atoms in the world, causing all beings to receive benefit according to their mentalities.
“At that point the enlightening being Light of Great Power, having heard this teaching, attained the lights of the ocean of teachings collected in former ages by the Buddha Supreme Cloud on the Mountain of All Virtues. That is to say, he attained the light of knowledge of concentration on the equality of all groups of things; the light of knowledge of all truths entering and abiding in the mind in its initial determination for enlightenment; the light of knowledge of the pure eye of the repository of the omnipresent light of all the universes of the ten directions; the light of knowledge contemplating the ocean of great vows of all Buddhas; the light of knowledge of pure action entering the boundless sea of virtue; the light of knowledge of the storehouse of immensely powerful speed heading for the stage of nonregression; the light of knowledge of the sphere of emancipation with the power to appear in any form anywhere in the universe; the light of knowledge certainly entering the ocean of fulfillment of all virtuous qualities; the light of knowledge of the ocean of perfection of the adornment of certain understanding of all Buddhas; the light of knowledge of the ocean of spiritual power by which the boundless Buddhas of the cosmos appear before all sentient beings; the light of knowledge of the states of the powers and fearlessness of all Buddhas.
“Then the enlightening being Light of Great Power, having attained innumerable such lights of knowledge, imbued with power from the Buddha, spoke these verses:
I’ve heard the Buddha’s wondrous teachings
And attained the light of knowledge,
Whereby I see the World Honored One’s
Deeds in days of yore.
All the places he was born,
His different names and physical forms,
And his offerings to the Buddhas:
All of this I see.
In the past he served
All the enlightened ones,
Practicing for innumerable eons,
Purifying oceans of worlds.
Giving up his body
Without any bound or limit,
Cultivating supreme action,
He purified oceans of lands.
Ears, nose, head, and limbs,
As well as his dwelling places:
All he gave up, numberless,
To purify all worlds.
Able in every land
Through unthinkable eons
To practice enlightening acts,
He purified oceans of lands.
By the power of the vow of universal good
In all oceans of Buddhas,
He cultivated innumerable practices
Purifying oceans of worlds.
As by the light of the sun
We can see the solar orb,
By the light of Buddha knowledge I see
The path the Buddha traveled.
I see the great pure light
Of Buddha’s ocean of worlds
Calmly realizing enlightenment
Pervading the whole cosmos.
I will, like the World Honored One,
Purify oceans of lands,
And by the Buddha’s spiritual power
Practice enlightening ways.
“At that time the enlightening being Light of Great Power, because he saw the Buddha Supreme Clouds on the Mountain of All Virtues and had served him and provided him with offerings, was able to attain understanding there, and, for the sake of all beings, revealed the ocean of the Buddha’s past practices, reve
aled the techniques he employed in the past as an enlightening being, revealed the ocean of virtues of all Buddhas, revealed the independent power of attaining buddhahood at all sites of enlightenment, revealed the pure knowledge which enters into all phenomena, revealed the impartial knowledge of the power and fearlessness of Buddhas, revealed the universal manifestation of the Buddha, revealed the inconceivable mystical metamorphoses of the Buddha, revealed the adornment of innumerable buddha-lands, revealed all the practical vows of universally good enlightening beings, causing as many sentient beings as atoms in a mountain to awaken the determination for enlightenment, causing as many sentient beings as atoms in a buddha-field to perfect the pure land of the enlightened.
“Then the Buddha Supreme Clouds on the Mountain of All Virtues spoke these verses for the enlightening being Light of Great Power:
Excellent, magnificent Light!
Mine of blessings, of wide renown!
For the purpose of aiding all beings
You set forth on the road of enlightenment.
You’ve attained the light of knowledge
Filling the universe;
Your virtue and wisdom are both great,
You shall attain the deep ocean of knowledge.
Cultivating practices in a land
For as many eons as atoms:
As you have seen me doing thus,
So you’ll attain such knowledge.
It is not those of base deeds
Who are able to know these techniques:
Only by determined effort
Can one purify an ocean of worlds.
In each and every atom
Cultivating for countless eons,
Only such a one is able
To adorn the buddha-lands.
Spending eons in transmigration
For the sake of every being
Without weariness of mind,
One will then become a guide of the world.
Offering support to every Buddha
Until the end of time,
Never getting tired of it,
One will attain the highest path.
All Buddhas of all times
Will together fulfill your hopes;
You will attend in person
The congregations of all Buddhas.
Boundless are the vows
Of all the enlightened ones;
Those who have great knowledge
Are able to know their means.
Great Light, you’ve given me offerings
And thereby attained great power,
Causing beings as many as atoms
To mature and turn toward enlightenment.
The great enlightening beings
Who cultivate the practice of universal good
Adorn the Buddhas’ oceans of worlds
Throughout the universe.
“In that eon of Great Adornment there were as many small eons as grains of sand in the Ganges River; the human life span was two small eons. That Buddha Supreme Clouds on the Mountain of All Virtues lived for fifty billion years; after he passed away, there appeared in the world another Buddha, named King of Adornments of the Good Eye of the Transcendent Ways, who also attained true awakening in that great forest Circle of Branches with Jewel Flowers. At that time, the youth Light of Great Power, seeing that Buddha attain perfect enlightenment and manifest the power of spiritual awareness, thereupon attained absorption in buddha-remembrance, called gate of the boundless oceanic treasury, attained a concentration formula spell called depths of truth of the power of great knowledge, attained great kindness called expediently pacifying and liberating all living beings, attained great compassion called cloud covering all realms, attained great joy called treasury of power of the ocean of virtues of all Buddhas, attained great equanimity called spacelike equality and purity of the real essence of all things, attained transcendent knowledge called pure body of the real cosmos inherently free from defilement, attained psychic power called unhindered light appearing anywhere, attained analytic power called entering the pure depths, and attained light of knowledge called pure treasury of all enlightening teachings. He comprehended a thousand gates of teaching like these.
“Then the youth Light of Great Power, imbued with the power of the Buddha, spoke these verses for the benefit of his retinue:
Even in inconceivably many billions of eons
An enlightened guide of the world is hard to meet;
The beings of this land are very fortunate
That now they can see their second Buddha.
The Buddha’s body emanates great light
With physical forms boundless and totally pure,
Filling all lands like clouds,
Everywhere extolling the Buddha’s virtues.
All illumined by the light rejoice,
Beings in distress are all relieved,
All are induced to respect and kindness:
This is the work of the Buddha’s power.
Producing inconceivable clouds of mystic displays,
Emanating networks of lights of infinite colors
Filling all lands in the ten directions:
These are manifestations of Buddha’s psychic powers:
From each hair pore appear clouds of light
Filling all space, emitting great sound:
All dark places are illumined,
Causing the pains of hells to disappear.
Buddha’s wondrous voice pervades everywhere,
Fully producing all sounds of speech,
According to the power of beings’ standing goodness:
This is a function of the Teacher’s mystic power.
Measureless, boundless, the oceans of communities:
Buddha appears within each one,
Expounding the inexhaustible truth for all of them,
Harmoniously pacifying all sentient beings.
Buddha’s mystic powers have no end,
Appearing in every single land;
Such is the Buddha’s knowledge, unimpeded:
He attains enlightenment to benefit all beings.
You should all be joyful;
Dance, delight, and pay respect.
I will go with you there:
If one sees the Buddha, all miseries will cease.
Arouse your minds to seek enlightenment,
Kindly care for all living beings,
Abide by the great vows of universal goodness,
And you’ll attain freedom like the King of Truth.
“When the youth Light of Great Power spoke these verses, by the power of the Buddha his voice was unimpeded and could be heard in all worlds; innumerable sentient beings aroused the will for enlightenment. Then the prince Light of Great Power, together with his parents and their company, surrounded by countless millions of billions of trillions of beings, with jeweled canopies like clouds filling the skies, went together to the Buddha King of Adornments of the Good Eye of Transcendent Ways. That Buddha expounded for them the scripture The Pure Adornments of the Essential Nature of the Cosmos of Realities, with as many subsidiary scriptures as atoms in an ocean of worlds.
“Having heard these scriptures, that great congregation attained pure knowledge called entry into all pure techniques of enlightenment, attained a stage called undefiled light, attained a sphere of transcendence called showing delightful adornments in all worlds, attained a sphere of expanding action called pure vision with boundless light entering all worlds, attained a sphere of purposeful activity called banner of light of clouds of pure virtue, attained a sphere of constant realization called vast light of the ocean of all verities, attained ever-deepening progressive practice called adornment of great knowledge, attained an ocean of knowledge of high initiates called extremely refined effortless vision, attained an obvious great light called universal shining of light characterized by the ocean of virtues of the enlightened, and attained pure knowledge productive of will power called treasury of faith and resolution of immeasurable will power.
/> “Then that Buddha spoke these verses for the enlightening being Light of Great Power:
Excellent, O sea of virtue and wisdom,
Is your resolve for great enlightenment;
You shall attain inconceivable buddhahood
And be a reliance for all living beings.
You’ve produced a great ocean of knowledge
Able to fully comprehend all things;
With inconceivable subtle skills
You’ll enter buddhahood’s endless realm.
Having seen the Buddhas’ clouds of virtues
And entered the stage of infinite wisdom,
The ocean of all transcendent means
You will fulfill, o glorious one.
Having attained command of methods
And inexhaustible expressive powers,
Practicing various active vows
You’ll realize the peerless knowledge.
Having produced a sea of vows
And entered the ocean of concentration,
You’ll fulfill great spiritual powers
And all the inconceivable qualities of Buddhas.
The ultimate realm of truth is inconceivable;
Your vast, deep faith is already pure;
You see the oceans of lands, purely adorned,
Of all the Buddhas in the ten directions.
You’ve entered into my enlightenment practices,
The ocean of means I employed in the past;
That which my practices purified,
This sublime action, you understand.
I gave various offerings to oceans of Buddhas
In countless individual lands;
As the fruit realized by that practice
Such adornments all you see.
Over an inexhaustible ocean of immense eons
Cultivating pure practice in all lands
With firm aspiration, inconceivable,
You’ll attain this mystic power of Buddhas.
Giving offerings to all the Buddhas,
Adorning the lands, all pure,
Cultivating mystic practices in all ages,
You’ll fulfill the great virtues of Buddhas.
“When the Buddha King of Adornments of the Good Eye of Transcendent Ways had entered extinction, the king Benevolent Mind a Joy to Behold also subsequently passed away, and his son Light of Great Power inherited the position of great monarch, in that great forest Circle of Branches with Jewel Flowers a third Buddha appeared in the world, by the name of Ocean of Supreme Virtue. At that time, when the sovereign Light of Great Power saw the signs of that Buddha’s realization of enlightenment, he went, together with his family and courtiers, his armies, and the populace of the cities, towns, and villages, all carrying seven kinds of jewels and precious metals, to that Buddha and presented a great mansion adorned with all kinds of aromatic crystals. Then that Buddha, there in the forest, expounded the scripture The Illuminating Activity of the Enlightening Being with the Universal Eye, along with subsidiary scriptures as numerous as atoms in a world. Then the enlightening being Light of Great Power, having heard this teaching, attained a contemplative focus called universal light of great virtue. And because he had attained this state of mental focus, he was able to know the past, present, and future seas of good and evil of all enlightening beings and all sentient beings.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 34