The Flower Ornament Scripture
Page 37
Then the Manjushris in all places, in the presence of each of the Buddhas, spoke up simultaneously and said in verse,
If any see the Truly Awake
As becoming liberated and divorced from taints
And not attached to any world,
They have not realized the eye of the Way.
If any know the Buddha’s
Substance and form have no existence,
And by cultivation gain clear understanding,
Such people will soon be Buddhas.
Who can see this world
Unstirred in mind,
And likewise Buddha’s body,
Will attain supreme knowledge.
If, regarding the Buddha and truth,
One understands that they are equal,
Having no thought of duality,
One will walk on the inconceivable plane.
If one sees the Buddha and oneself
Resting in equality,
Without abode, entering nowhere,
One will become one of the Rare.
Form and feeling have no sets:
Nor do conception, action, consciousness;
Any who can know this way
Will become great sages.
Whether mundane or transmundane views,
Having risen beyond them all
While well able to know the truth,
One will become a great illuminate.
If, toward omniscience,
One engenders dedication,
Seeing mind without origination,
One will gain the greatest name.
Living beings have no birth,
Nor either any decay;
If one attains such knowledge as this,
One will realize the unexcelled way.
In one understanding infinity,
Within infinity, one:
Realizing their origin’s interdependent
One will attain to fearlessness.
Then the light beams passed this world and illuminated ten lands in the eastern direction, also doing likewise in the South, West, North, the four intermediate directions, and the zenith and nadir. In all of those worlds were a hundred billion continents called Jambudvipa, and so on, including a hundred billion heavens of the ultimate of form—everything in all those realms was clearly revealed. In each of the Jambudvipa continents the Buddha was seen sitting on a lotus bank lion throne surrounded by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands; and in each one, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, ten great enlightening beings from the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands, came to the Buddha; those enlightening beings were called Manjushri, etc., the lands they came from were called Golden, etc., and the Buddhas they served were called Immutable Knowledge, etc. Then the Manjushris in all those places, each in the presence of the Buddha in that place, all simultaneously spoke out, saying these verses:
Sentient beings lack wisdom,
Wounded and poisoned by the thorns of craving;
For their sake we seek enlightenment:
Such is the law of all Buddhas.
Seeing all things,
Giving up extremes,
Once enlightened, never regressing,
They turn the incomparable wheel of truth.
For inconceivable eons
Cultivating various practices vigorously
In order to liberate beings:
This is the power of the great sages.
The Guide conquers demons
Bravely and invincibly,
Preaching subtle truths in his light
Because of kind compassion.
By knowledge and wisdom
Breaking the barriers of afflictions,
In an instant seeing all:
This is the spiritual power of Buddhas.
Beating the drum of the great teaching,
Awakening all lands in the ten directions,
Making all turn toward enlightenment:
Independent power can act like this.
Without breaking the infinite boundaries,
Traveling through the billions of lands
Without attachment to any existent:
Such is freedom like the Buddhas’.
The Buddhas are like space,
Ultimately forever pure;
Those who rejoice in remembering this
Will fulfill all of their vows.
In each and every one of the hells
They pass innumerable eons;
In order to liberate sentient beings
They’re able to bear these pains.
Without begrudging body or life,
Always preserving the Buddhas’ teachings,
With egoless mind harmonious,
One can attain the enlightened way.
Then the light beams passed ten worlds and illuminated a hundred lands in the eastern direction, also doing likewise in every other direction. In all of those worlds were a hundred billion continents called Jambudvipa, and so on, including a hundred billion heavens of the ultimate of form—everything in all those realms was clearly revealed. In each of the Jambudvipa continents the Buddha was seen sitting on a lotus bank lion throne surrounded by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands; and in each one, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, ten great enlightening beings, from the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands, came to the Buddha; those enlightening beings were called Manjushri, etc., the lands they came from were called Golden, etc., and the Buddhas they served were called Immutable Knowledge, etc. Then the Manjushris in all those places, each in the presence of the Buddha in that place, all simultaneously spoke out, saying these verses:
Buddha understands things are like phantoms;
Comprehending, he is unhindered.
His mind is pure and free from attachments;
He harmonizes and pacifies all beings.
Some see him first born,
His color like a mountain of gold;
Living in his final body,
He’s forever a moon of humanity.
Some see him walking around,
Replete with boundless virtues;
Attention and intellect well employed,
The Great Man walks like a lion.
Some see his violet eyes
Gazing in the ten directions;
Sometimes he shows a smile,
To accommodate beings’ wishes.
Some see his lion roar,
His supreme, incomparable body
Manifesting his last incarnation,
Speaking naught but the truth.
Some see him leaving home,
Shedding all bonds,
Practicing the acts of Buddhas,
Always contemplating extinction.
Some see him sitting on the enlightenment site
Awakening knowledge of all things,
Reaching the other shore of all virtues,
Darkness and affliction ended.
Some see the supreme man
Full of great compassion
Turning the wheel of teaching
Liberating numberless beings.
Some see the lion roar,
Its awesome light unique,
Transcending all the worlds
With peerless mystic power.
Some see the mind at peace,
Like a lamp gone out forever;
Variously manifesting spiritual mastery,
The ten-powered one can be like this.
Then the light beams passed a hundred worlds and illumined a thousand worlds in each of the ten directions. In all of those worlds were a hundred billion continents called Jambudvipa, and soon, including a hundred billion heavens of the ultimate of form—everything in all those realms was clearly revealed. In each one of the Jambudvipa continents the Buddha was seen sitting on a lotus bank lion throne surrounded by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands;
and in each one, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, ten great enlightening beings from the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands, came to the Buddha, those enlightening beings were also called Manjushri, etc., the lands they came from were also called Golden, etc., and the Buddhas they served were also called Immutable Knowledge, etc. Then the Manjushris in all those places, simultaneously spoke up, saying these verses:
The Buddha comprehends, without peer,
The exceedingly profound truth;
Sentient beings cannot understand,
So he reveals it step-by-step.
The nature of self has never existed,
And possessions of self are also nil;
So how come the enlightened ones
Are able to have their bodies?
The liberated ones, with knowledge and conduct,
Are beyond category or compare;
All the logic and reasoning of the world
Cannot find any fault in them.
The Buddhas are not worldly clusters,
Elements, senses, born and dying things;
Phenomenal sets cannot produce them:
Thus they’re called human lions.
Their nature is fundamentally empty and inactive,
They’re liberated within and without;
Detached from all delusive ideas:
Such is the peerless state.
Their substance and nature never moves,
Selfless, no coming or going;
Yet they can awaken the worlds,
Pacifying all, without bound.
They always enjoy contemplating extinction,
Uniform, without duality;
Their minds do not increase or decrease,
Yet manifest boundless powers.
They do not do the deeds
That cause results for sentient beings,
Yet can understand unhindered:
Such is the enlightened way.
All kinds of living beings
Transmigrate through all realms;
Buddhas, not discriminating,
Liberate the boundless kinds.
The Buddhas’ golden color
Is not existent, yet pervades all existences;
According to the inclinations of beings,
They teach them ultimate peace.
Then the light beams passed a thousand worlds and illumined ten thousand worlds in all directions; in all of those worlds were a hundred billion continents called Jambudvipa, and so on, including a hundred billion heavens of the ultimate of form—everything in all those realms was clearly revealed. In each one of the Jambudvipa continents the Buddha was seen sitting on a lotus bank lion throne surrounded by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands; and in each one, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, a great enlightening being from each of the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands, came to the Buddha; those enlightening beings were also called Manjushri, etc., the lands they came from were also called Golden, etc., and the Buddhas they served were also called Immutable Knowledge, etc. Then the Manjushris in all those places, each in the presence of the Buddha in that place, all simultaneously spoke out, saying these verses:
Developing great compassion
To save and protect all sentient beings,
Forever leaving human and celestial realms:
This is what work should be done.
Always with faith in the Buddha,
The mind never regressing,
Associating with the enlightened ones:
This is what work should be done.
Intent on the virtues of buddhahood,
The will never receding,
Abiding in pure cool wisdom:
This is what work should be done.
In all manner of activities,
Always remembering the Buddhas’ virtues,
Without ever a lapse day or night:
This is what work should be done.
Observing the boundless past, present, and future,
Studying enlightened virtues
Without ever tiring of it:
This is what work should be done.
Observing the real characteristics of the body,
All being void and nil,
Detaching from self, with no egotism:
This is what work should be done.
A mind seeing beings as equal,
Not creating discrimination,
Entering the realm of real truth:
This is what work should be done.
Lifting up boundless worlds,
Drinking up all the oceans:
This power of knowledge of psychic attainment
Is the kind of work that should be done.
Contemplating the various lands,
Their material and immaterial aspects,
Able to know them all:
This is what work should be done.
The atoms of all lands everywhere
Are, each and every one, a Buddha;
To be able to know their number:
This is what work should be done.
Then the light beams passed ten thousand worlds and illuminated a hundred thousand worlds in all directions. In all of those worlds were a hundred billion continents called Jambudvipa, and so on, including a hundred billion heavens of the ultimate of form—everything in all those realms was clearly revealed. In each of the Jambudvipa continents the Buddha was seen sitting on a lotus bank lion throne surrounded by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands; and in each one, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, a great enlightening being from each of the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands, came to the Buddha; those enlightening beings were called Manjushri, etc., the lands they came from were called Golden, etc., and the Buddhas they served were called Immutable Knowledge, etc. Then the Manjushris in all those places, each in the presence of the Buddha in that place, all simultaneously spoke out, saying these verses:
If one sees the Human Tamer
In terms of form or family,
These are diseased eyes, perverted views:
They can’t know the supreme truth.
The various formal characteristics of the Buddha
Cannot be assessed by any being;
Though billions and trillions together calculate,
Those features and virtues are yet more boundless.
The Buddha does not have forms as substance:
It’s just the formless, quiescent state:
Yet the physical forms and dignities are complete,
Seen by worldlings in accord with their wishes.
The Buddhas’ reality is subtle and hard to fathom;
No words or speech can reach it.
It is not compounded or uncompounded;
Its essential nature is void and formless.
Buddha’s body is unborn, beyond imagination;
It is not a cluster of diverse elements.
Having the power of freedom and certain insight,
He travels the fearless, inexpressible path.
Body and mind equanimous,
Liberated within and without,
Abiding forever in true awareness,
He has no attachment, no bondage.
The illumined one whose mind is pure
Acts without habituation;
With the eye of knowledge reaching everywhere
He greatly aids living beings.
One body is infinite,
And the infinite too are one;
Understanding all the worlds,
He manifests forms everywhere.
This body comes from nowhere
And accumulates nothing either;
It is due to beings’ discrimination
That they see various bodies of Buddha.
Mind discriminates worlds,
But that mind has no existence;
; The enlightened know this truth,
And thus see the Buddha-body.
Then the light beams passed a hundred thousand worlds and illumined a million worlds, in each of the ten directions. In all of those worlds with a hundred billion continents called Jambudvipa, and so on, including a hundred billion heavens of the ultimate of form—everything in all those realms was clearly revealed. In each of the Jambudvipa continents the Buddha was seen sitting on a lotus bank lion throne surrounded by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands; and in each one, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, ten great enlightening beings from the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in ten buddha-lands, came to the Buddha; those enlightening beings were called Manjushri, etc., the lands they came from were called Golden, etc., and the Buddhas they served were called Immutable Knowledge, etc. Then the Manjushris in all those places, each in the presence of the Buddha in that place, all simultaneously spoke out, saying these verses:
The enlightened one most free,
Transcending the world, relying on nothing,
Replete with all virtues,
Liberates creatures from all states of being.
Unaffected, unattached,
Without conceptions, resting nowhere,
Substance and essence immeasurable:
Those who see all praise.
Light pervasive, clear and pure,
Clearing away mundane afflictions,
Immutable, beyond extremes:
This is enlightened knowledge.
Any who see the enlightened
Free from discrimination in body and mind
Will have no more doubts or hesitation
In regard to anything.
In all worlds, everywhere