One manifests infinite mystical powers.
If one manifests infinite mystical powers,
One dwells in inconceivable lands,
Expounding inconceivable teachings,
Gladdening inconceivably many beings.
If one explains inconceivable teachings
Gladdening inconceivably many beings,
Then with wisdom and power of elucidation
One guides in accord with being’s minds.
If one uses wisdom and powers of elucidation
To guide in accord with beings’ minds,
Then one will never lose
Action guided by wisdom.
If one never loses
Action guided by wisdom,
Then one’s will power will be sovereign,
And one will appear physically in any state of being.
If one’s will power attains the freedom
To manifest a body in any state of being,
Then one will be able, when teaching,
To accord with any language, inconceivably.
If one can, when teaching,
Adopt any language, according to the congregation,
Then one will instantly know all
The minds of all sentient beings.
If one can instantly know
The minds of all sentient beings,
One will know afflictions arise from nowhere
And will not sink and drown in birth and death.
If one knows afflictions come from nowhere
And will never drown in birth and death,
Then one attains the body of the essence of truth
And appears in the world by the power of truth.
If one attains the virtuous body of the essence of truth
And appears in the world by the power of truth,
One will attain all the stages and freedoms of enlightenment,
Practice the ways of transcendence and be supremely liberated.
If one attains the stages and freedoms of enlightenment,
Practices the transcendent ways and is supremely liberated,
One will attain the great spiritual powers of the anointed
And abide in the most supreme meditations.
If one attains the great spiritual powers of the anointed
And abides in the most supreme meditations,
Then in the presence of the Buddhas
One will be annointed and ascend to that rank;
One will be anointed with the elixir of deathlessness
By all the Buddhas in the ten directions.
If one is anointed with elixir
By the Buddhas of the ten directions,
One’s body will be all-pervasive as space,
Abiding at rest, immovable, filling the ten directions.
If one’s body is pervasive as space,
Abiding at rest, immovable, filling all directions,
One’s action will be beyond compare,
Unknowable to gods and men.
Enlightening beings practice acts of great compassion,
Vowing to liberate all successfully;
Those who see, hear, listen, accept, or make offerings,
They cause all to attain peace and happiness.
Those great beings have magnificent spiritual powers;
Their eye of reality is always complete, without any lack;
The wonderful practices of virtuous ways and other such paths
Are supreme jewels which they cause to appear.
Just like clusters of diamonds in the ocean,
By their mystic powers they produce many jewels;
Without decrease or increase, and inexhaustible:
Such is the mass of enlightening beings’ virtues.
Where there are lands with no Buddha,
There they appear to attain enlightenment;
Where there are lands where the Teaching’s unknown,
They expound there the treasury of sublime doctrines.
Without discrimination, without effort,
They reach everywhere in a single instant,
Like the moonlight extending everywhere,
Teaching beings by innumerable techniques.
In the worlds of the ten directions
Constantly they show the way of Buddhahood:
Turning the wheel of the true teaching and entering extinction,
Down to the distribution of their relics.
Sometimes they show the paths of followers or self-enlightened ones;
Sometimes they show the universal adornment of full buddhahood;
Thus they open up the teachings of the three vehicles,
Widely liberating beings for infinite eons.
They may manifest the forms of dragon girls or boys,
Or celestial dragons, or titans too,
Down to mahoragas and so on:
They let everyone see according to desire.
Living beings’ forms and features are unalike,
Their behaviors and sounds are also countless;
All of these enlightening beings can make appear
By the mystic power of the oceanic reflection meditation.
Beautifully purifying inconceivable lands,
Making offerings to all enlightened ones,
Emanating great light without bound,
They liberate sentient beings without limit too.
Their knowledge and wisdom is independent and inconceivable,
Their speech in explaining truth is unhindered,
Their generosity, self-control, tolerance, energy, and meditation,
Wisdom, skill in means, spiritual powers, and such,
Are all likewise free,
By the power of Buddha’s flower garland meditation.
They enter concentration on one atom
And accomplish concentration on all atoms,
And yet that particle doesn’t increase:
In one are manifest inconceivable lands.
Of the many lands in that one atom,
Some have Buddhas, some do not;
Some are polluted, some are pure;
Some are large, some are small;
Some are forming, some disintegrating;
Some are upright, some are sideways;
Some are like heat-mirages on a vast plain,
Some are like Indra’s net in the heavens.
What in one atom is manifest
Is also manifest in all atoms;
This is the mystic power of concentration and liberation
Of these sages of great renown.
If they want to make offerings to all Buddhas,
They enter into concentration and produce mystic transformations,
Able to reach throughout the universe with one hand
To give offerings to all the enlightened ones.
The most beautiful flowers in all realms,
Perfumes, incense, and priceless jewels:
Such as these all emerge from their hands
To present to the Conquerors under the trees of enlightenment.
Priceless jewel raiment, with mixed perfumes,
Precious banners and canopies, all finely adorned,
With flowers of gold and curtains of jewels:
All of these rain from their palms.
Whatever wonderful things there be in all realms
That may be worthy to offer to the Supreme Honored One,
All shower from their palms, all complete,
And they bring it to the enlightenment trees to offer to the Buddhas.
All the artful music of the ten directions:
Bells and drums, harps and lyres, various different kinds,
All played harmoniously, with beautiful tones,
All emerges from the enlightening beings’ palms.
All eulogies that be in the ten directions,
Praising the virtues of the enlightened ones,
All of their various wonderful words
Are intoned from within
their palms.
The enlightened beings’ right hands radiate pure light:
Within the light is fragrant water raining from the sky,
Sprinkling the buddha-lands of the ten directions,
As offerings to all the Lamps that Light the Worlds.
Also they emit wondrous arrays of light beams
Producing countless jewel lotus blossoms;
The colors and forms of the flowers are all superb,
And these they present to the Buddhas.
They also emit flower garlands of light
With all kinds of flowers bunched into drapes,
Scattered all over the lands everywhere
As presents to all the Honored Ones of great virtue.
They also emit lights adorned with perfumes,
Various wonderful scents massed into drapes,
Scattered all throughout the lands everywhere
As presents to the Honored Ones of great virtue.
They also emit lights adorned with powdered incense,
Various incenses collected into drapes,
And distribute them throughout all worlds
As gifts to the Honored Ones of great virtue.
They also emanate lights adorned with raiment,
Various fine robes gathered into drapes,
And distribute them throughout all worlds
As offerings to the Honored Ones of great virtue.
They also emit lights adorned with jewels,
Various beautiful jewels massed into drapes,
And distribute them throughout all worlds
As presents to the Honored Ones.
They also produce lights adorned with lotuses,
Various lotuses assembled into drapes,
And distribute them throughout all worlds
As gifts to the Honored Ones.
They also emit lights necklace adorned;
Various fine necklaces gathered into drapes
They distribute throughout all worlds
To offer to the Honored Ones.
They also emanate lights adorned with pennants
Radiant with multicolored patterns,
Of all kinds, innumerable, all superbly fine:
With these they decorate the buddha-lands.
Canopies adorned with melanges of jewels,
Draped with finely embroidered flags,
And crystal chimes intoning Buddhas’ voices:
These they take to offer the enlightened ones.
Their hands producing such inconceivable gifts,
They present them to a Guide,
And do the same to all the Buddhas,
With their great psychic powers of concentration.
Enlightening beings dwell in concentration,
Dealing with beings by various abilities,
All of them guiding by innumerable means,
By the virtuous principles they practice.
Some use the approach of offerings to Buddhas,
Some use the approach of inconceivable generosity,
Some use the approach of austerity and discipline,
Some use the approach of unshakable tolerance,
Some use the approach of ascetic effort,
Some use the approach of tranquil meditation,
Some use the approach of certain, thorough knowledge,
Some use the teaching of practical expedients,
Some use the teachings of the pure abodes and psychic powers,
Some use the approach of the benefits of the means of salvation,
Some use the approach of the adornments of knowledge and virtue,
Some use the teaching of conditioning and liberation,
Some use the teachings of faculties, powers, and the right path,
Some use the teaching of followers’ liberation,
Some use the teaching of purity of self-awakened ones,
Some use the teaching of the freedom of the Great Vehicle,
Some use the teaching of the miseries of impermanence,
Some use the teaching of no self and no life,
Some use the teaching of impurity and detachment from desire,
Some use the approach of extinctive concentration.
According to the differences in beings’ ailments
They all use teaching-medicines to cure them.
According to the inclinations of beings’ minds
They all use expedients to satisfy them.
According to the differences in sentient beings’ behaviors
They all use adaptive skills to perfect them.
The characteristics of such spiritual powers of concentration
Cannot be fathomed by any gods or men.
Having a wondrous concentration called according to actions,
Enlightening beings abide in this and observe everywhere,
Appearing as appropriate to liberate sentient beings,
Causing them to gladly change according to the truth.
Where there is famine and disaster in the age,
They give means of comfort to all in the world,
Causing them to be satisfied according to their desires,
Creating benefit for all sentient beings.
They may give away fine food and drink,
Sumptuous clothing, garlands of jewels,
And even a royal throne,
To cause those who like generosity to accord with the teaching.
Adorned with flower garlands, anointed with perfume,
With dignified behavior, they liberate beings,
Liked and esteemed by all in the world.
Their appearance and their garb
They adopt as is appropriate to please
And cause those who like form to follow the Path.
With exquisite voices like songs of birds,
Wondrous tones in harmony,
Complete with all kinds of pure voice,
They preach to beings according to their likes.
Eighty-four thousand gates of teaching
Do the Buddhas use to liberate beings:
And according to the different teachings
They use what’s appropriate to liberate.
Sentient beings’ pains and pleasures, gains and losses, etc.,
Whatever things are done by beings of the world,
Enlightening beings can appear to do the same things,
Whereby to liberate all living beings.
The suffering of all worldly beings
Is deep and wide and boundless like the sea;
Enlightening beings, sharing their tasks, can tolerate it all,
To cause them to benefit and gain peace and happiness.
If any do not know the way to emancipation
And do not seek liberation, to leave turmoil behind,
Enlightening beings show them relinquishment of nation and wealth,
Satisfaction in detachment and peace of mind.
If the home is a place of bondage by attachments,
In order to cause sentient beings to all escape trouble
They show home-leaving and attainment of liberation,
Without craving for any pleasures.
Enlightening beings manifest the practice of ten kinds of action
And also practice the ways of great people,
Including the practices of seers and sages,
Because they want to benefit sentient beings.
If there are beings whose life span is immeasurable,
Whose afflictions are slight and pleasures complete,
Enlightening beings, being free in their midst,
Show the suffering of the ills of age, sickness, and death.
In the cases of those with greed, hatred, and ignorance,
The raging fires of these afflictions always blazing,
Enlightening beings manifest aging, sickness, and death for them,
To cause those sentient beings to all be tamed.
The Buddhas’ ten powers and fearlessness,
; As well as their eighteen unique qualities,
All their countless virtues,
Are manifested to liberate beings.
Knowledge of others’ minds, appropriate teaching, and ability to appear anywhere
Are all free functions of the enlightened ones;
The great enlightening beings manifest them all,
Able to cause sentient beings to all be tamed.
Enlightening beings’ various methods and techniques
Adapt to worldly conditions to liberate beings:
Just like lotus blossoms, to which water does not adhere,
In the same way they are in the world, provoking deep faith.
With extraordinary thoughts and profound talent, as cultural kings,
Song and dance, and conversation admired by the masses,
All the various arts and crafts of the world
They manifest, like magicians.
Some become grandees, city chiefs,
Some become merchants, caravan leaders;
Some become physicians and scientists,
Some become kings and ministers.
Some become great trees in the plains,
Some become medicines or jewel mines;
Some become pearls that fulfill all wishes,
Some show the right path to sentient beings.
If they see a world just come into being,
Where the creatures don’t yet have the tools for livelihood,
Enlightening beings become craftsmen
And teach them various skills.
They do not make anything that will oppress or afflict living beings:
They only explain things that will be of benefit to the world;
Various fields of knowledge, such as incantational arts and medicinal herbs,
And all contained therein they can explain.
The excellent practices of all the sages
Faithfully looked up to by humans and divines,
Such difficult practices and austerities
Enlightening beings can perform according to need.
Some become non-Buddhist mendicants,
Some practice asceticism alone in the forest;
Some go naked, without any clothes,
Being teachers and leaders of such groups.
Some show various practices of wrong livelihood,
Practicing incorrect principles as supreme;
Some manifest the postures of brahmin ascetics,
Becoming leaders of such groups.
Some expose themselves to the heat of fire and sun,
Some practice cults imitating animals,
Some put on filthy clothing and worship fire:
In order to transform such cultists, they become their teachers.
Some make a show of visiting shrines of various deities,
Some make a show of entering the water of the Ganges River,
Some eat roots and fruits, all making a show of these practices,
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 42