The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  Is how this light is made.

  It also emits a light called “purity of taste”

  Which can eliminate all poisons in food.

  Continued support of the Buddha, Community, and parents

  Is how this light is made.

  It also emanates a light called “purity of feeling”

  Able to soften what’s unpleasant to touch;

  Though spears and swords rain from the sky,

  It can change them all to flower garlands.

  By having in the past spread the roads

  With perfumes, scattered flowers, and robes

  For the Buddhas to walk upon

  Is how such a light was attained.

  It also radiates a light called “purity of phenomena”

  Able to cause all hair pores to expound

  Inconceivable wonderful teachings

  So all who hear joyfully understand.

  What originates from causes and conditions has no origination;

  The reality-body of the Buddhas is not a body;

  The nature of things is eternally like space:

  By explaining these meanings is there light like this.

  Such incomparable gateways of lights

  Are innumerable, like sand grains of the Ganges River;

  All emerge from the Great Sage’s pores,

  Each performing a distinct function.

  As the lights emanated from a single pore

  Are countless, innumerable as the Ganges’ sands,

  So are those of each and every pore:

  This is the power of the Sage’s concentration.

  According to the lights attained by past practice,

  Those who practice likewise, according to their affinities,

  Now radiate lights therefore like this:

  This is the freedom of the Sage’s knowledge.

  Those who practiced virtuous deeds like the Buddha

  And had appreciation and rejoiced in accord,

  Who saw what he did and then did likewise,

  They are all able to see this light.

  If any practice virtuous deeds themselves

  And make offerings to innumerable Buddhas,

  Always aspiring to the virtues of buddhahood,

  They are awakened by this light.

  Just as when those born blind don’t see the sun

  It is not because there’s no sun appearing in the world—

  All those who have eyes can clearly see it,

  Each doing their work according to their occupations,

  So it is with the lights of the Great Being—

  Those who have wisdom all can see,

  While ordinary folk with false beliefs and low understanding

  Cannot perceive these lights at all.

  Crystal palaces and chariots

  Painted with precious ethereal scents

  Are naturally supplied to those with virtue:

  They cannot be occupied by the virtueless ones;

  So it is with the Great Being’s lights:

  Those of deep knowledge are all illumined,

  While the ignorant, with false beliefs and poor understanding

  Are not able to see these lights at all.

  If any who hear of the varieties of these lights

  Can develop pure and profound faith and resolution,

  They’ll sunder forever the web of all doubts

  And promptly complete the banner of virtue.

  There’s a supreme concentration that can produce

  Arrays of retinues, all free,

  Incomparable assemblies of Buddha-children

  Of all buddha-lands in the ten directions:

  There is a lotus blossom, adorned with lights,

  Of equal extent to a billion world galaxy,

  On which the enlightening being sits, completely filling it—

  This is the mystic power of this concentration.

  There are also lotus blossoms surrounding,

  As many as atoms in ten lands,

  On which the hosts of Buddha-children sit,

  Abiding in the spiritual power of this concentration.

  Having fully developed good causes in the past

  And fully practiced the virtues of buddhahood,

  Such people surround the enlightening being,

  All joining their palms and gazing tirelessly.

  Like the bright moon among the stars

  Is the enlightening being in the midst of the congregation.

  Such is the practice of the great being

  Entering the spiritual power of this concentration.

  As manifested in one region

  Surrounded by hosts of Buddha-children,

  So it is in all regions,

  Abiding in this spiritual power of concentration.

  There’s a supreme concentration called “network of loci”—

  The enlightening being dwelling in this teaches widely,

  Appearing bodily in all quarters,

  Sometimes entering concentration, sometimes emerging:

  Sometimes entering right concentration in the East

  And emerging from concentration in the West,

  Sometimes entering right concentration in the West

  And emerging from concentration in the East,

  Sometimes entering right concentration in other directions

  And emerging from concentration in still others,

  Sometimes entry and emergence pervade all ten directions:

  This is called the enlightening being’s concentration power.

  Appearing before and associating with

  All the countless Buddhas

  In the lands throughout the East

  While dwelling in this concentration, silent and unmoving,

  And emerging from concentration

  In the presence of all the Buddhas

  Of the worlds in the West,

  Making unlimited offerings to all of them;

  Appearing before and associating with

  All the countless Buddhas

  In the lands throughout the West

  While remaining in concentration, silent and unmoving,

  And emerging from concentration

  In the presence of all the Buddhas

  Of the worlds in the East,

  Making unlimited offerings to all of them,

  Thus does the enlightening being enter

  All the worlds of the ten directions,

  Sometimes manifesting concentration, silent and unmoving,

  Sometimes manifesting respectful offering to the Buddhas.

  Entering right concentration in the eye-organ,

  Emerging from concentration in the field of form,

  Showing the inconceivability of the nature of form,

  Unknowable to all gods and men;

  Entering right concentration in the field of form

  And emerging from concentration in the eye, without disturbing the mind,

  Explaining the eye is birthless and has no origin,

  By nature empty, null, and doing nothing;

  Entering right concentration in the ear faculty

  And emerging from concentration in the field of sound,

  Distinguishing the sounds of all languages,

  Unknowable to gods and men,

  Entering right concentration in the field of sound,

  Emerging from concentration in the ear, the mind undisturbed,

  Explaining the ear is birthless and has no origin,

  By nature empty, null, and doing nothing;

  Entering right concentration in the nose faculty

  And emerging from concentration in the field of scent,

  Discovering all the most excellent fragrances,

  Unknowable to gods and men,

  Entering right concentration in the field of scent,

  Emerging from concentration in the nose, mind undisturbed,

  Explaining the nose is birthless and has no origin,

  Emp
ty by nature, null, and doing nothing;

  Entering right concentration in the tongue faculty,

  Emerging from concentration in the field of flavor,

  Discovering all the most exquisite flavors

  Unknowable to gods and men,

  Entering right concentration in the field of flavor,

  Emerging from concentration in the tongue, mind undisturbed,

  Explaining the tongue is birthless and has no origin,

  By nature, empty, null, and doing nothing;

  Entering right concentration in the faculty of the body,

  Emerging from concentration in the field of touch,

  Able to clearly distinguish all textures,

  Unknowable to gods and men,

  Entering right concentration in the field of touch,

  Emerging from concentration in the body, mind undisturbed,

  Explaining the body is birthless and has no origin,

  By nature empty, null, and doing nothing;

  Entering right concentration in the mental faculty,

  Emerging from concentration in the field of phenomena,

  Discerning the characteristics of all things,

  Unknowable to gods and men,

  Entering right concentration in the field of phenomena,

  Emerging from concentration in the mental organ, mind undisturbed,

  Explaining the mind is birthless and has no origin,

  By nature empty, null, and doing nothing;

  Entering right concentration in the body of a youth,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of an adult,

  Entering right concentration in the body of an adult,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of one aged,

  Entering right concentration in the body of one aged,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a devout woman,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a devout woman,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a devout man,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a devout man,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a nun,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a nun,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a monk,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a monk,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a learner or nonlearner,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a learner or nonlearner,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a self-enlightened one,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a self-enlightened one,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a fully enlightened one,

  Entering right concentration in the body of an enlightened one,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a celestial being,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a celestial being,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a dragon,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a dragon,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a yaksha,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a yaksha,

  Emerging from concentration in the body of a ghost,

  Entering right concentration in the body of a ghost,

  Emerging from concentration in a hair pore,

  Entering right concentration in one hair pore,

  Emerging from concentration in all hair pores,

  Entering right concentration in all pores,

  Emerging from concentration on a hairtip,

  Entering right concentration on a hairtip,

  Emerging from concentration in an atom,

  Entering right concentration in an atom,

  Emerging from right concentration in all atoms,

  Entering right concentration in all atoms,

  Emerging from concentration in diamond ground,

  Entering right concentration in diamond ground,

  Emerging from concentration on a crystal tree,

  Entering right concentration on a crystal tree,

  Emerging from concentration in Buddha’s aura,

  Entering right concentration in Buddha’s aura,

  Emerging from concentration in rivers and seas,

  Entering right concentration in rivers and seas,

  Emerging from concentration in the element fire,

  Entering right concentration in the element fire,

  Emerging from concentration in the wind, mind undisturbed,

  Entering right concentration in the element wind,

  Emerging from concentration in the element earth,

  Entering right concentration in the element earth,

  Emerging from concentration in the mansion of heaven,

  Entering right concentration in the mansion of heaven,

  Emerging from concentration in space, mind undisturbed:

  This is called the inconceivable freedom of concentration

  Of the one with infinite virtues,

  Which all the Buddhas of the ten directions

  Could not thoroughly expound even in countless eons.

  All the enlightened ones together explain

  That the consequences of beings’ actions are unthinkably many.

  The metamorphic emanations of the dragons, the masteries of the Buddhas,

  And the spiritual powers of enlightening beings are also inconceivable.

  Though one try to illustrate this by metaphor,

  After all there is no metaphor that can be likened to this;

  However, people of wisdom and intelligence

  Understand their meaning by means of similitudes.

  Buddha’s followers’ minds dwell in the eight liberations

  And the transformations they display are all freely done:

  They can manifest many bodies by one body

  And can make one body of many bodies.

  They can enter fire-concentration in space,

  Walking, standing, sitting, and lying, all in the sky,

  Producing water from the upper body and fire from the lower,

  Or fire from the upper body and water from the lower.

  In this way, in the moment of one thought,

  They can transform freely in innumerable ways.

  They do not fully have great compassion

  And do not seek buddhahood for the sake of all beings,

  Yet still they can manifest such inconceivable things—

  How much more is the power of the great benefactors, enlightening beings:

  Like sun and moon traveling through space,

  Their lights’ reflections appearing in all places,

  In springs, ponds, reservoirs, and water in vessels,

  In jewellike rivers and seas—they reflect everywhere:

  So it is with the forms of enlightening beings—

  They appear everywhere, inconceivably;

  This is all the freedom of concentration,

  Which only the enlightened can completely realize.

  Like the images of four armies in the ocean water,

  Each distinct, not merging or mixing,

  Their swords, spears, bows and arrows, are many and diverse,

  Their armor, helmets, and chariots are not the same:

  Whatever the differences in the forms they have,

  All are reflected in the water,

  Yet the water itself does not discriminate—

  The concentration of enlightening beings is also like this.

  In the ocean are spirits called “good at sound”

  Whose voices universally adapt to all creatures of the sea,

  And who completely understand all their languages

  And make them all joyful and happy:

  Those spirits have greed, malice, and folly,

  Yet they can still understand all sounds—

  How much more the enlightening beings’ power of mental command—

  Can they no
t cause all beings joy?

  There is a woman named Explanatory Ability

  Who was born through her parents’ supplication to heaven:

  If one can divorce evil and delight in truth,

  One can enter her body and engender wondrous eloquence.

  She still has desire, aversion, and ignorance,

  Yet can bestow elucidating powers in accord with practice—

  How much the more so can enlightening beings full of wisdom

  Bestow benefits on sentient beings.

  Like a magician who knows the ways of magic

  Can produce any number of various things,

  Make an instant seem a day, a month, a year,

  Produce a city rich and very happy;

  The magician has greed, anger, and ignorance still,

  Yet can delight the world with magic ability—

  How much the more so can the power of meditation and liberation

  Bring all creatures joy.

  When the gods and titans fought,

  The titans lost and ran away;

  Their armaments, chariots, and soldiers

  They hid at once where none could see.

  They have greed, malice, and folly,

  Yet are still capable of inconceivable transformations;

  How much the more can dwelling in fearlessness of supernormal powers

  Now manifest independent freedom.

  Indra, king of gods, has a royal elephant—

  When it knows the king wants to go somewhere,

  It transforms itself, creating thirty-three heads,

  Each head having six tusks,

  With the waters of seven ponds on each tusk,

  Clean and fragrant, pure, still and full;

  In the water of each pure pond

  Are seven lotuses in beautiful array;

  On each of those adorning lotus blossoms

  Are seven celestial jadelike maidens

  Skillfully dancing and playing music

  Entertaining Indra, king of gods.

  That elephant can also lose its original form

  And transform its body to be like that of the gods,

  Completely the same in bearing and action—

  It has this miraculous power of transformation.

  It still has greed, anger, and ignorance,

  Yet nonetheless can manifest such miraculous powers—

  How much the more is one replete with skill and knowledge

  Free in all states of concentration.

  Like the metamorphosed phantom body of a titan

  Walking on the diamond stratum, standing in the ocean,

  The water at the deepest part of the ocean only reaching its midriff

  While its head is level with the soaring polar mountain—

  It has greed, anger, and ignorance,

  Yet still can display such great wonders—