The Flower Ornament Scripture
Page 51
To benefit the world enlightening beings make a great resolution,
That resolution extending everywhere throughout the ten directions:
Living beings, lands, the phenomena of past, present, and future,
Enlightened as well as enlightening beings, supreme oceans,
To the limits of space, equal to the cosmos,
And all the worlds there are therein:
In accord with Buddhas’ teachings, they go to every one;
Arousing their minds this way, they never regress.
They think of living beings with compassion, never abandoning them;
They reject all that is harmful, benefiting all.
Their light illumines the world, being as a refuge,
Guarded by the Ten Powered inconceivably.
They enter all lands in the ten directions,
Manifesting all kinds of physical forms.
In accord with Buddhas’ virtue and knowledge, boundless,
They cultivate the appropriate causes, without any attachment.
Some lands face upward, some sideways or inverted;
Coarse, subtle, wide and vast—there are innumerable kinds:
Once enlightening beings have roused the supreme aspiration,
They can travel to all of them, unobstructed.
Enlightening beings’ supreme practices cannot be all told:
All they cultivate diligently without dwelling anywhere.
Seeing all Buddhas, they’re always joyful,
And enter everywhere into the ocean of profound truths.
Pitying beings living in mundane dispositions,
They cause them to clear away defilements, to be thoroughly pure;
Succeeding to the lineage of Buddhas, they do not let it die out:
They devastate the palace of demons, completely destroying them.
Dwelling in the equanimity of the Enlightened,
They skillfully cultivate subtle techniques.
Developing aspiration for the realm of buddhahood,
They are anointed by the Buddhas, their minds without attachment.
Remembering to requite their debt to the Most Honorable Human,
Their minds are incorruptible, like diamond.
Able to clearly comprehend the sphere of Buddhas’ action,
They naturally cultivate and practice enlightening deeds.
The different thoughts of the various realms of beings are infinite—
Their acts, their results, and their minds are also not one—
Everything down to their various different faculties and natures
Are all clearly seen once the great mind is developed.
That mind is far-reaching, as vast as the cosmos;
Without reliance, unchanging, like space—
Heading for Buddha-knowledge without grasping anything,
It clearly comprehends the realm of truth, apart from discriminatory thought.
Knowing the minds of living beings without the concept of beings,
Comprehending all things without the concept of things,
Though discriminating all, yet free from discrimination,
It goes to all lands, billions and trillions.
Following, contemplating, able to enter all
The wondrous troves of teachings of countless Buddhas,
Knowing all the faculties and behaviors of living beings,
Those who have reached this point are like the Buddha.
Always in accord with the pure great vow,
Gladly supporting the enlightened without turning back,
Always pleasing to the sight of humans and celestials,
Always protected mindfully by the Buddhas,
Their minds are pure, free from dependence;
Though they contemplate the profound teaching, they do not cling,
Meditating thus for countless eons
Without any attachments in the past, present, or future.
Their minds are firm and sure, impossible to overcome;
They proceed to Buddhas’ enlightenment without obstruction.
Determined to seek the wondrous Way, they get rid of infantile ignorance;
Traversing the whole cosmos, they do not complain of weariness.
They know the phenomena of speech and language are all null and void;
Only entering into true thusness, they cut off different interpretations.
Harmoniously observing all the spheres of the enlightened,
They comprehend all frames of time, their minds without obstruction.
When enlightening beings first develop the vastly great mind,
They can go to all lands in the ten directions:
Aspects of truth beyond number or explanation
Their light of knowledge illumines clearly.
Liberating many with great compassion, utterly beyond compare,
Their kindness extends everywhere, like space.
And yet they do not discriminate in regard to living beings;
Thus being pure, they roam through the world.
Giving solace and comfort to living beings everywhere,
Everything they do is true and genuine.
Always with a pure heart, they don’t contradict themselves;
They are always strengthened and protected by all the Buddhas.
They remember everything that was in the past,
And discern everything in the future.
They enter all worlds in the ten directions
To liberate beings, causing them to be detached.
Enlightening beings have the light of sublime knowledge
And understand causes and conditions beyond any doubt.
They do away with all confusion and delusion,
And in this way roam the reality-realm.
All the palaces of demons they smash;
All the blinders of living beings they destroy.
Free from discrimination, minds undisturbed,
They understand well the realm of the enlightened.
They have removed the webs of doubt of all time
And aroused faith in those who have realized thusness.
By faith they’ve attained immutable knowledge,
And because their knowledge is pure their understanding is true.
In order to allow living beings to attain emancipation,
And to benefit them universally throughout all time,
They undergo long toils and hardships unflagging,
Calmly enduring even the pains of the hells.
Replete with boundless virtue and wisdom,
They know all the faculties and inclinations of beings;
They see all, including their works and deeds,
And teach them in accord with their tendencies.
They understand all is empty and selfless,
Yet think kindly of beings, never abandoning them;
With one subtle, sublime voice of great compassion
They enter all worlds to teach.
Emanating great lights of various colors,
They shine on all beings, removing the darkness;
In the lights are enlightening beings sitting on lotus blossoms
Bringing forth the pure teaching for all beings.
In a single pore they manifest many lands,
With great enlightening beings filling them all.
The knowledge of the congregation is different for each,
While all can understand the minds of living beings.
To unspeakably many lands in the ten directions
They can go in an instant, to all of them,
Aiding beings, giving offerings to Buddhas.
From the Buddhas they ask the profound truth;
They think of the enlightened ones as parents,
And perform enlightening practices to benefit sentient beings.
With wisdom and flexible means they penetrate the treasury of truths,
Entering the profound realm of knowledge without any attach
ment.
Meditating in accord with truth, they explain the reality-realm
For countless eons, without being able to exhaust it.
Though their knowledge skillfully penetrates, it has no location;
They are not tired or wearied, have no attachment to anything.
Born in the house of the Buddhas of past, present, and future,
They experience the subtle reality-body of the enlightened ones.
Manifesting various forms for all living beings,
Like magicans there’s nothing they can’t make:
Some manifest the beginning of practice of excellent action,
Some manifest birth, up to leaving home,
Some manifest fulfilling enlightenment under a tree,
And some show extinction, for the benefit of beings.
The rare truth in which enlightening beings abide
Is only the realm of Buddhas, not the two vehicles.
They are rid of concepts of body, speech, and thought,
But can manifest them variously, according to the occasion.
The Buddha-teachings attained by enlightening beings
Sentient beings go crazy when thinking of.
The knowledge of enlightening beings enters reality, their minds unhindered;
Everywhere they manifest the independent powers of the Enlightened;
In this they have no compare in all the world:
How much the more when their excellent practices are added.
Though they have not yet completely fulfilled omniscience,
They have already attained the independent power of the enlightened.
Already they abide on the ultimate path of the One Vehicle
And enter deeply into the subtle highest truth.
They know beings well, and appropriate and inappropriate times;
For beings’ benefit they reveal spiritual powers:
Multiplying their bodies, they fill all lands,
Emanating pure light to remove the darkness of the world.
Like dragon kings producing great clouds,
They shower wonderful rains, filling and refreshing all.
They see sentient beings as like illusions and dreams,
Always revolving in circles from the force of their acts;
With compassion and pity they rescue them all,
Explaning to them the uncreated, pure nature of things.
The infinity of Buddhas’ powers is also like this:
Like space, it has no bounds.
In order to enable sentient beings to attain liberation,
They diligently practice for eons untiring.
Pondering in various ways upon wondrous virtues,
They skillfully cultivate the unsurpassed foremost of works;
Never giving up the transcendent practices,
They concentrate on developing omniscience.
With one body they manifest innumerable bodies,
Omnipresent throughout all worlds,
Their minds pure, with no discrimination;
Such is their instantaneous inconceivable power.
They do not discriminate among worlds,
They have no illusions about any thing;
While they contemplate the teachings, they do not grasp them,
And though they are always rescuing beings none are delivered.
All worlds are only mental images:
Therein are various distinctions:
Knowing the realms of ideation are dangerous and deep,
Enlightening beings manifest spiritual powers to rescue and liberate.
Like the powers of a magician
Are the spiritual metamorphoses of enlightening beings;
Their bodies fill the cosmos and space
For all to see according to their mentalities.
Both distinctions of subject and object they have left behind:
Whether defiled or pure, nothing do they grasp;
Cognition of bondage or of liberation they entirely forget,
Only vowing to grant bliss to all sentient beings.
All worlds being only the force of ideation,
They enter them by knowledge with minds free from fear.
Their contemplation of all things is also thus:
Investigating their past, present, and future, they cannot be apprehended.
Able to enter into the whole of the past,
Able to enter into the whole of the future,
Able to enter into all places in the present,
They always observe diligently how nothing exists.
According with the dispassionate state of nirvana,
They abide in noncontention and nonreliance.
Their minds, like ultimate reality, have no compare:
They are turned wholly to enlightenment, never to regress.
Cultivating supreme practice without backsliding or weakening,
They rest on enlightenment, unwavering.
Buddhas, enlightening beings, and the worlds
Throughout the cosmos, they all clearly understand.
If you want to attain the supreme, foremost of paths,
And be an omniscient sovereign of liberty,
You should quickly develop the determination for enlightenment,
Forever end indulgence and help sentient beings;
Proceeding to enlightenment, mind pure,
Your virtues will be vast and great beyond telling.
I am setting this forth for the benefit of beings:
Those of intelligence should listen well.
Infinite worlds are all atoms:
In each atom are infinite lands;
The Buddhas in each are infinite:
Enlightening beings see all clearly without any grasping;
They know living beings without having such a concept,
They know spoken words with no idea of speech.
Their minds are unhindered in any world:
They comprehend all without attachments.
Their minds are broad and vast as space,
They comprehend all things in all times.
They annihilate all doubt and confusion,
And correctly perceive the Buddhas’ teachings without clinging.
To infinite lands in the ten directions
They instantly go, their minds without attachment.
Understanding the reasons for suffering in the world,
They all dwell in the uncreated sphere of reality.
To the assemblies of infinite Buddhas
They go to call on them;
Always being leaders, they ask the Buddhas
About the vows and practices cultivated by enlightening beings.
Their minds always remember the Buddhas of the ten directions,
Yet without depending on or grasping anything.
They constantly urge living beings to plant roots of goodness,
Adorning their lands, making them pure.
All sentient beings in all realms of existence
They observe with unobstructed eyes:
Their habits, natures, faculties, and understandings,
Countless and boundless, all they clearly see.
Aware of all defilement and purity,
They cause them to cultivate themselves and enter the Way.
Measureless, countless meditation concentrations
Enlightening beings can enter in a single instant:
Their perceptions, knowledges and objects therein
They all know thoroughly and attain mastery.
Enlightening beings, attaining this great knowledge,
Immediately direct it to enlightenment, unhindered.
Because they want to help and benefit living beings,
Wherever they are they expound the principles of great people.
They know the long and short eons of the worlds,
A month, a fortnight, a day and a night,
In each land are different, but equal in essence.
Alw
ays diligently observing, they are not lax or indulgent;
Going to all worlds in the ten directions,
Yet they do not cling to place or location;
Adorning and purifying all lands with exception,
Yet they never produce the concept of purity.
Sentient beings’ rights and wrongs,
The differences in their deeds and the consequences,
They accordingly reflect upon, entering the Buddha’s power
And comprehending all of this.
The various natures in all worlds,
Various courses of action, and their realms of being,
Sharp faculties as well as the middling and inferior—
All such things do they observe and examine.
Various understandings, pure and impure,
Superior, inferior, and middling, all they clearly see.
The acts of all beings and where they lead,
The continuity of realms of being—all they can explain.
Meditations, concentrations, liberations, trances,
Defiled and pure, their causes and origins each different:
These, plus the differences of pain and pleasure of past lives,
Purely cultivating Buddha-power, all they can see.
Sentient beings’ habitual delusions continue the various states of being—
By cutting off these tendencies and states they attain peace and dispassion,
Various tainted states do not arise anymore:
All this, and the seeds of those habits, enlightening beings know.
The afflictions of the Enlightened are all extinguished:
Their light of great knowledge illumines the world.
Though enlightening beings have not yet attained
Buddhas’ ten powers, yet they do not have doubt.
Enlightening beings, in a single pore,
Manifest the infinite lands of the ten directions:
Some are defiled, some are pure,
Made by various deeds—all do they comprehend.
In a single atom, infinite lands,
With infinite Buddhas and their offspring;
The lands are each distinct, not mixed up:
As of one, all they clearly see.
In one pore they see all the worlds
In the space of the ten directions.