The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  “When enlightening beings persist in nonindulgence, they attain ten kinds of purity: (1) acting in accord with what they say; (2) consummation of attention and discernment; (3) abiding in deep concentration without torpor or agitation; (4) gladly seeking Buddha-teachings without flagging; (5) contemplating the teachings heard according to reason, fully developing skillfully flexible knowledge; (6) entering deep meditation and attaining the psychic powers of Buddhas; (7) their minds are equanimous, without sense of high or low status; (8) in regard to superior, middling, and inferior types of beings, their minds are unobstructed, and like the earth, they benefit all equally; (9) if they see any beings who have even once made the determination for enlightenment, they honor and serve them as teachers; (10) they always respect, serve, and support their preceptors and tutors, and all enlightening beings, wise friends, and teachers. These are called the ten kinds of purity of enlightening beings persisting in nonindulgence.

  “Enlightening beings abide in nonindulgence, evoke great vigor, produce correct mindfulness, engender supreme aspiration, and work unceasingly. Their minds are free from dependence on any thing. They are able to diligently cultivate the most profound teaching, and enter the gate of noncontention. Broadening their minds, they are able to accordingly comprehend boundless Buddha-teachings, causing the Enlightened Ones to all rejoice.

  “There are ten more things by which enlightening beings can cause the Buddhas to rejoice: (1) persevering without regression; (2) not begrudging their physical life; (3) not seeking profit or support; (4) knowing all things are like space; (5) being skillful at contemplation, entering into all realms of reality; (6) knowing the definitive marks of all things; (7) always invoking great vows; (8) developing the light of pure tolerant knowledge; (9) examining one’s own virtues without exaggeration or underestimation; (10) cultivating pure practices in accord with the way of nonstriving. This is called enlightening beings persisting in ten things whereby they are able to bring joy to all the Enlightened Ones.

  “There are ten more things by which they can make all Buddhas joyful: abiding securely in nonindulgence; abiding securely in acceptance of nonorigination; abiding securely in great kindness; abiding securely in great compassion; abiding securely in the fulfillment of the transcendent ways; abiding securely in the enlightening practices; abiding securely in great vows; abiding securely in skillful means; abiding securely in dauntless power; abiding securely in knowledge and wisdom, observing all things have no abode, like empty space. If enlightening beings abide in these ten things, they can cause all Buddhas joy.

  “There are ten things which cause enlightening beings to quickly enter the stages: (1) skillfully fulfilling the twin practices of virtue and knowledge; (2) ability to greatly adorn the path of the transcendent practices; (3) knowledge clearly comprehending, not following others’ words; (4) serving good friends, never abandoning them; (5) always practicing perseverance, without laziness; (6) skillful ability to abide in the psychic powers of Buddhas; (7) cultivating roots of goodness without growing wearied; (8) with a deep mind and incisive knowledge, adorning oneself with the teaching of the Great Vehicle; (9) the mind not dwelling on the teachings of each stage; (10) being of the same essential nature as all Buddhas of all times in virtue and liberative means. These ten things cause enlightening beings to quickly enter the stages.

  “Furthermore, when enlightening beings are in the first stage, they should carefully investigate all the principles and knowledge pertaining to it, the causes cultivated there, the effects realized, the spheres, functions, manifestations, distinctions, and attainments pertaining to it. They should carefully examine and realize that all things are one’s own mind, and have no attachments to anything; with this knowledge they enter the stages of enlightening beings and can steadfastly continue therein.

  “Those enlightening beings formulate these thoughts: ‘We should quickly enter the stages. Why? If we sojourn in stage after stage, we will develop such great virtuous qualities; being replete with virtue, we will gradually enter the stage of buddhahood; once we are in the stage of buddhahood, we can perform boundless great buddha-works. Therefore we should always practice diligently and unremittingly, without wearying, adorning ourselves with great virtues and enter the stages of enlightening beings.’

  “There are ten things which cause the practices of enlightening beings to be pure: (1) giving up all possessions to satisfy the wishes of sentient beings; (2) adhering to pure morality, not transgressing; (3) being inexhaustibly gentle and tolerant; (4) cultivating practices diligently without regressing; (5) being free from confusion and mental disturbance, through the power of correct mindfulness; (6) analyzing and comprehending the innumerable teachings; (7) cultivating all practices without attachment; (8) being mentally imperturbable, like a great mountain; (9) extensively liberating living beings, like a bridge; (10) knowing that all living beings are in essence the same as the Buddhas. These ten things make enlightening beings’ practices pure.

  “Once enlightening beings have attained purity in practice, they also attain ten even greater things: (1) the Buddhas of other realms always protect them; (2) their roots of goodness increase, going beyond any comparison; (3) they are able to receive the boosting power of the Buddhas; (4) they always find good people and are relied on by them; (5) they remain diligent and are never heedless; (6) they know all things are equal and not different; (7) their minds always abide in unexcelled great compassion; (8) they observe things as they really are, producing sublime wisdom; (9) they are able to practice skillful techniques of liberation; (10) they are able to know the Enlightened Ones’ power of skill in liberative means. These are the ten excellent qualities of enlightening beings.

  “Enlightening beings have ten pure vows: (1) they vow to develop living beings to maturity, without wearying; (2) they vow to fully practice all virtues and purify all worlds; (3) they vow to serve the Enlightened, always engendering honor and respect; (4) they vow to keep and protect the true teaching, not begrudging their lives; (5) they vow to observe with wisdom and enter the lands of the Buddhas; (6) they vow to be of the same essence as all enlightening beings; (7) they vow to enter the door of realization of thusness and comprehend all things; (8) they vow that those who see them will develop faith and all be benefited; (9) they vow to stay in the world forever by spiritual power; (10) they vow to fulfill the practice of Universal Good, and master the knowledge of all particulars and all ways of liberation. These are the ten pure vows of enlightening beings.

  “Enlightening beings can successfully fulfill their great vows by abiding by ten principles: (1) never wearying in mind; (2) preparing great adornments; (3) remembering the superlative will power of enlightening beings; (4) when hearing about the Buddha-lands, vowing to be born in them all; (5) keeping their profound determination everlasting; (6) vowing to develop all living beings fully; (7) staying through all ages without considering it troublesome; (8) accepting all suffering without aversion; (9) having no craving for or attachment to any pleasures; (10) always diligently protecting the unexcelled teaching.

  “When enlightening beings fulfill such vows, they attain ten inexhaustible treasuries: perception of the Buddhas; perfect memory power; certain understanding of all the teachings; compassionate salvation; various states of concentration; extensive blessings and virtues satisfying the hearts of all beings; profound knowledge to expound all truths; spiritual powers gained as a consequence of practice; subsistence for immeasurable eons; entry into boundless worlds. These are enlightening beings’ ten inexhaustible treasuries.

  “When enlightening beings have attained these ten treasuries, their virtue is complete, their knowledge is pure; they explain the truth to sentient beings according to their needs and capacities. How do enlightening beings explain the truth to sentient beings according to their needs and capacities? They know what beings do; they know their causes and conditions; they know their mental behavior; they know their inclinations. To those with much greed and desire t
hey expound impurity; to those with much anger and hatred they expound magnanimity and kindness; to those with much ignorance and delusion they teach diligent contemplation; to those in whom these poisons of greed, hatred, and ignorance are equal, they expound the teaching of the development of the knowledge to overcome them. Those who like birth and death they teach about the three kinds of suffering. To those who are attached to where they are, they teach the empty nullity of places. To those who are lazy they talk of great vigor. To those who harbor conceit they explain the equality of things. To flatterers and deceivers they tell of the simple honesty of the hearts of enlightening beings. To those who like silence and tranquility they expound the Teaching extensively, so that they will accomplish it. Thus do enlightening beings teach according to what is necessary and appropriate.

  When they expound the Teaching, their expressions interlink, the meanings are free from contradiction and confusion. They observe the context of the teachings, analyze them wisely, determine right and wrong, accord with the definitive marks of things—impermanence, dispassion, and selflessness—and progressively set up boundless practical approaches, to cause all sentient beings to cut off all doubt. They know all faculties well, enter into the teachings of the enlightened, experience true reality, know things are equal, cut off all attachment to things, eliminate all clinging, and always remember the Buddhas, their minds never leaving them for a moment. They know the substance and essence of sounds are equal, and have no attachment to verbalizations. They can skillfully expound examples and allegories, without any contradiction, to make everyone able to realize the impartial body of wisdom which all the Buddhas manifest everywhere according to need and suitability.

  “When enlightening beings expound the Teaching to sentient beings in this way, they practice it themselves, increasing its benefit, not giving up the ways of transcendence, fully setting out the path of the transcendent practices. At this time, enlightening beings give up everything external and internal, without attachment, to satisfy the hearts of sentient beings—thus they can purify the transcendent practice of giving. They keep ethical precepts without attachment, forever divorcing conceit—thus they can purify the transcendent practice of morality. They are able to tolerate all evils, with minds equanimous toward all beings, without disturbance or wavering, just like the earth, able to bear all—thus they can purify the transcendent practice of forbearance. They undertake all practices without laziness, never regressing in what they do, with indomitable courage and energy, not grasping or rejecting all virtues, but able to fulfill all aspects of knowledge—thus they can purify the transcendent practice of vigor. They have no attachment or greed for any objects of desire, are able to consummate the successive degrees of concentration, always meditate correctly, neither dwelling in or leaving concentration, yet able to dissolve all afflictions, produce innumerable facets of concentration, develop boundless great psychic powers, going back and forth successively from meditation state to meditation state, in one meditation enter boundless meditations, knowing all spheres of meditation, not discordant with the seal of knowledge of all concentrations and trances, able to quickly enter the stage of omniscience—thus they can purify the transcendent practice of meditation. Hearing the Teaching from the Buddhas and accepting and keeping it, associating with wise companions, serving them tirelessly, always glad to hear the teaching, never growing weary of it, thinking about what is heard according to the true principle, entering genuine concentration, divorcing all biased views, observing all things well, apprehending the definite mark of the character of reality, comprehending the effortless path of the Enlightened, riding on universal wisdom, entering the gate of the knowledge of all knowledge, attaining eternal rest—thus can they purify transcendent wisdom.

  “Manifesting all worldly occupations to teach living beings, never getting tired of it, appearing to them in forms pleasing to them, having no attachments to anything done, sometimes manifesting the acts of ordinary people, sometimes manifesting the acts of sages, sometimes manifesting birth and death, sometimes manifesting nirvana, able to keenly observe all doings and manifest all adornments without covetousness, entering all realms of existence to liberate sentient beings—thus can they purify the transcendent practice of skill in means.

  “Thoroughly developing all living beings, thoroughly adorning all worlds, making offerings to all Buddhas, completely arriving at the state of nonobstruction, thoroughly cultivating practice extending throughout the universe, physically remaining throughout all times, knowing the thoughts of all minds, being fully aware that all cyclic transformations return to extinction, appearing in all lands, completely realizing the knowledge and wisdom of the enlightened—thus they can purify the transcendent practice of vows.

  “Replete with the power of profound will, being without defilement, replete with the power of profound faith, being invincible, replete with the power of great compassion, never being wearied, replete with the power of great kindness, being impartial in action, replete with memory power, being able to skillfully retain all meanings, replete with the power of elucidation, causing all beings to be happy and fulfilled, replete with the power of transcendent practices, adorning the great vehicle, replete with the power of vows, never ceasing, replete with the power of spiritual abilities, producing innumerable miracles, replete with the power of strengthening and sustaining, able to induce faith and acceptance—thus can they purify the transcendent practice of power.

  “Knowing those who act on covetousness, knowing those who act on anger, knowing those who act on folly, knowing those who act equally on all of these, knowing those who cultivate learning, in a single thought knowing the actions of boundless sentient beings, knowing the minds of boundless sentient beings, knowing the truth of all things, knowing the powers of all enlightened ones, being aware of all aspects of the cosmos of reality—thus can they purify the transcendent practice of knowledge.

  “Child of Buddha, when enlightening beings thus purify the transcendent practices, fulfill the transcendent practices, do not give up the transcendent practices, they abide in the magnificently adorned vehicle of enlightening beings, and expound the Teaching to all sentient beings who come to their attention, causing them to increase pure conduct and attain liberation. Those who have fallen into evil ways they cause to aspire to enlightenment, those in difficulty they cause to diligently persevere. To the greedy they teach desirelessness. The wrathful they induce to practice equanimity. To those attached to views they explain interdependent origination. Beings in the realm of desire they teach to divorce unwholesome things like craving and hatred. To beings in the realm of form they teach analytic insight. To beings in the formless realm they expound subtle wisdom. To people of the two lesser vehicles they teach the practice of dispassion and tranquility. To those who like the great vehicle they expound the great adornment of the ten powers.

  “As in the past when they first aspired to enlightenment they saw innumerable beings fallen into evil ways, they made the great lion’s roar and said, ‘I should by means of various teachings appropriate to their needs and potentials rescue and liberate them’; enlightening beings, replete with such knowledge and wisdom, are able to liberate all sentient beings.

  “Child of Buddha, enlightening beings, endowed with such knowledge and wisdom, cause the lineage of the three treasures never to end. How? Great enlightening beings teach creatures to awaken the will for enlightenment, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of Buddhas not to be broken off. They always expound the treasury of the Teaching for sentient beings, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of the Teaching not to be cut off. They maintain the principles of the Teaching well, without opposition or violation, and therefore can cause the lineage of the religious community not to be cut off. Furthermore, they are able to praise all great vows, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of Buddhas not to be cut off. They analyze and explain the aspects of causality, and are therefore able to cause the lineage of the Teaching not to b
e cut off. They always earnestly practice the six principles of harmony and respect and therefore are able to cause the lineage of the religious community not to be cut off. Also, they plant the seeds of buddhahood in the field of sentient beings, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of Buddhas not to be cut off; they protect and keep the Teaching unreservedly, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of the Teaching not to be cut off; they unify and order the great community tirelessly, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of the religious community not to be cut off. Also, they serve and uphold the teachings spoken and the precepts established by the Buddhas of past, present, and future, and therefore are able to cause the lineage of the Buddha, Teaching, and Community to never be cut off.

  “Thus enlightening beings succeed to the Three Treasures, free from error in all they do: all of their actions they dedicate to omniscience, and therefore their physical, verbal, and mental actions are free from flaws; being free from flaws, all the good deeds they do, all the practices they carry out, edifying beings, teaching them according to their needs, are never in error even for a moment; all are in consonance with skill and knowledge, all are dedicated to omniscient knowledge, none passing in vain.

  “Cultivating and practicing good ways like this, enlightening beings fulfill ten kinds of adornments moment after moment: adornment of bodies—they appear as appropriate to beings who can be taught; adornment of speech—they cut off all doubts and cause everyone to rejoice; adornment of mind—they enter all meditations in a single instant; adornment of buddha-lands—all are pure, free from afflictions; adornment of auras—they radiate boundless light, illumining sentient beings everywhere; adornment of community—they unify communities and gladden them all; adornment of spiritual powers—they can appear freely, adapting to the minds of sentient beings; adornment of true teaching—they are able to attract all intelligent people; adornment of the state of nirvana—becoming enlightened in one place, they pervade the whole universe; adornment of skillful explanation—they teach in accord with the place, the time, the faculty, and capacity.