“Thus do enlightening beings achieve the mind of wisdom which is difficult to attain. Cultivating various practices, they free sentient beings from the three woeful states of hell, ghosthood, and animality, teaching and enlightening, taming and civilizing, placing them on the Way of the Buddhas of all times, making them unshakable.
“Furthermore, they form this thought: ‘Beings in the world are ungrateful and even hostile to one another; with false views and clinging attachments, illusions and delusions, they are ignorant and unwise; having no faith, they follow bad associates, and develop various kinds of perverse cleverness. They are full of various afflictions, like craving and ignorance. This is where I am to cultivate the practice of enlightening beings. If people who are grateful, intelligent, wise and knowing filled the world, I would not cultivate the practices of enlightening beings therein. Why? I have no attraction or opposition to sentient beings, I seek nothing from them, I do not seek even so much as a single word of praise.’ Cultivating enlightening practices forever and ever, they never have a single thought of doing it for themselves—they only want to liberate all sentient beings, to purify them so that they attain eternal emancipation. Why? Because those who would be enlightened guides must be thus—not grasping, not seeking, just practicing the enlightening Way for the sake of beings, to enable them to reach the peaceful, secure other shore and attain complete perfect enlightenment.
“This is called the great enlightening beings’ eighth practice, that which is difficult to attain.
“What is the great enlightening beings’ practice of good teachings? Here the enlightening beings act as pure, cool reservoirs of truth for the sake of beings of all worlds—celestial and human beings, devils and gods, ascetics and priests, etc. Maintaining true teaching, they do not let the seed of buddhahood be cut off. Because they attain the spell of pure light, in teaching and predicting enlightenment their intellectual powers are inexhuastible. Because they attain the spell of complete meaning their comprehension of meanings is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of realization of true principles, their comprehension of principles is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of explanatory expression, their comprehension of words is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of nonobstruction of inexhaustible meanings of boundless words and phrases, their unimpeded comprehension is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of nonobstruction of inexhaustible meanings of boundless words and phrases, their unimpeded comprehension is inexhaustible. Because they are anointed by the spell of the Buddhas’ coronation, their delightful eloquence is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of enlightenment without relying on another, their illuminating discourse is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of adaptive explanation, their adaptive discourse is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of elucidation and analysis of all kinds of bodies of words, phrases, and sentences, their explanatory eloquence is inexhaustible. Because they attain the spell of boundless versatility, their boundless elucidation is inexhaustible.
“The great compassion of these enlightening beings is strong and steadfast, extending to all creatures. Throughout the universe they change their bodies to a golden color and carry out the deeds of Buddhas time and time again; adapting to the faculties, natures, and inclinations of sentient beings, with a universal tongue within one voice they manifest unlimited sounds, teaching as appropriate to the occasion, bringing joy to all. Even if there were countless beings in innumerable conditions, all in the same assembly, that assembly so vast it fills untold worlds, and each had innumerable mouths each capable of producing billions of sounds, and each should ask the enlightening beings different questions all at once, the enlightening beings would be able to take on all the questions instantly and reply to them and cause their doubts to be removed. As this is true of one assembly, so it is also of countless assemblies.
“Furthermore, even if every single spot as big as a hairtip should in every successive moment produce unspeakably many unspeakable numbers of congregations, throughout the eons of the future—those eons may be exhausted, but the congregations are infinite—and all of them should every moment ask different questions in different words, enlightening beings could receive them all in a single instant, without fear or timidity, without doubt or error, thinking, ‘Even if all sentient beings come and question me, I will expound the truth to them ceaselessly, endlessly, causing them all to rejoice and dwell in the path of virtue, and also cause them to understand all words and expressions and be able to explain various principles to sentient beings, yet without discrimination in regard to language. Even if they come and ask difficult questions in countless various ways of speaking, I will receive them all at once and answer them all in one voice, causing them all to understand, without omitting anything.’ This is because they have been anointed with omniscience, because they have found the unobstructed treasury of the potential of enlightenment, because they have attained the sphere of light of all truths, and because they are replete with universal knowledge.
“Once the enlightening beings abide in the practice of good teachings, they can purify themselves, and also can benefit all sentient beings by appropriate means without attachments, not seeing that there are any sentient beings that attain emancipation.
“As they do in this universe, so in countless universes do they turn golden, and, fully equipped with the wondrous voice, with no barrier to any truth, perform Buddha work.
“These enlightening beings develop ten kinds of body: the transcendent body which enters into boundless realms, due to annihilating all worldliness; the immanent body which enters into boundless realms, due to birth in all worlds; the unborn body, due to abiding in the impartiality of birthlessness; the undying body, due to all expression of extinction being ungraspable; the nonreal body, due to attainment of accord with reality; the nonfalse body, due to adaptive appearance; the unchanging body, being removed from death in one place and rebirth in another; the nondisintegrating body, the nature of the realm of reality being indestructible; the uniform body, being beyond all manner of speaking, past, present, or future; the formless body, due to ability to observe the characteristics of things.
“Developing these ten bodies, enlightening beings are a house for all sentient beings, because they raise all roots of goodness; they are saviors for all sentient beings, because they enable them to attain great peace; they are a refuge for all sentient beings, because they act as a great reliance for them; they are guides for all sentient beings, because they enable them to attain unsurpassed emancipation; they are teachers of all sentient beings, because they cause them to enter into the truth; they are lamps for all sentient beings, because they cause them to see clearly the consequences of actions; they are lights for all sentient beings, because they cause the extremely profound wondrous truth to be illuminated; they are a torch for all in all times, because they cause them to clearly understand the truth; they are illumination for all worlds, because they cause them to enter the state of radiant light; they are clarifiers for all realms of being, because they reveal the powers of the enlightened.
“This is called the great enlightening beings’ ninth practice, of good teachings. When enlightening beings abide in this practice, they are a pure cool reservoir of truth for all sentient beings, because they can plumb the source of all the Buddha teachings.
“What is the great enlightening beings’ practice of truth? Here the enlightening beings perfect true speech—they can act in accord with what they say, and can speak according to what they do. These enlightening beings study the true words of the Buddhas of all times, they enter the nature of the lineage of the Buddhas of all times, they equal the roots of goodness of the Buddhas of all times, they apprehend the nondual speech of the Buddhas of all times. Learning from the enlightened ones, their knowledge and wisdom is consummate.
“These enlightening beings develop the knowledge of what is so and what is not so in regard to sentient beings, the knowledge of consequences of pa
st, future, and present actions, the knowledge of sharpness and dullness of all faculties, the knowledge of various realms, the knowledge of various understandings, the knowledge of where all paths lead, the knowledge of defilement or purity and proper or improper timing of all meditations, liberations, and concentrations, the knowledge of past abodes in all worlds, the knowledge of clairvoyance, and the knowledge of the end of all taints—yet they don’t give up carrying out all the practices of enlightening beings. Why? Because they want to teach and enlighten all living beings and purify them.
“The enlightening beings also conceive this overwhelming determination: ‘If I attain complete perfect enlightenment first without having established all sentient beings on the path of unsurpassed liberation, I would be violating my original vow—that would never do, so I should first cause all sentient beings to attain unexcelled enlightenment and nirvana without remainder, and then after that fulfill buddhahood. Why Sentient beings have not asked me to set my mind on enlightenment—I of my own accord act as an unsolicited friend to sentient beings, wishing to first cause all beings to fully develop their good potential and attain omniscience. This is why I am supreme—because I am not attached to any world. I am highest, because I dwell in the state of unsurpassed self-control. I am free from all blindness, because I understand that sentient beings are boundless. I am done, because my original vow is accomplished. I am versatile, because of the adornment of virtues of enlightening beings. I am reliable, because of the acceptance of the Buddhas of all times.’
Because the enlightening beings do not give up their fundamental vow, they gain entry to the adornment of unexcelled knowledge and wisdom. They benefit living beings, causing them all to be fulfilled; they attain final consummation of their original vow. Their knowledge has free access to all truths. They cause all sentient beings to attain to purity. Instant to instant they travel throughout the worlds of the ten directions, instant to instant visiting countless buddha-lands, instant to instant seeing countless Buddhas and the pure lands the Buddhas adorned. They show the independent spiritual power of the Enlightened pervading the space of the cosmos.
“These enlightening beings manifest innumerable bodies, entering all worlds without relying on anything. In their bodies they manifest all lands, all beings, all phenomena, and all Buddhas. These enlightening beings know the various thoughts, desires, understandings, results of actions, and roots of goodness of all living beings, and appear to them in accordance with their needs, in order to civilize and tame them. They look upon the enlightening beings as like phantoms, all things as like magic tricks, the appearance of Buddhas in the world as like reflections, all worlds as like dreams. They attain the inexhaustible treasury of bodies of meanings and expressions. They are in command of right mindfulness, and they have certain knowledge of all truths. Their wisdom is supreme and they enter into the true character of all concentrations, and abide in the state of nonduality of one essence.
“Because sentient beings all cling to duality, great enlightening beings abide in great compassion; cultivating this teaching to annihilate afflictions, they attain the ten powers of buddahood and enter the reality realm which is like the net of Indra. Accomplishing the unhindered liberation of the enlightened, they are valiants among humans; roaring the lion’s roar, they attain fearlessness, and are able to turn the wheel of the unimpeded pure teaching. Attaining liberation of intellect, they know thoroughly all objects in the world. Stopping the whirlpool of birth and death, they enter the ocean of wisdom. Preserving the right teachings of the Buddhas of past, present, and future for the sake of all sentient beings, they reach the fountainhead of the real character of the ocean of all Buddha teachings.
“Once enlightening beings dwell in this practice of truth, any beings who associate with them are caused to open up in understanding, be full of joy and completely pure. This is called the great enlightening beings’ tenth practice, of truth.”
Then, because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in each of the ten directions as many worlds as atoms in a buddha-land quaked in six ways, moving, moving everywhere, moving equally everywhere, rising, rising everywhere, rising equally everywhere, surging, surging everywhere, surging equally everywhere, shaking, shaking everywhere, shaking equally everywhere, roaring, roaring everywhere, roaring equally everywhere, crashing, crashing everywhere, crashing equally everywhere. It rained beautiful celestial flowers, celestial perfumes and incense, celestial garlands and raiment, celestial jewels and ornaments. Heavenly music played and celestial lights shone, conveying the subtle voices of all celestial beings. The miracles that appeared when the ten practices were expounded in the Suyama heaven of this world also appeared likewise in all the worlds of the ten directions.
Also, due to the spiritual power of the Buddha, from each of the ten directions as many enlightening beings as atoms in a hundred thousand buddha-lands came to this world from beyond worlds as numerous as atoms in a hundred thousand buddha-lands; filling the ten directions, they said to the enlightening being Forest of Virtue, “Excellent, O Child of Buddha; you can skillfully expound the practices of enlightening beings. We are all similarly named Forest of Virtues and the worlds we live in are all called Banner of Virtue, and the Buddhas of those lands are all named Universal Virtue. At our Buddhas’ places this teaching is also expounded—the assembly, words, and principles are all the same, nothing more and nothing less. Child of Buddha, we have all come to this assembly through the power of the Buddhas to be witnesses for you. This is also true of all the worlds in the ten directions.”
Then the enlightening being Forest of Virtues, by the spiritual power of the Buddha, looked over all the congregations in the ten directions, throughout the cosmos. Because he wanted to cause the lineage of Buddhas to continue, to cause the family of enlightening beings to be pure, to cause those who undertake vows not to regress, to cause practitioners to persevere, to cause all peoples in all times to be equal, to contact all the strains of Buddhas of all times, to expound roots of goodness that have been cultivated, to observe and analyze all faculties, inclinations, understandings, afflictions, habits, and mental activities, and to clarify the enlightenment of all Buddhas, said in verse:
Wholehearted honor to the Lords of Ten Powers,
Undefiled, totally pure, the unobstructed seers;
Their realm is profound and far-reaching, beyond compare,
They abide in the spacelike Path.
The supreme among humans in the past,
With immeasurable virtue, free from attachments,
Foremost in valor, without any peer:
Those beyond the dusts travel this Path.
Now in the lands of the ten directions
The ultimate truth is ably explained:
Free from all faults, utterly pure,
The independent travel this path.
The future lions among humans
Travel everywhere throughout the cosmos;
Having evoked the Buddhas’ mind of compassion,
The benefactors travel this path.
The incomparable honored ones of all times
Naturally destroy the darkness of ignorance,
Equanimous toward all things;
Those of great power travel this path.
They see countless, boundless worlds everywhere,
All their beings and conditions,
Yet having seen do not discriminate falsely;
The impertubable travel this path.
Understanding everything in the cosmos,
Most clear about the ultimate truth,
They forever destroy anger, pride, and folly:
The virtuous travel this path.
Accurately distinguishing sentient beings,
They enter into the true nature of all phenomena,
Spontaneously understanding without relying on others;
The spacelike travel this path.
To all lands throughout space
They go and teach, through many examples,
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What they teach pure and irrefutable;
The supreme sages travel this path.
Throughly stable, unregressing,
They accomplish the noble, supreme teaching;
Will power inexhaustible, they reach the other shore:
Good practitioners travel this path.
All stages, infinitely boundless,
Their vast, most deep and subtle realms,
All they know and see, without exception;
The lions of philosophy travel this path.
Understanding the meanings of all expressions,
Crushing all disputes,
They are certain of the truth, without a doubt;
The great sages travel this path.
Getting rid of the errors and ills of the world,
Giving peace and happiness to all beings,
They can be peerless great guides;
Those of excellent virtue travel this path.
They always give impartially to beings,
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 58