The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  “Great enlightening beings are able to generously give all kinds of vessels—gold vessels filled with jewels, silver vessels filled with jewels, lapis lazuli vessels filled with various precious substances, glass vessels filled with innumerable jewel ornaments, mother-of-pearl vessels filled with red pearls, agate vessels filled with coral, white jade vessels filled with myriad delicacies, sandalwood vessels filled with celestial raiment, diamond vessels filled with myriad sublime fragrances—countless precious vessels of all kinds, filled with innumerable various treasures; they give them to Buddhas, because they believe the Buddhas’ field of blessings is inconceivable; they give to enlightening beings, because they know that wise teachers are hard to find; they give to holy mendicants, to cause the Buddha teachings to remain in the world; they give to disciples of Buddhas and to individual illuminates, because they have pure faith in the sages; they give to their parents, out of respect; they give to their teachers and predecessors, that they may always teach, to induce the cultivation of virtues in accord with the injunctions of the sages; they give to the lowly, poor, and destitute, because they regard all sentient beings equally with the loving eye of great benevolence and compassion; they give out of devotion to fulfillment of the transcendent generosity of all enlightening beings of past, present, and future; they give everything to everyone, because they never reject sentient beings. When they give in this way, they have no attachment to the gift or the receiver.

  “When great enlightening beings give various precious vessels filled with innumerable precious things like this, they dedicate the roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings become vessels equal to the boundless receptacle of space, with vast recollective power able to absorb and retain all worldly and transmundane scriptures, without forgetting anything; may all sentient beings become vessels of purity, able to understand the extremely profound true teaching of the Buddhas; may all sentient beings become vessels of unexcelled jewels, able to receive and hold the teachings of Buddhas of all times; may all sentient beings become vast vessels of teaching of the enlightened, with indestructible faith taking in the methods of enlightenment of the Buddhas of all times; may all sentient beings become vessels adorned by supreme treasures, abiding in the most powerful will for enlightenment; may all sentient beings become vessels which are receptacles of virtue, developing pure faith in the infinite knowledge and wisdom of the enlightened; may all sentient beings become the vessel of approach and entry into omniscience and ultimately attain the unhindered liberation of the enlightened; may all sentient beings become vessels of enlightening practices throughout the future, able to cause sentient beings to all abide securely in the power of omniscience; may all sentient beings become vessels of the supreme qualities of the family of Buddhas of all times, able to receive and retain what is said by the Buddhas in their sublime voices; may all sentient beings become vessels containing the congregations and enlightenment scenes of all Buddhas of all worlds throughout the space of the cosmos, becoming great human beings, leaders in praising the Buddhas and requesting them to turn the wheel of true teaching.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving vessels, because they want to cause all sentient beings to be able to complete the vessel of the practice and vows of the Universally Good enlightening being.

  “Great enlightening beings give various chariots, adorned with jewels, to the Buddhas, to enlightening beings, teachers, worthy companions, disciples of Buddhas and individual illuminates, and innumerable various such fields of blessings, including the poor and destitute. Of these people, some come from afar, some come from nearby; some come because they have heard of the enlightening beings, some come because of affinities with the enlightening beings, some come because they have heard of the vow of generosity which the enlightening beings made in the past, some come at the request of the enlightening beings themselves. At such a time, the enlightening beings may give jeweled chariots or gold chariots, all beautifully adorned, covered with nets of chimes, with precious streamers trailing; they may give chariots of the finest lapis lazuli, decorated with countless rareties; they may give silver chariots, covered with golden nets, drawn by swift horses; they may give chariots adorned with countless mixed jewels, covered with jewel nets, drawn by elephants; they may give sandalwood chariots, with wheels of sublime jewels, canopies of mixed jewels, with lion seats of jewels set out in fine arrays with a hundred thousand girls sitting in rows thereon, the carts driven by a hundred thousand strong men; or they may give chariots of clear crystal, decorated with mixtures of gems, filled with beautiful women, covered with jeweled curtains, with banners and pennants on the sides; they may give chariots of stores of agate, embellished with all precious substances, perfumed with various fragrances, adorned with all kinds of beautiful flowers, with a hundred thousand girls holding jewel ornaments, the carts pulled by steeds equally well-trained, able to travel over dangerous places with ease; or they may give chariots of solid perfume, with wheels of precious substances, with massive, beautiful adornments, covered with jeweled drapes, trailing jewelled nets, the insides spread with various precious robes, emitting fine, pure, pleasing fragrances, attended by countless celestials as they move along, providing all kinds of precious substances from time to time; they may present chariots of luminous jewels, the beautiful hues of the various jewels thoroughly translucent, covered with nets of many wonderful jewels, with ornaments of mixed jewels hanging down on all sides, sprinkled with powdered incense, fragrant and clean inside and out, with charming men and women riding on them.

  “When great enlightening beings present such chariots of myriad beautiful gems to Buddhas, they dedicate the roots of goodness thus: ‘May all sentient beings be able to make offerings to the highest field of blessings, give to Buddhas with deep faith, and attain infinite rewards; may all sentient beings turn their whole minds to the Buddha, and always meet infinite pure fields of blessings; may all sentient beings begrudge nothing to the Buddhas, and fully perfect the mind of great relinquishment; may all sentient beings practice giving to the Buddhas, give up the aspirations of the two lesser vehicles, and attain the unobstructed liberation and omniscient knowledge of the Buddhas; may all sentient beings practice endless giving to the Buddhas and enter the knowledge and wisdom of Buddhas, with infinite virtues; may all sentient beings enter the supreme knowledge of Buddhas and be able to become sovereigns of pure, unexcelled knowledge; may all sentient beings attain the Buddhas’ spiritual faculty of reaching everywhere without obstruction, and go wherever they wish freely; may all sentient beings enter deeply into the Great Vehicle, attain immeasurable knowledge, and be stabilized therein, imperturbable; may all sentient beings be able to bring forth ways to omniscience and become supreme fields of blessings for humans and celestials; may all sentient beings have no antagonism toward the Buddhas, diligently plant roots of goodness, and happily seek enlightened knowledge; may all sentient beings spontaneously be able to go to all buddha-fields, going throughout the cosmos in a single instant, without tiring; may all sentient beings attain the free spiritual faculties of enlightening beings, distribute their bodies throughout space, approach and make offerings to all Buddhas; may all sentient beings attain the incomparable body, going everywhere in the ten directions, without wearying; may all sentient beings attain a vast body flying swiftly wherever they want to go, never flagging; may all sentient beings attain the ultimate power of freedom of all Buddhas, in a single instant manifesting the Buddhas’ spiritual powers and mystic displays throughout space; may all sentient beings cultivate peaceful, blissful practice, following the path of all enlightening beings; may all sentient beings attain speed in action, and consummate the knowledge and spiritual abilities of the ten powers; may all sentient beings enter all lands in the cosmos, annulling the boundaries so they are equal and without distinction; may all sentient beings carry out the practice of universal goodness and wisdom, never retreating, reach the other shore, and attain omniscience; may all sentient bei
ngs climb into the vehicle of peerless knowledge and, following the nature of things, see the truth as it really is.’ This is the great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when presenting precious chariots to all Buddhas of the present or to the memorial shrines of Buddhas after they have passed away; this is to cause sentient beings to gain the unobstructed vehicle of ultimate emancipation of the enlightened.

  “When great enlightening beings give precious chariots to good teachers such as enlightening beings, they dedicate the roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings always remember the teachings of the wise and concentrate diligently on preserving them so they may not be lost; may all sentient beings share the same benefits as good teachers, all-inclusive, and have the same roots of goodness; may all sentient beings draw near to good teachers, respect and provide for them, giving up all they have to please them; may all sentient beings develop good aspirations and follow good associates, never leaving them; may all sentient beings always get to meet good teachers, wholeheartedly attend to them, and not oppose their instructions; may all sentient beings like good teachers and never reject them, so there is no alienation, no mixup, and no error; may all sentient beings be able to give themselves to good teachers, following their instructions without opposition; may all sentient beings be accepted by good teachers, cultivate great compassion, and depart from all evils; may all sentient beings follow good teachers and listen to the truths spoken by the Buddhas; may all sentient beings have the same roots of goodness as the teachers, with pure results of action, and practice the same vows as the enlightening beings, ultimately accomplishing the ten powers; may all sentient beings be able to accept and apply the methods of good teachers, and reach the realms of all concentrations, knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual powers; may all sentient beings be able to accept and hold all right teachings, put them into practice, and reach the other shore; may all sentient beings ride in the Great Vehicle, without any hindrance or obstruction, and ultimately complete the path of omniscience; may all sentient beings manage to climb into the vehicle of all knowledge and reach the abode of peace, without ever turning back; may all sentient beings know how to act according to reality, and attain the ultimate of all the Buddha-teachings they hear, never forgetting; may all sentient beings be accepted by the Buddhas and attain unhindered knowledge of ultimate truth; may all sentient beings attain autonomous spiritual powers which never fade away, and be able to go wherever they want to in a single thought; may all sentient beings come and go freely, widely teaching and guiding, causing others to abide in the Great Vehicle; may all sentient beings’ acts be fruitful, borne by the vehicle of knowledge to the stage of the ultimate; may all sentient beings gain the vehicle of nonobstruction and reach all places by unimpeded knowledge.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving various chariots and cars to good teachers; it is to cause sentient beings to be filled with virtues equal to the Buddhas and enlightening beings.

  “When great enlightening beings give precious chariots to mendicants, they engender the will to practice all giving, the will to comprehend thoroughly by knowledge, the will to purify virtuous qualities, the mind which accords with relinquishment, the thought that true Buddhist mendicants are hard to meet, a mind of deep faith in the religious community, and the will to uphold right teaching. They abide in supreme aspiration, to an unprecedented degree. They hold great assemblies of giving, producing immeasurably great merit, with profound faith in the Buddha’s teaching which cannot be undermined. They dedicate the roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings enter comprehensively into the Buddha-teachings and keep them in mind; may all sentient beings leave the state of ordinary ignorant people and enter the realm of sages; may all sentient beings quickly enter the ranks of the sages and be able to use the Buddha-teachings to awaken and guide step-by-step; may all sentient beings be respected and trusted by all the world; may all sentient beings enter into the equality of all things and know that the inherent nature of things is nondual; may all sentient beings be born from the realm of enlightened knowledge and be surrounded by docile harmonious people; may all sentient beings abide by the methods for removing defilement, getting rid of the stains of all afflictions; may all sentient beings be able to form a supreme religious community, leave the state of ordinary people and enter the congregation of worthies and sages; may all sentient beings diligently practice good principles, attain unhindered knowledge, and be endowed with sagelike qualities; may all sentient beings attain wisdom, not be attached to the past, present, or future, and be free as kings among the masses; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of knowledge and wisdom and turn the wheel of right teaching; may all sentient beings be endowed with spiritual faculties and be able to go to innumerable worlds in a single thought; may all sentient beings ride the body of space, their knowledge unobstructed in any world; may all sentient beings enter all congregations of Buddhas throughout cosmic space, and accomplish the foremost practices of transcendence; may all sentient beings attain physical lightness and comfort and extraordinary knowledge and wisdom, and be able to enter all buddha-fields; may all sentient beings attain unbounded skillful power of psychic travel, manifesting their bodies in all lands; may all sentient beings attain a body which relies on nothing at all, appearing everywhere like a reflection, by spiritual faculties; may all sentient beings attain inconceivable autonomous spiritual powers, whereby they appear before those who may be taught, to edify and civilize them; may all sentient beings attain unhindered means of entry into the reality realm, in a single thought traveling throughout all lands in the ten directions.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving precious chariots to mendicants; it is to cause sentient beings to all ride the vehicle of pure, unsurpassed knowledge, and in all worlds turn the unobstructed wheel of knowledge of truth.

  “When great enlightening beings give precious chariots to Buddhist disciples and individual illuminates, they engender these frames of mind: consciousness of fields of blessings; honor and respect; consciousness of oceans of virtues; consciousness of ability to produce virtue and wisdom; consciousness of birth from the power of the virtues of the enlightened; consciousness of myriad eons of cultivation; consciousness of ability to cultivate enlightening practices over innumberable eons; consciousness of escape from the bondage of all delusion; consciousness of destruction of all demons; consciousness of the light of wisdom illumining the unexcelled truth. The roots of goodness in this giving of chariots they dedicate in this way: ‘May all sentient beings be supreme fields of blessings, believed in by the world, fulfilling unexcelled transcendent generosity; may all sentient beings give up useless talk, always enjoy solitude, and have no second thoughts; may all sentient beings become most excellent pure fields of blessings, taking in all sentient beings and inducing them to cultivate acts which produce felicity; may all sentient beings become fonts of wisdom and be able to bestow on living beings immeasurable, innumerable rewards of roots of goodness; may all sentient beings persist in unhindered action, fully developing a pure, excellent field of blessings; may all sentient beings abide in non-contention, realizing that all things do nothing and have essencelessness for their essence; may all sentient beings always get to be near the supreme field of blessings, fully cultivating immeasurable virtues; may all sentient beings be able to manifest immeasurable spiritual powers and include all conscious beings in a pure field of blessings; may all sentient beings be endowed with a field of blessings of inexhaustible virtues, able to bestow on beings the ten powers of the enlightened, the fruit of the foremost vehicle; may all sentient beings become fruitful, genuine fields of blessings, and develop the inexhaustible collection of blessings of all knowledge; may all sentient beings attain the way to extinguish wrongdoing, and be able to receive and hold the expressions and meanings of Buddhas’ teachings which they have never heard; may all sentient beings always diligently listen to and absorb all Buddha-teachings, and
understand everything they hear, so that it is not in vain; may all sentient beings hear the principles of the Buddhas, comprehend their ultimate import, and be able to expound them according to what they have learned; may all sentient beings believe and practice the instructions of the enlightened, and forever give up all the false views of erroneous philosophies; may all sentient beings always see worthies and sages and develop all the most excellent foundations of goodness; may all sentient beings always trust people who act wisely, and associate with and respect the sages; may all sentient beings, hearing the names of Buddhas, not let it go to waste, but all get to see with their eyes those they have heard of; may all sentient beings analyze and know well the right doctrines of the Buddhas, and be able to protect those who hold the Buddha-teaching; may all sentient beings always enjoy listening to all Buddha-teachings, absorb and hold them, read and recite them, expound upon them, illumine them, and comprehend them; may all sentient beings believe and understand the true virtues of the Buddha’s teachings, and give whatever they have in respectful offerings.’ This is the dedication of roots of goodness of great enlightening beings when giving various chariots and cars to disciples of Buddhas or individual illuminates, to cause all sentient beings to attain fulfillment of pure, supreme knowledge and spiritual powers, to cultivate practice diligently, and attain omniscience, power, and fearlessness.