The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  “When great enlightening beings give precious chariots to fields of blessings including the poor, the destitute, and the orphaned, they joyfully and tirelessly give whatever is needed, and even apologize to those people, ‘I should have gone to offer you provisions, rather than trouble you to come so far and wear yourself out.’ Then they bow and kneel before them, ask about their health, and give them whatever they need. Sometimes they give crystal chariots with the finest women in the land; sometimes they give gilded chariots with women prized in society; sometimes they give lapis lazuli chariots with dancing girls; sometimes they give chariots of various extraordinary jewels with maidens like goddesses; sometimes they give chariots adorned with innumerable jewels, with bejewelled women, gentle and bright, eloquent and intelligent; sometimes they give sandalwood chariots to ride; sometimes they give crystal chariots with bejewelled women in them, incomparably beautiful, dressed in sumptuous robes, a delight to all who see; sometimes they give agate chariots, with crown princes riding in them; sometimes they give chariots of aromatic resins with all their sons and daughters in them; sometimes they give chariots adorned with all precious substances, with their relatives and good friends, so hard to give up, riding in them.

  “Great enlightening beings respectfully give innumerable such precious chariots when they are asked for, to satisfy all wishes and make people happy and content. They dedicate these roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings ride the universal vehicle, which rolls unimpeded and never turns back, to reach inconceivable trees of enlightenment; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of knowledge of the great teaching, based on pure causes, and cultivate enlightening practice throughout the future, never turning back; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of the nonexistence of all things, forever part from all conceptual clinging, and always practice the path of omniscience; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of truthfulness and honesty, without flattery or deception, and go to all buddha-fields freely, without hindrance; may all sentient beings follow and abide by the vehicle of omniscience, pleasing each other with the principles of buddhahood; may all sentient beings all ride the vehicle of pure practices of enlightening beings and fulfill all the ways of emancipation and the bliss of concentration of enlightening beings; may all sentient beings ride a vehicle of four wheels—that is, living in a good land, staying with good people, building up excellent virtues, and making great vows—hereby fulfilling the pure religious practice of all enlightening beings; may all sentient beings obtain the vehicle of the light of truth illumining everywhere throughout the ten directions, and cultivate the power of knowledge of all enlightened ones; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of Buddha-teaching, and arrive at the other shore of all things; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of the inconceivable teaching of myriad felicitous virtues, and show the right path of peace and serenity throughout the ten directions; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of great generosity, sloughing off the dirt of stinginess; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of pure morality, maintaining pure precepts as boundless as the cosmos; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of forbearance, and always be free of the pollution of anger toward sentient beings; may all sentient beings ride the nonregressing vehicle of great diligence, steadfastly cultivate excellent practices, and proceed on the path of enlightenment; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of meditation concentration, quickly reach the site of enlightenment, and realize enlightened knowledge; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of wisdom and skill in means, and emanate bodies filling the realms of the Buddhas in all universes; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of mastery of the teaching, develop fearlessness, and constantly distribute to all people teachings of methods to attain omniscience; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of knowledge without attachment and be able to enter everywhere in the ten directions into the real nature of things, and not be disturbed by anything; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of the teachings of all Buddhas, appearing to be born in all lands throughout the ten directions, without losing the path of the Great Vehicle; may all sentient beings ride the vehicle of the supreme treasury of omniscience, and fulfill the practices and vows of the Universally Good enlightening being, without growing weary of it.’ This is the great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving precious chariots to fields of blessings, including the poor and the orphaned, to cause sentient beings to have immeasurable knowledge, to be joyful and buoyant, and to all ultimately attain the vehicle of universal knowledge.

  “Great enlightening beings give prize elephants, which are docile, physically complete and in their prime years, with six tusks, pure and clean, lotuslike mouths red in color, bodies pure white, like mountains of snow; they are ornamented with golden banners, covered with nets of jewels, with various exquisite gems adorning their trunks; all find endless delight in looking at them; they can walk thousands of miles without tiring. Also, enlightening beings give trained prize horses with all the characteristics of celestial steeds, with moonlike discs of exquisite jewels as luminous ornaments, covered with nets of gold bells, stepping evenly and straight so that the riders are comfortable, going wherever wished as fast as the wind, traveling freely and unimpeded throughout the four continents. Enlightening beings give these prize elephants and horses to their parents, teachers, and to poor, suffering beings; their hearts are broad and without regret or grudge, only increasing in joy and feeling more and more compassion and pity as they cultivate the virtues of enlightening beings and purify the enlightening mind. They dedicate these roots of goodness in this way: ‘May all sentient beings abide in the vehicle of harmony and docility and increase in all the virtuous qualities characteristic of enlightening beings; may all sentient beings attain the vehicle of liberative skills and be able to produce all enlightening teachings as necessary; may all sentient beings obtain the vehicle of resolute faith, universally illumining the power of unhindered knowledge of the enlightened; may all sentient beings attain the vehicle of inspiration, and be able to conceive all great vows; may all sentient beings fulfill the impartial vehicle of the ways of transcendence, and completely fulfill all impartial roots of goodness; may all sentient beings perfect the vehicle of treasures, bearing the unexcelled treasure of knowledge of all verities of Buddhahood; may all sentient beings perfect the vehicle of adornment by the practices of enlightening beings, causing the flowers of the meditations of enlightening beings to bloom; may all sentient beings obtain the vehicle of unbounded swiftness, purifying the enlightening mind and earnestly contemplating for countless eons, comprehending all things; may all sentient beings perfect the great vehicle of supreme self-mastery, with skill in means fulfilling the stages of enlightening beings; may all sentient beings perfect the highest, broadest, sturdiest Great Vehicle, able to carry all sentient beings to the state of all-knowledge.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving elephants and horses, to cause sentient beings to all ride the vehicle of unobstructed knowledge, the vehicle to perfect completion and arrival at Buddhahood.

  “When great enlightening beings give seats or lion thrones to sit on, those seats are high and wide and extremely beautiful, with lapis lazuli legs, spread with soft, supple raiment made of gold thread, arrayed with jeweled banners, perfumed with various delicate fragrances, decorated with ornaments of innumerable various jewels, covered overhead with golden nets and jewel chimes rustling in the breeze and producing exquisite sounds, magnificently embellished all around with adornments of myriad unusual designs, looked up to by all people, occupied only by crowned monarchs proclaiming the law respectfully followed by all states. Those monarchs are also adorned with beautiful jewels—luminous jewels, sapphires, giant sapphires, jewel crystals from the finest mines, bright and clear as the sun, pure and cool as the moon; surrounding in profusion, like myriad stars, are ornaments of supreme beauty, incomparable jewels of the sea, solid banner-like treasures of the sea, with extraordinary patt
erns and unusual appearances; their heads are crowned with turbans of finest gold and pure jewels, they receive the rank of coronation, reign over the continent Jambu, endowed with immeasurable charismatic power, making kindness principal, conquering all those who are hostile and inimical, obeyed wherever their commands reach. Great enlightening beings, becoming such monarchs, then give such jewel-adorned thrones to Buddhas, the foremost fields of blessings, and to enlightening beings, genuine teachers, wise and holy mendicants, preachers of the teaching, parents, relatives, Buddhist disciples and individual illuminates, as well as those setting out on the vehicle of enlightening beings, and also to monuments of Buddhas, and to all the poor and destitute, the orphaned and homeless—they give everything according to need. These roots of goodness they dedicate in this way: ‘May all sentient beings sit on the seat of enlightenment and thoroughly awaken to the truth realized by all Buddhas; may all sentient beings sit on the seat of freedom and attain independence of things, which even diamond mountains could not break, and be able to smash and conquer all the hordes of delusions; may all sentient beings gain the Buddha’s lion throne of freedom, looked up to by all beings; may all sentient beings obtain chairs adorned with unspeakably unspeakable numbers of various exquisite jewels, become masters of the teachings, and guide sentient beings; may all sentient beings attain the throne which is supreme in all worlds, adorned by extensive great foundations of goodness; may all sentient beings obtain seats which pervade unspeakably unspeakable numbers of worlds, such as could not be fully eulogized in immeasurable eons; may all sentient beings obtain the seat of profound mystic virtues, and their bodies fill all universes; may all sentient beings obtain seats of inconceivable numbers of all kinds of jewels, and extensively carry out the giving of teaching to whatever sentient beings are considered in their past vows; may all sentient beings obtain seats of refined subtlety and manifest the spiritual powers of untold Buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain seats of all jewels, of all incenses, of all flowers, of all robes, of all garlands, of all crystals, and so on—seats of inconceivably many various precious things, seats of innumerable worlds, pure seats of the adornments of all worlds, seats of all diamonds, and manifest the powers and freedom of Buddhas, and fulfill most perfect enlightenment.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving seats of precious things, to cause sentient beings to obtain the seat of great enlightenment beyond the world and spontaneously become aware of the truths realized by all Buddhas.

  “Great enlightening beings give various precious canopies, these canopies extraordinary, used by nobles, adorned with various great jewels, most excellent among billions of fine canopies, with supports made of all precious substances, covered with fine meshes, with golden bells on jeweled strings hanging down all around and draped with crystal necklaces making elegant sounds in harmony with the stirring of the breeze, all decorated with treasuries of pearls and jades, filled with innumerable various rareties, scented with sandalwood and aloe, fully embellished with infinite precious substances like radiantly pure gold: such canopies they give with pure hearts to Buddhas, or to monuments of Buddhas after their extinction, or, for the sake of the teaching, they give them to enlightening beings, good teachers, famous ministers of the teaching; or they give them to parents, or to mendicants, or to all the Buddhist teachings, or to various sentient beings as fields of blessings, or to religious leaders or venerable adepts, or those who have just set their minds on enlightenment, and to all the poor, destitute, orphaned, and homeless—to all who seek, they give. These roots of goodness they dedicate in this way: ‘May all sentient beings cultivate foundations of goodness whereby to cover their bodies, and always be protected by the Buddhas; may all sentient beings make virtue and wisdom their canopies and forever part from all the afflictions of the world; may all sentient beings shade themselves with virtues and get rid of the dust and dirt and searing afflictions of the world; may all sentient beings attain a treasury of knowledge and wisdom, causing everyone to always enjoy seeing them; may all sentient beings shade themselves with the pure way of dispassionate tranquility, and all attain the indestructible state of Buddhahood; may all sentient beings shield their bodies with good and ultimately attain the pure body of reality of the Buddhas; may all sentient beings become universal canopies and cover the whole world with the knowledge of the ten powers; may all sentient beings attain sublime wisdom, transcending the world, free from attachments; may all sentient beings gain the canopy of worthiness, become superlative fields of blessings, and receive all offerings; may all sentient beings obtain the supreme canopy, attain unsurpassed knowledge, and naturally realize enlightenment.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving canopies, umbrellas, and parasols, to cause all sentient beings to obtain the canopy of freedom and be able to uphold all good ways; to cause all sentient beings to be able to cover all fields and lands in all realms in space, and manifest the free spiritual powers of the Buddhas, without regressing; to cause all sentient beings to be able to adorn all worlds in the ten directions with one canopy, and offer it to the Buddha; to cause all sentient beings to offer beautiful banners, pennants, and jeweled canopies to all the enlightened ones; to cause all sentient beings to obtain a canopy of universal adornment and cover the lands of all the Buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain a vast canopy to cover sentient beings everywhere and cause them all to engender faith in the Buddha; to cause all sentient beings to offer innumerable canopies of wonderful precious adornments to one Buddha, and to do the same for innumerable Buddhas; to cause all sentient beings to attain the high, wide canopy of the enlightenment of Buddhas, covering all the enlightened ones; to cause all sentient beings to obtain canopies adorned with all jewels, canopies adorned with all jewelry, canopies adorned with all solid perfumes, canopies with pure adornments of various jewels, canopies with pure adornments of innumerable jewels, immense canopies with adornments of pure jewels, covered with jewel nets, hung with jewel bells waving in the breeze producing sublime sounds, covering the bodies of the Buddhas in all worlds in the space of the cosmos; to cause all sentient beings to obtain canopies adorned with unhindered, unimpeded knowledge, covering all the enlightened ones; also because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain the highest knowledge and wisdom; and because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain the adornment of the virtues of buddhahood; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain the immeasurable, boundless treasures of the free mind; because they want to cause all sentient beings to be filled with the independent knowledge of all truths; because they want to cause all sentient beings to cover all with virtues; because they want to cause all sentient beings to perfect the canopy of supreme knowledge; because they want to cause all sentient beings to perfect the all-covering canopy of the ten powers; because they want to cause all sentient beings to be able to cover all buddha-fields in the cosmos; because they want to cause all sentient beings to be masters of all the enlightening teachings; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain the free mind of great mystic power; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain vast knowledge permanently; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain immeasurable ultimate virtues, covering all; because they want to cause all sentient beings to cover their minds with virtuous qualities; because they want to cause all sentient beings to shield all living creatures with an impartial mind; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain skillful means of dedication; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain pure minds of supreme aspiration; because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain pure wills with good intentions; and because they want to cause all sentient beings to attain great dedication covering all living beings.

  “Great enlightening beings may give various splendid banners and pennants, their poles made of various jewels, pennants made of precious silk, banners of various mixed colors and patterns, draped with jeweled nets, shining colors filling ever
ywhere, jewel bells gently stirring, ringing in harmony, with rare jewels shaped like the half moon and gold more radiant than the sun placed atop each banner, decorated with various wonderful things caused to appear by results of actions in various worlds—such marvelous banners and pennants, uncountable millions of billions of them, their radiance joining and highlighting each other, the light pure, covering the ground, filling all buddha-lands in the realms in space in ten directions, the great enlightening beings, with pure-hearted faith give to Buddhas currently existing, or to their monuments after death, or to the treasury of the teaching, or to the religious community, or to enlightening beings, or to Buddhist disciples, or to self-enlightened beings, or to good teachers, or to Buddhist disciples, or to self-enlightened ones, or to the masses, or to particular people—to all who come seeking they give, and dedicate these roots of goodness in this way; ‘May all sentient beings be able to set up banners of virtue on all foundations of goodness, so that they cannot be destroyed; may all sentient beings set up the banner of mastery of all the teachings, respecting, admiring, and diligently preserving them; may all sentient beings write down the true teachings on precious silk, preserving the treasury of teachings of Buddhas and enlightening beings; may all sentient beings set up high, outstanding banners, and light the lamp of wisdom, illuminating all the world; may all sentient beings set up the banner of steadfastness and be able to destroy all delusive actions and manias; may all sentient beings set up the banner of the power of knowledge, which no delusion can damage; may all sentient beings attain the banner of great knowledge and wisdom, destroying all the flags of worldly pride; may all sentient beings gain the banner of great light of the sun of knowledge, and illumine the whole realm of reality with the light of the sun of knowledge; may all sentient beings be endowed with banners adorned with innumerable jewels, filling all worlds in the ten directions, and offer them to the Buddhas; may all sentient beings obtain the banner of realization of thusness, and destroy all the erroneous views of misleading paths.’ This is great enlightening beings’ dedication of roots of goodness when giving banners and pennants, to cause all sentient beings to attain the pure paths of the banner of the extremely profound, lofty, and wide-ranging practices of enlightening beings, and the banner of the action of spiritual powers of enlightening beings.