Energy is ever-greater vigor in their undertakings;
Imperturbability on the Path is the meditation of the virtuous.
Acceptance of nonorigination, dispassionate, is supreme wisdom;
Dedication is skill in means, vowing is seeking greater success;
Indestructibility hence is power, knowledge is joy in guidance:
Thus they attain the qualities of enlightenment moment to moment.
In the first stage virtues are fulfilled by focus of mind on them;
In the second, removal of defilement; in the third, cutting of bonds;
In the fourth, the Path; in the fifth, impartial action;
In the sixth, knowledge of nonorigination operates.
Hence, as soon as they reach the seventh stage,
They commence virtuous undertakings of many kinds;
Why? The knowledge and deeds they achieve hence
Purify all that develops into the eighth stage.
Far-Going is hard to cross; by many developmental practices
They cross, as one would cross a path between two lands.
Coursing in the seventh stage, they are undefiled, like kings;
While established in the Path, yet they have not definitely transcended all.
When they reach the eighth stage of knowledge, further,
They transcend mental objects, established in the action of knowledge.
Just as a god does not look on the world as a human does,
So do they act, like lotuses unstained.
In this stage they get beyond various afflictions—
Their afflictions are neither active nor completely destroyed.
Being on the Path, they do not act on afflictions,
Yet, filled with zeal for supreme knowledge, their affliction is not yet ended.
They know various worldly arts and crafts, the use of medicines and spells,
And are well versed and grounded in all sciences.
They attain meditation, mystic knowledge, and powers, by cultivation,
And further accomplish various concentrations.
Having transcended the practices of listeners and the self-awakened,
They are established in the infinite practice of enlightening beings,
Before by determination, from now on by knowledge;
They are like children of kings, full of power when grown.
Having reached profundity, they proceed yet further;
Reaching extinction of mind, still they do not make it their experience,
Like having gone into the ocean on a steady-faring ship,
Seeing all the water before them yet not being destroyed by it.
Further endowed with the best of means, wisdom, and power,
Rich in virtues of knowledge and action, hard for the world to know,
They serve millions of buddhas, becoming more pure,
Like gold adorned with jewels.
The light of the eminent wisdom of the sages in this stage
Evaporates the wetness of craving, like the light of the sun.
Having attained this stage, they become commanders,
Capable, skilled in teaching the fruit of knowledge.
Seeking, imbued with stability, vigor, and strength,
They see a quadrillion buddhas
In all directions, by concentration,
And even more, those of immeasurable, superior will.
“This is the seventh stage, called Far-Going, purifying means and wisdom, hard for all worldings and those who practice only for themselves to know.”
Having heard about this excellent practice of the wise, the gods and celestial hosts were joyful and made offerings to the Buddha and the multitude of enlightening beings, benefactors of the world—they gave flower garlands, banners and pennants, aromatic powders, precious cloth, many splendid parasols studded with jewels, and exquisite clouds of pearl necklaces. The goddesses produced many kinds of music, with pleasing, sweet sounds and superb rhythm, in offering to the Buddha and enlightening beings, sages of eminent character; they said,
All-seer, mighty, foremost and best, who shows the realm of buddhas for the benefit of the world,
It is you who evoke this music, with the strumming of various instruments.
On a hairtip more buddhas than grains of sand in trillions of Ganges rivers
Peaceful, peerless, teach the pure doctrine, preeminent, supreme.
In a single pore are infinite lands, each with four continents and seas,
As well as polar and peripheral mountains, all seen therein, uncrowded.
On a point the size of a hairtip are all realms of being—
Ghosts, beasts, fiends, humans and gods, goblins and serpents, experiencing the various realms of action.
In all the spheres of the lands the supreme wheel of the Purifiers is turned,
As the buddhas teach while adapting to the minds and thoughts of beings.
In the body of each being are various lands, in the lands, beings;
Those of higher development are humans and celestials—
Knowing them in their variety, the Buddha teaches them.
A great land comes to seem to be minute, a mote of dust comes to seem huge—
These and more are the spiritual powers of Buddha, of which all beings could not exhaustively tell.
When such words of grandeur had been spoken, the assembly, silent, gazed happily at the Best of Speakers. Seing the assembly had grown silent, Moon of Liberation spoke again: “Please tell us the way into the practice of the eighth stage.”
Diamond Matrix said, “Those who have well accomplished investigation of the seventh stage of enlightening beings, who have purified the path by wisdom and skill in means, have accumulated ample provisions of virtue and knowledge, have thoroughly committed themselves to the great vow, are surely supported by the empowerment of the Buddha, have acquired the support of the power of their own roots of goodness, have their attention on the powers, expertise, and unique qualities of buddhas, have purified their intent and thought, have attained the power of virtue and knowledge, strive compassionately and follow the Path of infinite knowledge, realize the primordial nonorigination of all things as it really is, and also realize the nonbirth, signlessness, absence of becoming or annihilation, nonconsummation, nonprogression, nonregression, essential nonexistence, equality of beginning, middle, and end, and nonconceptuality of all things, accessible to nonconceptual universal knowledge, equal to thusness—they realize these qualities of all things as they really are. They are wholly detached from mind, intellect, consciousness, thought, and ideation. Unattached, not grasping, equal to space, having entered into the nature of openness—this is called having attained acceptance of the nonorigination of things.
“Then, imbued with this acceptance, as soon as enlightening beings attain the eighth stage, Immovability, they attain the profound abode of enlightening beings, which is hard to know, unadulterated, ungraspable by any notion, unoriginated, measureless, unconquerable by any listeners or individual illuminates, aloof, facing total detachment. Just as when a monk with spiritual powers and ultimate control of mind has, through successive stages, reached the ninth level of attainment, extinction, he becomes free of all stirring cogitation and flowing thoughts, in the same way enlightening beings, as soon as they attain the eighth stage, Immovability, become freed from all efforts and attain the state of effortlessness, freed from physical, verbal, and mental striving, freed from stirring cogitation and flowing thoughts, and become stabilized in a natural state of development.
“It is as if a person in a dream saw himself in a great torrent, he then would make great effort, eagerly striving to get out, and because of that great effort and striving he would wake up, and as soon as he woke up he would be freed from all that effort and striving. In the same way the enlightening beings, seeing the mortal being in the four torrents, desiring to come to the rescue, exert great efforts and striving for awakening of all-knowledge, acting
with great vigor; as soon as they reach the stage Immovability, they become free from all efforts.
“In these enlightening beings no actions based on views, passions, or intentions are manifest. Just as in the Brahma heaven no afflictions of the realm of desire are acted on, in the same way enlightening beings in this stage of Immovability do not carry on action of mind, intellect, or consciousness. They do not even carry on the conduct of Buddhas, of enlightenment, of enlightening beings, of nirvana, or of learners and self-illuminates—how much less would they carry on the conduct of worldlings.
“Furthermore, to the enlightening beings who have reached this stage of Immovability, who are stabilized by the supporting power of their past vows, the buddhas, in the course of that means of access to the Teaching, miraculously effect the bestowal of knowledge of reality and say, ‘Good, good! This is acceptance of the ultimate truth, in accord with the teaching of buddhas. However, you do not yet have our ten powers, expertise, and unique qualities of buddhahood fully developed. Therefore, work vigorously in quest of the full development of buddhahood. Do not let this acceptance go; nevertheless, though you have attained this abode of peace and liberation, you should care for these restless, agitated ignorant beings acting on various afflictions and ravaged by various thoughts. Also, always remember your past vows, the benefit of beings, and the inconceivability of the source of knowledge. Furthermore, the essence of all phenomena remains the same whether or not buddhas emerge; the realm of reality of the essence is permanent, for it is the emptiness and ungraspability of all things. It is not only by this that buddhas are revealed as such—even listeners to the Buddhist teaching and individual illuminates also attain this nonconceptual essence. Yet you should observe the infinity of the body of us buddhas, the infinity of our knowledge, the infinity of the lands of buddhas, the infinity of accomplishments of knowledge, the infinity of spheres of light, and the infinity of purity of voice, and strive to achieve the same. Furthermore, you have only this one illumination, which is the illumination of absence of false ideas about things. But such illuminations of buddhas are endless in extent, endless in action, endless in manifestation, their number being incalculable and immeasurable; you should strive to attain them. Also, observe the infinity of lands in the ten directions, the infinity of beings, and the infinite differentiations of phenomena, and undertake to comprehend them as they actually are.’ Thus do the buddhas present to the enlightening beings immeasurable, incalculable ways of accomplishing knowledge, beginning with these. By these ways of accomplishing knowledge, the enlightening beings, by infinite differentiations of knowledge, cause works productive of knowledge to be consummated.
“I tell you, if the buddhas did not introduce the enlightening beings this way into ways of effecting omniscient knowledge, the enlightening beings would become completely extinct in parinirvana and would cease all work for sentient beings. Therefore, the buddhas give the enlightening beings such infinite tasks to develop knowledge, the knowledge-producing deeds effected in a single instant of which are immeasurably, incalculably greater than all former undertakings from the first inspiration up to the attainment of stability in the seventh stage. Why? Because previously it was practice undertaken with one body, whereas having climbed to this stage the power of practice of enlightening beings is realized by infinite different bodies, by production of infinite voices, by accomplishment of infinite knowledge, by accomplishment of infinite manifestations, by purification of infinite lands, by development of infinite beings, by service of infinite buddhas, by realization of infinite principles of buddhahood, by accomplishment of infinite powers of mystic knowledge, by realization of infinite differences of circles of assemblies; by infinite accomplishments of physical, verbal, and mental actions, the power of enlightening beings’ practice is fully realized by immovable application.
“It is like a boat going to the ocean—before it reaches the ocean, it is dragged with much effort, but once it reaches the ocean it is propelled without effort by the wind. The distance it travels on the ocean in one day is farther than it could be dragged by force in even a hundred years. In the same way, enlightening beings, having stored provisions of roots of goodness and boarded the ship of the Great Vehicle, reaching the great ocean of practice of enlightening beings, arrive at omniscience in a moment by effortless knowledge, which could not be reached even in countless eons by their former practices involving effort.
“Then when enlightening beings have attained the eighth stage, by the effortless awareness produced by skill in means and knowledge, they contemplate the sphere of omniscience, contemplate the becoming and dissolution of the world. As the world forms, they know it, and as the world disintegrates they know it. They know by what accumulation of actions the world forms, and they know by what ending of actions the world disintegrates. They know how long the world forms and they know how long the world disintegrates. They know how long the world subsists once it has formed, and they know how long the world remains disintegrated. Everywhere, without exception, they know the limitation of the earth element, they know its extensiveness, its infinity, and its differentiation. They know the limitation of the water element, they know the extensiveness, infinity, and differentiation of the water element. They know the limitation, the extensiveness, infinity, and differentiation of the fire element. They know the limitation, extensiveness, infinity, and differentiation of the wind element. They know the minuteness of atomic particles, they know their grossness, their measurelessness, and differentiation. They also know the skill of differentiation of measureless atomic particles. They know how many atomic particles of each element there are in this world; they know how many varieties of precious substances there are and how many atomic particles of precious substances there are. They know how many atomic particles of beings’ bodies there are. They know the total number of particles of land masses. They know the grossness of beings’ bodies, the fineness of their bodies, and the differentiation of their bodies. They know how many particles are formed into bodies of beings in hell, how many into bodies of animals, of ghosts, of titans, of celestial beings, and of human beings.
“Having penetrated this knowledge of differentiation of atomic particles, they know the formation of the realm of desire as it really is; they know the formation of the realm of form as it really is, and they know the formation of the formless realm as it really is. They know truly the dissolution of the realm of desire, the dissolution of the realm of form, and the dissolution of the formless realm. They know truly the limitation, the extension, the infinity, and the differentiation of the realm of desire, of the realm of form, and of the formless realm. They know truly what is of these three realms. Furthermore, illumined by well-developed knowledge, versed in knowledge of varieties of bodies of beings, versed in knowledge of differences in bodies of beings, and versed in knowledge of differentiations of land masses, they apply their intelligence to the production of mediums of manifestation as beings; in whatever form beings are born and attain their desires, enlightening beings adopt these forms themselves for the purpose of developing beings to maturity.
“Permeating a billion-world universe, enlightening beings undertake manifestation according to the form of the beings there, according to their various different inclinations, doing so by following knowledge of how to appear as reflections, according to how beings may become ripe for perfect enlightenment and liberation. In the same way they pervade two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, up to an unspeakable number of universes and undertake manifestations in the forms of the beings there according to their various inclinations, by means of knowledge of how to appear as a reflection.
“Imbued with such knowledge, well established in this stage, while not moving from one buddha-land, they appear as reflections in the circles of buddhas in untold buddha-lands. According to the differences in beings’ physical characteristics, their colors, appearances, statuses, physical sizes, inclinations, and dispositions, in various circles in various bu
ddha-lands, in each the enlightening beings manifest the appropriate forms. In circles of mendicants they appear as mendicants; in circles of priests they appear as priests; in circles of warriors and administrators they appear as warriors and administrators; in circles of peasants they appear as peasants; in circles of servants they appear as servants; in circles of householders they appear as householders; in circles of various classes of celestial beings they appear as those particular types of celestial beings; and in circles of demons they appear as demons. To beings who should be taught by Buddhist followers, they appear as Buddhist followers. To those who should be taught by individual illuminates, they appear as individual illuminates. To those who should be taught by enlightening beings, they appear as enlightening beings. To those who should be taught by buddhas, they appear as buddhas. Thus, to the extent of the realms of beings’ forms of existence, senses, and inclinations, in the realms of untold buddha-lands, enlightening beings appear differently in accord with each of them. They are free from all discriminatory conceptions of bodies and have realized the equality of bodies; their manifestation of bodies, endless and not in vain, is for the development and education of all.
“They know the body of sentient beings, they know the body of lands, they know the body of fruition of action, they know the body of Buddhist followers, they know the body of individual illuminates, they know the body of enlightening beings, the body of buddhas, the body of knowledge, the body of reality, and the body of space. Knowing the wishes of beings, according to time, development, education, progress, and desire, the enlightening beings make the body of beings into their own body. In the same way they make the body of lands, the body of fruition of action, the body of Buddhist followers, the body of individual illuminates, the body of enlightening beings, the body of buddhas, the body of knowledge, the body of reality, and the body of space into their own body. Knowing the heart’s desire of beings, according to their desire, the enlightening beings make their own body into the body of sentient beings. In the same way they make the body of beings into the body of lands, the body of fruition of the Teaching, the body of fruition of action, the body of Buddhist followers, the body of individual illuminates, the body of enlightening beings, the body of buddhas, the body of knowledge, the body of reality, the body of space. Knowing the inclination of sentient beings, the enlightening beings put their own bodies into whatever body they wish.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 99