“What is great enlightening beings’ concentration of knowledge of the stores of adornments of the past? Here great enlightening beings are able to know the manifestations of the buddhas of the past. That is, within the order of eons, the order of lands; within the order of lands, the order of eons; within the order of eons, the order of buddhas’ appearances; within the order of buddhas’ appearances, the order of teaching; within the order of teaching, the order of inclinations; within the order of inclinations, the order of faculties; within the order of faculties, the order of training; within the order of training, the order of life spans of Buddhas; within the order of life spans, they know the order of numbers of trillions of years.
“Because these great enlightening beings gain such boundless knowledge of order, they therefore know the past buddhas, therefore know past lands, therefore know past teachings, therefore know past ages, therefore know past phenomena, therefore know past minds, therefore know past understandings, therefore know past beings, therefore know past afflictions, therefore know past manners, therefore know past purities.
“This concentration is called the pure treasury of the past; in a single moment it can enter a hundred eons, a thousand eons, a hundred thousand eons, an octillion eons, countless eons, measureless eons, boundless eons, incomparable eons, uncountable eons, unaccountable eons, unthinkable eons, immeasurable eons, unspeakable eons, untold, inexpressible eons. When those great enlightening beings enter this concentration, they do not annihilate the present or focus on the past.
“When those great enlightening beings emerge from this concentration, they receive ten kinds of inconceivable anointment from the Enlightened, and also attain, purify, consummate, enter, realize, fulfill, and hold them, comprehending them equally, the three spheres pure. What are the ten? One, explanation not violating meaning; two, inexhaustibility of teaching; three, impeccable expression; four, endless eloquence; five, freedom from hesitation; six, truthfulness of speech; seven, the trust of the community; eight, liberating those in the triple world; nine, supreme excellence of roots of goodness; ten, command of the wondrous Teaching. These are the ten anointments. When enlightening beings enter this concentration and emerge from it, immediately they become like a spirit when it enters the womb, the consciousness instantly being born therein—in the same way, when the great enlightening beings emerge from this concentration, in the presence of the Enlightened they instantly attain these ten qualities. This is called the technical knowledge of the great enlightening beings’ fifth great concentration, the concentration of knowledge of the stores of adornments of the past.
“What is great enlightening beings’ concentration of the treasury of light of knowledge? The great enlightening beings in this concentration know the various different names of all buddhas in all ages in all worlds in the future, whether they have been spoken of yet or not, whether they have been given the prediction of buddhahood yet or not. That is, they know countless names, untold names of buddhas, and that they will appear in the world, will benefit beings, will be spiritual sovereigns, will perform the tasks of buddha, will explain what is beneficial, will praise goodness, will explain what is pure, will clear away all evils, will abide in virtue, will reveal the ultimate truth, will enter the rank of coronation, will attain omniscience. Those buddhas’ cultivation of complete action, undertaking of complete vows, entry into complete knowledge, leadership of a complete circle, fulfillment of complete adornments, accumulation of complete virtues, realization of complete truth, attainment of complete fruition, endowment with complete qualities, and fulfillment of complete enlightenment, as well as those buddhas’ names, their methods and skills, their spiritual powers and miracles, their development of beings, and their entry into final nirvana—all this the enlightening beings here thoroughly know.
“These enlightening beings can in a single instant enter one eon, a hundred eons, a thousand eons, a hundred thousand eons, a hundred thousand billion eons; they enter into as many eons as atoms in a continent, as many eons as atoms in four continents, as many eons as atoms in a solar system, as many eons as atoms in a galaxy, as many eons as atoms in a universe, as many eons as atoms in a buddha-land, as many eons as atoms in a hundred thousand buddha-lands, as many eons as atoms in a hundred thousand billion buddha-lands, as many eons as atoms in countless buddha-lands, as many eons as atoms in untold, inexpressible numbers of buddha-lands—by their wisdom they are able to know the numbers of eons in all future worlds. And because they know them, their minds also enter the doors of ten kinds of preservation: because they enter the presence of the buddhas, they gain the protection of buddhas as numerous as atoms in untold buddha-lands; because they enter the presence of the Teaching, they attain inexhaustible intellectual powers illumined by ten kinds of total mental command; because they enter the presence of practice, they produce perfectly rounded, outstanding vows; because they enter the presence of power, no one can dominate or overpower them; because they enter the presence of knowledge, the Buddha teachings they practice are free from obstruction; because they enter the presence of great compassion, they turn the wheel of the pure teaching, which never turns back; because they enter the presence of expression of skillful handling of distinctions, they turn the wheel of all letters and clean the ground of all teachings; because they enter the presence of the state of the lion being born, they open the lock of the Teaching and leave the mind of desire; because they enter the presence of the power of knowledge, they cultivate enlightening practice unceasingly; because they enter the presence of the power of good companionship, they cause boundless beings to become purified; because they enter the presence of the power of nondwelling, they enter unspeakable, untold numbers of vast eons; because they enter the presence of the power of the Teaching, by uninhibited knowledge of means, they know all things are inherently pure.
“Once great enlightening beings are in this concentration, they skillfully live in untold numbers of ages and lands; they skillfully know untold numbers of various sentient beings; they skillfully know untold numbers of different characteristics of sentient beings; they skillfully know untold numbers of similar and different consequences of action; they skillfully know untold numbers of practices differentiated by vigor, faculties, habit energies, and continuity; they skillfully know untold numbers of various tainted and pure contemplations; they skillfully know untold numbers of various meanings of teachings and innumerable written and verbal expressions; they skillfully know untold numbers of various buddhas’ appearances, families, times, manifestations, teachings, actions, buddha-works, and entries into ultimate final nirvana; they skillfully know untold numbers of boundless doors of wisdom and knowledge; they skillfully know untold numbers of the boundless different manifestations of all spiritual powers.
“It is as when the sun comes out, all the villages and towns, mansions and houses, mountains, marshes, birds and beasts, trees, forests, flowers and fruits, and so on, can be clearly seen by all people with vision; the light of the sun is impartial and has no discrimination, yet can cause the eye to see all kinds of forms. This concentration is also like this: it is in essence impartial, without any discrimination, yet can cause enlightening beings to know countless numbers of different characteristics.
“When the great enlightening beings realize such knowledge, they cause beings to attain ten kinds of fruitfulness: one, fruitful seeing, because of causing sentient beings to develop roots of goodness; two, fruitful hearing, causing sentient beings to gain maturity; three, fruitful association, causing sentient beings’ minds to be pacified; four, fruitful aspiration, causing sentient beings to do as they say and master the meanings of all the teachings; five, fruitful action, causing boundless worlds to be purified; six, fruitful companionship, cutting off countless beings’ doubts in the presence of the buddhas of countless worlds; seven, fruitful vows, causing whatever sentient beings are thought of to make excellent offerings and accomplish undertakings; eight, fruitful skillful methods, causing all to be able to
abide in pure knowledge of unobstructed liberation; nine, fruitful showering of the rain of Teaching, expediently revealing the practice of universal knowledge to countless beings of various faculties and causing them to abide in the path of buddhahood; ten, fruitful appearance, manifesting boundless forms, causing all sentient beings to be bathed in illumination.
“When great enlightening beings abide in this concentration and attain ten kinds of fruitfulness, the kings of the heavens all come and bow to them; the dragon kings produce great fragrant clouds; the yaksha kings bow to their feet; the titan kings honor them with offerings; the garuda kings circle them in respect; the kings of the Brahma heavens come and propitiate them; the kinnara kings draw near them; human kings serve and support them. This is the technical knowledge of the sixth great concentration of great enlightening beings, the concentration of the treasury of light of knowledge.
“What is great enlightening beings’ concentration of knowledge of the adornments of buddhas of all worlds? Why is this concentration called knowing the adornments of buddhas of all worlds? Great enlightening beings in this concentration can successively enter the worlds of the east, can successively enter the worlds of the south, west, north, southeast, northeast, southwest, northwest, zenith, and nadir. They can successively enter all these worlds and see the buddhas emerging in the world, and also see all the spiritual powers of those buddhas, and can also see all the feats of those buddhas, and can also see the immense charisma of those buddhas, and also see the supreme freedom of those buddhas, and also see the great lion roar of those buddhas, and also see the practices cultivated by the buddhas, and also see the various adornments of the buddhas, and also see the psychic projections of the buddhas, and also see the vast congregation of those buddhas, the unity of the congregations, the multiplicity of congregations, the locations of the congregations, the abodes of the congregations, the development of the congregations, the training of the congregations, the dignity of the congregations—all this they clearly see. They also see the size of the congregations equal to a continent, and also see the congregations equal to four continents, those equal to a solar system, those equal to a galaxy, those equal to a universe, those filling ten sextillion buddha-lands, those filling countless buddha-lands; they see congregations filling as many buddha-lands as there are atoms in a hundred buddha-lands, filling as many buddha-lands as atoms in a thousand buddha-lands, filling as many buddha-lands as atoms in ten sextillion buddha-lands, filling as many buddha-lands as atoms in countless buddha-lands, measureless buddha-lands, boundless buddha-lands, incomparable buddha-lands, innumerable buddha-lands, unreckonable buddha-lands, unthinkable buddha-lands, untold, inexpressible numbers of buddha-lands. They also see the buddhas amid those congregations displaying various forms, various times, various lands, various transfigurations, various spiritual powers, various adornments, various masteries, various physical sizes, and various actions. The great enlightening beings also see themselves in those congregations, and see themselves preaching there, and see themselves receiving the words of the buddhas, and see themselves comprehending interdependent origination, and see themselves poised in the air, and see themselves in the reality-body, and see themselves not producing attachments, and see themselves not dwelling on discrimination, and see themselves being indefatigable, and see themselves entering into all knowledge, and see themselves knowing all meanings, and see themselves entering all stages, and see themselves entering all states of being, and see themselves knowing all expedient means of liberation, and see themselves in the presence of the buddhas, and see themselves entering all the powers of enlightenment, and see themselves entering True Thusness, and see themselves entering noncontention, and see themselves entering all truths. When they see in this way, they do not discriminate lands, beings, buddhas, or phenomena; they do not cling to the body, to physical actions, to the mind, or to the intellect. Just as things do not discriminate their essence and do not discriminate sound, yet their essence is not abandoned and names do not pass away, in the same way great enlightening beings do not abandon actions, according with the doings of the world, yet have no attachments to them.
“Great enlightening beings see infinite lights and colors, forms and features of buddhas, perfectly developed, equal and pure, each one appearing clearly to their senses. Sometimes they see the various lights of the buddhas’ bodies; sometimes they see buddhas’ auras to a depth of one fathom; sometimes they see buddhas’ bodies like blazing suns; sometimes they see subtle hues of light of buddhas’ bodies; sometimes they see buddhas’ bodies as clear, or they may see buddhas’ bodies as golden, or as diamond-colored, or as violet, or as of infinite colors, or as sapphire; they may see buddhas’ bodies seven cubits tall, or ten cubits tall, or twenty cubits tall, or thirty cubits tall, or up to a hundred cubits tall, or half a league tall, or ten leagues tall, or a hundred leagues tall, or a thousand leagues tall, or a hundred thousand leagues tall; or they may see buddhas’ bodies the size of a continent, or the size of four continents, or the size of a solar system, or the size of a galaxy, or the size of a universe, or the size of a hundred universes, or the size of a thousand universes, or the size of a hundred thousand universes, or the size of ten quintillion universes, or the size of incalculable numbers of universes.
“In this way enlightening beings see the buddhas’ infinite colors, infinite physical forms, infinite manifestations, infinite lights, and infinite webs of light; the measure of those lights is equal to the cosmos, illumining all things therein, causing all to develop unexcelled knowledge. They also see the buddhas’ embodiments without attachment, without obstruction, supremely pure.
“Enlightening beings see the embodiment of Buddha in these ways, yet the body of the Enlightened does not increase or decrease. It is like space: in a worm hole in a seed it is not diminished, and in countless worlds it is not expanded. So it is with the bodies of the buddhas: when they are seen as large, still there is no increase, and when they are seen as small, there is no decrease. Just as the moon is seen as small by people on earth, yet is not diminished, and is seen as large by beings on the moon, yet does not expand, so also do enlightening beings in this concentration see various transfigurations of the buddhas’ bodies, according to their inclinations, receiving and retaining their verbal teachings, there being all the while no increase or decrease in the body of the Enlightened.
“Just as after beings’ lives end and they are about to be reborn, they are not apart from mind and what they see is pure, so also is what enlightening beings see, while in this profound concentration, utterly pure.
“Great enlightening beings in this concentration develop ten kinds of rapidity: rapid growth in practices and fulfillment of great vows; rapid illumination of the world with the light of the teaching; rapid liberation of sentient beings by appropriate projection of the teachings; rapid manifestation of buddhas’ pure lands according to the actions of beings; rapid entry into the ten powers by impartial knowledge; rapid joining of the Enlightened Ones in their abode; rapid destruction of the armies of demons by the power of great compassion; rapid removal of beings’ doubts, producing joy in them; rapid manifestation of spiritual displays in accord with dominant inclinations; rapid purification of worldly realms by means of various sublime expressions of truth.
“These enlightening beings also attain ten kinds of truth seal, which stamp all things: one, having the same roots of goodness equal in all buddhas of past, future, and present; two, attaining the reality body with boundless knowledge, same as all buddhas; three, abiding in nonduality, same as the buddhas; four, seeing the infinite objects of all times as all equal, same as the buddhas do; five, gaining comprehension of the unobstructed realm of the cosmos of reality, same as that of the buddhas; six, achieving the ten powers, same as the buddhas, being unhindered in function; seven, having forever cut off opinions and passions, dwelling in the state of freedom from conflict, same as the buddhas; eight, ceaselessly teaching sentient beings, same as the buddhas do; nine
, having ability to observe adaptive skill in knowledge and meaning, same as the buddhas; ten, being equal to all buddhas, same as all enlightened ones.
“If great enlightening beings accomplish the techniques of this great concentration of knowledge of adornments of buddhas of all worlds, they are teacherless because they can enter all principles and qualities of buddhas by themselves, without depending on another’s instruction. They are people of power because they can enlighten all sentient beings. They are pure because they know that the nature of mind is fundamentally pure. They are foremost because they can liberate all worldlings. They are comforters because they can awaken all sentient beings. They are stabilizers because they can establish in the family of buddhas those who are not yet so established. They are true knowers because they enter the door of universal knowledge. They are without varying conceptions because what they say is nondual. They abide in the treasury of truth because they vow to know all Buddha teachings. They are able to shower the rain of the Teaching, because they satisfy all beings in accord with their inclinations.
“It is like the god-king Indra placing a jewel in his topknot; by the power of the jewel his majestic light becomes all the more effulgent. When the god-king first obtained this jewel, he gained ten things surpassing all the gods of the thirty-three-fold heaven: one, color; two, physical form; three, manifestation; four, retinue; five, appurtenances; six, voice; seven, magical powers; eight, control; nine, intellectual understanding; ten, cognitive function. In these ten ways he surpasses all the other gods of the thirty-three-fold heaven. In the same way, when enlightening beings first attain this concentration, they gain ten kinds of treasuries of great knowledge: one, knowledge illumining all buddha-lands; two, knowledge of the births of all beings; three, knowledge of how to make magical displays of past, future, and present; four, knowledge of all buddha-bodies; five, knowledge comprehending all Buddha teachings; six, knowledge embracing all pure phenomena; seven, knowledge of how to cause all beings to enter the reality-body; eight, pure knowledge of the universal directly perceiving all things; nine, knowledge of total freedom reaching the other shore; ten, knowledge establishing all universal principles.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 108