“Enlightening beings in this concentration also gain ten kinds of extremely pure bodies of power: one, emitting unspeakably unspeakable numbers of light spheres to illumine unspeakably unspeakable numbers of worlds; two, emitting unspeakably unspeakable numbers of spheres of light of infinite colors to purify all worlds; three, emitting unspeakably unspeakable numbers of light spheres to pacify living beings; four, emanating unspeakably unspeakable numbers of bodies to be near to all the buddhas; five, raining unspeakably unspeakable numbers of clouds of flowers of various wonderful scents to present to all buddhas; six, magically producing unspeakably unspeakable numbers of various kinds of infinitely free miraculous effects to develop and mature sentient beings; eight, crossing unspeakably unspeakable numbers of worlds in a single step in order to ask to hear the Teaching from all the variously named buddhas of the ten directions; nine, showing a body of immeasurably various forms, the crown of which none can see, so that all who see or hear of it will not have done so in vain; ten, uttering unspeakably unspeakable numbers of words to reveal countless secret truths to sentient beings.
“Once enlightening beings gain these ten kinds of extremely pure body of power, they can cause sentient beings to attain ten kinds of fulfillment: one, they can enable sentient beings to see Buddha; two, they can induce sentient beings to deeply believe in Buddha; three, they can induce sentient beings to listen to the Teaching; four, they can cause sentient beings to know there is a world of buddhahood; five, they can cause sentient beings to perceive the miracles of Buddha; six, they can cause sentient beings to recollect accumulated deeds; seven, they can cause sentient beings to perfect concentration; eight, they can introduce sentient beings into the purity of buddhahood; nine, they can induce sentient beings to aspire to enlightenment; ten, they can enable sentient beings to fulfill enlightened knowledge.
“When great enlightening beings have caused sentient beings to attain these ten kinds of fulfillment, they also perform ten kinds of buddha-work for sentient beings: they perform verbal buddha-work, to develop and mature beings; they perform physical buddha-work, to train sentient beings; they perform mental buddha-work to purify sentient beings; they shake the world as buddha-work to make sentient beings give up bad tendencies; they perform buddha-work by expedient awakening, to cause sentient beings not to lose mindfulness; they perform buddha-work by manifesting forms in dreams, to cause sentient beings to be constant in right mindfulness; they perform buddha-work by radiating great light to embrace all beings; they perform buddha-work by cultivating the practices of enlightening beings, to cause sentient beings to live by superior aspirations; they perform buddha-work by attaining perfect enlightenment to cause sentient beings to know illusion; they perform buddha-work by turning the wheel of the sublime teaching, to teach sentient beings in accord with the time; they perform buddha-work by appearing to live for a certain span, in order to tame sentient beings; they perform buddha-work by manifesting nirvana, because they know sentient beings will become weary.
“This is the technical knowledge of the great enlightening beings’ seventh great concentration, the concentration of knowledge of adornments of buddhas of all worlds.
“What is great enlightening beings’ concentration of the differentiated bodies of all sentient beings? Great enlightening beings in this concentration attain ten kinds of nonattachment: nonattachment in all lands; nonattachment in all places; nonattachment in all times; nonattachment in respect to all beings; nonattachment in respect to all phenomena; nonattachment in respect to all enlightening beings; nonattachment in respect to all enlightening beings’ vows; nonattachment in respect to all concentrations; nonattachment in respect to all buddhas; nonattachment in respect to all the stages of enlightenment.
“How do great enlightening beings enter into and emerge from this concentration? They enter this concentration internally and emerge externally; entering externally, they emerge internally; entering in the same body, they emerge in a different body; entering in a different body, they emerge in the same body; entering in a human body, they emerge in a yaksha body; entering in a yaksha body, they emerge in a human body; entering in a dragon body, they emerge in a titan body; entering in a titan body, they emerge in a celestial body; entering in a celestial body, they emerge in a Brahma-king body; entering in a Brahma-king body, they emerge in a desire-realm body; entering in a heaven, they emerge in a hell; entering in a hell, they emerge in the human world; entering in the human world, they emerge in other realms of being; they enter in a thousand bodies and emerge in one body; entering in one body, they emerge in a thousand bodies; entering in a hundred billion bodies, they emerge in one body; entering in one body, they emerge in a hundred billion bodies; entering among people of the south, they emerge among people of the west; entering among people of the west, they emerge among people of the north; entering among people of the north, they emerge among people of the east; entering among people of the east, they emerge among people of three continents; entering among people of three continents, they emerge among people of four continents; entering among people of four continents, they emerge among the different creatures of all seas; entering among different creatures of all seas, they emerge among the spirits of all seas; entering among the spirits of all seas, they emerge in the water element of all seas; entering in the water element of all seas, they emerge in the earth element of all seas; entering in the earth element of all seas, they emerge in the fire element of all seas; entering in the fire element of all seas, they emerge in the air element of all seas; entering in the air element of all seas, they emerge in all four gross elements; entering in all four gross elements, they emerge in the truth of nonorigination; entering in the truth of nonorigination, they emerge on the polar mountain; entering on the polar mountain, they emerge on the mountain of seven precious substances; entering on the mountain of seven precious substances, they emerge on the black mountain of various crops and forests of all soils; entering on the black mountain of various crops and forests of all soils, they emerge in precious arrays of all flowers of sublime fragrances; entering in precious arrays of all flowers of sublime fragrances, they emerge in the incarnations of all beings of the four quarters, the zenith and nadir; entering in the incarnations of all beings of the four quarters, the zenith and nadir, they emerge in the beings of the solar system; entering in the beings of the solar system, they emerge in beings of the galaxy; entering in the beings of the galaxy, they emerge in the beings of the universe; entering in the beings of the universe, they emerge in the beings of a hundred thousand hundred billion universes; entering in the beings of a hundred thousand hundred billion universes, they emerge in the beings of countless worlds; entering in the beings of countless worlds, they emerge in the beings of measureless worlds; entering in the beings of measureless worlds, they emerge in the beings of boundless buddha-lands; entering in the beings of boundless buddha-lands, they emerge in the beings of incomparable buddha-lands; entering in the beings of incomparable buddha-lands, they emerge in the beings of innumerable worlds; entering in the beings of innumerable worlds, they emerge in the beings of incalculable worlds; entering in the beings of incalculable worlds, they emerge in the beings of unthinkable worlds; entering in the beings of unthinkable worlds, they emerge in the beings of immeasurable worlds; entering in the beings of immeasurable worlds, they emerge in the beings of unspeakable worlds; entering in the beings of unspeakable worlds, they emerge in the beings of unspeakably unspeakable numbers of worlds; entering in the beings of unspeakably unspeakable numbers of worlds, they emerge in impure beings; entering in impure beings, they emerge in pure beings; entering in pure beings, they emerge in impure beings; entering in the eye, they emerge in the ear; entering in the ear, they emerge in the eye; entering in the nose, they emerge in the tongue; entering in the tongue, they emerge in the nose; entering in the body, they emerge in the mind; entering in the mind, they emerge in the body; entering in their own senses, they emerge in others’ senses; entering in others’ se
nses, they emerge in their own senses; entering in a single atom, they emerge in the atoms of countless worlds; entering in the atoms of countless worlds, they emerge in one atom; entering in hearers of Buddha’s voice, they emerge in self-enlightened ones; entering in self-enlightened ones, they emerge in hearers; entering in their own bodies, they emerge in the body of Buddha; entering in the body of Buddha, they emerge in their own bodies; entering in a single instant, they emerge in a hundred million eons; entering in a hundred million eons, they emerge in an instant; entering in the same instant, they emerge in different times; entering in different times, they emerge in the same instant; entering in the past, they emerge in the future; entering in the future, they emerge in the past; entering in past, present, and future, they emerge in a moment; entering in a moment, they emerge in past, present, and future; entering in True Thusness, they emerge in verbalization; entering in verbalization, they emerge in True Thusness.
“It is as when a man is possessed by a demon, his body trembles and he cannot relax—the demon does not show its body; it causes the body of another to be that way. In the same way, great enlightening beings in this concentration enter concentration in their own bodies and emerge in others’ bodies, enter concentration in others’ bodies and emerge in their own bodies.
“It is like a corpse able to get up and act effectively through the power of a magic spell; though the corpse and the spell are distinct, yet they can join together and accomplish things. In the same way, a great enlightening being in this concentration enters concentration in the same object and emerges in a different object, enters concentration in a different object and emerges in the same object.
“It is as a monk who has attained freedom of mind may make many bodies of one body or one body of many bodies, yet it is not that one body vanishes and many bodies are born, or that many bodies vanish and one body is born. In the same way, a great enlightening being in this concentration enters concentration in one body and emerges in many bodies, enters concentration in many bodies and emerges in one body.
“Just as the flavor of soil is one while the flavors of the crops it produces are variously different, the flavors having difference even though the soil has no difference, in the same way a great enlightening being in this concentration, though free from discrimination, may enter concentration in one element and emerge in many elements, or enter concentration in many elements and emerge in one.
“Great enlightening beings in this concentration are lauded for ten praise-worthy qualities: they enter into True Thusness, and so are called Tathagata, those who have arrived at Thusness; they are aware of all truths, and so are called buddha, enlightened; they are praised by all worlds, and so are called teachers of truth; they know all things, and so are called omniscient; they are resorted to by all worlds, and so are called refuge; they have mastered all teaching methods, and so are called guides; they lead all beings into universal knowledge, and so are called great leaders; they are lamps for all worlds, and so are called light; their aspirations are fulfilled, they have accomplished salvation, they have done their tasks, they abide in unobstructed knowledge and individually know all things, so they are called adepts of the ten powers; they thoroughly comprehend all cycles of the Teaching, so they are called all-seers.
“Great enlightening beings in this concentration also acquire ten kinds of illumination: they acquire the light of all buddhas because they are equal to them; they acquire the light of all worlds because they can beautify them all; they acquire the light of all beings because they go to pacify them all; they acquire the light of immeasurable expertise because they preach on the stage of the cosmos of realities; they acquire undifferentiated light because they know that phenomena have no differentiation in essence; they acquire the light of expedient means because they have realized freedom from desire for anything; they acquire the light of truth because their minds are equanimous in the realm of desirelessness; they acquire the light of mystic transfigurations pervading all worlds because they are ceaselessly empowered by the Buddha; they acquire the light of proper meditation because they reach the other shore of freedom of all buddhas; they acquire the light of True Thusness of all things because they can explain everything in a single point.
“Great enlightening beings in this concentration also attain ten kinds of nondoing: the nondoing of physical acts; the nondoing of verbal acts; the nondoing of mental acts; the nondoing of spiritual powers; the nondoing of comprehension of the essencelessness of phenomena; the nondoing of knowledge of the nondissolution of the force of actions; the nondoing of nondiscriminatory knowledge; the nondoing of knowledge of nonorigination; the nondoing of knowing things have no destruction; the nondoing of following the letter without destroying the meaning.
“When great enlightening beings are in this concentration, the innumerable realms are variously different—entering in one, arising in many, entering in many, arising in one, entering in the same one, arising in different ones, entering in different ones, arising in the same one, entering in the subtle, arising in the gross, entering in the gross, arising in the subtle, entering in the great, arising in the small, entering in the small, arising in the great, entering in the congenial, arising in the adverse, entering in the adverse, arising in the congenial, entering incorporeally, arising corporeally, entering corporeally, arising incorporeally, entering in the formless, arising in forms, entering in forms, arising in the formless, entering in arising, arising in entering—these are all realms of freedom of this concentration.
“It is as when a magician keeps repeating a spell, he can become able to cause various different forms to appear—the spell and the illusions are distinct, yet the spell can create illusions; though the spell is just a sound, yet it can produce various illusory perceptions, various forms perceived by the eye-consciousness, various sounds perceived by the ear-consciousness, various smells perceived by the nose-consciousness, various tastes perceived by the tongue-consciousness, various feelings perceived by the body-consciousness, various objects perceived by the mind-consciousness. In the same way, the enlightening being in this concentration also enters concentration in sameness and arises from concentration in difference, enters concentration in difference and arises from concentration in sameness.
“It is as when the gods of the thirty-three-fold heaven battled with the titans and the gods prevailed and the titans retreated in defeat. The king of titans was seven hundred leagues tall and was accompanied by several tens of millions of cohorts, yet by magic he led his army all at once into a hole in a lotus root. In the same way, the great enlightening being has already achieved the stage of knowledge of illusions: knowledge of illusion is the enlightening being, the enlightening being is knowledge of illusion—therefore the enlightening being can enter concentration in the undifferentiated and emerge in the differentiated, can enter concentration in the differentiated and emerge in the undifferentiated.
“Just as when a farmer plants seeds in the fields, the seeds are below yet the fruits grow above, so also does an enlightening being in this concentration enter concentration in one and emerge in many, enter concentration in many and emerge in one.
“It is as when the sperm and ovum unite and there is a living being conceived, at which time it is called an embryo; after this it lives in the womb for nine months, and by the power of proper actions all its limbs and organs achieve completion and its consciousness is clear. That life energy and the organs and physical form are distinct, yet by the power of action that energy can make them gradually develop and experience various consequences of similar and different types. In the same way, the great enlightening being in this concentration, from the stage of emyonic omniscience, gradually grows in faith, understanding, resolution, and power, the mind broad, effortlessly and freely entering concentration in nonbeing and emerging in being, entering concentration in being and emerging in nonbeing.
“It is like the case of the palaces of water spirits, built on the earth and not in the sky; the water
spirits also live in the palaces and not in the sky, yet they can create clouds spreading through the sky. The palaces that people may see when they look up you may be sure are mirages, not water-spirit palaces. Though water spirits dwell below, the clouds are spread above—in the same way, the great enlightening being in this concentration enters in formlessness and emerges amid forms, enters in forms and emerges in formlessness.
“It is like the case of the palace where the great Brahma-king-god of subtle light lives; called ‘pure treasury supreme of all worlds,’ in this great palace can be seen all the abodes of all the various creatures in all lands in the galaxy, as well as the natural and man-made features of those lands—even down to minute particles of dust floating in the air, all can be seen reflected in this brahma palace, like seeing one’s face in a mirror. The great enlightening beings in this great concentration of the different bodies of all sentient beings know all kinds of lands, see all kinds of buddhas, liberate all kinds of beings, realize all kinds of truths, accomplish all kinds of spiritual practices, fulfill all kinds of understandings, enter all kinds of trances, produce all kinds of psychic powers, attain all kinds of knowledge, and live through all kinds of moments.
“Such great enlightening beings reach ten kinds of other shores of spiritual powers: they reach the other shore of spiritual powers of the buddha that extend throughout space and are present everywhere in the cosmos; they reach the other shore of enlightening beings’ ultimately nondiscriminatory free spiritual powers; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers of buddha-work able to initiate the far-reaching practical commitments of enlightening beings and enter the gate of realization of Thusness; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to shake all objects in all worlds and purify them all; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to freely know that the inconceivable results of actions of all sentient beings are all like illusory productions; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to freely know the different characteristics—crude and subtle, those in entry and emergence—of all concentrations; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to boldly enter the realm of the enlightened and therein produce great vows; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to cause buddhas to appear and teach, taming beings, causing them to be born in the family of buddhas, causing them to enter the vehicle of buddhahood and swiftly attain fulfillment; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to comprehend all the countless esoteric statements and teach in such a way as to clarify countless aspects of truth; they reach the other shore of spiritual powers able to cause the past, present, and future to appear in a single instant without depending on the numbers of days, nights, months, years, or epochs.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 109