“South of here is a city called Samudrapratishthana, where lives a lay devotee named Prabhuta. Go ask her how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
Having heard the words of the spiritual benefactor, Sudhana was thrilled and overjoyed; he paid his respects and took leave of Indriyeshvara, having obtained the treasure of will that is rare and most difficult to obtain, setting out to act benevolently toward all, freely able to perceive the succession of emergence of buddhas, intent on the wisdom to clarify the sphere of the Teaching, intent on showing the various means of emancipation everywhere, aware of past, present, and future without confusion, his mind an inexhaustible ocean of virtue, in control of the light of great knowledge, having broken open the doors of confinement in the city of mundane existence.
Prabhuta
Then, receiving the multitude of teachings of spiritual benefactors as the ocean receives torrential rains without being filled, the sprouts of his faculties raised from clear ground and developed by the rays of light of knowledge of sunlike spiritual benefactors, his body and mind cooled by the aura of light of teaching of the full moon of spiritual benefactors, having drunk the water of the teachings of spiritual benefactors like a herd of animals burnt by the heat of the summer sun, the lotuses of his mind opened like a blooming lotus pond by the instructions of spiritual benefactors like water flowing from the snowy mountains, his being illumined by the practice of the precious instructions of spiritual benefactors, like a treasure island covered with jewels, successful in accumulating knowledge and virtue according to the instructions of spiritual benefactors, like a great tree laden with flowers and fruits, having an abundant store of learning of instructions of spiritual benefactors, like a great cloud in the sky produced by the sport of dragons, a radiant mountain peak of various virtues arising from the instruction of spiritual benefactors like the wonderful peak of the world of the thirty-three heavens, full of pure qualities produced by the instructions of spiritual benefactors, overpowering and invincible like the god Indra surrounded by the deities of the thirty-three heavens who conquers the leaders and hordes of titans, Sudhana made his way to the city Samudrapratishthana, looking for the devotee Prabhuta. He was told by the people there that Prabhuta was in her house in the middle of town.
Sudhana went to Prabhuta’s house and stood before the entrance with his hands joined in respectful salutation. He saw that her house was very large, covered with precious ornaments, with doors on all four sides, arrayed with countless jewels, the result of the development of inconceivable virtues. Entering the house and looking around, he saw the devotee Prabhuta in a jeweled chair, young, slim, fresh, in the blossom of youth, radiantly beautiful, her hair hanging loose, wearing no ornaments on her body, clothed in pure white garments. Except for buddhas and enlightening beings, no one came to that house whom she did not overwhelm by her appearance, her mastery of mind, her radiance, her voice, or her splendor. All who saw Prabhuta, whether human or celestial beings, thought of her as a teacher.
Also, in her house were arrayed ten million seats, superior to those of celestials and humans, perfected by the deeds of enlightening beings. There were no provisions of food or drink, or clothing or jewelry or other accoutrements to be seen in the house, except for a vessel placed before her. He also saw ten thousand ladies like goddesses standing before her, wearing celestial clothing and ornaments, with pleasing voices like goddesses. Those ladies, her attendants, responding to her word, waited on her, watched her, kept their attention on her, respectfully saluted her, looked at her, bowed to her, and expressed their reverence for her. The fragrance from their bodies perfumed the whole city, and all who smelled the fragrance became free from malice, free from hostility, nonviolent, free from envy and jealousy, free from guile and deceitfulness, disciplined, mentally unobstructed, free from depression and elation, even-minded, kind, altruistic, restrained in mind, charitable. And whoever heard their voices became happy, joyful, and humble in mind. And whoever saw them felt themselves freed of lust.
Then Sudhana paid his respects to Prabhuta and politely said to her, “Noble one, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings. I hear you give enlightening beings instruction, so I beg of you to tell me how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
She said, “I have attained an enlightening liberation which is an inexhaustible treasury of manifestations of good. From this one vessel I satisfy sentient beings of various tastes with food conforming to their wishes, with various sauces and spices, of various colors and aromas. From this one vessel I satisfy even a hundred beings with whatever food they wish, even a thousand beings, a hundred thousand, a million, a billion; I satisfy untold numbers of sentient beings of various tastes with whatever foods they wish, gratifying and pleasing them and making them happy—and yet this vessel does not diminish or run out. In this way, even if as many sentient beings as atoms in a continent, or four continents, or a thousand-world universe, or a million-world universe, or a billion-world universe, or even if as many sentient beings as atoms in untold buddha-lands come to me with various tastes, I satisfy, please, and delight them with foods according to their wishes, with various sauces, spices, colors, and aromas—yet this vessel never diminishes or runs out, it is never depleted or exhausted. Even if all the beings in all worlds in the ten directions, with various tastes and desires, should come to me, I would satisfy them all with whatever food they wished. And as with food, so also would I satisfy and please them with various kinds of drinks, various delicacies, various couches, various clothing, various flowers, various garlands, various fragrances, various incenses, various unguents, various aromatic powders, various jewels, various ornaments, various conveyances, various parasols, various banners, various pennants, and various kinds of utensils.
“Furthermore, any Buddhist disciples or individual illuminates in their last embodiment in one world in the east who attain the fruit of discipleship or individual illumination all do so after having eaten my food. And as this is true in one world in the east, so it is true in a hundred worlds, a thousand, a million, a billion, a trillion, a quadrillion, in as many worlds as atoms in a continent, as many worlds as atoms in four continents, as many worlds as atoms in a thousand-world universe, as many worlds as atoms in a million-world universe, as many worlds as atoms in a billion-world universe, up to as many worlds as atoms in untold buddha-lands—all those who realize the fruit of discipleship or individual illumination do so after having eaten my food. And as this is true in so many worlds to the east, so it is true in the worlds in all ten directions.
“The enlightening beings in one world in the east who are bound to attain enlightenment in one life all sit on the site of enlightenment, conquer the demons, and realize supreme perfect enlightenment after having eaten my food. The same is true of the enlightening beings to realize enlightenment in one life in up to as many worlds as atoms in untold buddha-lands in each of the ten directions—they all sit on the site of enlightenment, conquer the demons, and realize supreme perfect enlightenment after having eaten my food.”
“Do you see these ten thousand women, my companions? Beginning with these, there are countless tens of hundreds of thousands of women whose practice is the same as mine, who are one in vows, one in roots of goodness, one in ways of emancipation, one in purity of devotion, equal in purity of mindfulness, one in purity of deportment, equal in infinity of understanding, equal in attainment of spiritual faculties, equal in pervasive awareness, equal in range of sphere of action, equal in penetration of spiritual principles, equal in ascertainment of meanings, equal in elucidation of doctrines and meanings, equal in purity of form, equal in infinity of power, equal in unsurpassed energy, equal in voicing truth, equal in purity of voice, equal in purity of qualities in all manners by manifesting infinite virtues, equal in purity of action by virtue of purity of result
s of irreproachable actions, equal in pervasive kindness by virtue of saving all sentient beings, equal in pervasive compassion by virtue of tirelessly developing all sentient beings, equally pure in physical action by virtue of appearing to all sentient beings in forms that please them, equally pure in speech in usage expressing the realm of realities, equal in going to the assemblies of all buddhas, equal in speeding to all buddha-lands to attend all the buddhas, equal in direct knowledge in understanding the principles of all doctrines, equal in purity of practice in attainment of all the stages of enlightening beings.
“These ten thousand women pervade the ten directions in a single instant to present food to the enlightening beings who are bound to become enlightened in one lifetime, giving them food from this same vessel. They pervade the ten directions to give food and drink to the saints and individual illuminates who are in their last existence. They go everywhere and satisfy all hungry ghosts with food. I also satisfy all the celestial beings with celestial food from this same vessel: I satisfy dragons with dragon food, spirits with spirit food, cherubim with cherub food, titans with titan food, birds with bird food, centaurs with centaur food, serpents with serpent food, humans with human food, and nonhumans with nonhuman food. Come here and in a moment you shall see with your own eyes.”
No sooner had Prabhuta said these words than immeasurable numbers of such beings came in through the four doors of her house, invited by Prabhuta’s standing vow. Prabhuta seated them in the places prepared and satisfied them with whatever kind of foods they wished, pleasing and delighting them. In the same way she also satisfied and pleased them with various drinks, delicacies, seats, couches, conveyances, clothes, flowers and garlands, perfumes and incenses, unguents and aromatic powders, ornaments, jeweled chariots, parasols, banners, pennants, and utensils. She satisfied all the various kinds of beings with their various kinds of food, yet the vessel was not depleted or exhausted; it never ran out.
Then Prabhuta said to Sudhana, “I know this enlightening liberation, which is an inexhaustible treasury of manifestations of good; how can I know the practice or tell the virtues of enlightening beings whose goodness is inexhaustible because of the endlessness of the ocean of good, who are like the sky in that they have produced a vast store of good, who are like wish-fulfilling jewels in that they fulfill the wishes of all sentient beings, who are mountains of good because they protect the roots of goodness of all beings, who are great clouds of good as they shower jewel rain on all beings, who are superintendents of the great treasury of good in that they open the door of the city of truth, who are great lamps of good in that they dispel the darkness of destitution for all sentient beings?
“South of here is a city called Mahasambhava, where a householder named Vidvan lives. Go ask him how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
Then Sudhana, paying his respects to the devotee Prabhuta, looking at her again and again without tiring of the sight of her, took his leave and departed.
Vidvan
Then, having gained the illumination of that enlightening liberation which is an inexhaustible treasury of goodness, reflecting on that ocean of good, gazing into that sky of good, climbing that mountain of good, gathering that mass of good, plunging into that stream of good, crossing that bridge of good, purifying that sphere of good, viewing that treasury of good, recalling that principle of good, contemplating that eye of good, purifying that multitude of good, Sudhana made his way to the city of Mahasambhava and looked all around for Vidvan, seeking a spiritual benefactor.
Looking for Vidvan, his whole being perfumed by the sight of spiritual benefactors, finding strength in spiritual benefactors, relying on spiritual benefactors, striving to follow spiritual benefactors, with tireless vigor in attending spiritual benefactors, all his roots of goodness due to spiritual benefactors, all his stores of virtue sustained by spiritual benefactors, his practice of skill in means developed by spiritual benefactors, all his roots of goodness growing by skill in attendance of spiritual benefactors without depending on others, his will for enlightenment becoming purified, his enlightening faculties developing, all his roots of goodness maturing, his accomplishments of great vows growing, his great compassion broadening, seeing himself near omniscience, receiving the light of teaching of all buddhas by the practice of Universally Good enlightening beings, the manifestations of the ten powers of buddhas increasing, Sudhana saw Vidvan at a crossroads in the middle of the city, on a seat on a high pedestal made of innumerable jewels, set on legs of diamonds and emeralds, with a web of white cowries on golden strings, set in pure jewels, with five hundred ornamental jewel figurines, arrayed with multicolored celestial cloth, with celestial banners and pennants flying above, covered with many nets of jewels, overspread with a great canopy of jewels, with garlands of gold and jewels hanging from it. A golden parasol with a handle of pure lapis lazuli was held over Vidvan, and he was being fanned by plumes made of pure white goose feathers while various incenses perfumed the air around him. He was attended by ten thousand people of equally virtuous past conduct, finer in appearance than celestials or humans, perfect in the will of enlightening beings, adorned with ornaments superior to those of the gods, playing music sweeter than that of the heavens to please all the people in the city, and showering celestial flowers.
Seeing Vidvan, Sudhana went up to him, paid his respects, and said, “Noble one, I have set out for supreme perfect enlightenment for the benefit of all beings—to extinguish the sufferings of all beings, to lead them to ultimate happiness, to rescue them from the ocean of the mundane whirl, to deliver them to the island of jewels of truth, to evaporate their cravings, to produce great compassion in them, to divert their craving for sensual pleasure and arouse in them craving for enlightened knowledge, to help them all cross over the wildness of the mundane whirl, to develop in them a taste for the way of buddhahood, to lead them out of the city of mundane states and lead them to the city of omniscience. But I do not know how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings. Noble one, I hear that you give enlightening beings instruction, so I ask you to tell me how an enlightening being is to learn the practice of enlightening beings, and how enlightening beings in the course of learning become a refuge for all sentient beings.”
Vidvan replied, “It is good that you have aroused the aspiration for supreme perfect enlightenment. Rare are those who aspire to supreme perfect enlightenment, and rare are those who, having aspired to enlightenment, are tireless in seeking the practices of enlightening beings by meeting spiritual benefactors, who do not weary of going to spiritual benefactors, who are not pained by attendance on spiritual benefactors, who are not depressed by the difficulty of approaching spiritual benefactors, who do not give up seeking spiritual benefactors, who do not turn away from the sight of the countenance of spiritual benefactors, who do not get discouraged in the path taught by spiritual benefactors, who do not tire in the service of spiritual benefactors. Do you see my companions? I inspired them all to seek supreme perfect enlightenment; I caused them to be born in the family of buddhas; I nourished them by providing them with the ways of transcendence; I got them to live in good ways; I developed them in the ten powers of buddhas; I lifted them out of worldliness; I established them in the ranks of the enlightened; I removed them from the circle of mundane states; I started them in the cycle of enlightening teaching; I saved them from falling into bad conditions; I led them to realization of equality of things: for thus do enlightening beings become saviors of all sentient beings.
“I have attained good works produced from the treasury of mind: to those who need food I give food, to those who need drink I give drink, to those who need clothing I give clothing, to those who need flowers I give flowers, to those who want garlands I give garlands, To those who need perfumes or incenses I give perfumes or incenses, to those who need ornaments I give ornaments, to those who need jewels I give jewels, to those who need gold I give go
ld, to those who need silver I give silver, to those who need pearls I give pearls, to those who need chairs I give chairs, to those who need beds I give beds, to those who need means of transportation I give means of transportation, to those who need medicine I give medicine, and so on—whatever the needs, I provide them. Come here, and in a moment you will see for yourself.”
As soon as Vidvan had spoken these words, innumerable beings gathered at his house, summoned by his past vows. They came from various regions, various nations, various cities, various towns, and various groups, of various conditions, various states of consciousness, various degrees of purity of sense, desiring various kinds of food, having various inclinations, needing diverse kinds of sustenance according to their states of being. They were invited by the vow of the enlightening being, by the power of the enlightening being, by the sounds of the drums of unattached giving; they came to Vidvan, looked at him, and made requests of him.
Seeing them gathered there begging, Vidvan thought for a moment, then looked at the sky. From the sky various kinds of food and drink streamed into his hand, and this Vidvan gave to the beggars according to their various tastes and desires, satisfying and delighting them with the food and drink they wanted, with the best kinds of all means of subsistence. Then, after satisfying them, he expounded the Teaching to them: that is, he elucidated means of accumulating a great store of knowledge, means of eliminating all poverty, means of producing all enjoyments, means of finding ways to knowledge of truth, means of accumulating a vast store of virtue, means of being able to feed on joy, means of attaining a body adorned with the marks and embellishments of greatness, means of attaining purity of invincible power, means of attaining knowledge of uninterrupted livelihood, and means of attaining inexhaustible good powers overcoming the power of all demons. As for those who came for food, once they were satisfied by the various foods from the sky, he taught them to attain intelligence for life, health, and strength. As for those who came for drink, once they were satisfied by the various fine, good, and pleasant drinks, he taught them to put an end to mundane cravings and develop craving for the pleasure of the way of enlightenment. Those who came for delicacies he satisfied with sweets, and then taught them to attain the refined characteristics of great people. Those who came for means of transportation he satisfied with gifts of various vehicles, then taught them to get on the Great Vehicle of universal enlightenment. Seeing those who came for clothing, he thought for a moment and looked at the sky: then from the sky immaculate clothes of various colors fell into his hand; giving them to the beggars, he taught them purification by attainment of buddhas’ supreme golden complexion of modesty. Having provided each of the beggars with their needs, he taught them according to what they were fit for.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 167