Having shown Sudhana the inconceivable scope of this enlightening liberation, Vidvan said to him, “I know the liberation of the capacity of the treasury of mind. How can I know the practice, tell the virtues, or show the miracles of the enlightening beings who have attained control over paraphernalia, who have treasure-producing hands, who cover all worlds with their hands, as treasuries of offerings to buddhas, and shower rain from clouds of various jewels in the assemblies of all buddhas, various clouds of ornaments, towers, clothing, celestial music and song, fragrances, incenses, unguents, aromatic powders, robes, parasols, banners, pennants, and all kind of paraphernalia, raining all kinds of offerings for buddhas, in the assemblies of all buddhas, in the abodes of all beings, to serve all buddhas and to develop and guide all sentient beings?
“South of here is a city called Simhapota. An eminent person named Ratnachuda lives there. Go ask him how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
Sudhana, pleased, elated, uplifted, overjoyed, expressing his respect for the householder Vidvan as a disciple for a teacher, in honor of the Teaching, seeing all qualities of buddhahood as being fostered by him, seeing omniscience as coming from him, showing undying regard for spiritual benefactors, showing the inconceivability of unlimited knowledge in spiritual friends, acting in accord with the mastery of spiritual benefactors, heeding the instructions of spiritual benefactors, meditating on the faculty of faith deriving from spiritual benefactors, in quest of the instruction of spiritual benefactors, his mind on propitiation of spiritual benefactors, paid his respects to Vidvan and left.
Ratnachuda
Then, resorting to that water of goodness, watching that field of goodness, clearing off that mountain of goodness, plunging into that channel of goodness, opening that treasury of goodness, looking into that mine of goodness, clarifying that sphere of goodness, gathering that mass of goodness, generating that power of goodness, increasing that stream of goodness, Sudhana made his way to Simhapota city. Looking all over for the religious eminent Ratnachuda, he saw him in the middle of the marketplace. Sudhana went up to him, paid his respects, and said, “Noble one, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how to learn or carry out the practice of enlightening beings. Please teach me the path of enlightening beings, on which path I may set out for omniscience.”
Ratnachuda took Sudhana to his house and showed it to him, saying, “Look at my house.” Looking it over, Sudhana saw that the house was radiant, made of gold, wide and high, surrounded by silver walls, adorned with crystal terraces, embellished with hundreds of thousands of lapis lazuli turrets, on coral pillars; there was a lion seat arrayed with red pearls, flying lion banners made of starry jewels, covered with a canopy of radiant jewels, draped with a net of wish-fulfilling jewels, arrayed with countless gem-stones. There was a lotus pond, with cool water, made of emeralds. Surrounded by trees of all kinds of jewels, the house was large, ten stories high, with eight doors.
Entering the house, Sudhana looked around. On the first floor he saw supplies of food and drink being given away. On the second floor he saw all kinds of clothing being given away. On the third floor he saw all kinds of jewelry being given away. On the fourth floor he saw royal concubines, the most talented women on earth, being given away. On the fifth floor he saw a gathering of enlightening beings of the fifth stage, celebrating the Teaching in song, thinking and acting for the welfare and happiness of the world, practicing all sciences, putting into effect the method of mystic spells, the ocean of concentration, emergence from concentration, contemplation in concentration, and the light of knowledge. On the sixth floor he saw a gathering of enlightening beings who had attained transcendent wisdom, who had profound wisdom, who had mystic knowledge of the quiescence of all phenomena, who were completely familiar with the comprehensive method containing the method of concentration spells of the stages, whose sphere of action was unimpeded, who practiced nondualism, who were making songs of the Teaching following the process of transcendence by wisdom, analyzing and opening it up—a door of transcendent wisdom called matrix of equality, a door of transcendent wisdom called orderly analysis of the knowledge of all sentient beings, a door of transcendent wisdom called unmoving, a door of transcendent wisdom called light of dispassion, a door of transcendent wisdom called invincible matrix, a door of transcendent wisdom called world-illumining sphere, a door of transcendent wisdom called sphere of ways to attainment, a door of transcendent wisdom called oceanic matrix, a door of transcendent wisdom called attainment of equanimity of the universal eye, a door of transcendent wisdom called arrival at the inexhaustible treasure, a door of transcendent wisdom called ocean of all ways to truth, a door of transcendent wisdom called entry into the ocean of all beings, a door of transcendent wisdom called unobstructed intelligence, a door of transcendent wisdom called site of gradual descent of the clouds of the Teaching—he saw enlightening beings in untold numbers of orderly groups singing in chorus of countless tens of hundreds of thousands of such doors of transcendent wisdom. On the seventh floor he saw a gathering of enlightening beings who had attained acceptance of the fact that all sounds are like echoes, who were completely familiar with ascertainment of knowledge of means, and who took in the multitude of teachings of all buddhas. On the eighth floor he saw a gathering of enlightening beings who had attained undiminishing mystic knowledge, who observed all worlds, who were able to appear reflected in all communities, whose bodies were distributed evenly throughout all universes, who perceived the presence of all buddhas as a unified sphere, who were united with the body of all buddhas, who were chief interlocutors in the audiences of all buddhas. On the ninth floor he saw a gathering of enlightening beings who were to attain buddhahood in one lifetime. On the tenth floor he saw the oceans of first inspirations, practices, emancipations, and vows of all buddhas, mystic displays of all ways of enlightenment, the audiences of all buddhas, the sounds of the teachings of all buddhas, magical displays to edify all sentient beings.
Having seen this, Sudhana said to Ratnachuda, “Noble one, how did you achieve this? Where did you plant roots of goodness resulting in such an attainment?”
Ratnachuda said, “I remember that in the past, eons ago, more than as many eons ago as atoms in a buddha-land, in a world called Wheel of Many Colors, a buddha named King of Teaching Adorning the Cosmos with Infinite Rays of Light emerged in the world, tamer and leader of people, teacher of celestials and humans, accomplished in knowledge and action, blissful, supreme knower of the world, enlightened, blessed. Together with a billion disciples led by Radiance of Knowledge, and a trillion enlightening beings led by Energy of the Sun of Knowledge, he went to a royal park at the invitation of the king Master of the Law. I played music for that buddha in the middle of the marketplace of the city and burned one ball of incense as an offering to the buddha and the enlightening beings and disciples. By the burning of that one ball of incense, the whole continent was covered by infinitely various fragrant clouds in the forms of all sentient beings for seven days, and from those clouds emerged such sounds as these—‘Inconceivable is the Buddha, possessed of a body of knowledge extensive as past, present, and future, omniscient, free from all obstructions, rid of all afflictions and habit energies, raised by all enlightened ones, sincere, giver of the fruits of measureless omniscience, concentration of all knowledge.’ Such utterances came from the incense clouds by the power of Buddha to develop my roots of goodness to maturity and to rapidly generate roots of goodness in inconceivable numbers of beings. I dedicated the root of goodness in that miraculous vision of the Buddha’s power to three points: to forever ending all poverty, to always hearing truth, and to meeting all enlightened and enlightening spiritual benefactors.
“I know this enlightening liberation of the supernal manifestation of the sphere of unobstructed vows. How can I know the practice or tell the virtues of enlightening beings who are mines of inconceivable, immeasureable virtues, who have entered the indivisible oc
ean of buddha-bodies, who take in the indivisible multitude of truths, who have attained an indivisible ocean of virtues, who have spread the net of the practice of universal good, who have entered the realm of indivisible absorption, whose roots of goodness are one with those of all enlightening beings, who abide in the pure nondiscrimination of buddhas, who have entered the indivisible equality of past, present, and future, who live continuously through all ages without tiring, who are in the stage of the sphere of the unfragmented universal eye?
“South of here is a land called Vetramulaka. A perfumer named Samantanetra lives in a city there called Samantamukha. Go ask him how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
Then Sudhana paid his respects to Ratnachuda and left.
Samantanetra
Immersed in the endless vision of buddhas, in communication with the endless congregation of enlightening beings, illumined by the endless means of the way of enlightening beings, his mind broadened and made sure by the endless principles of enlightening beings, pure in the endless path of devotion of enlightening beings, imbued with the infinite light of the faculties of enlightening beings, secure in the infinite willpower of enlightening beings, consciously following the infinite practice of enlightening beings, generating the infinite power of vows of enlightening beings, characterized by the infinite invincibility of enlightening beings, abiding in the infinite light of knowledge of enlightening beings, aware of the infinite law of enlightening beings, Sudhana made his way to the land called Vetramulaka, where he looked for the city Samantamukha, searching all over, here and there, in the highlands and the lowlands, over level and rough terrain; with tireless determination, unceasing, single-minded, with unflagging vigor and an inexhaustible mind, never forgetting the instructions of spiritual benefactors, wishing always to speak with spiritual benefactors, his senses fully aware, rid of all heedlessness, his eyes and ears open, he searched all over for the city of Samantamukha, and finally saw it, in the middle of the country of Vetramulaka, surrounded by ten thousand towns, with strong, high walls, adorned in forty-eight ways. He saw the perfumer Samantanetra in a perfumers’ shop in the city.
Seeing Samantanetra, Sudhana went up to him, paid his respects, and said, “I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
Samantanetra said, “It is good that you aspire to supreme perfect enlightenment. I know the maladies of all sentient beings and how to cure those maladies. All who come to me from the ten directions, I cure of their maladies. Once they are cured, bathed, and anointed, I satisfy them with suitable ornaments, clothes, and food, and furnish them with immeasurable wealth. After that I teach them, presenting impurity to rid them of lust, praising great love to rid them of hatred, showing them analysis of elements to rid them of delusion. I teach them to get rid of the afflictions of action equally combining lust, hatred, and delusion by illuminating the ways to higher knowledge. I clarify the means of producing the determination for enlightenment by talking about the virtuous qualities of all buddhas. I elucidate the means of producing great compassion by showing the immeasurable miseries of the mundane world. I elucidate the means of attaining immeasurable virtuous qualities by describing the accumulation of vast stores of goodness and knowledge. I elucidate the means of producing the vows of the Great Vehicle by showing the development and guidance of all sentient beings. I elucidate the means of attaining the practice of universally good enlightening beings by spreading out the net of practice in all lands in all times. I elucidate the means of attaining a buddha-body of amassed distinguishing marks and embellishments by praising transcendent generosity. I elucidate the means of attaining buddhas’ purity in all situations by explaining transcendent morality. I elucidate the means of producing the inconceivable purity of appearance of buddhas by explaining transcendent tolerance. I elucidate the means of producing the invincible body of buddhas by explaining transcendent vigor. I elucidate the unsurpassed purity of body of buddhas by explaining transcendent meditation. I elucidate the purity of the reality-body by explaining transcendent wisdom. I elucidate the purity of the body of Buddha appearing before all beings by explaining transcendent skill in means. I elucidate the purity of body involved in entering the minds of people in all eras and times by explaining transcendent commitment. I elucidate the purity of body appearing in all buddha-lands by explaining transcendent power. I elucidate the purity of body pleasing all sentient beings according to their inclinations by explaining transcendent knowledge. I elucidate the purification of the body of supremely pure appearance by explaining the removal of all unwholesome elements. Thus taking care of them with this giving of teaching, I provide them with the support of endless treasures and let them go.
“I also know how to compound all scents, incenses, perfumes, and unguents. Moreover, I know the ball of fragrance making offerings on meeting buddhas everywhere, pleasing to all beings. By this ball of fragrance all wishes are fulfilled; by it I produce multitudes of dwelling places, and so on, including multitudes of all kinds of offerings for buddhas. Whenever I want to make offerings to buddhas, I produce clouds of towers of fragrance and cause them to appear in all universes, in the assemblies of all buddhas. I adorn all universes with purification of buddha-lands, palaces of fragrance, walls of fragrance, turrets of fragrance, arches of fragrance, windows of fragrance, penthouses of fragrance, crescents of fragrance, parasols of fragrance, banners and pennants of fragrance, canopies of fragrance, webs of fragrance, lights of fragrance, immaculate adornments of fragrance, and rain showering from clouds of all fragrances.
“I know this medium of the Teaching, the ball of fragrance making offerings on meeting buddhas everywhere, pleasing all sentient beings; how can I know the practice or tell the virtues of the enlightening beings who are like great medicines, whom it is beneficial to see, to hear, to associate with, to remember, to follow, and to recall their names, with the sight of whom all sentient beings are relieved of afflictions, with the sight of whom sentient beings leave all evil ways, with the sight of whom sentient beings find a way to buddhahood, with the sight of whom the sufferings of sentient beings are relieved, with the sight of whom sentient beings are freed from fear of all mundane states, with the sight of whom sentient beings become fearless because of being near the abode of omniscience, with the sight of whom sentient beings no longer fall into the abyss of old age and death, with the sight of whom sentient beings attain the bliss of tranquillity through cosmic equanimity?
“South of here is a city called Taladhvaja, where there lives a king named Anala. Go ask him how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
So then Sudhana paid his respects to the eminent perfumer Samantanetra and left.
Anala
Recalling those spiritual benefactors one after another, focusing his attention on the instructions of those spiritual benefactors, rejoicing in himself at being in the care of spiritual benefactors, reflecting that through the protection of spiritual benefactors he would never lose the way to supreme perfect enlightenment, Sudhana became joyful, serene, pleased, happy, calm, broadminded; he attained adornment of mind, nonattachment of mind, nonobstruction of mind, aloofness of mind, unification of mind, control of mind, extraordinary power of mind, mental conformity with the Teaching, mental pervasion of lands, mental beatification by the vision of Buddha, and constant mental focus on the ten powers.
He made his way from country to country, village to village, place to place, searching, till he came to the city of Taladhvaja, where he asked after the whereabouts of King Anala. He was told, “King Anala is on the throne carrying out his royal duties for the welfare of the populace. He governs the communities, punishes those who should be punished, promotes those who deserve promotion, chastises criminals, settles disputes, comforts and encourages the wretched and dejected, subdues the wild and arrogant; he puts a stop to the inj
ury of living beings, theft, desire for others’ spouses, falsehood, slander, harsh or violent talk, and divisive talk; he frees us from craving, malice, and false ideas.”
Then Sudhana went to King Anala and saw him sitting on a great jeweled lion throne brilliant with diamonds, set on legs of countless varieties of luminous jewels, with beautiful figurines inlaid with jewels, arrayed with cowrie shells on golden threads, lit by many jewel lamps, in a lotus calyx made of magic gems, spread with many precious celestial robes, perfumed with various celestial incenses, embellished with a hundred thousand jeweled parasols, adorned with a hundred thousand jeweled banners, beautified by trailing flower garlands made of varicolored jewels, covered by a canopy of various celestial jewels. The king was young and handsome, with the marks and embellishments of a great man, wearing a crown of wish-fulfilling jewels, his forehead adorned with golden crescents, pure blue sapphire earrings hanging from his ears, a breastplate radiant with jewels on his chest, bracelets of the finest celestial gems on his arms, shaded by a large precious parasol with a cane of pure lapis lazuli and a thousand ribs of jewels with a gold covering, a wreath of jewel bells sweetly ringing, illumining all directions with its luster. The king had great regal power; his rule was invincible to enemy armies, his sovereignty was free of danger from enemy armies.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 168