The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  Thus he saw the mature, the teachable, the capable among those in all states of being gathered in this park, each type in a separate assembly, with various inclinations and interests, firmly intent and deeply faithful, with the nun Sinhavijurmbhita teaching them each in such a way that all became certain of supreme perfect enlightenment. How was that so? Because the nun Sinhavijurmbhita had gone into countless tens of hundreds of thousands of doors of transcendent wisdom, beginning with the equanimity of the universal eye, exposition of all buddhas’ teachings, differentiation of the planes of the reality realm, dispersing all obstructions, production of good thoughts in all sentient beings, supreme adornment, matrix of the principle of nonattachment, sphere of the realm of reality, treasury of mind, and source of miracles pleasing to all. And all the enlightening beings and others who came to this park to see the nun Sinhavijurmbhita and hear her teach were guided by her, from the beginning accumulation of virtues, until she had made them irreversible on the way to supreme perfect enlightenment.

  Then Sudhana, having seen the nun Sinhavijurmbhita with such an abode, such furnishings, such an audience, such mastery, such mystic power, and such eloquence, and having heard her teaching, his mind drenched by the immense cloud of the Teaching, his thoughts toward Sinhavijurmbhita pure, he prostrated himself and then circled her in respect hundreds of thousands of times. At that time the whole park and the congregations were suffused with a glorious light from the nun. Having made hundreds of thousands of circumambulations, he noticed that as he circumambulated he saw the nun whichever way he faced. He stood before her and said, “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 instructions, so please tell me how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”

  She said, “I have attained the enlightening liberation of removal of all vain imaginings.” Sudhana asked her about the sphere of this liberation, and she said, “It is the light of knowledge whose nature is instantaneous awareness of the phenomena of past, present, and future.” Sudhana asked about the compass of this light of knowledge, and she replied, “As I go in and out the door of this light of knowledge, there is born in me a concentration called ‘possessed of all phenomena,’ by the attainment of which concentration I go to all worlds in the ten directions with mentally produced bodies to present offerings as numerous as atoms in untold buddha-lands with bodies as numerous as atoms in untold buddha-lands to each of the enlightening beings in the heavens of satisfaction who are bound to attain buddhahood in one lifetime. In the forms of all sorts of beings, bringing all sorts of gifts, I go to make offerings to the enlightening beings in the heavens of satisfaction who are going to become buddhas in the next life, and I go to all the buddhas, be they in the womb, being born, at home, leaving home, going to the heights of enlightenment, at the pinnacle of enlightenment, having become supremely perfectly enlightened, gone to various realms of existence, or entering final extinction after having satisfied the minds of all beings, making such offerings with such mentally produced bodies. Those sentient beings who know my work of making offerings to buddhas all become certain of supreme perfect enlightenment. And to all those sentient beings who come to me I give instruction in this same transcendent wisdom.

  “I see all beings with the eye of knowledge, yet I do not conceive any notion of ‘sentient being,’ and do not imagine so. I hear all beings’ verbal signals, yet I do not imagine so, because I do not enter into the spheres of any discourses. I see all buddhas, yet I do not imagine so, because I know their body is reality. I remember the cycles of teachings of all buddhas, but I do not imagine so, because I am aware of the true nature of things. I pervade the cosmos in every moment of awareness, but I do not imagine so, because I know the nature of things as existing in illusion.

  “Thus, I know the enlightening liberation of removal of all vain imaginings; but how can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings who penetrate the infinite cosmos of realities, who are free from vain imaginings about all things, who pervade all realms of reality while sitting cross-legged in one body, who see all buddha-lands in their own bodies, who go to all buddhas in a single instant, in whose own beings the miracles of all buddhas are taking place, who lift up untold buddha-lands with a single hair, who show the eons of becoming and dissolution of untold worlds in their own pores, who in a single instant enter into the commonality of coexistence in untold eons, who enter untold eons in a single instant?

  “South of here, in the land of Durga, is a city called Ratnavyuha, where Vasumitra, a worshiper of the god of light, is living. Go ask her how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”

  So, paying his respects to the nun Sinhavijurmbhita, Sudhana left her and went on his way.

  Vasumitra

  His mind illumined by the lightning of great vision, meditating on the light of omniscience, observing the manifestation of power of essential nature, making firm the mnemonic command of the treasury of verbal communications of all beings, extending the mnemonic command to retain the cycles of teachings of all buddhas, establishing the power of great compassion as a refuge for all sentient beings, examining the power of omniscience which is the source of the means of perceiving the principles of all laws, following the purity of vows extending throughout the cosmos, clarifying the light of knowledge illumining all things, developing the power of mystic knowledge pervading all phenomena arraying the worlds of the ten directions, fulfilling the vow to remember, undertake, and accomplish all the deeds of enlightening beings, Sudhana made his way to the city of Ratnavyuha in the country of Durga, where he sought out Vasumitra.

  People there who did not know of Vasumitra’s virtues or the scope of her knowledge said to Sudhana, “What has someone like you—with senses so calm and subdued, so aware, so clear, without confusion or distraction, your gaze focused discreetly right before you, your mind not overwhelmed by sensations, not clinging to appearances, your eyes averted from involvement in all forms, your mind so cool and steady, your way of life profound, wise, oceanic, your mind free from agitation or despondency—what have you to do with Vasumitra? You should not have any lust for her, your head should not be turned by her, you should not have any such-impure thoughts, you should not be ravaged by such desires, you should not be under the power of a woman, you should not be so bewitched, you should not enter the realm of temptation, you should not sink into the mire of sensuality, you should not be bound by the snares of the devil, you should not do what should not be done.”

  Those who knew the excellence of the virtues of Vasumitra, however, and who were aware of the scope of her knowledge, said, “Good, good! You have really made gain if you ask about Vasumitra. You surely seek buddhahood; you surely want to make yourself a refuge for all sentient beings; you surely want to extract the barbs of passion from all sentient beings; you surely want to transform the notion of purity. Vasumitra is in her house, north of the town square.”

  Hearing this, Sudhana was delighted. He went to Vasumitra’s house and saw that it was surrounded by ten jewel walls, ten circles of jewel trees, and ten moats filled with fragrant water covered by celestial jewel lotuses of various colors, with gold sand spread on the bottom, the rippling waters producing an intoxicating fragrance, the banks adorned by many jewels. The house had well-arranged apartments and towers made of all kinds of precious substances; it had high arched doorways and circular windows, draped with nets and blazing with jewels. It was adorned with fences of countless various jewels, and its base was composed of masses of jewels studded with lapis lazuli. It was perfumed with all kinds of fragrant oils. The walls were studded with all kinds of jewels, and the roof was inland with various gems and covered with a gold net. A hundred thousand webs of gold bells gave off sweet, pleasant sounds as they rustled in the breeze. The house was adorned with sprays of jewel flowers from clouds of flowers of all kinds of jewels
. The doors were decorated with multicolored banners of all kinds of jewels. The light of lamps of various jewels shone to an endless distance. The house had diamond beams made from the limbs of gigantic brilliant jewel trees, and it was an inexhaustible treasury of hundreds and thousands of riches in full view; it was also adorned with ten large gardens set around it.

  There he saw Vasumitra, who was beautiful, with golden skin and black hair, her limbs and body well proportioned, more beautiful in form than all celestial and human beings in the realm of desire, her voice finer even than that of the god Brahma. She knew the language of all beings; she had a pleasant voice that could pronounce any sound, and was skilled in freedom of phonetic organization. She was well versed in all arts and sciences, she had learned to use the magic of true knowledge, and she had mastered all aspects of the expedient means of enlightening beings. Her beautiful body was decorated with assorted jewelry, draped with a radiant mesh made of all kinds of precious substances, shining with an array of countless celestial jewel ornaments. She wore a tiara of large wish-fulfilling gems, her waist was adorned with diamonds, and she had a lapis lazuli necklace on. She had a large, attractive retinue, all with the same virtues, the same practice, and the same vow. She was an inexhaustible treasury of goodness and knowledge. He also saw the whole house, with all its jeweled apartments and furnishings lit up by the lovely, refreshing, pleasant, blissful, enrapturing light that emanated from her body.

  Sudhana went up to Vasumitra, paid his respects, and said, “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 that you give enlightening beings instructions, and I hope you will 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 called ‘ultimately dispassionate.’ To gods, in accord with their inclinations and interests, I appear in the form of a goddess of surpassing splendor and perfection; and to all other types of beings I accordingly appear in the form of a female of their species, of surpassing splendor and perfection. And all who come to me with minds full of passion, I teach them so that they become free of passion. Those who have heard my teaching and attain dispassion achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘realm of nonattachment.’

  “Some attain dispassion as soon as they see me, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘delight in joy.’ Some attain dispassion merely by talking with me, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘treasury of unimpeded sound.’ Some attain dispassion just by holding my hand, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘basis of going to all buddha-lands.’ Some attain dispassion just by staying with me, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘light of freedom from bondage.’ Some attain dispassion just by gazing at me, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘tranquil expression.’ Some attain dispassion just by embracing me, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘womb receiving all sentient beings without rejection.’ Some attain dispassion just by kissing me, and achieve an enlightening concentration called ‘contact with the treasury of virtue of all beings.’ All those who come to me I establish in this enlightening liberation of ultimate dispassion, on the brink of the stage of unimpeded omniscience.”

  Sudhana asked her, “Where did you plant roots of virtue, and what kind of deeds did you accumulate, that you got to be this way?”

  She replied, “I recall that in a past age a buddha named Reaching the Heights appeared in the world. When the buddha went to the royal capital out of compassion for the people, as he crossed the threshold the whole city quaked and appeared to-be vastly extended and made of jewels, adorned with the luster of many jewels, strewn with flowers of various jewels. A variety of celestial musical instruments played, and the sky appeared covered by high, immeasurable clouds of celestial beings. At that time I was the wife of a grandee. Impelled by the miracle of the buddha, I went with my husband in a state of exalted serenity and presented a coin to the buddha on the street. At that time Manjushri was an attendant of that buddha; it was by him that I was inspired to seek supreme perfect enlightenment.

  “I know this enlightening liberation of ultimate dispassion, but how can I know the practice or tell the virtues of the enlightening beings who are endowed with the skill of endless means and knowledge, who are vast, inexhaustible treasuries of good, who are in the realm of invincible knowledge?

  “South of here is a city called Shubhaparamgama, where a householder named Veshthila is presenting offerings to the shrine of the buddha Sandalwood Throne. Go ask him how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”

  So Sudhana paid his respects to Vasumitra and left.

  Veshthila

  Then Sudhana went to Veshthila’s house in the city of Shubhaparamgama. Paying his respects to the householder, he said, “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 that you give enlightening beings instruction; please tell me how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”

  Veshthila said, “I have attained an enlightening liberation called ‘not ultimately exhausted.’ To my way of thinking, no buddha in any world ever has, does, or will become finally extinct, except as a docetic device. When I opened the door of the shrine of the buddha Sandalwood Throne, I attained an enlightening concentration called ‘manifestation of the endless lineage of buddhas.’ I enter this concentration in each mental moment, and every moment understand many kinds of excellence.”

  Sudhana asked, “What is the sphere of this concentration?”

  Veshthila replied, “When I am in this concentration, all the successive buddhas of this world-system—beginning with Kashyapa, Kanakamuni, Krakucchanda, Vishvabhuj, Shikhin, Vipashyin, Tishya, Pushya, Yashottara, and Padmottara—appear to me. In the continuity of vision of buddhas, by the continuity of the succession of buddhas, in one mental moment I see a hundred buddhas; in the next moment of awareness I find a thousand buddhas, then a hundred thousand buddhas, a million buddhas, a hundred million, a billion, a trillion, a quadrillion, a quintillion; I immediately become aware of the succession of appearance of untold numbers of buddhas, of as many buddhas as atoms in the continent, as many as atoms in untold buddha-lands. I also comprehend the order of preparations of those buddhas’ initial aspiration, their spiritual transformation on achieving the aspiration for enlightenment, the purity of execution of their various vows, their purification of action, their fulfillment of the transcendent ways, their attainment of all the stages of enlightening beings, their perfection of attainment of tolerance, their conquering of demons, the supernal manifestation of their spiritual transfiguration on becoming perfectly enlightened, the variety of purity of their buddha-lands, the variety of their development of sentient beings, the variety of their audiences, the variety of their auras of light, the majesty of their teaching activities, and their accomplishment of the miracles of buddhas. I also distinctly remember their teachings, take them up mindfully, examine them in action, analyze them, follow them with discernment, and elucidate them with wisdom.