Then Sudhana praised the night goddess with these verses:
I see your body now, pure, with various characteristics,
Like the polar mountain.
Above the world, you illumine the world,
With a body like Manjushri.
Your reality body is transcendentally pure,
Equal in all times, without distinction:
Therein all worlds are gathered,
And form and dissolve without obstruction.
I see your body in all realms,
In a variety of manifestations:
And in your pores I see
The moon and stars.
Your mind is broad and pure, pervading
Like space in all directions;
Therein are assembled all buddhas,
Yet your knowledge is free from the taint of discrimination.
Brilliant clouds, as many as atoms in lands,
Issue from your pores;
They reach the buddhas in the ten directions,
Raining all kinds of ornaments.
Infinite bodies, as many as living beings,
Emerge from your pores;
They fill all the worlds in the ten directions,
And purify beings by various means.
I see inconceivably many lands in your pores,
Adorned in various ways,
Which you have purified,
Produced according to the minds of the beings.
Happy are those who hear your name,
Great is their gain;
And people who see you
Are near the path of enlightenment.
One should endure inconceivable eons of misfortune
In order to see you;
For those who are happy to hear of you,
You will extinguish their afflictions on sight.
Even if one were to speak
Of your qualities for as many eons
As atoms in a thousand lands,
There is no exhausting them.
Having praised the night goddess Vasanti with these verses, Sudhana paid his respects to her, looking at her again and again, never tired of attending spiritual benefactors, and left her.
Samantagambhirashrivimalaprabha
Realizing the purity of the sphere of the night goddess Vasanti’s initial stage of determination to be an enlightening being, contemplating the origin of the embryo of enlightenment, entering into the ocean of vows of enlightening beings, purifying the path of transcendent ways of enlightening beings, going into the sphere of stages of enlightening beings, extending the sphere of practice of enlightening beings, remembering the ocean of ways of emancipation of enlightening beings, looking over the vast ocean of light of omniscience, extending the cloud of great compassion of enlightening beings intent on the salvation of all sentient beings, putting Vasanti’s vow of practice of universally good enlightening action into effect throughout all lands forever, Sudhana went to the night goddess Samantagambhirashrivimalaprabha, paid his respects to her, and said, “Noble goddess, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how an enlightening being acts in the stage of enlightening practice, or how one proceeds, and how one perfects it.”
She said, “It is good that, aspiring to enlightenment, you ask how to proceed and how to fully accomplish the stages of enlightening beings. By the fulfillment of ten things is the practice of enlightening beings accomplished: by purification of attainment of concentration in which all buddhas are seen face to face; by purification of the eye viewing the infinite body of all buddhas resplendent with marks of distinction; by entering into the manifestation of the infinite ocean of qualities of buddhas; by realizing the cosmic dimensions of the ocean of spheres of the infinite manifestations of the teaching of buddhas; by entering the emanation of multitudes of beams of light, as many as beings, from the pores of all buddhas, aiding sentient beings in various ways; by seeing oceans of flames the colors of all jewels coming from each pore; by penetrating the my stical manifestation of oceans of emanations of buddhas pervading all universes and guiding sentient beings in each mental moment; by penetrating the sounds of thunder of all the scriptures proclaimed in the past, present, and future cycles of teachings of the buddhas, using the myriad languages of all sentient beings; by entry into the infinite ocean of buddha-names; by penetrating the guidance of sentient beings by manifestation of inconceivable miraculous transformations of buddhas. By attainment of these ten things, enlightening beings become fully accomplished in enlightening practice.
“I have attained the enlightening liberation ‘bliss of tranquil meditation boldly going everywhere.’ By this I see the buddhas of past, present, and future, and enter into their oceanic congregations, their oceanic projections by concentration, their oceanic efforts in the past, and the oceans of their names. I also comprehend the differences of the teaching cycles of those buddhas, the variety of their life spans, the differences in their voices, and their embodiment of the infinite realm of reality. Yet I do not become attached to those buddhas in terms of state of being. Why? Because those buddhas do not go, having stopped all worldly courses of action; they do not come, because of the nonbecoming of intrinsic nature; they are not present, being physically equal to the unoriginated nature of reality; they are not extinct, being characterized by nonorigination; they are not real, because they convey the vision of phenomena as in illusion; they are not false, because of accomplishing the welfare of all beings; they do not pass from one condition to another, because they are free from death and birth; they do not perish, because of the imperishable nature of things; they are uniform, because they are beyond all manner of speech; they are formless, because of being done with the forms and natures of things.
“Furthermore, while thus understanding all buddhas, by the light of the sphere of meditation of buddhas I expand this enlightening liberation ‘bliss of tranquil meditation boldly going everywhere’; I extend it, enter into it, follow it, live up to it, accomplish it, make it consistent, delve into it, develop it, meditate on it, contemplate it, internalize it, make it my sphere of action, stabilize it, make it manifest, illumine it, order it, analyze it, fulfill its requirements, and effect it.
“Therein, based on great compassion without any false conceptions, to focus my mind solely on carrying out the salvation of all beings, I cultivate the first stage of meditation. To cease all mental action and focus my mind solely on joy and happiness in taking care of all sentient beings with the power of knowledge, I cultivate the second stage of meditation. To realize the purity of inherent nature of all beings with equanimity detached from the mundane world, I cultivate the third stage of meditation. To extinguish the burning of the pain of afflictions of all sentient beings I cultivate the fourth stage of meditation. To extend the sphere of the vow for omniscience, for skill in producing the ocean of all concentrations, to enter the means of access to the ocean of liberation of all enlightening beings, to know the science of occult powers of all enlightening beings, to effect the mystic projection of practices of all enlightening beings, I cultivate the enlightening liberation that goes everywhere through tranquil meditation, purifying the knowledge that enters into every realm of reality.
“Furthermore, as I cultivate this liberation, I develop sentient beings to maturity by a variety of means. In people engrossed in sex play in the still of the night I induce the thought of impurity, the thought of disappointment, the thought of weariness, the thought of trouble, the thought of bondage, the thought of bedevilment, the thought of impermanence, the thought of pain, the thought of selflessness, the thought of ownerlessness, the thought of offense, the thought of old age and death, and the thought of indifference to all objects of desire. And those people, developing this state of mind, indifferent to all pleasures, coming to enjoy spiritual pleasure, go forth from home to homelessness. When they have gone into the forest and are following spiritual principles, I foster faith in them. I cause a lull in all disturbing, frightening, loud sou
nds, and in the quiet of the night I reveal to them the profundity of the buddha-teaching. I provide them with circumstances conducive to effort, open the door of renunciation, show the path, provide light, dispel darkness, put a stop to fear, praise renunciation, speak of the qualities of the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community, and of spiritual benefactors, and praise going to spiritual benefactors.
“As I cultivate this liberation, I put a stop to sentient beings’ wrong passions and wrong feelings and thoughts. I put a stop to the ideas and thoughts of those dominated by wrongful gain, those who act on false notions. I see to it that evil does not arise in those in whom it has not yet arisen, and that the false conceptions of those in whom evil has arisen are stopped. For those in whom thoughts of roots of goodness have not yet arisen, I motivate thoughts of the ways of transcendence, spiritual practice, achievement of the aspiration for omniscience and release, the principle of kindness, suffusing all sentient beings with great compassion, and producing the various bases of celestial and human happiness. For those to whom such thoughts already occur, I provide various means of guidance. I motivate all the appropriate thoughts and intentions until they are in accord with the way to omniscience.
“I know only this enlightening liberation of the bliss of tranquil meditation boldly going everywhere. How can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings who are completely conversant with the vows of practice of universally good enlightening beings, who have attained knowledge of the cosmos with its endless forms, in whose minds all roots of goodness are developed, who have attained awareness of the knowledge and powers of all buddhas, whose minds abide in the sphere of all buddhas, whose minds are unhindered wherever they may be, who have fulfilled the resolve for omniscience, whose minds have entered the ocean of all lands, whose minds see all buddhas and take in the teachings of all buddhas, who dispel the darkness of all ignorance, whose minds generate the light of omniscience as the way to effect the final destruction of craving for repetitious mundane enjoyment?
“Right by me, on the right side of the site of enlightenment of Vairocana, there lives a night goddess named Pramuditanayanajagadvirocana. Go ask her how an enlightening being should work on the deeds of enlightening beings.”
Then the night goddess Samantagambhirashrivimalaprabha spoke these verses to Sudhana, further revealing the enlightening liberation of the bliss of tranquil meditation boldly going everywhere:
The buddhas, supreme in all times,
Appear to those with faith.
Their eye is vast and pure;
Thereby they enter the oceans of buddhas.
See the undefiled body of Buddha,
Beautifully adorned with distinctive marks;
And see the miracle of the Buddha
Pervading the cosmos in every moment.
The felicitous one Vairocana has become enlightened
Sitting at this enlightenment tree;
Throughout the vast cosmos,
He teaches according to mentality.
The Buddha has realized true nature
As bodiless, utterly quiet, nondual;
His physical body, adorned with marks of distinction,
He manifests throughout the world.
The body of Buddha is vast, inconceivable,
Filling the entire cosmos:
It is seen everywhere equally,
Showing all the buddhas everywhere.
The Buddha’s auras of light,
Numerous as atoms in all lands,
Reflecting each other’s radiant colors,
Pervade the cosmos every moment.
Inconceivable, vast clouds of light
Stream endlessly from the Buddha’s pores;
They pervade all worlds and extinguish
The heat of afflictions of all beings.
Infinite oceans of emanations of Buddha,
Emerging from Buddha’s pores,
Go throughout the cosmos and stop the suffering
Of all miserable states of being.
Buddha’s voice thunders pleasantly,
And the light of the ocean of good sayings
Showers the widespread rain of truth
And produces the will for enlightenment in sentient beings.
Those who have been guided by him in the past
And practiced the ways of enlightenment for eons
See Vairocana Buddha’s features
Reflected in all lands.
The Buddha, appearing in all worlds,
Stands before all beings:
I cannot know all
Their various realms of attention.
All the exalted enlightening beings
Are together in one pore of Buddha:
That way of liberation, which is inconceivable,
I cannot know in full.
My neighbor goddess
Stands rapt before the Buddha,
Her eyes like starry fire—
Go ask her how to practice enlightenment.
Then Sudhana paid his respects to the night goddess Samantagambhirashrivimalaprabha and took leave of her.
Pramuditanayanajagadvirocana
Immersed in the teachings of the spiritual benefactors, with practice of the words of the spiritual benefactors in mind, desirous of the sciences of spiritual benefactors, his attention focused without distraction by seeing spiritual benefactors, his mind illumined through seeing spiritual benefactors with a light that destroys all obstructions, his mind immersed, through seeing spiritual benefactors, in the ocean of great compassion that saves all beings, his mind illumined, through seeing spiritual benefactors, by the light of knowledge of the ocean of principles of the cosmos, Sudhana went to the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocana.
The goddess, in order to further mature the development of Sudhana’s roots of goodness based on visiting spiritual benefactors, showed him visiting spiritual benefactors as made possible by great provisions of virtue and knowledge, as great heroic effort, as energy that is hard to attain, as longterm perseverance, as entry into infinite realms, as connected with long association, as connected with manifestation of fulfillment of endless tasks, as undertaking the provision of the endless equipment of the path, as made possible by indomitably going everywhere, as coming and going without departure.
Then Sudhana went to the night goddess in the manner of one going to a spiritual benefactor energetically proceeding to provide for omniscience, striving to carry out the ocean of great vows, determined to endure endless suffering for the sake of even one single sentient being, proceeding with perseverance to traverse the cosmos in a single atom wearing the armor of great energy, speeding everywhere in all directions, associating with the practice of enlightening beings of endless eons at a single point, every moment of thought in enlightening practice entirely based on omniscience, determined to tread the path mystically projected by the buddhas of all times, treading the path flowing through all spheres of reality, keeping the attention on the principles of all realms of reality, pervading the whole cosmos of reality.
He saw the night goddess sitting in a lion seat in a flower calyx in the circle of the Buddha, in an enlightening concentration characterized by the vast, pure energy of the joy of universal good. He also saw emerging from all her pores multitudes of emanations illumining all sentient beings, making all sentient beings happy, showing the practices of the transcendent ways according to the vision of all sentient beings, pleasing to the sight of all sentient beings. He saw multitudes of emanations showing the practice of giving in accord with the mentalities of all sentient beings, using their own languages to communicate with them, to detach all sentient beings from their attachments, by indifference to material things, giving impartially to all sentient beings without neglecting any, impartial toward all sentient beings, not disrespecting or disregarding any sentient beings, relinquishing all things internal and external, showing the relinquishment of that which is very hard to give up, showing the practice of giving to senti
ent beings in all worlds according to their mentalities. He saw multitudes of emanations projecting the difficult act of relinquishment practiced by the enlightening beings of past, present, and future emerge and appear to all sentient beings in all worlds in the ten directions, by attainment of the inconceivable mystic power of enlightening beings.
He saw multitudes of projected bodies in the forms of all sentient beings emerge from every pore of the goddess, appearing before all sentient beings in all worlds, showing them unshakability in all aspects of self-control, illustrating as many forms of austerity as there are living beings, showing independence from all worlds, disregard of all objects, indifference to all mundane abodes, showing that celestial and human prosperity and decline, happiness and suffering, are all inextricably intertwined, showing impurity and putting an end to the false notion of purity in the world, revealing the nature of things as impermanent, unstable, and changing, showing the nature of all conditioned states as painful and selfless, promoting the appeal of living constantly in the realm of the enlightened, directing sentient beings to the ultimate purity of the way of life of the enlightened, teaching the practice of discipline using expressions adapted to the mentalities of all sentient beings, showing the grace of ethical conduct pleasing all sentient beings, developing all sentient beings to maturity.
He also saw emerging from all the goddess’s pores multitudes of projected bodies with various appearances showing sentient beings’ patient endurance of mutilation and dismemberment, patient endurance of beatings, patient endurance of unjust abuse, reproof, contempt, degradation, beatings, and threats, showing unshakability, showing kindness to all beings without hauteur or servility, showing freedom from conceit, showing inexhaustible knowledge of the inexhaustibility of tolerance of the true nature of all things, showing the practice of forbearance to destroy all afflictions of all sentient beings, turning sentient beings away from all warped conditions, praising the supreme purity of the enlightened, developing sentient beings to maturity.
He also saw emerge from all the pores of the goddess multitudes of projections of the forms of various kinds of beings, the same as all beings in appearance and size, showing all sentient beings, according to their mentalities, the exertion of energy to store the great knowledge and virtue needed for omniscience, showing the energy to destroy all demons, the energy to work for enlightenment without being disturbed or deflected, the energy to lift all sentient beings out of the sea of the mundane whirl, the energy to get rid of all paths leading to falls into miserable conditions, evils, and states inopportune for enlightenment, the energy to pulverize the mountain of nescience, the energy to serve all buddhas tirelessly, the energy to receive and hold all buddha-teachings, the energy to cut through and shatter the mountains of all obstacles to enlightenment, the energy to develop and guide all sentient beings tirelessly, the energy to purify all buddha-lands, and the supreme purity of the energy of the enlightened, thus developing sentient beings to maturity.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 177