Then Sutejomandalaratishri, goddess of the Lumbini grove, looking over the ten directions by the empowerment of Buddha, spoke these verses to Sudhana, shedding light on the meaning of the ten kinds of birth of enlightening beings:
Those who behold the buddhas
With pure, untainted minds never weary:
Undertaking endless offerings to all buddhas,
They are established in the first birth, wise.
Extending to all lands in all times,
All things, and all buddhas,
Minds equipped with the vow to liberate beings,
This is called the second birth of the inconceivable.
Those who tirelessly imbibe the Teaching,
Contemplative and unattached,
Equanimous in mind and body, pure as space,
Attain the third peerless birth.
Those who enter the ocean of great compassion
With wills as firm as a diamond mountain,
Plunging into the ocean of means of omniscience,
Theirs is the fourth birth of the best of people.
Those who carry out the oceans of pure transcendent ways,
Suffusing all worlds with love,
Developing beings by the lights of truth,
Theirs is the fifth birth of great people.
Knowing the nature of things, unhindered in mind,
Born in the family of the peerless buddhas of all times,
Those who enter the ocean of the reality realm
Attain the sixth great birth of sages.
Those whose spiritual body is pure and mind unattached,
Who pervade all lands with their own bodies,
And enter into all powers of buddhas,
Attain the seventh inconceivable birth of the enlightened.
Those who have mastered the ocean of knowledge,
Contemplate the way to omniscience,
And enter the ocean of all ways of concentration
Attain the eighth birth of those abiding in Thusness.
Those who purify spiritual realms,
Engaged in perfection of all beings,
And show the miraculous effects of buddhas,
Attain the ninth birth of the great-minded.
Those who enter the power of the conquerors,
Developing the immense force of omniscience,
With unhindered knowledge of the differentiation of the cosmos,
Attain the tenth birth of the offspring of buddhas.
“By these ten births enlightening beings are born in the family of buddhas and become light-makers for sentient beings.
“Also, I have attained an enlightening liberation of vision of the birth of enlightening beings in all objects for incalculable eons.”
Sudhana asked, “What is the scope of this liberation?”
The goddess said, “I have perfected a vow to go to see all manifestations of birth of enlightening beings. Indeed, I have entered the immense ocean of births of the blessed Vairocana—perceiving the births of the enlightening being in this billion-world universe, when the Blessed One was to manifest birth here in the Lumbini grove, I appeared here by my past vow and stayed here cultivating recollection of the enlightening being’s births, and as I did so I realized that the Blessed One would descend to earth from the heaven of happiness in one hundred years.
“Then ten omens appeared in this Lumbini grove. What ten? The whole grove became level, without uneven terrain, without any pitfalls; this was the first omen to appear. Then the whole grove became clear of gravel and brambles, and the ground became diamond, strewn with jewels; this was the second omen to appear. Then the whole grove was adorned with rows of trees of all kinds of jewels; this was the third omen to appear. Then the whole grove was arrayed with adornments set on tree roots made of figurines of fragrant jewels, sending forth sprouts more fragrant than celestial perfumes, growing from mines of aromatic powders, producing multitudes of all kinds of banners and pennants; this was the fourth omen to appear. Then the whole grove was filled with all kinds of arrays of garlands of various celestial flowers; this was the fifth omen to appear. Then great treasuries of jewels opened up in all the trees in this grove; this was the sixth omen to appear. Then in all the lotus ponds in the grove, all kinds of jewel lotuses sprang up from the earth in bud and emerged on the surface of the water; this was the seventh omen to appear. Then the various beings of the realms of desire and the realm of form in this world all stood reverently here in this grove; this was the eighth omen to appear. Then the females of all the various kinds of beings came here joyfully with all kinds of offerings and bowed before the holy fig tree; this was the ninth omen to appear. Then lights called “lamp of the magical manifestations of birth of enlightening beings” emanating from the navels of all the buddhas of the ten directions appeared in this grove; and in all the beams of light, reflections of the magical manifestations of births of all the buddhas were seen, and the sounds of the voices of buddhas telling of the virtues of enlightening beings magically born were heard emanating from the light beams. This was the tenth omen to appear. These ten omens appeared when the time of the enlightening being Vairocana’s birth was near, and because of the appearance of these omens the thought occurred to all world leaders that the enlightening being would be born. And I, for my part, was flooded with inconceivable joy from seeing those omens.
“Then, as Lady Maya (mother of Vairocana-Shakyamuni Buddha) went out of the city of Kapilavastu, ten omens of great light appeared in this Lumbini grove, by the appearance of which the fervor of joy of vision of the teaching of omniscience grew in countless beings. What were the ten? Light appeared in the chambers of all the jewel towers on the ground level; light appeared in the buds of all the fragrant flowers; light appeared in the blossoming buds of all the jewel lotuses, coming from all the petals, and sweet, agreeable sound flowed from them. Also, the light of the first inspiration of the enlightening beings of the ten directions appeared, illumining this Lumbini grove. Also, the mystical manifestation of light of the enlightening beings of the ten directions entering all the stages of enlightening beings appeared in this grove. Also, the light of the attainment of knowledge on consummation of all the transcendent ways by the enlightening beings of the ten directions appeared in this grove. Also the light of knowledge controlling all vows of the enlightening beings of the ten directions appeared in this grove. Also the light of all enlightening beings’ knowledge of developmental disciplines appeared in this grove. Also the light of all enlightening beings’ attainment of knowledge of the principles of the reality realm appeared in this grove. Also the light of all enlightening beings’ attainment of knowledge of buddhas’ projected birth, leaving society, and realization of enlightenment appeared in this grove. These ten omens of light appeared, by which the darkness of the recesses of the minds of infinite enlightening beings were lit up.
“Then, as Lady Maya leaned against the holy fig tree, all the world rulers, the gods and goddesses of the realm of desire, the gods and goddesses of the realm of form, and all the other beings who had gathered there to make offerings to the enlightening being were bathed in the glorious radiance of Maya’s body, and their arrays of offerings were also illumined thereby; and all the lights in the billion-world universe were eclipsed by Maya’s light. The lights emanating from all her pores, not repelled by other lights, unobscured, unobstructed, pervaded everywhere, extinguished all the pains of the hells, the animal realms, the ghost realms, and the pains and afflictions of the beings in all states of existence, then remained, shining, illuminating. This was the first miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then everything in this universe was seen reflected in the abdomen of Lady Maya, and in all the worlds in the universe, at the foot of trees in groves in the capitals of the southern continents Lady Maya appeared just as she did in the Lumbini grove, surrounded by all the world leaders as she was about to give birth to the enlightening being, by the miracle
of knowledge which gives birth to enlightening beings. This was the second miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then, from every one of Lady Maya’s pores came visions of how the Blessed One had served buddhas as he carried out enlightening practice in the past, and the teachings expounded by those buddhas were also heard in the buddhas’ voices coming from her pores. Just as the sun, moon, stars, planets, and thunderclouds are seen reflected in a lake, in a piece of gold, in a mirror, or in crystal-clear water, in the same way the past emanations of the buddhas, thundering with exposition of all the teachings, were seen in the pores of Lady Maya. This was the third miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then, from each of Maya’s pores appeared visions of all the universes, all the worlds, all the lands, and all the places the Blessed One had carried on enlightening practices, all the features of the lands, the means of salvation being taught, the names and numbers of the ages, the buddhas there, the pinnacles of purification, the life span of the beings of those ages, the enlightening being’s births in the worlds, the people he associated with, the spiritual benefactors he followed, the good practices he applied himself to, the principles he put into action, the buddha-lands in which he carried out enlightening practice, the bodies in which he performed enlightening practice and attained nonregression, and what his appearance, surroundings, and pleasant and painful experiences were in his successive lifetimes—all was seen in each of Maya’s pores. And in each of those lifetimes, Lady Maya was the mother of the enlightening beings. And all the bodies of the enlightening being were seen as a magical reflection in the pores of Lady Maya. This was the fourth miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then the physical forms, the means of subsistence, the pleasures and pains, and the life cycles through which the Blessed One performed enlightening practice in the past were all seen reflected in all the pores of Lady Maya’s body. This was the fifth miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then the difficult sacrifices the Blessed One made in the course of his past enlightening practice, relinquishing everything inside and outside himself, the appearances of the enlightening being as a donor, the appearances of those who received his gifts, the gifts themselves, the circumstances of the giving, and the company of the enlightening being, were all seen reflected in the pores of Lady Maya. This was the sixth miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then manifestations of the lands, the groves, the raiment, the flowers and garlands, perfumes and incenses, banners, pennants, and parasols, all the precious adornments, and the sublime sounds of the music and singing of the times when all the buddhas of the past descended into their mother’s womb, appeared in this grove for all to see and hear. This was the seventh miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then all the furnishings of the enlightening being, surpassing those arraying the abodes of the celestial chiefs and the abodes of the chiefs of all other realms of being—diamond towers, diamond mansions, diamond nets, diamond statues, diamond ornaments, all the finest fragrances, and all kinds of beautiful objects—emerged from Lady Maya’s abdomen and arrayed this Lumbini grove. This was the eighth miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then as many enlightening beings as atoms in untold millions of buddha-lands, all of the same appearance as the blessed Vairocana, adorned with similar marks and embellishments of greatness, with similar auras, emanating similar lights, with similar deportment, projecting similar radiance, with similar retinues, and similar adornments, emerged from Lady Maya’s abdomen first, extolling the myriad qualities of the Blessed One. This was the ninth miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“Then, when the time for the birth of the enlightening being had come, the diamond ground in front of Lady Maya split and a great jewel lotus called Calyx Arrayed with All Jewels emerged. Its calyx was unsurpassed diamond, surrounded by all the finest jewels in a dazzling array. It had as many petals as atoms in ten buddha-lands, all evenly arrayed, made of various jewels fringed with pure wish-fulfilling gems, lined with innumerable filaments the colors of all jewels, draped with nets of countless jewels, covered with heaps of indestructible diamonds, surrounded by celestial chiefs, sprinkled by showers from fragrant clouds by the water spirits, surrounded by the chief demigods clasping celestial flowers in their hands, with the chief celestial musicians appearing singing eulogies of the enlightening being’s past service of buddhas, the chief titans prostrating themselves in respect, freed of arrogance, pride, and conceit, the chief birds trailing jewel streamers, adorning the sky, the chief celestial choristers looking on joyfully singing songs encouraging the enlightening beings, the chief serpents showering adornments, proclaiming their joy. This was the tenth miracle attending the birth of the enlightening being in the Lumbini grove.
“After these ten miracles had appeared, the enlightening being, manifesting an effusion of inconceivable, measureless light, emerged from Lady Maya’s abdomen, like the sun from the horizon, like lightning from the clouds, like the diffusion of the dawn from the mountains, like a great torch from the darkness. Thus did the enlightening being manifest emergence from the abdomen of Lady Maya, by the nature of manifestation of illusory form, by the nature of noncoming, by the nature of manifestation of appearance to the world without origin or extinction.
“Thus did I perceive the oceans of miracles attending the birth of the Blessed Vairocana as I sojourned here in the Lumbini grove. And just as I perceived the oceans of miracles attending the birth of this Vairocana in this world, in the same way I perceived the oceans of miracles attending the birth of Vairocana Buddha in all worlds in this universe. And just as I perceived the billions of miracles attending the birth of Vairocana Buddha in all worlds in this universe, so also did I perceive, in each mental moment, with each penetration of consciousness, as many miracles attending the birth of Vairocana Buddha as atoms in a buddha-world, in the worlds within all the atoms in all universes accessible to knowledge penetrating the atoms in all buddha-lands. In the next moment I perceived, in each of the buddha-lands in the atoms of a thousand buddha-lands, an equal number of miracles attending the birth of the enlightening being. In this way, in each of the buddha-lands in the atoms of each buddha-land, I perceived all the miracles attending the birth of the enlightening being, without reaching their end. I did not reach the end of the succession of buddha-lands in each and every atom, or of the miracles attending the birth of the enlightening being in each and every one of those buddha-lands. And just as I perceived all the miracles attending the birth of the enlightening being in this world, so also did I perceive, in each moment of consciousness, all aspects of all the miracles attending the birth of the enlightening being in infinitely many worlds in the ten directions, by application of unceasing power.”
Then Sudhana asked the goddess, “How long ago did you attain this enlightening liberation of vision of the miracle of birth of enlightening beings in all objects over incalculable eons?”
She replied, “In the past, as many eons ago as atoms in ten million buddha-lands and even more, there was a buddha named Invincible Paragon of Virtue who emerged in a world called Ubiquitous Jewels in an age in which eighty decillion buddhas appeared. In that world there was a central group of four continents called Dazzling Array of Lights, in the southern continent of which was a capital city called Lofty Banner of Pure Adornments, where there was a king named Jewel Flame Eye Light, whose wife was named Queen of Joyous Light. Just as Maya is the mother of the Buddha Vairocana here, that queen was the mother of that buddha Invincible Paragon of Virtue in that world at that time, the first of the eighty decillion buddhas of the age. When the time for the birth of the enlightening being came, the queen went to a park called Circle of Lights of Golde
n Flowers, accompanied by twenty decillion women, and there gave birth to the child Invincible Paragon of Virtue, by the inconceivable miracle of the birth of an enlightening being. In the middle of that park was a tower called Brilliant Heap of Pure Jewels, and this was where that queen gave birth to that buddha, holding on to the limb of a wish-fulfilling tree.
“At the time of the buddha’s birth there was a wet nurse named Light of Purity standing by, and as soon as the buddha was born, the world leaders bathed him with fragrant water, presented countless suitable offerings of the finest quality, then handed him over to the nurse Light of Purity. As soon as she took him into her hands, the nurse was flooded with great joy and attained an enlightening concentration called ‘sphere of the universal eye,’ by the attainment of which she saw countless buddhas in various worlds in the ten directions, and this enlightening liberation of vision of the miracle of birth of enlightening beings in all objects over countless ages subtly entered into her, just as the consciousness of the embryo enters the abdomen of the mother on the day of conception. By attaining this liberation, she accomplished the great vow to see the miracle of birth of all buddhas.
“Now, who do you think the enlightening being’s nurse Light of Purity at that time was? It was none other than I myself who was the nurse Light of Purity. And who do you think the twenty decillion women were? They were none other than the twenty decillion goddesses who live here in the Lumbini grove, my companions. And who do you think was Queen of Joyous Light, mother of the child Invincible Paragon of Virtue? It was none other than Lady Maya here. And who was the king Jewel Flame Eye Light? It was none other than this king Shuddhodana. From that time on I was never separated from the Blessed Vairocana, by entry into the ocean of miracles of his births as an enlightening being, and entry into the ocean of miraculous manifestations of his power to guide sentient beings, in every moment of awareness.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 191