“Furthermore, just as in this world I perceived the oceans of lands of Vairocana and the buddhas born of the ocean of the totality of great vows in every moment of thought in all atoms by the eye of knowledge penetrating all atoms, and perceived the ocean of manifestations of buddhas in those lands, and perceived the ocean of miracles of births of those buddhas as enlightening beings, in the same way, in every mental moment I perceived the oceans of miracles of births as enlightening beings of infinite buddhas in the ten directions. And just as in this universe, by successive penetration of all atoms, I perceived the buddha-qualities of complete perfect buddhas as they were being born as enlightening beings, in the same way I perceived oceans of lands in the atoms of untold decillions of buddha-lands in the ten directions, and perceived the vast oceans of buddhas therein, saw those buddhas as they were miraculously being born as enlightening beings, paid reverence to them as buddhas, listened to those buddhas’ teachings, and practice in accord with their teaching.”
Then Sutejomandalaratishri, goddess of the Lumbini grove, elucidating this enlightening liberation of vision of the miracle of birth of enlightening beings over countless eons, looked over the ten directions by the power of Buddha and spoke these verses:
Son of Buddha, listen respectfully
To what I say to your question:
The realm of buddhas, silent and hard to see,
I explain in terms of cause.
I remember unthinkable eons ago, past as many eons
As atoms in a hundred million lands,
An age in which there were
Eight decillion buddhas.
Invincible Paragon of Virtue
Was the first of those buddhas;
I saw him being born
In the wonderful park of golden flowers.
I was then his wet nurse,
By the name of Light of Purity, wise;
The world guardians put him in my arms
When he was born, shining with golden light.
Taking that supreme person in my arms,
I could not see the top of his head;
Looking at his inconceivable body,
I could not see any bounds.
Adorned by marks of greatness, pure,
His body was beautiful to behold;
Seeing him, like a jewel figurine,
Incomparable joy welled up in me.
Thinking of his measureless virtues,
An infinite sea of felicity grew in me;
And seeing his ocean of miracles,
I was inspired to seek enlightenment.
Seeking the oceans of qualities of buddhas,
My ocean of vows grew;
All lands were purified,
And all paths of miserable states were closed.
To serve the inconceivable buddhas
To come in all lands,
And to liberate suffering beings,
My ocean of vows emerged.
Hearing the teachings of those saviors,
I attained this excellent sphere of liberation,
Having carried out practice to purify enlightenment
For as many eons as atoms in a hundred million lands.
I served all the buddhas
Who appeared over the ages,
And remembered their teachings,
Purifying this ocean of liberation.
There were as many buddhas in the past
As atoms in a hundred million lands;
Remembering their cycles of teaching,
I developed this sphere of liberation.
Seeing all atoms
In a buddha-land,
In every atom I see oceans of lands
Purified by the Buddha.
In those lands I see Guides
Being born in the best of groves,
In an instant manifesting
Inconceivable vast miracles.
I see the leaders, in whatever land,
Seeking supreme enlightenment,
Living in heaven, or appearing to be born,
In inconceivable decillions of lands.
I see them being born with great miracles,
In hundreds of oceans of lands,
Attended by the best of women,
Expounding the Teaching.
I see as many buddhas as atoms in a hundred million
In one moment of consciousness,
Showing the world in many ways
Tranquillity in an instant.
I see all the births of buddhas,
Looking into the oceans of lands in an atom;
In life after life, in millions of bodies,
I arrive at compassion in their service.
In inconceivable oceans of lands,
In the endless realms where they appeared,
In all those worlds I appear before them
And make the clouds of Teaching rain.
Child of Buddha, I know
This inconceivable, exalted liberation,
Which could not be all seen
Even in inconceivable decillions of eons.
“I just know this enlightening liberation of vision of the miracles of birth of enlightening beings in all objects over countless ages—how can I know the practice or tell the virtues of the enlightening beings whose minds are the sources of all eons from moment to moment of consciousness, who manifest birth by meditation on all the principles of the Teaching, who are determined to serve all buddhas, who are intent on realizing all buddha-teachings, who are like reflections appearing to be born in all races, who are born spontaneously in lotus calyxes in the presence of all buddhas, who have higher knowledge of proper timing in developing all beings, who manifest miracles of birth oriented toward guiding all beings, who show multitudes of miracles in all lands, who are reflected in all conditions and classes and families of beings?
“In the city of Kapilavastu lives a girl of the Shakya clan named Gopa. Go ask her how an enlightening being should live in the world for enlightening development.”
Then Sudhana paid his respects and left the goddess of the Lumbini grove.
Gopa
Then Sudhana left the Lumbini goddess and went to the city of Kapilavastu; cultivating that enlightening liberation of vision of miracles of birth of enlightening beings in all objects over countless ages, entering into it, expanding it, practicing it, purifying it, mastering it, contemplating it, examining it, he made his way to the meeting hall of enlightening beings reflecting the cosmos. When he went there, a goddess of the enlightening beings’ meeting hall named Sorrowless, together with ten thousand house goddesses, appeared before Sudhana and said to him, “Welcome is the great person with wisdom, knowledge, and courage, who roams the grounds of the vast palace of reality intent on cultivating the inconceivable liberations of enlightening beings, in the presence of the city of truth, ceaselessly entering into the endless methods of enlightening beings, attaining manifestation of the ocean of virtues of those who realize Thusness, aiming for the knowledge of how to act and speak so as to mature all people, acting and speaking according to knowledge of the behavior of all people, mind oriented toward spiritual practice, committed to increasing the flood of the ocean of joy in the feelings of all beings, on the path of knowledge of the Teaching of all those who arrive at thusness. As I see you, with steady gaze on the pure realm of conduct of profound spiritual practice, before long you will attain perfection of the supreme ornaments of body, speech, and mind of the enlightened, and will act in the world with a body adorned with the marks and embellishments of greatness and a mind adorned with the light of knowledge of the ten powers. As I see your steadfast, energetic exertion, before long you will be furnished with all the requisites for manifesting your being in the presence of all buddhas of past, present, and future; receiving their teachings, experiencing the delight of the tranquil palace of spirituality, with all the meditations, liberations, concentrations, and attainments of enlightening beings, you will see into the profound liberation of buddhas. That is becaus
e you do not tire, do not regress, do not feel pain in going to spiritual benefactors, meeting them, associating with them, receiving instructions, and applying the ways to virtue; and you are not overcome by any interference or barrier or obstacle, or by any demon or deity. Therefore you will soon become a source of joy for all beings.”
Then Sudhana said to the goddess Sorrowless, “May it be as you say—I would find supreme joy in extinguishing the burning of all beings’ afflictions, in stopping the development of their evil deeds, in making them all happy, in getting them to act impeccably. Whenever sentient beings are involved in evil deeds and afflictions, with scattered minds, fall into painful or pleasurable states, and experience various forms of physical and mental distress, enlightening beings become most unhappy at that. Just as a doting parent would love its only child and would be most distressed at seeing the child be dismembered, in the same way a practicing enlightening being is most unhappy to see people fallen into miserable states because of compulsion by afflictions in action. Whenever sentient beings live in felicity because of good thoughts, words, and deeds, and experience physical and mental pleasures in celestial and human realms, enlightening beings are delighted and become happy and joyful.
“Furthermore, enlightening beings do not seek omniscience for their own sake, nor to produce mundane enjoyments and pleasures, nor in search of the various enjoyments of the realm of desire, nor under the compulsion of errors of conception, thought, and view. They live and work in the world without being controlled by fetters, bonds, propensities, or obsessions, without being controlled by craving or views, without their minds being bound up in ideas of mundane enjoyments, without being taken with the taste of pleasure of meditation, without being blocked by mental barriers.
“Furthermore, enlightening beings, giving rise to great compassion for sentient beings suffering immeasurable miseries in the ocean of existence, undertake a great vow to care for all beings. They appear carrying out the practice of enlightening beings in the mundane whirl, engaged in the development and guidance of sentient beings, by the force of the power of carrying out the vow of great compassion. They undertake a vow to serve all buddhas in quest of thoroughly unobstructed omniscience for all sentient beings. By mastery of the vow to serve buddhas, they do not tire in enlightening practice. While they carry on enlightening practice, seeing defiled lands they undertake a vow to purify all buddha-lands. While purifying oceans of lands, observing the variety of beings’ states, they undertake a vow to purify the undifferentiated supreme reality body. Seeing sentient beings’ acts, words, and thoughts defiled, they undertake a vow to purify sentient beings’ acts, words, and thoughts. Seeing sentient beings with incompletely purified senses and minds, they carry on enlightening practice tirelessly, completely purifying the mental behavior of all sentient beings.
“Thus enlightening beings are indefatigable in carrying out the infinitely various practice of enlightening beings. Practicing in this way, they become ornaments of heaven and earth, by producing human and celestial welfare. They become parents, because they bring enlightening beings into existence. They become nurses, leading into the path of enlightening beings. They become guardian spirits, giving protection from the danger of falling into bad ways. They become great mariners, ferrying beings across the ocean of the mundane whirl. They become refuges, eliminating the dangers of all demons and afflictions. They become resorts, leading to the ultimate state of coolness. They become landings leading into the ocean of enlightenment. They become guides, leading to the island of spiritual jewels. They become flowers, their minds blooming with the virtues of all buddhas. They become adornments, radiating the light of great virtue and knowledge. They become sources of supreme joy, pleasing in all ways. They become worth visiting, because they act impeccably. They become universally good, perfecting themselves in all respects. They become an ever-welcome sight, never appearing disagreeable. They become light-makers, emanating light beams of knowledge. They become illuminators, holding the lamp of truth. They become radiant, purifying the will for enlightenment. They become warrior chiefs, stopping the acts of demons. They become suns, radiating webs of light rays of wisdom. They become moons, the moon of awareness rising in the sky. They become clouds, showering the Teaching on all beings. Thus do enlightening beings become a joy to all living creatures as they carry out enlightening practice.”
Then Sorrowless, goddess of the hall of assembly of enlightening beings, with those ten thousand house goddesses, showered Sudhana with a rain of mentally created flower garlands, aromatic powders, perfumes, and jewelry, all superior to those in the heavens; then, surrounding him, they sang these verses in his praise as he entered the abode of enlightening beings:
Buddhas emerge in the world at times,
Producing the light of knowledge,
Resolved on perfect enlightenment
Out of compassion for the world.
Hard to get to see
Even in millions of eons,
You are a sun of knowledge
For the world in the darkness of ignorance.
Seeing the world in error,
Shrouded in the darkness of nescience,
Conceiving great compassion
You’ve set out for independence.
With pure intention you seek
The enlightenment of buddhas;
You serve spiritual benefactors
Without concern for yourself.
You are not attached to the world,
You are independent and aloof;
You do not dwell in the defilement of the world,
Your mind is free as the sky.
You practice lofty deeds of enlightenment,
Beautiful light of virtues;
You appear in the world
Radiating lights of knowledge.
You do not leave the world,
Nor are you stained by worldly things;
You traverse the world unattached,
Like the wind through the sky.
Just as the holocaust
Burns constantly,
With energy like fire
You carry on enlightening practice.
Lionlike, great hero,
Progressing boldly with steadfast vigor,
Imbued with the power of knowledge,
You practice undaunted.
All the oceans
Of principles in the cosmos
You will enter, O Hero,
By serving true benefactors.
Then the goddess Sorrowless, having eulogized Sudhana, followed him as he went on, bound to him by love for truth. Sudhana went into the meeting hall of enlightening beings which shone with reflections of the cosmos and looked around, desirous of seeing the Shakyan girl Gopa. He saw her in the middle of the hall sitting on a seat of jewels which reflected the abodes of all enlightening beings, surrounded by eighty-four thousand maidens, all of royal lineage, who had equally established good foundations of the practice of enlightening beings, who had been won over by her generosity in the past, who practiced gentle, pleasing speech, who were taken with the happiness of approaching the goal of omniscience, who were thoroughly absorbed in the common purpose of complete knowledge of buddhas and enlightening beings, who were sustained by the loving care guided by great compassion, who had purified great kindness, who had already developed the inconceivable skill in means of enlightening beings. All of those eighty-four thousand women were irreversible in progress toward supreme perfect enlightenment; they had comprehended enlightening beings’ means of transcendence, and needed no one’s guidance in the studies of enlightening beings. Their minds were free from all attachments and aloof of all mundane pleasures. They had cleared the way to the unobstructed cosmos and their minds were rapidly approaching omniscience. They were free from the web of all obstacles and barriers, and transcended all attachments. They acted as positive emanations of the body of reality, dedicated to leading all beings to perfection. Their minds sprang from a vast ocean of virtue, and they car
ried out the vow of the practice of universal good. They had developed tremendous energy in powers of enlightening beings, and the light of their minds was as a sun of knowledge.
Then Sudhana went up to Gopa, paid his respects, and said, “I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how enlightening beings act in the midst of the mundane whirl without being stained by its ills; how they realize the equal essence of all phenomena without staying in the stage of personal liberation alone; how they manifest the qualities of buddhas without stopping the practice of enlightening beings; how they remain in the stage of enlightening beings yet show the sphere of all buddhas; how they transcend all worldly states yet act in the midst of worldly states; how they achieve the reality-body yet produce endless physical manifestations; how they resort to the formless reality-body yet manifest bodies like all beings; how they comprehend all the inexpressible truths, yet expound the truths to sentient beings in all languages; how they know there are no beings in the elements of existence, yet do not give up efforts to guide all beings; how they realize all phenomena are unoriginated and unperishing, yet do not give up the effort to serve all buddhas; how they realize there are no results of action in phenomena, yet do not give up the effort to perform good deeds.”
Gopa said to Sudhana, “It is very good that you think it fit to ask about the nature of this kind of practice of enlightening beings, as this is the question of one who is set on practicing the vow of universal good. So listen well and think carefully, for I will tell you, by the power of Buddha.
“There are ten things by which enlightening beings fulfill this kind of enlightening practice, the light of total knowledge, like the cosmic net of interrelation of all things. What are the ten? Association with superior spiritual friends; attainment of enormous devotion; purity of lofty good will; a state of mind founded on oceanic virtue and knowledge; listening to the great teaching of buddhas; associating with thought devoted to the buddhas of past, present, and future; equally following the practices of all enlightening beings; gaining the empowerment of all buddhas; purity of intent, greatly compassionate in nature; attainment of the basic power of mind to stop all vicious circles. Having attained these ten things, enlightening beings fulfill this kind of enlightening practice, like the cosmic net of interrelation of all things, radiating total knowledge.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 192