“Now, at that time a buddha named Supreme Sun was appearing in the world, a saint, perfectly enlightened, complete in knowledge and conduct, gone to felicity, supreme knower of the world, tamer of humans, teacher of celestials and humans, awake, blessed. He was at an enlightenment site called Light Emerging from the Cloud of Teaching in the park Cloud of Light on a Mountain of Fragrant Plants, where he enjoyed his first seven days since attaining enlightenment.
“The girl, who was reclining in the chariot, saw that buddha in a dream. When she awoke, a goddess who had been a relative in a past life told her that the buddha was in the park, in his first week of enlightenment, surrounded by a group of enlightening beings, before a crowd of all kinds of spirits, and that all the deities of earth, space, water, fire, wind, oceans, rivers, mountains, night, dawn, forests, trees, plants, grain, cities, foot tracks, sanctuaries, bodies of light, habitations, the sky, and all directions had gathered to see the buddha Supreme Sun.
“Emboldened by seeing the buddha and hearing of the buddha’s virtues, finding a favorable opportunity, the girl then spoke these verses before the prince:
I am known in the world for beauty,
Renowned everywhere for virtues.
None compares to me in the power of knowledge;
I know all arts, amusements, and magic.
Hundreds, thousands of men
Look on me with lust,
But I have no desire
For people of the world.
I have no ill-will,
Neither am I pleased by anyone.
I have neither anger nor hatred;
I delight in the welfare of all.
When I saw you, young man, excellent
In form and strength, endowed with virtue,
All my senses were delighted,
And immense joy arose in me.
Your complexion is like a pure shining jewel,
Your hair is black and curly,
You have a fine brow and nose;
I offer myself to you.
You have excellent features.
Resplendent, you are like a mountain of gold.
In your presence I do not shine;
I am like a pile of charcoal.
Your eyes are large and dark,
Your jaw is like a lion’s, your face like the full moon.
The fine sound of your voice is irresistible;
Please take me in.
Your tongue is long and broad,
Coppery red, soft, shining like a jewel;
With your superb, clear voice
You delight people when you speak.
Your teeth are even, shining white,
Clean and well spaced;
When you show them as you smile,
You delight people, O hero.
Your body has the thirty-two marks
Of greatness, brilliantly shining, pure.
Adorned with them, you will become
A sovereign ruler of men.
“Then the prince Lord of Glory said to the maid Splendor of Delight in Virtuous Conduct, ‘Whose daughter are you, whose ward? I cannot make another’s ward my own.’ Then he spoke these verses:
O lovely one, endowed with beauty of form,
With fine features and a pure body,
I ask you to tell me this—
Whose ward are you?
Have you father or mother,
Brother, husband, or master,
Or someone else who thinks of you
As his, treating you kindly?
I hope you are not vicious,
Do not steal,
Are not promiscuous,
And do not lie.
I hope you do not cause discord,
Do not slander others,
Do not covet others’ goods,
And are not hostile toward anyone.
May you not stand on the wasteland of views;
Let your intelligence not be taken away by habits;
May you not exert bad influence on people
By guile or deceit.
Do you love and respect your parents,
Relatives, friends, and elders?
Does your heart reach out
To give to the poor to help them?
Are you well disposed toward spiritual benefactors
Who tell you about religion at the appropriate time?
Are you truly healthy and capable
In body and mind?
Do you respect the buddhas
And love the enlightening beings?
Do you know the supreme Teaching
From which the enlightening beings are born?
Can you abide by the supreme religion
And not do any wrong?
Do you have higher love and respect
For the infinite ocean of virtues?
Are you kind
To the helpless and lost?
Are you really compassionate
Toward evildoers?
Are you most happy
To see the success of others?
Are you indifferent, by the power of wisdom,
To those who annoy you for no reason?
Seeing people in the slumber of ignorance,
Do you firmly seek supreme enlightenment?
Would you not weary of endless ages
Of spiritual practice?
“Then the supreme courtesan Beautiful, mother of the maid Splendor of Delight in Virtuous Conduct, said to the prince Lord of Glory, ‘This daughter of mine, who was spontaneously born from within a lotus, has never before gone out of the house.’ Then she spoke these verses:
Listen to what I say, O prince,
About my daughter, of whom you ask.
I will tell you of her birth
And how she grew up.
On the very same morn as your birth,
My daughter too was born,
Generated spontaneously in the calyx of an undefiled lotus,
All her limbs complete, with nice big eyes.
In springtime, the best of seasons,
When the crops and herbs are growing,
In my beautiful grove of sal trees
I utterly forgot myself.
The branches were blooming with most beautiful flowers,
The fruiting trees were like dense clouds;
Amid the trees with singing birds
I roamed, joyful, free from care.
I was with eight hundred girls,
Adorned with garlands of flowers,
Wearing various precious cloths,
Well versed in song and speech.
I sat on the bank of a pond
Filled with lotuses of various scents;
The area around, strewn with flowers,
Was filled by those well-cultivated girls.
In the middle of the water appeared
A supremely fine lotus with a thousand petals;
Its stem was lapis lazuli, its petals were diamond,
Its pericarp was pure gold.
It had a multitude of stamens of the finest fragrant jewels
And had a brilliant golden sheen:
The people were confused—
How could the sun rise at night?
Then, the night ended, from the rising sun,
Stimulating with its glow,
There emanated light and sweet sounds,
Foretelling the birth of this girl.
Then this precious girl appeared in the human world,
Pure in the best of conduct.
No deed is lost to the doer; she was the fruition
Of good actions in the past.
With dark hair, lotus-blue eyes,
A clear voice and golden complexion,
Finely clad in garlands, she emerged
From the lotus, resplendent as pure light.
Her limbs are bright, her body evenly balanced;
Her limbs are complete, her body well proportioned:
She shines like a golden statue adorned with jewels,
Illumining all directions.
The finest fragrance of sandalwood wafts from her body,
Filling the air around her;
As she speaks, with celestial sweetness,
A scent like blue lotus comes from her mouth.
Whenever she smiles,
Heavenly music plays;
This treasure of a woman should not be abandoned
To the control of the vulgar.
In the world of men no one can be found
Who is worthy to be her husband, except you,
A resplendent figure with the marks of greatness—
Therefore, please accept this girl.
For she is not short or too tall,
Not stout or too thin;
She is slender at the waist, full-breasted,
Suitable for you, with an impeccable body.
She has perfect knowledge of calculation,
Writing, symbology, and technical literature;
She has mastered all the arts and crafts
In the whole world.
She is expert in archery
And always hits her mark;
Pacifying opponents by her power of attraction,
She is ultimately successful everywhere.
All her limbs are like pure jewels;
She radiates an aura of light.
Adorned by the virtues she has accomplished,
She is fit to be your companion.
She knows the cause of all illnesses
That afflict living beings,
And she is able to cure them
By correct use of medicines.
She has mastered all the different languages
Of the people on the continent
And the variety of customary usages
Of society everywhere.
She knows the articulation of sounds
And the means of differentiation among them,
And she is expert in all
The songs and dances in the world.
She is not jealous or envious,
She is not lustful or ill-tempered;
She is taciturn, honest, and gentle,
Free from anger and harshness, very intelligent.
She is diligent, well behaved, not argumentative,
Always obedient to the worthy;
She is respectful, seeking to do whatever is good.
She will do as you ask.
She is always compassionate toward the elderly,
Toward the sick and the poor,
Toward the suffering, the blind,
And toward the helpless.
She is always thinking of the welfare of others,
And never thinks of benefit for herself;
Seeking the welfare of the whole world,
She is adorned with superior virtues of mind.
She is never careless, always mindful and aware,
Whether standing, sitting, reclining, or walking,
Whether silent or speaking;
She is always remembered and honored.
This virtuous one shines in all ways,
And is always loved by people;
None would tire of looking at her,
But she has no attachment to the world.
Respectful of spiritual friends,
She wants always to see you;
This far-seeing, uncorrupted lady has a pure mind,
Stable as the polar mountain.
Ever-adorned with her own virtues,
She has no enemies at all;
She has no peer in knowledge.
She is fit to be your bride, O prince.
“Then the prince, having entered the park, said to the maid in the presence of her mother, ‘I have set out for supreme perfect enlightenment, whereby I may gather the infinite stores of omniscience, cultivate the practice of enlightening beings for infinite eons and perfect all the transcendent ways, serve the buddhas for endless eons, uphold the teaching of all buddhas, purify all buddha-lands, perpetuate the lineages of all buddhas, develop all groups of sentient beings to maturity, stop the pains of the mundane whirl for all sentient beings, lead sentient beings to ultimate bliss, clarify the eye of knowledge in all sentient beings, strive for the attainments of all buddhas and enlightening beings, abide in the equanimity of all enlightening beings, accomplish all the stages of enlightening beings, purify all sentient beings, cultivate total giving to put an end to poverty for all sentient beings, practice transcendent giving for endless eons and satisfy all sentient beings with gifts of food and drink, and satisfy all beggars by giving away all goods. As I practice total relinquishment, everything internal and external is to be given away—I am to give away my sons, daughters, wife; I am to relinquish my eyes, head, hands and feet, all my limbs. You will hinder my giving, you will become unhappy at the relinquishment of beloved children, you will feel much physical and mental pain, you will resent my determination to give up everything. When I cut off my limbs to give them to beggars, you will be pained and grieved. And there will come a time when I leave you to go forth into the tutelage of a buddha; at that time you will be unhappy.’ Then the prince spoke these verses to the maid:
I am going to fulfill the immeasurable ocean
Of provisions for perfect enlightenment;
Therefore, with compassion for all,
I have set forth forever for enlightenment.
For infinite eons, measureless as air,
I will purify my vow;
For endless eons I will perform the preparations
Of the initial stage of the buddhas.
I will learn the paths of transcendence
From the buddhas of past, present, and future
And perfect the path of supreme enlightenment
By the great means of unexcelled knowledge.
I will purify all
Defiled lands everywhere;
I will remove all difficulties
And evil ways from all worlds.
I will purify all beings
Who are wrapped up in afflictions, blind with delusion;
Developing them by various means,
I will bring them into the path of omniscience.
I will accomplish the unobstructed stages
And serve the buddhas for myriad eons;
Generating kindness toward the world,
I will give all gifts.
As I am engaged in giving all
To beggars who come,
Do not become depressed
Or sad or unsympathetic.
Seeing benefit for one who wants my head,
A wise person would delight in lofty conduct;
You would be tormented,
So hear my purpose and become firm.
You would be grieved at my giving
My severed hands and feet to beggars
And speak bitterly, faint and distressed;
So hear my purpose and think about it.
I will give away my prized possessions,
Even my children, yet I want you;
Hear my aim and if you do not despair,
All shall be as you wish.
“The maid replied to the prince, ‘Let it be as you say. I will do as you wish. I am at your service and will accompany you wherever you want to go. I will always stay with you and be diligent in all tasks. I will behave as you wish. I will exert myself properly and act in harmony with you.” Then she spoke these verses to the prince:
Even if my body should be burnt to death
In the fires of hell,
I would endure it for myriad lifetimes
As your companion in practice.
Even if life after life for endless lives
My body were cut asunder,
I would endure it with a steadfast mind
If you were my husband.
Even if the mountains should crush
My head for endless ages,
I would endure it unfazed
If you became my husband.
In infinite lifetimes you may c
ut off
Your own limbs and give them to others;
Lead me to control of my thoughts
And make me firm in my duty.
I give you my body completely,
O prince of men;
Performing spiritual practice for myriad ages,
Give me to whoever wants me, and I will be happy.
You have set out for supreme enlightenment,
With infinite compassion for beings;
Having taken all beings into your care,
Take me in too with compassion.
It is not for enjoyment
Or wealth or sensual pleasure
That I want you, best of men, for my husband,
But to share the same spiritual practice.
You look upon all beings
With clear eyes and kind heart;
Being compassionate with undefiled mind,
You will surely become a king of sages.
As you walk along, a jewellike glow
From your footsteps remains on the earth, pure;
Endowed with the marks of greatness,
You will surely become a sovereign king in the human world.
In a dream I saw the enlightenment site
Illumined by clouds of true teaching in this kingdom;
With the buddha sitting at the foot of the best of trees,
In the company of many enlightening beings.
That exalted buddha Supreme Sun
Is like a mountain of finest rose gold;
In my dream he patted my head,
And I awoke then, full of joy.
A pure-bodied goddess named Light of Delight,
Who had been a companion in the past,
Told me the buddha was here,
Staying at the supreme site of enlightenment.
I had been thinking before that I wanted
To see the prince Lord of Glory,
And I was told by the goddess
I would see the prince soon.
Now I have seen the buddha in a dream,
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 194