“And just as I will be the mother of Maitreya, so will I be the mother of all buddhas in this eon in this universe, and in all universes of the ten directions, penetrating endless universes. And just as I will be the mother of Maitreya, by untold virtues, so shall I be the mother of all the buddhas in this eon, and in endless billions of eons in all the worlds in all world systems in this flower treasury ocean of worlds, I will be the mother of all the buddhas of the future when they are enlightening beings, carrying on the practice of universally good enlightening beings, establishing guidance for the perfection of all beings in all ages.”
Then Sudhana asked Lady Maya, “How long ago did you attain this enlightening liberation of magical manifestations of knowledge of great vows?”
Maya replied, “Inconceivable eons ago, beyond the range of mind, beyond conscious calculation, there was an age called Pure Light. In that age of Pure Light there was a world called Elevated, which was pure with some defilement, made of many jewels, with surrounding mountains, polar mountains, and oceans, containing realms of celestials, humans, animals, ghosts, and hells, variegated and pleasant to see. In that world were a billion sets of four continents, in the middle of which was a group of four continents called Supreme Lionlike Majesty, in which there were eighty billion metropolises, among which was one called Possessed of the Best of Banners. There in that metropolis was a king called Great Energetic Power, a sovereign ruler. There was also an enlightenment site in that metropolis called Conspicuous Rays of Light, wherein there was a deity called Radiant Eyes. Furthermore, at that enlightenment site an enlightening being named Pure Standard sat, to attain omniscience. A demon named Golden Light, along with a great army of cohorts, had come invisibly to prevent the enlightening being from attaining omniscience; but the king Great Energetic Power, who had attained the mastery which enlightening beings realize, issued a great magical projection, producing a great army, more numerous than and superior to that of the demons, to surround the enlightenment site and fight off the demon army. The demon army was thereby scattered, and the blessed Pure Standard realized perfect enlightenment.
“The goddess of the enlightenment site, Radiant Eyes, looking upon the king as her son, then prostrated herself before the buddha and made a vow: ‘Wherever I may be born, may the king Great Energetic Power be my son; and when he attains supreme perfect enlightenment, I will be his mother then too.’ Having made this vow, she attended ten decillion buddhas at that enlightenment site during that eon.
“Now, who do you think that goddess was? It was I myself who was the enlightenment-site goddess Radiant Eyes at that time. As for the king Great Energetic Power, who had the mastery of an enlightening being and destroyed the demon army by means of a magical projection, it was none other than this present buddha, the blessed Vairocana, the saint, the perfectly enlightened one, who was at that time the king Great Energetic Power. Ever since then, wherever I have been, he has come as my son, carrying out the practice of enlightening beings in all buddha-lands, in all states of being, in all lifetimes, based on all that is good, in all undertakings through which enlightening practice is carried out. Wherever he emerged to develop and perfect sentient beings, there I was his mother, and in his final existence too, I was his mother, everywhere. In all modes of birth as an enlightening being, moment to moment, however many miracles of birth as an enlightening being he displayed, in every case I was his mother. In the same way I was the mother of infinite buddhas of the past, and I am mother to the infinite buddhas of the ten directions in the present. And all the buddhas I was mothers to in their last existence as an enlightening being emanated lights from their navels and illumined this great body and this seat.
“I only know this enlightening liberation of magical manifestation of knowledge of great vows—how can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings who are filled with great compassion, who never tire of guiding to perfection of omniscience, who are able to display projections of the miracles of all buddhas from every pore?
“In the thirty-three-fold heaven of this world is a goddess named Surendrabha, who is the daughter of a god named Smrtimati. Go ask her how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
So then Sudhana paid his respects and left Lady Maya.
Surendrabha
Then Sudhana went to the thirty-three-fold heaven, and went to the goddess Surendrabha. Paying his respects to the goddess, Sudhana 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 instruction to enlightening beings, so please tell me how to learn and practice.”
Surendrabha replied, “I have attained an enlightening liberation called pure manifestation of unimpeded recollection. I am aware that there was an age called Flowering, in which I served as many buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River. When they went forth from their customary surroundings, I protected them, provided for them, and made parks for their use. And all the developmental guidance of sentient beings performed by those buddhas—while they were enlightening beings, while in the womb of the mother, while being born, while taking seven steps, while roaring the lion’s roar, during childhood, during life at home, when leaving home, when awaking at the site of enlightenment, while teaching, while displaying the miracles of buddhas—all that, from their first inspiration to the final ending of their true teaching, I know and remember, recall and keep in mind, reflect on and follow.
“There was an eon called Well-Being, in which I served as many buddhas as sand grains in ten Ganges Rivers; there was an eon called Good Fortune, in which I served as many buddhas as atoms in a buddha-land; there was an eon called No Attainment, in which I served eighty-four thousand duodecillion buddhas; there was an eon called Beautiful Light, in which I served as many buddhas as atoms in this continent; there was an eon called Peerless Light, in which I served as many buddhas as sand grains in twenty Ganges Rivers; there was an eon called Blazing Glory, in which I served as many buddhas as sand grains in the Ganges River; there was an eon called Sunrise, in which I served as many buddhas as sand grains in eighty Ganges Rivers; there was an eon called Victorious March, in which I served as many buddhas as sand grains in sixty Ganges Rivers; there was an eon called Beautiful Moon, in which I served as many buddhas as sand grains in seventy Ganges Rivers.
“In this way, I remember as many eons as sand grains in the Ganges River, during which I was always with buddhas, and I heard of this enlightening liberation of pure manifestation of unimpeded recollection from those buddhas, and practiced it as they told me. Thus, constantly engrossed in this liberation, I recollect, remember, keep in mind, reflect on, and recall the supernal manifestations of all those buddhas from their stages of enlightening to the end of the duration of their true teachings, by means of this enlightening liberation of pure manifestation of unimpeded recollection.
“I only know this enlightening liberation—how can I know the practice, or tell the virtues, of the enlightening beings who are free from all obscurity and darkness, who light up the night of the mundane whirl, who are rid of all obstacles, who do not slumber, who are rid of apathy and indolence, who have stopped compulsive actions based on conditioning, who have purified awareness of the essence of all things, who awaken others to the purity of the ten powers?
“In the city of Kapilavastu there lives a boy named Vishwamitra who is a teacher. Go ask him how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
Then Sudhana paid his respects and left the goddess Surendrabha.
Vishwamitra
Descending from the thirty-three-fold heaven, Sudhana made his way to Kapilavastu, where he went to see the young teacher Vishwamitra. Paying his respects, he stood before the teacher 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 being
s instruction, so please tell me how to learn and practice.”
Vishwamitra said, “I learned the science of writing from a young enlightening being named Shilpabhijna. Go ask him and he will tell you how the practice of enlightening beings is to be learned and carried out.”
Shilpabhijna
Then Sudhana went to the youth Shilpabhijna, paid his respects, and said to him, “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 instruction, so please tell me how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out enlightening practice.”
Shilpabhijna said, “I have attained an enlightening liberation with higher knowledge of arts. In uttering the phonemes, as I pronounce A, by the associative power of an enlightening being I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called sphere of totality; pronouncing Ra, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called differentiation of infinite levels; pronouncing Pa, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called differentiation of levels of the cosmos of realities; pronouncing Cha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called analysis of the universal sphere; pronouncing Na, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called independence; pronouncing La, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called unattached; pronouncing Da, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called unregressing effort; pronouncing Ba, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called adamantine sphere; pronouncing Da, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called universal sphere; pronouncing Sa, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called ocean womb; pronouncing Va, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called branching out everywhere; pronouncing Ta, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called sphere of light; pronouncing Ya, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called multitude of mixtures; pronouncing Shta, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called light extinguishing all burning; pronouncing Ka, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called unified multitude; pronouncing Sha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called directed rain; pronouncing Ma, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called crest of various currents of great force; pronouncing Ga, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called extending to all levels; pronouncing Tha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called unified womb of Thusness; pronouncing Ja, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called plunging into purification of the mundane whirl; pronouncing Swa, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called supernal manifestation of recollection of all buddhas; pronouncing Dha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called contemplative investigation of truths; pronouncing Sha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called light of the wheel of teaching of all buddhas; pronouncing Kha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called womb of knowledge of the causal ground of accomplishment; pronouncing Ksha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called investigation of the treasury of the ocean in which all actions are stilled; pronouncing Sta, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called light of purity dispelling all afflictions; pronouncing Ña, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called access to worldly knowledge; pronouncing Tha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called sphere of knowledge of the cycles of the mundane whirl; pronouncing Bha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called array of manifestations of spheres of existence; pronouncing Chha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called division of the encompassing sphere of practice applied to development; pronouncing Sma, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called turning to face all directions to see all buddhas; pronouncing Hwa, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called matrix of power to observe what all sentient beings cannot; pronouncing Tsa, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called plunging into practice of the ocean of all virtues; pronouncing Gha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called strong oceanic vessel holding the multitude of all teachings; pronouncing Tha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called going in the direction of the vows of all buddhas; pronouncing Na, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called voicing the millions of configurations of the wheel of phonemes; pronouncing Pha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called sphere of the ultimate development of all sentient beings; pronouncing Ska, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called suffusion of the sphere of light of unimpeded intellectual powers contained in the stages of enlightenment; pronouncing Sya, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called sphere of exposition of all buddha-teachings; pronouncing Shcha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called thunder of truth filling the sky of beings; pronouncing Ta, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called lamp of the ultimate consummation of selfless work for the benefit of sentient beings; pronouncing Dha, I enter a door of transcendent wisdom called matrix of the distinction of cycles of the Teaching.
“As I pronounce the phonemes, I enter immeasurable, innumerable doors of transcendent wisdom, beginning with these forty-two. I have attained this enlightening liberation with higher knowledge of arts, and it is this I know. How can I know the practice or tell the virtues of enlightening beings who have attained perfection of all mundane and transcendental arts, inasmuch as they have no barrier, no doubt, no confusion, no uncertainty, no hesitation, no ignorance, no difficulty, no impairment, no frustration, no lack of knowledge, and no misunderstanding in regard to the subject matters of all arts—all writing and mathematics, all applied sciences of spells and herbs, all the bases of obsession, psychotherapy, epilepsy, lameness, and insanity, the science of compounding medicines, chemistry, mineralogy, the making of parks, groves, villages, towns, and cities, knowledge of the vicissitudes of the world through astronomy, physiognomy, geomancy, meteorology, agronomy, and prediction of trends of events, and the analysis, communication, understanding, and actualization of all transmundane phenomena.
“In the city of Vartanaka, in the region of Kevalaka, in this same country of Magadha, there lives a laywoman named Bhadrottama. Go ask her how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
So Sudhana paid his respects and left the noble youth Shilpabhijna.
Bhadrottama
Then Sudhana went to Vartanaka city in the region of Kevalaka, where he called on the laywoman Bhadrottama. Paying his respects to her, he said, “Noble one, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings. I hear you give enlightening beings instruction, so please tell me how to learn and practice.”
She said, “I know and teach a doctrine called ‘baseless sphere’ and have attained a concentration of mystic empowerment. In that concentration there is no foundation of any phenomenon whatsoever. Therein is produced the mystical empowerment of the eye of omniscience, the mystical empowerment of the ear of omniscience, the mystical empowerment of the nose of omniscience, the mystical empowerment of the tongue of omniscience, the mystical empowerment of the body of omniscience, the mystical empowerment of the mind of omniscience, the mystical power of the waves of omniscience, the mystical power of the lightning of omniscience, the mystical power of the flood of omniscience, spheres illumining the world.
“It is this doctrine of the baseless sphere that I know. How can I know all the unobstructed, unattached practices of enlightening beings? Go south—there is a city called Bharukaccha, where there lives a goldsmith named Muktasara. Go ask him how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
So then Sudhana paid his respects, took his leave, and departed.
Muktasara
Then Sudhana made his way south, to the goldsmith Muktasara in the city of Bharukaccha. Paying his respects to Muktasara, Sudhana said, “Noble one, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings. I hear you give enlightening beings instruction, so please tell me how to learn and practice.”
Muktasara said, “I know an enlightening liberation called supernal manifestation of unobstructed mindfulness, and I ce
aselessly seek the Teaching at the feet of all buddhas in the ten directions. I only know this enlightening liberation. How can I know the practice or tell the virtue of the enlightening beings who roar the fearless roar of the lion, who are grounded on great virtue and knowledge?
“There is a householder named Suchandra living in this city, whose house is always illuminated; go ask him how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
So Sudhana paid his respects, took his leave, and departed.
Suchandra
Then Sudhana went to the householder Suchandra, paid his respects, and said, “Noble one, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I don’t know how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings. I hear you give enlightening beings instruction, so please tell me how an enlightening being is to learn and practice.”
Suchandra said, “I have attained an enlightening liberation called light of undefiled knowledge. I only know this liberation. How can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings who have attained infinite liberation? South of here is a city called Roruka, where a householder named Ajitasena lives. Go ask him how to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings.”
So Sudhana paid his respects and left.
Ajitasena
Then Sudhana made his way to the city of Roruka, where he called on the householder Ajitasena. Paying his respects, Sudhana said, “Noble one, I have set my mind on supreme perfect enlightenment, but I do not know how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings. I hear you give enlightening beings instruction, so please tell me how to learn and practice.”
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 198