“So please tell me, noble one, how an enlightening being is to learn and carry out the practice of enlightening beings, by which practice an enlightening being attains enlightenment and understands all enlightened teachings, responds when called upon, rescues sentient beings, fulfills the commitment to carry out the practice of enlightenment, comforts and inspires people, keeps true to one’s word, ascertains all the myriad buddha-teachings, sustains the lineage of buddhas and enlightening beings, and preserves the eye of enlightenment.”
Then the enlightening being Maitreya, looking over the whole crowd, pointed out Sudhana and said, “Good people, look at this fine young man, who asks me about the perfection of the virtues of enlightening practice. With this diligence, this purposefulness, this zealous commitment, this steadfast will, this unflagging vigor, this thirst for enlightened teaching, this excellent questing, this burning urgency, this desire to meet spiritual friends and benefactors, this indefatigability in attendance on spiritual friends and benefactors, he left his city in search of spiritual benefactors at the direction of Manjushri and traveled south, inquiring of a hundred and ten spiritual benefactors, until finally he has come to me, his mind thoroughly unwearied.
“Good people, it is hard even to get to hear of the name of those like this who have set forth on the Great Vehicle of universal enlightenment, who have undertaken the great vow, who are resolute in the great endeavor, who are girt with great compassion, who are intent on saving sentient beings with great love, who act with transcendental energy, who are engaged in protecting the great caravan of beings, who are carrying beings across the ocean of the mundane whirl, who are on the road to omniscience, who are engaged in assembling the spiritual ark, who are determined to assemble the great wealth of the treasures of the Teaching, who are engaged in assembling the preparations for the great spiritual activity—it is hard to even hear their names, to see them in person, to associate with them, or to share in their practice.
“Why is this? This sincere good person has set out to save all beings, undertaken to liberate all beings from misery, to evaporate all bad tendencies, to put an end to all states that are inopportune for attaining enlightenment, to block off all perilous roads, to dispel all darkness of ignorance, to cross all the wastelands of the mundane whirl, to stop all vicious circles, to get beyond the reach of all demons, to remove all attachment and dependence, to rescue people from the mire of lust, to abandon passion for joy, to remove the fetters of views, stop attachment to the body as real, cut through the snare of conception, stop the pursuit of error, to pluck out the thorns of delusion, to break through obstacles, to shatter the mountains of obstructions, to remove the net of craving, to dissolve the bonds of ignorance, to illuminate existence, to do away with guile and deceit, to clear mental disturbance, to remove doubt and confusion, to get out of the current of ignorance and delusion, to repel all the ills of the mundane whirl.
“Indeed, good people, this worthy wishes to assemble the ship of the Teaching, a precious gift, to rescue beings from the four torrents. He wishes to set up the great bridge of the Teaching for those sunk in the morass of views. He wishes to produce the light of knowledge for those in the darkness of delusion. He wishes to point out the path of sages to those lost in the wilderness of the mundane whirl. He wishes to dispense the medicine of the teaching to those suffering from the illness of afflictions. He wishes to give the element of immortality to those assailed by birth, old age, and death. He wishes to cool those burning with the three fires by means of the water of tranquillity. He wishes to give great comfort to those suffering from sorrow, grief, misery, and depression. He wishes to give those bound in the prison of existence the knowledge of how to break out. He wishes to give the sword of wisdom to those tied up in the bonds of views. He wishes to show the door of liberation to those locked in the city of the triple world. He wishes to show the direction of safety to those headed in dangerous directions. He wishes to comfort those suffering from the joint operation of afflictions. He wishes to lend a hand to those terrorized by the perils of falling into states of woe. He wishes to show the citadel of nirvana to those struck by the murderous clusters. He wishes to tell those surrounded by the serpents of the elements how to escape. To those loitering in the ghost town of the sense media, he wishes to show the way out by the light of wisdom. Those on wrong paths he wishes to lead into the right path. To the friendless he wishes to show true spiritual friends. Those clinging to the realm of the infantile unenlightened condition he wishes to initiate into the teachings of sages. Those clinging to the city of the mundane whirl he wishes to lead away into the city of omniscience.
“Thus, for the salvation of sentient beings, this worthy, ceaselessly pursuing the complete purification of the aspiration for enlightenment, is tireless in mastering the Great Vehicle, never complacent in seeking all means of conveying truth, constantly engaged in fulfilling all the provisions for enlightenment, always bearing the responsibility of clarifying all avenues of truth, carrying out all practices of enlightening beings with vigor, not stopping anywhere, carrying out all vows with unbending effort, meeting all spiritual benefactors without complacence, tireless in attendance on all spiritual benefactors, properly following the advice and instruction of all spiritual benefactors.
“In all the world it is hard to find people who aspire to supreme true enlightenment; it is even harder to find those who set out for supreme true enlightenment, who master the teachings of buddhas with such diligent application, seek the path of enlightening beings with such ardor, purify the practice of enlightening beings with such purposefulness, attend spiritual benefactors with such diligence, follow the knowledge of spiritual benefactors with such urgency, carry out the instructions of spiritual benefactors with such unbending determination, assemble the elements of enlightenment with such correct understanding, be so indifferent to gain, honor, and praise as not to ruin the will appropriate to an enlightening being, seek the Great Vehicle of enlightening beings with such detachment from home and family, comforts, enjoyments, and material goods, and seek omniscience with such indifference to joy and life. Other enlightening beings will not, in millions of eons, attain the fulfillment of the practice and vows of enlightening beings, abide in enlightenment, purify a buddha-land, guide sentient beings, know the reality realm, attain the transcendent ways, extend the network of practices, fulfill the undertakings of vows, transcend the works of demons, develop rapport with spiritual friends, perfect all the practices of enlightening beings, or accomplish the power to carry out the practice of the universally good enlightening being, to the extent that this Sudhana will achieve these things in one lifetime.”
Then Maitreya, having eulogized the true virtues of Sudhana, and thereby strengthened the determination for enlightenment in hundreds of thousands of people, said to Sudhana, “It is good that you have set your mind on supreme perfect enlightenment for the welfare and happiness of all worlds, for the salvation of all beings, for the attainment of all enlightened qualities. You have made a great gain, and your existence amid humanity is indeed welcome. You live the good life among the living and have satisfied the purpose of the emergence of Buddha in the world. You have met the benefactor Manjushri and have made yourself a worthy vessel of truth. You have been nourished with virtues and stabilized on good qualities. You have purified high resolve and good intention. You are minded by all buddhas, and you are in the care of all spiritual friends. By this intent of yours you have developed the determination for supreme perfect enlightenment.
“What is the reason? The determination for enlightenment is the seed of all elements of buddhahood; it is like a field, growing good qualities in all beings; it is like the earth, being a support for all beings; it is like water, washing away all afflictions; it is like wind, unattached to all worlds,; it is like fire, burning up the deadwood of clinging to views; it is like the sun, illumining the abodes of all beings; it is like the moon, fulfilling the sphere of all good qualities; it is like a lamp, pr
oducing spiritual light; it is like an eye, seeing the even and the uneven; it is like a road, leading to the city of omniscience; it is like a passageway, leading away from all wrong paths; it is like a vehicle, carrying all enlightening beings; it is like a door, leading into all the practices of enlightening beings; it is like a mansion, because of determination to abide in concentration; it is like a park, because of experience of spiritual pleasures; it is like a home, protecting all beings; it is like a basis, being the practice of all enlightening beings, it is like a father, protecting all enlightening beings; it is like a mother to all beings; it is like a nurse, protecting in every way; it is like a king, overwhelming the mentality of all individually liberated ones; it is like an overlord, because of the excellence of all vows; it is like the ocean, containing all jewels of virtue; it is like the polar mountain, being impartial toward all beings; it is like the surrounding mountains, being a refuge for all beings; it is like the Himalaya, growing the herb of knowledge; it is like intoxicating fragrance, being the seat of all scents of virtue; it is like the sky, because of the great extent of its virtue; it is like a lotus, unstained by any things of the world; it is like an elephant, patient and noble; it is like a horse of good breed, free from all unruliness; it is like a charioteer, being the driver of the Great Vehicle; it is like medicine, curing the ills of afflictions; it is like a pit, because in it all bad qualities disappear; it is like a thunderbolt, penetrating all things; it is like a chest of incense, producing the aroma of all virtues; it is like a great flower, pleasant to the sight of all beings; it is like cooling sandalwood, cooling off the burning of passion; it is like the moon, pervading the cosmos; it is like the medicine ‘good to see,’ obliterating all ills due to afflictions; it is like an extracting drug, as it extracts the arrows of evil propensities; it is like a chief of gods, because of mastery of all the faculties; it is like the god of wealth, because it puts an end to all poverty; it is like the goddess of beauty, being adorned with all virtues; it is like jewelry, gracing all enlightening beings; it is like the conflagration that ends an eon, burning up all evildoing; it is like medicine for underdevelopment, because it increases the growth of all enlightened qualities; it is like a dragon pearl, repelling the poison of all afflictions; it is like a water-clearing jewel, because it removes all turbidity and pollution; it is like a wish-fulfilling jewel, granting success in all aims; it is like the horn of plenty, fulfilling all wishes; it is like the desire-granting tree, as it showers the ornaments of all virtues; it is like a goose-feather robe, as it does not absorb any of the ills of the mundane whirl; it is like cotton fiber, being soft in nature; it is like a plow, clearing the mind-field of sentient beings; it is like a warrior, striking down the self; it is like an arrow, piercing its target of suffering; it is like power, overcoming its enemy, afflictions; it is like armor, protecting logical thought; it is like a scimitar, cutting off the head of affliction; it is like a sword blade, slashing through the armor of pride, conceit, and arrogance; it is like a razor, slicing off compulsive propensities; it is like the banner of a hero, bringing down the banner of pride; it is like a machete, felling the tree of ignorance; it is like an ax, cutting through the tree of suffering; it is like combat, being a savior from all attacks; it is like hands, protecting the body of the transcendent ways; it is like feet, being the base of all virtue and knowledge; it is like a surgical probe, cleaning away the covering of the sheath of ignorance; it is like an extracting instrument, extracting the thorn of the notion of self; it is like a hoe, dragging away the thorns of propensities; it is like a benefactor, freeing you from the bonds of the mundane whirl; it is like wealth, rejecting all that is useless; it is like a teacher, knowing the way to carry out all enlightening practices; it is like a mine, having inexhaustible blessings; it is like a fountain, having inexhaustible knowledge; it is like a mirror, showing the reflection of all ways into truth; it is like a white lotus, free from defilement; it is like a great river, carrying forth the streams of the ways of transcendence and the ways of integration; it is like the chief water spirit, causing the clouds of the Teaching to shower; it is like the root of life, sustaining the universal compassion of all enlightening beings; it is like the elixir of immortality, bringing you to the deathless realm; it is like an all-encompassing net, taking in all beings who can be guided; it is like health, producing endless health; it is like an antidote to poison, vitiating the poison of desire; it is like a spell, destroying the poison of all folly; it is like wind, removing all barriers and obstacles; it is like an island of jewels, being a mine of the spiritual jewels of all the limbs of enlightenment; it is like a family, producing all good qualities; it is like a home, being the abode of all virtuous qualities; it is like a market, attended by all enlightening ‘merchants’; it is like liquid metal, clearing all obstructions caused by actions and afflictions; it is like a honeybee, filling the stores of provisions for omniscience; it is like a road, whereby all enlightening beings approach the city of omniscience; it is like a vessel, holding all pure qualities; it is like rain, settling the dust of afflictions; it is like a basis, defining the respective stations of all enlightening beings; it is like a magnet, unaffected by individual liberation; it is like a jewel, inherently pure; it is like an emerald, being totally beyond the knowledge of all individual illuminates and worldlings; it is like the drum that sounds the hour, because it wakes up beings sleeping in affliction; it is like still, clear water, being pure; it is like an ornament of the finest gold, obscuring all collections of virtue in the conditioned realm; it is like an enormous mountain, being invulnerable to anything in the triple world; it is like a savior, not abandoning any who take refuge in it; it is like motivation, because it draws you toward your aim; it is like intelligence, because it creates contentment of the heart; it is like sacrifice, because it satisfies all beings; it is like understanding, because it is what is best in the minds of all beings; it is like a treasury, preserving all enlightened qualities; it is like a summary, containing all the practices and vows of enlightening beings; it is like a protector, protecting all beings; it is like a guardian, repelling all evils; it is like the net of Indra, rounding up the titans of afflictions; it is like the snare of the sky god, rounding up the teachable; it is like the fire of Indra, burning up all habitual propensities and afflictions; it is like a monument for the world. In sum, the virtues of the determination for enlightenment are equal to all the qualities and virtues of buddhas. Why? Because it is the source of all the practices of enlightening beings, and from it come all buddhas of past, future, and present. Therefore, whoever has aroused the determination for supreme perfect enlightenment becomes imbued with measureless virtues because of being absorbed by the will for omniscience.
“Just as there is a medicine called ‘fearless’ that prevents five perils—one is not burned by fire, not affected by poison, not wounded by weapons, not swept away by water, not suffocated by smoke—in the same way, an enlightening being who has taken the medicine of the will for omniscience is not burned by the fire of passion, not affected by the poison of objects, not wounded by the weapons of afflictions, not swept away by the torrent of existence, not suffocated by the smoke of false discrimination.
“Just as there is a medicine called ‘liberated’ that frees one from fear of attack, in the same way an enlightening being who has taken the medicine of knowledge of aspiration for enlightenment has no fear of being impinged upon by the mundane whirl.
“Just as there is an herb whose scent repels all poisonous snakes, in the same way the scent of the determination for enlightenment wards off the vipers of afflictions.
The Flower Ornament Scripture Page 203