The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  In one tower he saw Maitreya in a group of dragons and serpents; in another, in a group of goblins and fiends; in another, in a group of titans and demons; in another, in a group of giant serpents; in another, in a group of human chiefs; in another tower, he saw the enlightening being Maitreya in a group of gods, dragons, goblins, fiends, cherubs, titans, birds, minotaurs, serpents, humans, and nonhumans, expounding the Teaching to them.

  In one tower he saw Maitreya in a group of hearers; in another, in a group of individual illuminates; in another, in a group of enlightening beings; in another tower, he saw Maitreya expounding the Teaching to beginning enlightening beings who had just set their minds on enlightenment. In another tower he saw Maitreya extolling the excellences of the stages to those who had undertaken practice; in another, to those who had attained tolerance and were irreversible; in another, to those bound to be enlightened in one lifetime who had attained coronation; in another tower, to enlightening beings in the first stage.

  In another tower he saw Maitreya with enlightening beings in stages up to the tenth, extolling the excellence of all the stages. In another tower he saw Maitreya speaking of the infinity of fulfillment of the transcendent ways; in another, of impartiality in approaching and entering into all studies; in another, of breadth of entry into concentration; in another, of depth of liberation; in another, of pervasion of the realm of higher knowledge of quiescent meditation, concentration, and trance; in another, of entry into the methods of guidance in enlightening practice; in another, of breadth of performance of vows; in another tower he saw Maitreya with a group of enlightening beings engaged in the same practice as he, speaking of the relevance of providing for the welfare and happiness of all beings, of the various arts and sciences to be employed for the benefit of the world.

  In another tower he saw Maitreya with a group of enlightening beings bound to be enlightened in one life, telling them about coronation with the knowledge of all buddhas. In another tower he saw Maitreya perambulating ceaselessly for hundreds of thousands of years; in another, he saw him engaged in recitation; in another, engaged in contemplation of doctrine; in another, engaged in exposition of doctrine; in another, engaged in writing down the Teaching; in another, absorbed in concentration on universal love; in another, absorbed in all the meditations and immeasurables; in another, absorbed in the points of totality and the liberations; in another tower he saw Maitreya absorbed in the practice of bringing forth the higher knowledge of enlightening beings.

  In one tower he saw enlightening beings absorbed in an enlightening concentration which emanated phantoms, and saw multitudes of all kinds of emanations coming from every pore of their bodies. From the pores of some he saw multitudes of celestial hosts emerging; from some he saw multitudes of dragons, goblins, cherubs, titans, birds, minotaurs, serpents, Indras, Brahmas, world guardians, and emperors; from some he saw multitudes of princes; from some he saw multitudes of grandees, ministers, and gentlemen; from some he saw multitudes of hearers, individual illuminates, and enlightening beings; from some he saw multitudes of buddha-bodies; from the pores of some he saw measureless multitudes of phantoms of all sentient beings emerge. He heard various aspects of the Teaching being broadcast from the pores of some of the enlightening beings—teachings of the virtues of enlightening beings, transcendent generosity, discipline, tolerance, vigor, meditation, wisdom, methods, vows, power, knowledge, the means of integration, the immeasurables, concentrations, trance, superknowledge, mystic spells, intellectual powers of analysis and exposition, tranquillity and observation, means of liberation, interdependent origination, the reliances, summarization of teachings, the points of mindfulness, the right efforts, the bases of mystic powers, the religious faculties and powers, the limbs of enlightenment, the paths, explanation of the vehicle of hearers, explanation of the vehicle of individual illuminates, explanation of the Great Vehicle, the stages, tolerances, practices, and vows—in this way he heard voices expressing all the ways into the Teaching being broadcast.

  In another tower he saw gatherings of the audiences of buddhas, as well as the various differences among those buddhas, their different families, the infinite variety of their physical adornments, the variety of their life spans, the differences in their lands and eras, the variety of their teachings, the variety of the outwardness of their projected manifestations, the differences in the duration of their true teachings, and all the differences in their assemblies.

  In the middle of the great tower containing the adornments of Vairocana he saw one tower which was bigger than all the others and arrayed with adornments surpassing all the other towers. In that tower he saw a billion-world universe, in which he saw a hundred million sets of four continents, with a hundred million Jambudvipas and a hundred million heavens of contentment. In those Jambudvipa continents he saw the enlightening being Maitreya being born in a lotus calyx; he also saw Maitreya taking seven steps as Indra and Brahma watched, looking over the ten directions, making the lion roar, showing all the stages of childhood, in the palace, out in the garden, setting out for omniscience, appearing to undertake ascetic practice, finally eating food, going to the site of enlightenment, conquering the devil, awakening to enlightenment, steadily gazing on the tree of enlightenment, being asked by Brahma to teach, and turning the wheel of the teaching, going into the celestial abodes, with various different manifestations of enlightening teaching, using various names of eras in different ways, with various different spans of life, various different arrays of gatherings, with various demonstrations of ways of purification of lands, carrying out various practices and vows, with various structures of teaching used as means to develop and mature all concerned, showing various distributions of relics and bases of maintaining the teachings. And everywhere there Sudhana perceived himself at Maitreya’s feet.

  In all those assemblies, in all the manifestations of works, in the varieties of spans of life, by means of the knowledge based on clear recollection, standing on the ground of knowledge, sure to reach omniscience, Sudhana heard, from all the objects in all those towers, the nets of bells and chimes, the drums and songs, and so on, and from the beings therein, the thunder of inconceivable multitudes of voices. From some he heard of the variety of aspirations for enlightenment; from some, about the variety of offerings to buddhas; from some, about the variety of arrays of buddha-lands; from some, about the infinite variety of teachings of buddhas—thus he heard the voices of all the teachings as they had been expounded in the past.

  He also heard about setting out for omniscience—in such-and-such a land the enlightening being so-and-so aspired to enlightenment, heard such-and-such a teaching, was inspired by the spiritual benefactor so-and-so, went to such-and-such a congregation at the foot of the buddha so-and-so in such-and-such a land in such-and-such an age, planted such-and-such roots of goodness, heard about such-and-such qualities of buddhahood, undertook such-and-such a variety of vows with such-and-such an intention, will realize supreme perfect enlightenment in so many eons after having carried out practice for so many eons, will be named so-and-so, will live so long, in a buddha-land with such-and-such qualities, with such-and-such higher commitments, such-and-such guidance of beings, such-and-such a congregation of disciples, individual illuminates, and enlightening beings, the true teaching to last for so many ages after the death of the Buddha, with such-and-such benefits.

  He heard another voice saying that in such-and-such a world the enlightening being so-and-so makes so many hundreds of difficult sacrifices in the practice of transcendent giving; the enlightening being so-and-so keeps the precepts, cultivates tolerance, acquires vigor, attains meditations, engages in the investigation of wisdom; the enlightening being so-and-so, in search of truth, relinquishes kingship, wealth, family, hands and feet, eyes and head, and practices self-mortification by fire; the enlightening being so-and-so, advanced in the teaching of those who arrive at Thusness, works as a spiritual preacher, giving the gift of religion, performs the service of religion, raise
s the banner of religion, beats the drum and blows the horn of religion, showers the rain of religion, preserves the teaching of the enlightened, adorns monuments to the enlightened, has images of buddhas made, comforts beings, and guards the treasury of truth.

  He heard another voice say that the buddha so-and-so now is in such-and-such a world, currently existing and expounding the Teaching, with such-and-such an initiation, in such-and-such an assembly in such-and-such a land in such-and-such an age, with such-and-such a life span, with such-and-such a doctrine guiding people in such-and-such a way, realizing such-and-such vows.

  In this manner, from each object Sudhana heard articulations of an infinite variety of aspects of the Teaching, and by listening to all those voices he heard those facets of the Teaching with a mind flooded with joy. From some he got facets of mental command; from others, facets of commitment, tolerance, conduct, transcendence, higher perceptions, mystic knowledge, liberation, and concentration.

  He also saw measureless arrays of reflections in the mirrors, reflections of assemblies of buddhas, circles of enlightening beings, congregations of disciples, groups of self-illuminates, defiled lands, pure lands, defiled and pure lands, reflections of all buddhas in one world, worlds with buddhas, small worlds, large worlds, subtle worlds, gross worlds, worlds in the cosmic net of Indra, inverted worlds, level worlds, worlds of hells, animals, and ghosts, worlds full of celestials and humans.

  He also saw countless enlightening beings on the promenades or sitting on their seats, engaged in various activities. Some were walking around, some were doing spiritual exercises, some were practicing observation, some were projecting universal compassion, some were working on various sciences having to do with the welfare of the world, some were instructing, some were reciting, some were writing, some were asking questions, some were engaged in ripening conduct, concentration, and knowledge, some were undertaking vows.

  He saw webs of jewel lights coming from the pillars, some sapphire, some topaz, some ruby, some white, some crystal, some golden, some emerald, some diamond, some rainbow, some the colors of all lights, delightful to the body and mind, supremely pleasant to the eye.

  He also saw the golden statues of women and all the jewel statues with their hands extended downward, holding myriads of flowers, garlands, parasols, banners and pennants, incense and perfume, various jewels on gold strings, various pearl necklaces, garlands of various jewels, holding all kinds of ornaments in their hands. He saw some figures bowing, crowned with jewels, with steady gaze, palms joined, in gestures of respect. He also saw delicate clouds of pure water imbued with all fragrances coming from the pearl necklaces, and saw long streams flowing from the webs of strings of lapis lazuli. He also saw all the jewel parasols embellished with all kinds of ornaments, and he saw the inner chamber adorned with jewel bells, sets of chimes, silk streamers, strings of bells, slivers of jewels, and heaps of various gems. He saw countless superb red, blue, and white lotuses growing in the lotus ponds, some a foot across, some a fathom across, some as big as a wagon wheel; and in them he saw arrays of various figures—figures of women, men, boys, girls, Indra, Brahma, the world guardians, gods, dragons, goblins, cherubs, titans, birds, centaurs, serpents, sages, saints, and enlightening beings—bodies in the forms of all living beings, various in appearance, joining their palms and bowing in gestures of respect. He also saw figures of buddhas adorned with the thirty-two marks of great people, sitting in the lotus posture.

  Also, on the checkerboard lapis-lazuli surface of the ground, he saw inconceivable reflections in each square; here he saw the reflection of a land, there the reflection of a buddha. All the arrays of adornments in those towers he saw reflected in each of the squares.

  Also, in all the flowers, fruits, and buds of the jewel trees he saw golden busts of all kinds of beings—buddhas, enlightening beings, gods, dragons, goblins, cherubs, titans, birds, serpents, Indras, Brahmas, the world guardians, human emperors, princes, grandees, ministers, women, men, boys, girls, monks, nuns, male and female devotees, some with flower garlands hanging from their hands, some with strings of jewels hanging from their hands, some holding all kinds of ornaments, some bowing with their palms joined and gaze steady, paying respect, some singing hymns of praise, some in trance, some with a golden luster, some with a silver luster, some with a frosty luster, some with a sapphire luster, some with a shining jewel luster, some shining with the colors of all jewels, some with a saffron luster, some shining like bodies of light, some with bodies adorned with the marks of greatness.

  From the crescents adorning the towers he saw reflections of countless moons, suns, stars, and planets emerge and illumine the ten directions.

  He also saw the walls of the palatial towers resplendent with checkerboards of all jewels, and in all of the jewel square he saw Maitreya carrying out all the practices of enlightening beings, as he had done while performing enlightening practice in the past: in one square he saw Maitreya giving away his head; in another, giving away clothing; in another, giving away his topknot jewel; in another, giving the crown jewel of truth; in another, giving away his teeth; in another, giving away his tongue; in another, giving away his ears and nose; in another, giving away his heart; in another giving away his marrow and flesh; in another, giving away his blood; in another, giving away his skin; in another, giving away his limbs; in another, giving away his body; in another, giving away his sons, daughters, and wife; in another, giving away heaps of jewels; in another, giving away village, town, city, and country; in another, giving away the continent; in another, giving away four continents; in another, giving away all powers of rulership; in another, giving away the throne; in another, giving away servants; in another, giving away the palace and harem; in another, giving away parks and retreats; in another, giving parasols, banners, and pennants; in another, giving garlands and perfumes; in another, giving medicines; in another, giving all kinds of food and drink; in another, giving all kinds of implements; in another, giving all kinds of furniture, cushions, and shelters; in another, giving precious copper vessels; in another, giving excellent vehicles; in another, freeing those in bondage; in another, freeing the condemned; in another, giving medical care to the young; in another, showing the right path to those on the path of destruction; in another, navigating the rivers as a boatman; in another, as a wonder horse, rescuing people on the isle of demons in the ocean; in another, as a great seer, practicing the sciences; in another, as a ruler, leading people into the paths of righteous conduct; in another, as a physician, engaged in treating the sick; in another, serving his mother and father; in another, listening to spiritual benefactors; in another, in the form of a Buddhist disciple, engaged in teaching people; in another in the form of a self-illuminate, in another in the form of an enlightening being, in another in the form of a buddha, engaged in teaching people; in another, manifesting existence as paragons of types of beings, developing beings to maturity; in another, as a religious preacher expounding experience of the teachings of buddhas, reciting the teachings, reflecting deeply on them, decorating monuments of buddhas, having statues of buddhas made, enjoining people to honor the buddhas, giving out perfumes, making all kinds of offerings to buddhas, leading people into paths of actions based on virtuous ways, directing people to the precepts, to refuge in the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community, to listening to the Teaching, to discussion, recital, and profound contemplation of the Teaching, sitting on the lion seat to talk of the Teaching, revealing the enlightenment of buddhas. Thus Sudhana saw Maitreya’s practices of the six ways of transcendence over countless eons, projected from each of the squares of the checkerboard walls. In one tower he saw magical arrays of all the spiritual benefactors whom Maitreya attended, and he perceived himself in the presence of all those spiritual benefactors, being welcomed and told not to be weary, to behold this wonder of the enlightening being.

  So Sudhana saw these and other inconceivable projections of magnificent scenes from each of the towers and each object in the towe
rs. By the power of unwavering mindfulness, by all-encompassing purity of vision, by unobstructed knowledge of observational skill, by attainment of control over the basis of knowledge of enlightening beings, standing on the ground of knowledge issuing from the perceptions of enlightening beings, he saw this whole endless manifestation of marvelous scenes.

  It was like someone asleep seeing various things in a dream—nice houses and mansions, charming villages, towns, and cities, agreeable clothing, food and drink, or delightful performances of music, song, and dance; or as one might see pleasant parks, gardens, and retreats, trees, rivers, lotus ponds, and mountains, or perceive oneself together with family and friends, or as one might see the ocean, or the polar mountain, or the celestial abodes on the highest mountains, or the whole continent, or perceive oneself to be many miles tall, in which case one would see one’s house and surroundings as enormous; one sees all the elements arrayed together, as if it were daytime, and one does not know the length or brevity of the night, nor realize one is asleep. If one sees oneself in a pleasant situation, one’s body will be at rest, one will be free from torpor and drowsiness, with all attachments removed, feeling great joy and bliss; it will seem to last long—a day, a week, a fortnight, a year, a century, or even more—and when one awakes, one will remember it all. In the same way Sudhana, by the power of the enlightening being, by the knowledge of the collection of dreams that constitutes the world, the notion of smallness gone from his mind, abiding in the immensely vast unobstructed perception of enlightening beings, with the mental scope of enlightening beings, his intellect having entered into the inconceivable wisdom of enlightening beings, saw the whole supernal manifestation, was perfectly aware of it, understood it, contemplated it, used it as a means, beheld it, and saw himself there.