The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  Having heard the name of the enlightening being Universally Good, his practice of enlightenment, the excellence of his vow, the excellence of basing his undertaking on the provisions for enlightenment, the excellence of his expertise in accomplishment, his conduct in the stage of universal good, his preparations for the stages, the excellence of his attainment, the speed of his attainment of the stages, his entry into the stages, his stabilization in the stages, his progress through the stages, his importance in the stages, his mastery of the stages, and his abiding in the stages, Sudhana, eager to see the enlightening being Samantabhadra, Universally Good, sat on a lotus seat of jewels facing the lion throne of the Buddha on the enlightenment site there filled with oceans of diamonds, with a mind as vast as space and free from all attachments, with perception of all lands well developed, with a mind having transcended all barriers and clingings, with a mind unimpeded, in the realm of nonobstruction in the midst of all things, with a mind freely pervading everywhere without hindrance, with a pure mind entering the realm of omniscience, with a well-ordered mind purified by observing the ornaments of the site of enlightenment, with a broad mind immersed in the ocean of all enlightened teachings, with a vast mind pervading all realms of beings to guide them to perfection, with an immeasurable mind purifying all buddha-lands, with an infinite mind reflected in the circles of all buddhas, abiding indefatigably for all ages, until the ultimate realization of the power, expertise, and unique qualities of all buddhas.

  Furthermore, to Sudhana, engaged in these meditations, there appeared ten signs prefiguring the vision of the enlightening being Universally Good, by virtue of the empowerment of all buddhas having nourished his past roots of goodness, and by virtue of having past roots of goodness equivalent to those of the enlightening being Universally Good. What were those ten signs? All buddha-lands were purified by purification with the adornments of the sites of enlightenment of all buddhas. All buddha-lands were purified by removal of all evils and miserable states and conditions inopportune for enlightenment. All buddha-lands were purified by purification of buddha-lands with arrays of spiritual lotus ponds. All buddha-lands were purified by cooling and refreshing the bodies and minds of all beings. All buddha-lands were purified by becoming made of jewels. All buddha-lands were purified by all the beings becoming adorned with the marks and embellishments of greatness. All buddha-lands were purified by formation of masses of all adornments. All buddha-lands were purified by all the beings becoming kind, benevolent, and friendly to each other. All buddha-lands were purified by becoming arrayed with the adornments of sites of enlightenment. All buddha-lands were purified by all the beings becoming consciously absorbed in mindfulness of Buddha. These ten signs appeared foreshadowing the vision of the great enlightening being Universally Good.

  After that, ten great lights appeared, foreshadowing the manifestation of the great enlightening being Universally Good. What were the ten? In each atom of all worlds the network of all buddhas shone. The auras of light of all buddhas emanated from each atom of all worlds, with hundreds of thousands of various colors, and pervaded the whole cosmos. Clouds of jewels manifesting reflections of all buddhas emanated from each atom of all worlds and pervaded the cosmos. Multitudes of circles of flames of all buddhas emanated from each atom of all worlds and pervaded the cosmos. Multitudes of all kinds of fragrant flowers, garlands, perfumes, and incenses emanated from each atom of all worlds and pervaded the cosmos radiating the light of the enlightening being Universally Good. Multitudes of lamps in the forms of all beings emanated from each atom of all worlds and pervaded the cosmos. Multitudes of figures of light beams in the forms of the bodies of all buddhas emanated from each atom of all worlds and pervaded the cosmos showing the basic vows of all buddhas. Oceans of multitudes of reflections of enlightening beings of all forms and appearances, representations of phantom bodies of all beings, fulfilling the wishes of all beings, emanated from each point of all worlds and pervaded the cosmos. These ten great lights appeared foreshadowing the manifestation of Universally Good.

  Then Sudhana, having seen these ten foreshadowing lights, had the opportunity to see the enlightening being Universally Good, supported by the power of his own roots of goodness, a living manifestation of all buddha-teachings, empowered by all buddhas, immersed in the vows of the enlightening being Universally Good, in the presence of the realm of all buddhas, having the power of certainty of the lofty realm of enlightening beings, perceiving the attainment of the light of omniscience in the sight of the enlightening being Universally Good, his senses directed toward vision of the enlightening being Universally Good, flooded with great energy for the vision of the enlightening being Universally Good, striving unremittingly in the search for the enlightening being Universally Good, with the sphere of his senses turned to all directions, with the body of an enlightening being entering the sphere of the eye of universal good, with a mind directed toward all buddhas and aware of the enlightening being Universally Good in the presence of all buddhas, with a will seeking unremittingly for the enlightening being Universally Good, inwardly perceiving the vision of the enlightening being Universally Good in all objects, with the eye of knowledge on the path of the enlightening being Universally Good, with a mind as vast as space, with a powerful resolve supported by indestructible universal compassion, with a vow to accompany the enlightening being Universally Good throughout all time, with purity of manner equally following the practice of the enlightening being Universally Good, abiding in knowledge based on the state of the enlightening being Universally Good, dwelling in the sphere of all those who realize Thusness, he saw the enlightening being Universally Good sitting on a lion seat in the calyx of a great jewel lotus in front of Vairocana Buddha, the perfectly enlightened one, in an ocean of enlightening beings, his body standing out among the whole assembly, unexcelled by any worldlings, looking over all the enlightening beings, his knowledge endless, his range insuperable, his sphere inconceivable, having arrived at equality of past, present and future and attained equality with all buddhas.

  He saw clouds of light rays as numerous as atoms in all buddha-lands emanate from each of Universally Good’s pores and illumine all worlds throughout the space of the cosmos, relieving the pain of all beings. He saw as many auras of light as atoms in all buddha-lands emanate from Universally Good’s body, increasing the ecstasy of all enlightening beings. He saw clouds of fragrant flames of various colors emanate from Universally Good’s head and pores, pervading the audiences of all buddhas and showering on them. He saw as many clouds of all kinds of flowers as atoms in all buddha-lands emanate from each of Universally Good’s pores, filling the audiences of all buddhas and showering on them. He saw as many clouds of all kinds of fragrant trees as atoms in all buddha-lands emanate from each of Universally Good’s pores, adorning all universes throughout space with fragrant trees budding with inexhaustible aromatic powders and oils, showering on the audiences of all buddhas. He saw clouds of all kinds of cloth emanate from every pore, covering all universes throughout space and decorating them. He saw clouds of streamers, ornaments, strings of pearls, and wish-fulfilling jewels, numerous as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore, filling the assemblies of all buddhas and showering on them to fulfill the wishes of all beings. He saw clouds of jewel trees, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore, filling all universes in space, adorning them with blooming jewel trees and showering great rains of jewels on the audiences of all buddhas. He saw multitudes of embodiments of celestial beings, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore, filling all worlds praising the enlightening being. He saw multitudes of phantom embodiments of the celestial beings in all the brahma-worlds emanate from every pore, asking the enlightened buddhas to turn the wheel of the teaching. He saw multitudes of embodiments of all the celestials in the realm of desire emanate from every pore, receiving the cycles of teaching of all buddhas. He saw multitudes of all buddha-lands of past, present, and future, as many as a
toms in all buddha-lands, emanate from each pore in each mental moment, pervading all universes throughout space as places of rest, salvation, and refuge for beings with no place of rest, no savior, no refuge. He saw multitudes of all buddha-lands, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, filled with congregations of inspired enlightening beings, emanate from every pore, pervading all universes throughout space, conducive to the purification of beings of lofty resolve. He saw multitudes of pure lands with defilement, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore in each moment of thought, pervading all universes throughout space, conducive to the purification of defiled beings. He saw multitudes of defiled lands with mental purity, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore in each moment of thought, pervading all universes throughout space, conducive to the purification of wholly defiled beings. He saw multitudes of embodiments of all enlightening beings, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore in each instant of consciousness, pervading all universes throughout space, adapting to the conduct of all beings and developing all beings to supreme perfect enlightenment. He saw multitudes of embodiments of enlightening beings, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanate from every pore in each mental moment, pervading all universes throughout space, invoking the names of all buddhas in order to increase the roots of goodness of all beings. He saw multitudes of embodiments of enlightening beings, as many as atoms in all buddha-lands, emanating from every pore, pervading all universes throughout space, in all buddha-lands presenting the accomplishment of all roots of goodness of all enlightening beings, from the first arousal of the aspiration for enlightenment. He saw as many multitudes of enlightening beings as atoms in all buddha-lands emanate from every pore, in each and every buddha-land illustrating the oceans of vows of all enlightening beings for the perfection of the practice of universally good enlightening beings. He saw as many clouds of practices of the enlightening being Universally Good as atoms in all buddha-lands emanate from every pore, raining showers fulfilling the wishes of all beings, increasing the flood of joy of attainment of omniscience. He also saw as many clouds of perfect enlightenment as atoms in all buddha-lands emanating from every pore, showing perfect enlightenment in all buddha-lands, increasing the great spiritual energy of attainment of omniscience.

  Then Sudhana, having seen this manifestation of Universally Good’s mystic power, happy, fulfilled, enraptured, uplifted, delighted, joyful, contemplated the body of Universally Good further and saw, from every part of his body and every pore, the billionfold world, with its masses of air, earth, and fire, its oceans, continents, rivers, jewel mountains, polar mountains, peripheral mountains, villages, cities, towns, communities, districts, forests, dwellings, populations, hells, animal realms, underworlds, realms of titans, dragons, birds, humans, and celestials, realms of desire, formless realms, its bases, foundations, and forms, its clouds, lightning, stars, nights, days, and fortnights, half years and years, intermediate eons and eons. And as he saw this world, in the same way he saw all the worlds to the east, and as in the east he saw all the worlds in all directions, in the south, west, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, the nadir and the zenith. By way of reflections he saw the emergence of all buddhas, along with their circles of enlightening beings, as well as other beings, and he saw the succession of all worlds in past eons in this world, all that in one mark of greatness of the body of Universally Good—the emergence of all the buddhas, the circles of enlightening beings, the sentient beings, the abodes, the days and nights, the ages. In the same way he also saw all the buddha-lands of the future. And just as he saw the succession of past and future worlds in this world, in the same way he saw the successions of all past and future worlds in all worlds in the ten directions, through each mark of greatness and each pore on the body of the enlightening being Universally Good, all in perfect order, not mixed up with one another.

  And just as he saw the enlightening being Universally Good sitting on a jewel lotus calyx lion seat before Vairocana Buddha displaying this miracle, likewise he saw him displaying the same miracle in the world Padmashri of Bhadrashri Buddha in the east; and as in the east, he also saw the enlightening being Universally Good sitting on a jewel lotus calyx lion seat in the presence of all buddhas in all worlds everywhere displaying this same miracle, and from each individual body of Universally Good he saw all objects of past, present, and future appearing in reflections, and likewise saw all lands, all beings, all buddhas emerging, and all congregations of enlightening beings appearing as reflections; and he heard the voices of all beings, the voices of all buddhas, the turning of the wheel of teaching of all buddhas, the presentation of all advice and instruction, the attainments of all enlightening beings, and the mystic powers of all buddhas.

  Having seen and heard this inconceivable miracle of the enlightening being Universally Good, he attained ten states of consummation of knowledge. What were these ten? He attained the state of consummation of knowledge physically pervading all buddha-lands in a moment of thought. He attained the state of consummation of holistic knowledge going to the presence of all buddhas. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge serving all buddhas. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge asking about the Teaching and receiving answers from each and every buddha. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge of meditation on the cycles of teaching of all buddhas. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge of the inconceivable miracles of buddhas. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge to expound one expression of truth forever by means of inexhaustible specific knowledge of all truths. He attained the state of consummation of direct knowledge of the ocean of all truths. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge of all principles of the realm of reality. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge to live together with the thoughts of all beings. He attained the state of consummation of knowledge of instantaneous direct witness of the practice of the enlightening being Universally Good.

  To Sudhana, who had realized these states of consummate knowledge, Universally Good extended his right hand and laid it on his head. With Universally Good’s hand on Sudhana’s head, as many concentrations as atoms in all buddha-lands entered into Sudhana, and by each concentration he entered into as many oceans of worlds as atoms in all buddha-lands; as many hitherto unseen provisions for omniscience as atoms in all buddha-lands accrued to him; as many origins of elements of omniscience as atoms in all buddha-lands became manifest to him; he rose up for as many great undertakings for omniscience as atoms in all buddha-lands; he entered into as many oceans of vows as atoms in all buddha-lands; he went forth on as many emancipating paths of omniscience as atoms in all buddha-lands; he was involved in as many practices of enlightening beings as atoms in all buddha-lands; he was boosted by as many floods of omniscience as atoms in all buddha-lands; he was illumined by as many lights of knowledge of all buddhas as atoms in all buddha-lands.

  Just as in this world, in the presence of Vairocana Buddha, the enlightening being Universally Good extended his right hand and laid it on Sudhana’s head, in the same way Universally Good sitting at the feet of all buddhas in all worlds extended his right hand and laid it on Sudhana’s head. In the same way, sitting at the feet of all buddhas in all worlds within the atoms of all worlds Universally Good extended his right hand and laid it on Sudhana’s head. And just as facets of truth entered Sudhana as he was touched by the hand of Universally Good at the feet of Vairocana Buddha, likewise facets of truth entered Sudhana in various ways as he was touched by the multitudes of hands extended from the bodies of all the Universally Goods.

  Then the great enlightening being Universally Good said to Sudhana, “Did you see my mystical projection?”

  Sudhana said, “I saw, noble one. But only a buddha could understand such an inconceivable mystical projection.”

  Universally Good said, “I practiced for as many eons as atoms in untold buddha-lands, seeking the mind of omniscience, and in each i
mmense eon I associated with as many buddhas as atoms in untold buddha-lands, to purify the aspiration for enlightenment. And in each immense eon I made great sacrifices, giving away everything, announced in all worlds, fulfilling all beings, storing virtue for omniscience. And in each immense eon I made as many great sacrifices as atoms in untold buddha-lands, extreme sacrifices, seeking the qualities of omniscience. And in each immense eon I gave up my body untold numbers of times, and I gave up kingships, villages, cities, towns, counties, and communities, and I gave up dearly beloved companions, so hard to give up, and I gave up spouses and children. I gave away the flesh of my own body and gave blood from my own body to beggars, and I gave away my bones and marrow. I gave away my limbs, my ears and nose, my eyes and tongue, caring only for buddha-knowledge and not for my physical life. In each immense eon I gave away as many of my own bodies as atoms in untold buddha-lands, seeking from my own bodies the unsurpassed head of omniscience which rises beyond all worlds. And as I did in each immense eon, so also did I do in oceans of great eons as numerous as atoms in untold buddha-lands. In each immense eon I honored and served as many buddhas as atoms in untold buddha-lands, providing food and clothing, shelter, furniture, medicine, and other necessities. And I went forth into the tutelage of each buddha, applied the instructions of all buddhas, and I hold their Teaching.