The Flower Ornament Scripture

by Thomas Cleary

  Also, there is a kind of sandalwood whose essence will protect people from burning by fire. This represents the abode of preparing the ground, in which the body of discipline is anointed with the principle of essencelessness so that it can enter the fire of the three poisons without being burned.

  In the ocean there is a fragrance called invincible, which, when painted on drums, causes even brave opponents to retreat on hearing the sound of the drums; this represents the development of acceptance of reality in the abode of practical cultivation, causing evils to withdraw spontaneously.

  Ten kinds of fragrance are mentioned, representing the ten abodes; by combining the two aspects of the ten abodes and ten practices—the absolute and the mundane, knowledge and compassion—causing them to be free, the method of dedication is created.

  Because this dedication first enters the ocean of great compassion, one might leave out the awareness of knowledge; so ten fragrances are used to symbolize the principle of the ten abodes. Because one principle contains all the principles, this is represented by compounding fragrance.

  22. VAIRA

  Then Sudhana went to the city of Kutagara, saw the mariner Vaira, and realized indestructible dedication.

  Kutagara is called the City of High Houses, the high houses representing knowledge. Vaira is called Independent, because he used natural discipline and great compassion to go into the ocean of birth and death while remaining free.

  Vaira is represented as a mariner, for he was like a ship that does not stay on the near shore, does not stay on the farther shore, and does not stay in midstream, but carries people across. He ferried people over the ocean of birth and death by means of myriad principal and satellite practices within discipline, so he was seen on the seashore surrounded by hundreds of thousands of merchants.

  Being profoundly calm and unshakable in the middle of the ocean of birth and death, Vaira said he knew all the treasure islands in the ocean.

  Knowledge of the locations of precious substances refers to the empty and nonempty matrices of enlightenment. Knowledge of categories of precious substances refers to countless natural virtues. Knowledge of types of precious substances refers to the realization of buddha-nature. Knowledge of precious vessels refers to understanding of beings’ faculties. Extraction of precious substances refers to setting up teachings according to faculties in order to bring out knowledge and virtue.

  Part of the enlightening beings of the pure lands are free like dragons; when purity and pollution have not been forgotten, this is the danger zone of the dragon abodes. Listeners can empty the three poisons; this is the danger zone of demons. Conditional illuminates dwell in the ocean of nirvana, so buddha-knowledge does not appear; this is the danger zone of goblins. Since the ocean of birth and death becomes a way of access to the real universe, Vaira said he avoided all such danger zones.

  Knowing whirlpools, depths, and shallows refers to knowing the workings of craving, grasping, and becoming. The ranges of ocean waves refer to the quantity of thoughts in emotive consciousness. The good and bad colors of the waters refer to the joy and anger of the clinging mind.

  Vaira also knew the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, meaning that he understood the mysterious signs of yin and yang in the world and used this to help people. It also represents the methods and guidelines for developing maturity according to faculties by different teachings and practices.

  Vaira also knew about the soundness of ship hulls and how well their machinery worked, emblematic of his knowledge of the degree of maturity of faculties and capacities, of whether or not people’s minds were transformed, and of whether or not they could enter birth and death.

  Vaira brought merchants to treasure islands so that they could collect jewels, then brought them back to the continent; this symbolizes passing through the various ranks and their teachings, and then, when the ten stages are fulfilled, in the eleventh stage going back to live as before in the ocean of birth and death to carry out the practice of Universal Good.

  Vaira said he had attained practice characteristic of great compassion, meaning that the natural discipline of great compassion is indestructible.

  23. JAYOTTAMA

  Then Sudhana went to Nandihara, saw the eminent Jayottama, and realized the dedication equal to all buddhas.

  Nandihara was called the City of Happiness because the eminent grandee Jayottama skillfully settled people’s affairs and because he skillfully examined truths, to the delight of the people.

  Jayottama was called Supreme Victor because of the supremacy of his practice of patience. He was seen in a grove of “sorrowless” trees east of the city lecturing to a group of innumerable businessmen and city elders: east of the city symbolizes development of goodness by knowledge; the grove of “sorrowless” trees represents protection from anxiety through patience; the businessmen symbolize exchanging ignorance for knowledge, bad for good; the city elders represent education of the populace by means of virtue.

  Jayottama said he knew the pure method of cultivating enlightening practices everywhere, because the practice of dedication equal to all buddhas reaches everywhere.

  The reason these last three teachers are lay people is to represent dedication directed from the absolute to the mundane.

  24. SINHAVIJURMBHITA

  Then Sudhana went to the city of Kalingavana in the land of Shronaparanta, saw the nun Sinhavijurmbhita, and realized dedication reaching all places.

  The land was called Brave, the city called Struggle, emblematic of energetically entering the ordinary world to stop the struggle between the two views of absolute and mundane, pure and defiled.

  Sinhavijurmbhita was called Lion Stretch to symbolize the tirelessness of her practice of kindness. She is portrayed as a nun because in this rank, like the fourth abode and fourth stage, one leaves the bonds of the world and is born in the family of the enlightened. Her mendicancy represents patience by abandonment of superficial adornments, and her femaleness represents kindness.

  She was in the park of the king Victorious Light. Kingship symbolizes knowledge; this means that in this rank of energy and diligence one combines patience, knowledge, and kindness to comprehend the practices of the five ranks in one spiritual realm.

  The park was magnificently adorned, illustrating environmental perfection as a result of spiritual development. Sudhana saw the nun sitting on various seats lecturing to various groups, symbolizing her integrative educational activities, including those in all the stages up to the eleventh, which borders on buddhahood.

  This is the teaching of the infinite cosmic network, in which one rank pervades all ranks, and each rank pervades the spiritual cosmos, all refining one another, forming fifty-three teachings and one hundred and ten cities as a totality, as individually distinct, as the same, as different, as integrated, and as disparate, all freely interacting.

  25. VASUMITRA

  Then Sudhana went to the land of Durga, saw the woman Vasumitra, and realized dedication of infinite stores of virtue.

  This woman was settled in a polluted, fearsome realm, making it hard for people to believe in her; so the land was called Danger. By means of meditation she entered into defiled realms and turned them all into spheres of knowledge; by virtue of great compassion she remained in the ordinary world, and by virtue of knowledge she remained unaffected, so her city was called City of Jewel Arrays.

  The name Vasumitra means “Friend of the World,” meaning that she was a teacher and friend to people. Her femaleness represents being in the absolute without being absorbed by it, while being in the midst of bondage without being affected by it. She gave the appearance of impassioned behavior, yet her heart was dispassionate. She appeared to be a woman, yet in ultimate reality one is neither male nor female; she is just portrayed as a female to represent the compassion of the real universe.

  In the realm of the magic of knowledge of Universal Good one’s own body is like a magical effect, the world is like a projected image; with no mind influen
ced by objects, there are no objects that can influence the mind. The mind having no nature of its own, objects are also basically nonexistent. This is inconceivable to common sense and inaccessible to the folly and confusion of subjective views. It is necessary that knowledge penetrate the true source and that practice match the real universe before one can embody this Way.

  This woman was living in her house north of the town square; this means that the dangerous road of folly in the long night of birth and death is the house of enlightening beings, and that they have no other house.

  Vasumitra said she had attained the liberation of ultimate dispassion, because by means of the supreme knowledge of the real universe she lived in the midst of pollution without becoming defiled. One attains the joy of meditation just by believing in this, so Vasumitra said that anyone who looked at her became free from desire and attained absorbing joy. Because insight produced from concentration understands the nature of sound, she said that anyone who conversed with her for a while attained mastery of sound.

  Vasumitra went on to speak of holding her hand, getting up on her couch, gazing at her, embracing her, and kissing her. Holding her hand means seeking salvation. Getting up on her couch means ascendancy of formless knowledge. Gazing at her means seeing truth, embracing her means not departing from it. Kissing her means receiving instruction.

  This illustrates how all who come near enter a door of total knowledge, unlike those who only seek to get out of bondage and do not arrive at the ultimate dispassion—supreme knowledge of the real universe that remains in the polluted world without being defiled, freely helping the living, neither bound nor freed.

  Vasumitra also said that in the time of a past buddha, Manjushri had fostered her inspiration to enlightenment; and that upon her inspiration with the thought of enlightenment she had distributed all of her wealth and thereby attained this liberation. The encouragement of Manjushri represents producing concentration from knowledge, the wealth represents the ability of concentration to permeate everything totally.

  Inspiration with the thought of enlightenment is detachment from lust, giving of wealth is detachment from greed. A single coin may not be much money, but if the mentality of ability to give up what is valued is the same as when giving a lot of money, then this is what is called infinite stores of virtue.

  26. VESHTHILA

  Then Sudhana went to Shubhaparamgama, saw the householder Veshthila, and realized dedication adaptively stabilizing all roots of goodness.

  Veshthila is called the Embracer, illustrating the vastness of his knowledge and wisdom, which embraced all things. This layman had before him a shrine where there was placed a sandalwood throne without an icon on it; the idea is to illustrate how buddhas and sentient beings have no sign of origination and destruction, using the shrine with the sandalwood throne as a device to indicate this symbolically, to inform us that our own essence and manifestations are like the original formless Buddha on the throne.

  When you understand that essence is spacelike and find that appearances are like projections, you open up enlightened knowledge and vision; then there is no beginning and no end, no present and no past. Thus Veshthila said that when he opened the shrine he attained liberation without complete extinction, absorbed in the infinity of the lineages of buddhas.

  27. AVALOKITESHVARA

  Then Sudhana went to Mount Potalaka, saw the enlightening being Avalokiteshvara, and realized dedication according to all sentient beings.

  Potalaka is a mountain where many small white flowers grow; this represents the modesty and compassionate behavior of the enlightening being.

  Avalokiteshvara represents living in the ocean of birth and death, helping beings compassionately. This is one of the three laws that make up the virtues of Vairocana, the Illuminator Buddha; the other two are the subtle principle of the spiritual body represented by Manjushri and the myriad acts of the body of knowledge represented by Samantabhadra.

  Avalokiteshvara lives on a mountain of little white flowers to show people they should not do even a little wrong and should not abandon even a little good.

  Sudhana saw Avalokiteshvara on a plateau on the west side of the mountain, which was adorned with shining springs and streams, thick woods, and soft fragrant plants spiraling to the right covering the ground. West is the direction associated with killing and punishment, meaning a place calling for the practice of compassionate education. The great compassion of the enlightening being is paramount, intent on the benefit of beings and not dwelling on personal rewards, so he lives in the material world of sentient beings, represented by the mountainside. The springs and streams represent the clear shining of the heart of compassion, the woods represent the dense shade of works of kindness. The fragrant plants represent fine words that please people, while spiraling to the right symbolizes sentient beings going along with the teaching.

  Sudhana saw Avalokiteshvara sitting on a diamond boulder, surrounded by countless enlightening beings sitting on jewel rocks. This symbolizes adamantine knowledge going along with compassion, their subtle functions meshing without disturbance.

  The enlightening being said he had perfected liberation of great compassionate action, showing how Avalokiteshvara represents the universal compassion of buddhas of all times. Therefore from here on, even to the tenth stage, all levels are associated with great compassion, but in this rank one enters the ordinary world and great compassion becomes fulfilled; so Avalokiteshvara says he has perfected it.

  Then the enlightened being Ananyagamin came from the sky and stood atop the mountain range surrounding the world, causing the earth to quake and radiate light so brilliant it obscured the lights of all the celestial bodies. Ananyagamin came from the sky because true knowledge has no resting place. The surrounding mountains are the deluded attachments of sentient beings to conditioned realms; the earthquakes represent the disappearance of delusion on the appearance of knowledge. The light outshining the sun, moon, and stars is the light of uncontaminated knowledge that cannot be reached by the lights resulting from worldly actions. Ananyagamin coming to where Avalokiteshvara was represents great knowledge coming back to compassion.

  28. ANANYAGAMIN

  Then Sudhana saw the enlightening being Ananyagamin and realized dedication characteristic of true Thusness.

  As knowledge and compassion are not two separate entities, Ananyagamin, called He Who Proceeds Directly, was also on the mountain of little white flowers, the same as Avalokiteshvara.

  Ananyagamin said he had come from the East, from a world pregnant with subtle marvels, where he had associated with a buddha born of universal light, and thus attained liberation enabling him to speed forth in all directions.

  One’s own treasury of knowledge of subtle inner designs is always producing without producing anything—this is the eastern world pregnant with subtle marvels.

  From fundamental knowledge are produced differentiated magical knowledge-bodies, which echo throughout the ten directions without traveling in essence; this is the liberation enabling one to speed forth in all directions, attained in the company of a buddha transcending all.

  It had already been eons since Ananyagamin had left that world, and in each instant he took as many steps as atoms in untold buddha-fields, with each step passing as many buddha-fields as atoms in untold buddha-fields, honoring each of the buddhas in those fields with subtle offerings.

  Because the essence of knowledge is inherently omnipresent and all-inclusive, it extends without actually speeding, transcending sensual or intellectual assessments; therefore Ananyagamin passed so many buddha-fields in a single instant of thought. By the unfabricated seal of knowledge he mastered the magical function of acts, so that they succeeded effortlessly, becoming subtle offerings.

  29. MAHADEVA

  Then Sudhana went to Dvaravati, saw the celestial Mahadeva, and realized dedication without bondage or attachment.

  Dvaravati means “Having a Door,” the name of the place deriving from the fact
that in the rank of teacher there is a great door of truth that opens up to enlighten sentient beings.

  Mahadeva (“The Great God”) had knowledge like the celestials, showing signs of good and evil, rewarding and punishing in a timely manner, always responding spiritually to myriad beings, yet without deliberate contrivance. This is why he is portrayed as a celestial spirit. All nature spirits are reflections of enlightening beings, beyond the psychic power of mundane ghosts.

  Mahadeva extended four hands, brought water from the four oceans, and washed his face. This symbolizes using the four integrative methods to receive sentient beings with careful consideration.

  Mahadeva said he had attained “cloud net” liberation, showering teaching as rain from clouds of great compassion and rescuing sentient beings as with a net.

  Mahadeva manifested heaps of gold, silver, and jewels, then gave them to Sudhana for him to practice giving to others. This illustrates how the function of acts is inexhaustible with the magical great compassion born of uncontrived knowledge.

  30. STHAVARA

  Then Sudhana saw the earth goddess Sthavara at the site of enlightenment and realized infinite dedication equal to the cosmos.

  In this rank, the five realities of enlightenment, inner design, knowledge, kindness, and compassion are united into one and all fulfilled as the site of enlightenment.

  Because kindness and compassion underlie and produce the various teachings and methods, supporting and nurturing living beings, Sthavara is represented as an earth goddess.

  The sky god Mahadeva represented the subtle function of pure knowledge; this earth goddess represents the substance of great compassion. The substance is always functioning yet always tranquil, so the earth goddess is called Stable.

  Sky moves, earth is still; this symbolizes the protection and support of knowledge and compassion.

  Sudhana saw Sthavara with a million earth goddesses, all radiating light and causing the earth to tremble; this illustrates how compassion and knowledge are completely fulfilled at this point, so habits that defile purity disappear.