The Flower Ornament Scripture

 

A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Thomas Cleary

BOOK TEN

 

 

10. An Enlightening Being Asks for Clarification

 

By the power of perceiver and perceived All kinds of things are born;

They soon pass away, not staying, Dying out instant to instant.

 

301

 

 

Then Manjushri asked Chief of the Precious, "All sentient beings equally have four gross physical elements, with no self and nothing pertaining to self-how come there is the experience of pain and pleasure, beauty and ugliness, internal and external goodness,  little sensation and much  sensation? Why do some experience consequences in the present, and some in the future? And all this  while there is no good or bad in the realm of reality." Chief of the Precious answered in verse:

 

 

According to what deeds arc done

Do their resulting consequences come to be; Yet the doer has no existence:

This is the Buddha's teaching.

 

Like a clear mirror,

According to what comes before it, Reflecting forms, each different,

So is the nature of actions.

 

And like a skillful magician Standing at a crossroads Causing many  forms to appear, So is the nature of actions.

 

Like  a   mechanical   robot Able to utter various sounds, Neither self nor not self:

So is the nature of actions.

 

And like different species of birds All emerging from eggs,

Yct their voices not the same:

So is the nature of actions.

 

Just as in the womb

All organs are developed,

Their substance  and features coming from nowhere: So is the nature of actions.

 

302  The Flou,er Ornament Scripture

Also like  being  in  hell­ The various painful things All  come  from  nowhere:

So is the nature of actions.

 

Also like the sovereign king With seven supreme treasures­

Their provenance  cannot be found:

So is the nature of actions.

 

And  as when the various worlds Are burnt by a great conflagration, This fire comes from nowhere:

So docs the nature of actions.

 

 

Then Manjushri asked Chief of the Virtuous, "Since that which the Buddhas realize is but one truth, how is it that they expound countless teachings, manifest countless lands, edify countless beings,  speak in countless languages, appear in countless bodies, know countless minds, demonstrate countless mystic powers, arc able to shake countless worlds, display countless extraordinary adornments, reveal boundless  different realms of objects,   whereas in the essential nature of things   these differ­ ent characteristics cannot be found at all?"  Chief of the Virtuous  an­ swered in verse:

 

 

The meaning of what you   ask Is deep and hard to fathom.

The wise arc able to know it,

Always delighting in Buddha's virtues.

 

Just as the nature of earth is one While beings each live separately,

And the earth has no thought of oneness or difference, So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

-Just as the natu re of fire is one, While able to burn all things

And the flames make no distinction, So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

Just as the ocean is one

With millions of different waves Yct the water is no different:

So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

Afl  Enl(�hten irzp, BeinR Asks for ClarUicatiorz

 

And as the nature of wind is one While able to blow on all things

And wind has no thought of oneness or difference : So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

Also like great thunderheads Raining all over the earth,

The raindrops make no distinctions: So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

Just as the clement earth, while one, Can produce various sprouts,

Yet it's not that the earth is diverse: So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

Just as the sun without clouds overcast Shines  throughout the ten directions, Its  light  beams  having  no  difference:   So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

And just as the moon in the sky Is seen by all in the world

Yct the moon doesn't go to them: So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

Just as the king of the gods

Appears throughout the universe Yct his body has no change:

So is the truth of all Buddhas.

 

303

 

 

Then Manjushri asked the enlightening being Chief in Vision, "Buddhas as fields of blessings arc one and the same to all-how  is it  that  when sentient beings give alms to them, the resulting rewards arc not the same-various forms, various families, various faculties, various property, various masters, various followers , various official positions, various virtuous  qualities,  various  kinds   of  knowledge-and  yet  the  Buddhas arc  impartial  toward  them,  not  thinking  of them  as  different?"  Chief in Vision answered in verse:

 

 

Just as the earth is one

Yet produces sprouts according to the seeds Without partiality toward any of them,

So is the Buddhas ' field of blessings.

 

304  The Flower Ornament Scripture

And just as water is uniform

Yet differs in shape according to the vessel, So is the Buddhas' field of blessings:

It differs only due  to beings' minds.

 

And just as a skilled magician Can make people happy,

So can the Buddhas' field of blessings Cause sentient beings joy.

 

As a king with wealth and  knowledge Can bring gladness to the masses,

So can Buddhas' field of blessings Bring peace and happiness to all .

 

Like a clear mirror

Reflecting images according to the forms, So from Buddhas' field of blessings

Rewards are obtained according to one's heart.

 

Like a panacea

Which can cure all poisoning,

So does Buddhas' field of blessings Annihilate all afflictions.

 

And just as when the sun comes up It illuminates the world,

Thus does Buddhas' field of blessings Clear away all darkness.

 

Like the clear full moon Shining over the earth,

So is Buddhas' field of blessings Equal in all places.

 

Just as a great conflagration Can burn up all things,

So does Buddhas' field of blessings Burn up all fabrication.

 

Just as a violent wind

Can cause the earth to tremble,

So does Buddhas' field of blessings Move all living beings.

 

An Enlightening Being Asks for Clarification      305

Then  Manjushri  asked  Chief in  Effort, "The  Buddhas'  teaching  is one,  which  all  beings  can  see-why  don't  they  all  immediately  cut  off all the bonds of afflictions and win emancipation? Furthermore, in their clusters of material form, clusters of sensation, conception, coordination­ activity, and consciousness, the realms of desire, form, and formlessness, as well as ignorance and craving, they arc no  different-this  is  the Buddha's teaching; why is it of benefit  to  some  and  not  to  others?" Chief in E ffort answered in verse:

 

Listen well and clearly And I will answer truly. Some are quickly freed,

And some can hardly escape.

 

If one wishes   to eliminate The countless faults and ills,

One should work with diligence On the Buddha-teaching.

 

For example, a  little bit of fire

Moisture in the kindling will extinguish; So it is with those who're lazy

About the Buddha-teaching.

 

Just as when  you drill for fire And stop before the fire appears

The heat will immediately disappear: So it is with the indolent.

 

When a man with a magnifying glass Doesn't focus the sun's rays on anything, Fire can never be obtained:

So it is with the lazy.

 

Like when the dazzling sun shines A child shuts its eyes

And complains "Why can't  I see?": So too are the lazy like this .

 

Like a man lacking hands and feet Wanting to shoot all over the earth With arrows made of reeds:

So too arc the lazy ones.

 

Like using a single hair To take the ocean water

 

306  The Flower Omamerzt Scripture

 

Trying to drain the ocean:

So also are the slothful .

 

Like when the con fire flares

Trying  to  put  it  out  with  a  little  water:

So are those who arc lazy About the Buddha's teaching.

 

Like someone who sees space While sitting still, unmoving,

And says he is traveling through it:

So is the lazy one.

 

 

Then Manjushri asked Chief in Doctrine, "According to what the Buddha says,  if any sentient beings accept and hold the true teaching, they can cut off all afflictions .   Why  then arc there those who   accept and hold the true teaching and yet do not cut off afflictions , who go along with anger and resentment, go along  with jealousy  and  stin­ giness, go  along  with  deception  and  flattery,  compelled  by  the  power of these things,  having no  will  to  detach  from  them?  If they  are  able to accept and hold the true teaching, why then do they still produce afflictions in their mental  actions?"  Chief  in Doctrine  answered  in verse:

 

 

Listen well and clearly

To the true meaning of what you   ask. It is not only by much learning

That one can enter the Buddhas' teaching.

 

Like a man floating in water

Who dies of thirst, afraid of drowning: So are those who are learned

Who do not apply the teaching.

 

Like a person skilled in medicine Who can't cure his own disease: So are   those   who   arc   learned But do not  apply the teaching.

 

Like someone counting others' treasures Without half a coin of his own:

So is the one who is learned

Who doesn't practice the teaching.

 

An  E'nlightenin,'?  Bein,�  Asks for  Clarijlcation

Like one who's born in a royal palace Yet who freezes and starves:

So   are   those who   are learned But do not practice the teaching.

 

Like a deaf musician

Who pleases others, not hearing himself: So is the one who is learned

Who does not apply the teaching.

 

Like a blind embroiderer

Who shows others but cannot see: So are those who arc learned

But do not practice the teaching.

 

Like a ship's captain Who dies at sea:

So arc those who arc learned But do not apply the teaching.

 

Like someone on a corner Saying all kinds of fine things,

While having no real inner virtue: So are those who don't practice.

 

307

 

 

Then Manjushri asked Chief in Knowledge, "In the Buddha teaching, knowledge is chief-so why do the Buddhas, in dealing with people, sometimes praise generosity, sometimes praise self-control, sometimes praise tolerance, sometimes praise effort, sometimes praise meditation, sometimes praise wisdom, or again sometimes praise kindness, com­ passion, joy,  and  equanimity,  yet  all  the  while  there  is  ultimately but one truth  whereby  to  attain  emancipation  and  realize  complete perfect enlightenment?" Chief in Knowledge answered in verse:

 

 

Son of Buddha, most rare

Is the ability to know beings'  minds. As for what you ask,

Listen well and I'll explain.

 

Of the past, future, And present guides,

None expounds just  one method To become enlightened.

 

Buddhas know beings' minds, Their natures each different;

According to what they need to be freed, Thus do the Buddhas teach .

 

To the stingy   they   praise giving, To the immoral they praise ethics; To the angry they praise tolerance, To the lazy they praise effort.

 

To those with scattered minds they praise meditative concentration, To the ignorant, they praise wisdom;

To the inhuman, they  praise kindness and sympathy, To the malicious, compassion.

 

To the troubled they praise joy,

To the devious they praise equanimity. Thus practicing step-by-step,

One gradually fulfills all Buddha teachings.

 

It's like first setting up a foundation Then building the room:

Generosity and self-control, like this ,

Arc bases of enlightening beings'  practices.

 

Just like building a castle To protect all the people:

So are tolerance and effort Protecting enlightening beings.

 

And just as a universal monarch Can bestow all felicities :

So can kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity Give enlightening beings happiness.

 

 

Then Manjushri asked Chief in Goodness, "The Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, attain emancipation by means of one path alone;  why then are the things in   the   Buddha-lands   we see now   various   and not the same? That is to say, the worlds, the realms of beings, the teach­ ing and training, the life span and auras of light, the miracles, the congregations, the modes of teaching and doctrinal bases, each have differences , yet all include all the truths of the Buddhas,  whereby complete perfect enlightement is attained." Chief in Goodness answered m verse:

 

An Enlighten ing Being Asks for Clarijlcation

 

Manjushri, truth is always thus:

The Kings of Truth have just one truth. People unhindered by anything,

They leave birth and death by one road.

 

All the Buddha  bodies Arc just one reality-body:

One in mind,  one in wisdom,

The same in power and fearlessness.

 

According to their dedications

When originally starting out for enlightenment, They developed such lands,

Congregations, and teachings.

 

The adornments of all buddha-lands Arc totally complete;

According to differences in beings' actions They seem to be unalike.

 

The buddha-lands and buddha-bodies, The congregations and explanations: Such Buddhist teachings  as  these

No sentient beings can see.

 

When their minds arc purified And their vows fulfilled,

Such illuminated people Then arc able to sec.

 

According to beings'  mental inclinations And the force of the fruits of their deeds, There seem to them   to   be differences; This is due to Buddhas' mystic powers.

 

Buddha-lands have no discrimination, No hatred and no attachment:

But according to beings' minds They seem to have differences .

 

Because of this, in the worlds What is  seen is different:

This is not the fault

Of the enlightened sages.

 

309

 

In all worlds

Those who arc fit to receive the teaching Always see the Hero of humanity:

Such is the Buddhas' teaching.

 

 

Then these enlightening beings  said to Manjushri,   "Son  of Buddha, we have each   spoken   of our understanding.   We   ask   you,   benevolent one,   to usc your wonderful powers   of elucidation to expound  the realm of the enlightened-what is the sphere of the   Buddhas,   what   arc   the causal bases of the sphere of the Buddhas, what arc the methods of liberation in the sphere of the Buddhas,  what are the entries into   the states of the Buddhas,  what is the wisdom in the realm of the Buddhas, what are the laws of the realm of the Buddhas,  what are the explana­ tions   of the states   of the   Buddhas,   what is   the knowledge of the sphere of the Buddhas,  what is the realization of the realm of the Buddhas, what arc the manifestations   of the   states   of the   Buddhas,   what   is the extent of the sphere of the  Buddhas?"  Manjushri  answered  in verse:

 

 

The profound realm of the Buddhas Is equal in extent to space;

All beings enter it,

Yct really nothing's entered.

 

The sublime causes

Of the Buddhas' profound states Could not be fully told

In a billion eons of talk.

 

According to beings' minds and wisdom, Buddhas  lead them  on   and aid them; This is the realm of the Buddhas, Liberating beings this way.

 

Able to enter all lands In the world,

The body of knowledge is formless And cannot be seen by others.

 

The Buddhas' knowledge is free, Unhindered in all times;

This realm  of wisdom Is cquanimous as space.

 

An Enlightening Being Asks for Clarification

 

The realms of beings of the cosmos Ultimately have no distinction; Thoroughly knowing all of them

Is the sphere of the enlightened ones.

 

All languages and sounds There are in the worlds

Buddhas' knowledge can comprehend Without discrimination.

 

Not perceptible to sense consciousness And not the sphere of mind,

Its nature fundamentally pure,

Buddhas' knowledge teaches living beings.

 

Not  action,   not affliction, With no thing and no abode, No looking and no object,

Their realization's  equanimous throughout the world.

 

The minds of all sentient beings In the past,  present, and future, The enlightened, in one instant, Can thoroughly comprehend.

 

311

 

 

Then all the differences in state, actiVIty, realm, body, faculties , birth, results of keeping precepts, results of breaking precepts,  and in resulting lands of all sentient beings in this world Endurance, by the Buddha's  spiritual power all became clearly manifest. In the same  way all these various differences of all sentient beings in the infinite worlds throughout the space of the cosmos  in all directions were all clearly revealed by the Buddha's mystic power.