The Flower Ornament Scripture

 

A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Thomas Cleary

BOOK TWENTY

 

20. Eulogies in the Palace of the Suyama Heaven

 

 

THEN, DUE TO THE SPIRITUAL FORCE  of the  Buddha,  a  great  enlighten­ ing being from each of the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening  beings   as  atoms  in  a  buddha-land,  came  from  beyond as many lands as atoms in a hundred  thousand buddha-lands,  and gathered in an assembly. The names of those great enlightening beings were:  Forest  of Virtues;  Forest  of  Wisdom;  Forest  of Victory;  Forest of Fearlessness; Forest of Conscience; Forest of Energy; Forest of Power; Forest of Practice; Forest of Awareness;  Forest of Knowledge. The lands which these enlightening beings came from were called: Intimate Wisdom; Symbolic Wisdom; Jewel Wisdom; Supreme Wisdom; Lamp Wisdom; Adamantine Wisdom; Peaceful Wisdom; Sun Wisdom; Clear Wisdom; Pure Wisdom. These enlightening beings  had  each purely  cultivated  religious practice in  the  company of a  Buddha; the names of those Buddhas were: Eternal Eye; Invincible Eye; Nondwelling Eye; Imperturbable Eye; Divine Eye; Eye of Liberation; Eye Comprehending Truth; Eye Understanding Forms; Supreme Eye; Violet Eye.

Having  come  to the  Buddha,  these enlightening   beings   bowed   at the Buddha 's feet, then each made jewel bank lion seats in their respective   directions    and   sat   thereupon.    As   in   this   world   enlighten­ in g beings gathered this way in the Suyama heaven, so did this also take place in all worlds; the names of the enlightening bein gs, their worlds, and the  Buddhas  they associated  with,  were all  the san1e.

Then the World Honored One emanated from the top of his feet ten trillion beams  of light of wonderful hues,  illumining the ten directions; the Buddhas and congregations in the palaces of the Suyama heavens in all worlds were made clearly   visible.   Then   the   Enlightening   being Forest of Virtues,  imbued with power from the   Buddha,  looked   over the ten directions and said in verse,

44 1

 

442  The Flower Ornamazt Scripture

 

Buddha emanates great light Illumining the ten directions;

All sec the Honored One of heaven and earth Freely, without obstruction.

 

Buddha sits in the Suyama palace

Yet pervades all worlds in the cosmos; This phenomenon is most extraordinary, Wondercd at by the world.

 

The king of the Suyama  heaven Has praised ten Buddhas in verse; What is seen in this assembly

Is all the same everywhere.

 

Those groups of enlightening beings All have the same names as ours:

In every place in the ten directions

They expound the unsurpassed teaching.

 

The worlds from which they  come Arc also the same  in name as ours:

Each of them have, with their Buddhas, Perfected religious practice.

 

The names of each of those Buddhas Are also the same as of ours;

Their countries are rich and happy, Their spiritual powers are autonomous.

 

Everywhere in the ten directions They think the Buddha's there; Some see him in the human world, Some sec him in heaven.

 

The Buddha  abides everywhere In all the various lands:

Wc now see the Buddha In this celestial court.

 

He made a vow of enlightenment

That extended to every world in the cosmos; This is why Buddha's power

Pervades all inconceivably.

 

Euloc�;? ies  it�  the  Palace  of the  Suyama  Heaven

 

Leaving behind worldly desires He fulfilled boundless virtue;

Therefore he gained spiritual power And is seen by all beings.

 

He traverses all worlds in the cosmos Like space, with no obstruction;

One body, infinite bodies: His form cannot be grasped.

 

Buddha's virtues arc boundless; How could they be measured? Neither  abiding   nor   leaving, He permeates the cosmos.

 

443

 

 

 

Then the enlightening being Forest of Wisdom, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

The great leader of the world,

Supreme honored one, free from defilement, Is hard to get to meet

Even in countless cons.

 

Buddha emits great light Visible to all the world;

Preaching extensively for the multitudes, He benefits all living beings.

 

Buddha appears in the world Removing the darkness of ignorance; Such a lamp of the world

Is rare and hard to get to behold.

 

Having cultivated generosity, self-control, and patience, Diligence and meditation,

And ultimate transcendent wisdom, With them he lights the world .

 

The Buddha has no peer;

None comparable can be found. Without comprehending real truth No one can perceive him.

 

444  The Flower Ornament Scripture

 

Buddha's body and psychic powers Are inconceivably free:

Neither going nor coming,

He speaks the truth to liberate.

 

If any can sec and hear

The pure Teacher of humans and gods, They'll leave forever the states of woe And cast off all miseries.

 

For measureless,  countless eons

He cultivated enlightening  practice; Who cannot know the meaning of this Cannot attain buddhahood.

 

If one can know this meaning, One's virtues will surpass

One who makes offerings to countless Buddhas For inconceivable cons.

 

Even if one gives to a Buddha Countless lands full ofjewels, If one knows  not this meaning,

One never attains enlightenment.

 

 

Then the enlightening being Forest of Victory,  imbued  with power from the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

As in the summer months

With the sky clear and cloudless, The radiant sun blazes with light Filling the ten directions,

That light boundless, Impossible to measure

Even by those with eyes, Let  alone  the  blind-

So   arc    the   Buddhas- Their virtues arc boundless; Even in inconceivable cons

No one can know them in detail.

 

All things have no provenance And no one can create them :

 

Eulo,«ies in the Palace of tlze Suyama Hca l!en

 

There is nowhere whence they arc born, They cannot be discriminated.

 

All things have no provenance, Therefore they have no birth; Because there is   no   birth, Neither can extinction be found.

 

All things are birthless

And have no extinction either; Those who understand in this way Will sec the Buddha.

 

Because things have no birth,

Their inherent nature is nonexistent; One who analyzes and knows  this Will  arrive  at  the  profound  truth.

 

Because things have no inherent nature No one can comprehend them;

When understanding things in this way, Ultimately nothing is understood.

 

That which is said to have birth Is  to  manifest  lands-

If one can know the nature of lands One's mind will not be confused: Examining according to truth

The nature of the world and lands, If one is able to know this,

One can explain all things.

 

445

 

 

Then the enlightening  being Forest of Fearlessness,  by the power of the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

The Buddha's immense body

Reaches the extremities of the cosmos; Without leaving this seat

It pervades all places.

 

Whoever, hearing this teaching, Respects and has faith in it,

Shall forever escape all the miseries Of the states of woe.

 

446  The Flower Omament Scripture

 

Even going to many worlds, Uncountably numerous,

Singlc-mindedly desiring to hear Of the powers  of the Buddha, And such qualities of Buddhas, Their unexcelled enlightenment,

Even wanting to hear for a moment, None is able to do so.

 

If any in the past

Believed  this aspect of Buddha, They have already become Buddhas And arc lamps of the world.

 

If any will get to hear

Of the Buddha's free powers, And having heard will believe, They too will become Buddhas.

 

If any in the present

Can believe this teaching of Buddha, They will  also become  Buddhas And expound the teaching fearlessly.

 

This teaching is hard to encounter Even in countless cons:

If any get to hear it,

Know it is the power of past vows.

 

If any can accept and hold Such teachings of Buddha,

And, upholding them, spread them too, They will become Buddhas.

 

How much the more so those who work diligently, Firm of mind , not giving up:

You should know such  people Will certainly attain enlightenment.

 

Then the enlightening being Forest of Conscience, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

If people get to hear

This rare teaching of freedom

 

 

And  can produce a joyful mind

They'll soon remove the webs of doubt.

 

The one who knows and sees all Speaks  these  words  himself;

There's nothing the Buddha knows not, Therefore he's inconceivable.

 

Never from lack of wisdom Has  wisdom  ever been born:

Worldlings arc always in the dark, And therefore none can produce it.

 

Just as form and nonfarm Are two and not one,

So  are knowledge  and  ignorance:

They arc essentially different.

 

As signs and signlessncss, Birth-death and nirvana,

Arc distinct  and not  the same, So arc knowledge  and nescience.

 

When a world first comes to be There's no sign of decay:

So it is with knowledge and ignorance: Their characteristics arc not simultaneous.

 

Like the enlightening beings' first state of mind Docs not coexist with their final state of mind, So it is with knowledge and nescience:

These two minds do not coexist.

 

Just  as bodies of consciousness Arc individual and don't  combine, So also knowledge and ignorance Ultimately have no communion.

 

Just as a panacea

Can eliminate all toxins, So also can knowledge Extinguish  all  ignorance.

 

The Enlightened is unexcelled And also has no peer;

He has no compare at all

And is therefore hard to meet.

 

448  The Flower Ornament  Scripture

 

Then the enlightening being Forest of Energy,  empowered  by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

All things have no differentiation; No one can know them:

Only among Buddhas arc they known, Because Buddhas ' knowledge is ultimate.

 

Just as gold and gold color Are in essence no different,

So also phenomena and nonphenomena Arc in essence no different.

 

Sentient beings and not sentient beings Are both without reality:

In this way the natures of all things In truth are nonexistent.

 

Just as the future

Has not the marks of the past, So also do all things

Not have any marks at all .

 

Just as the signs of birth and death Are all unreal,

So also arc all things Void of intrinsic nature.

 

Nirvana cannot be grasped,

But when spoken of there are two kinds, So it is of all things:

When discriminated,  they are different.

 

Just as based on something counted There exists a way of counting, Their nature is nonexistent:

Thus  are  phenomena  perfectly  known.

 

It's like the method of counting, Adding one, up to infinity;

The numbers have no substantial nature: They are distinguished due to intellect.

 

Just as the worlds have an end When burnt in the final holocaust

 

Yct space is not destroyed:

So is the Buddha's knowledge.

 

These sentient beings of the universe Each grasp characteristics of space:

So it is of the Buddhas;

Worldlings conceive of them arbitrarily.

 

 

Then the enlightening being Forest of Power, by the Buddha's power, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

All realms of living beings

Arc in the past, present, or future :

The living beings of past,  present, and future All dwell in the five clusters.

 

The five clusters arc based on actions, Actions arc based on mind:

Mental phenomena arc like phantoms, And so indeed is the world.

 

The  world  doesn't  make  itself, Nor  is   it made by another: Yet it has a form ation

And also has a disintegration.

 

Though the world has a formation And a disintegration,

One who understands the world Would not speak this way.

 

What is the world, What is not a world? World and not world

Arc only distinctions of name.

 

The three times and five clusters Arc called the world,

Their extinction is "not the world":

Thus they arc just temporary names.

 

How arc the clusters explained? What nature do they have?

 

450  The Flower Omament Scripture

 

The nature of the clusters is indestructible, So it is called unborn.

 

Analyzing these clusters,

Their nature is fundam entally empty and nil; Because it is empty, it cannot be destroyed:

This is the meaning of birthlessness.

 

Since sentient beings arc  thus, So also arc the Buddhas; Buddhas and Buddha-teachings Intrinsically have no existence.

 

If any can know these things Truly, without delusion,

The one who knows and sees all Will always be  before them .

 

 

Then the enlightening being Forest of Practice, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

As in all worlds

All the solid clements

Have no independent existence Yct arc found everywhere,

So also docs the Buddha-body Pervade all worlds,

Its various physical forms Without abode or origin.

 

Just because of activities

Do  we  say  the  name  "living  beings"­ And there is no action to be found Apart from hving beings .

 

The nature of action is fundamentally empty and nil, But is that on which beings arc based,

Everywhere producing all physical  forms, And yet coming from nowhere.

 

This is the active power of forms , Impossible to conceive:

If one comprehends the basis, Therein no object is seen.

 

The Buddha-body is also like this :

It cannot be   conceived; Its various physical forms

Appear in all lands in the cosmos.

 

The body is not the Buddha, Nor is Buddha a body:

Only reality is the body, Permeating all things.

 

If one  can sec the  Buddha-body, Pure as the nature of reality,

Such a one  has no doubt

Or confusion about the Buddha.

 

If one sees all things

As in essence like nirvana, This is seeing the Enlightened Ultimately without abode.

 

If one cultivates right awareness And clearly sees true  awakening, Signless, without discrimination, This is an inheritor of truth.

 

 

Then  the  enlightening  being   Forest   of Awareness,   imbued  with the power of Buddha,   looked  over the ten directions and   said   in verse,

 

 

It's like a painter

Spreading the various colors : Delusion grasps different forms

But the clements have no distinctions .

 

In the clements there's no form, And no form in the clements; And yet apart from the clements No form can be found.

 

In the mind is no painting, In painting there is no mind; Yet not apart from mind

Is any painting to be found.

 

452  The Flower Ornament Scripture

 

That mind never stops, Manifesting all forms ,

Countless, inconceivably many, Unknown to one another.

 

Just as a painter

Can't know his own mind Yct paints due to the mind, So is the nature of all things .

 

Mind is like an artist,

Able to paint the worlds:

The five clusters all arc born thence; There's nothing it doesn't make.

 

As is the mind, so is the Buddha;

As the Buddha, so living beings :

Know that Buddha and mind Arc in essence inexhaustible.

 

If people know the actions of mind Create all the worlds,

They will sec the Buddha

And  understand Buddha's  true nature.

 

Mind does not stay in the body, Nor body stay in mind:

Yet it's able to perform Buddha-work Freely, without precedent.

 

If people want to really know All Buddhas of all times,

They should contemplate the nature of the cosmos: All is but mental construction.

 

 

Then the enlightening being  Forest of Knowledge, rece1 vmg power from the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse,

 

 

The grasped cannot be grasped, The seen cannot be seen,

The heard   cannot   be   heard: The one mind is inconceivable.

 

Eulof;ies in the Palace of the Suyama Heaven

 

The finite and the infinite Arc both ungraspablc;

If any  want to apprehend them, Ultimately they apprehend nothing.

 

To say what should not be said Is self-deception;

When one's own task is not complete, One cannot gladden others.

 

Those who wish to laud the Buddha's Boundless body of wondrous form Could not express it fully

Even in countless eons.

 

Just as the wish-fulfilling jewel Can manifest all colors,

Being colorless yet manifesting color, So are all the Buddhas.

 

Also like clear space

Is formless and invisible

And though it shows all forms None can see space,

So it is with the Buddhas;

They  manifest  infinite  forms  everywhere

Yct are not in the province of mental activity So no one is able to see them.

 

Though the Buddha's voice is heard, The sound is not the Buddha;

And  yet not apart from sound Can  the Truly Awake be known.

 

Enlightenment has no coming or going; It's apart from all discriminations:

How then can one

Say he is able to see it?

 

The Buddhas have no doctrine:

How could Buddha have any explanation? It is just in accord with one's own mind

One thinks Buddha expounds such a doctrine.