The Flower Ornament Scripture

 

A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra

Thomas Cleary

BOOK THIRTY-EIGHT

 

38. Detachment from the World

 

 

AT THAT TIME  the   World-Honored One was in   the country of Magadha, in the forest , in the shrine of universal light at the site of enlightenment, sitting on a lotus lion scat; he had completely fulfilled ineffable enlight­enment, put an end to afflictions and views,   and   arrived   at   formless truth.  Abiding  in  the abode of buddhas,  he had  attained the equanimity of buddhas and arrived at nonobstruction  in the state of imperturba­ bility. All his actions were unimpeded.  He stood in the inconceivable and saw through all time. His body continually pervaded all lands; his knowledge always comprehended all things. He understood all activities. He exhausted all doubts. His knowledge was that sought by all enlight­ening beings. He had arrived at the nondual ultimate perfection of bud­dhahood  and fully attained   the equal liberation of the enlightened.   He had realized the stage of impartiality of buddhas, which is without ex­tremes or middle, extending throughout the cosmos, equal to space.

He was with as many great enlightening beings as atoms in untold quadrillions of buddha-lands, all of whom were to attain unexcelled, complete  perfect enlightenment in one lifetime, and had  come   from various lands  in other regions.  All  of them were endowed with  the means and  wisdom of enlightening beings:  that is, they skillfully ob­ served sentient beings and civilized them by the power  of appropriate means so that they would live by the way of enlightening  beings; they skillfully observed all worlds and went to them by the power of appro­ priate means; they skillfully examined  the realm of nirvana  and medi­ tated on it and assessed it; they did away with all false conceptions and cultivated sublime practices without interruption;  they were well able to take care of all sentient beings; they skillfully penetrated the principles of infinite liberative means;  they knew sentient beings are empty  and have no existence, yet they did not deny the fruits of action;  they knew the various differences in the compulsions, faculties, spheres, and means of sentient beings' minds; they were able to absorb  and hold the teachings of buddhas  of past,  present, and future, to understand   them themselves, and also explain them to others; they were well versed in   all mundane and transmundane things and knew their true reality; they examined all

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compounded  and uncompounded  things and knew them to be nondual; in a single moment of thought they were able to acquire all the knowl­ edge and wisdom of the buddhas of all times; they were able to show attainment of true awakening moment  to moment,  to cause  sentient beings to become inspired and attain the Way;  they knew the spheres of all sentient beings in the mental  objects of one sentient being;  though they entered the stage of the enlightened, they did not give up the works carried out by enlightening beings; their deeds, knowledge,  and means did not fabricate anything; they stayed in the world for countless ages for each and every sentient being,  yet they were hard to meet even in incal­ culable eons; they turned the wheel of the   true Teaching,  pacifying sentient beings without fail ; they had already ful filled the pure practical commitments of the buddhas of past, present, and future . They had per­ fected infinite such virtues, so that even if all the buddhas  spoke for boundless eons they could not tell of them all.  Their names were Uni­ versally Good, Universal Eye, Universal Emanation,  Universal  Wis­ dom, Universal Vision, Universal Light, Universal Contemplation, Universal Illumination,  Universal  Symbol, Universal  Awareness,  and so on. There were as many such enlightening beings as atoms in untold quadrillions of buddha-lands: all of them had accomplished the vow of practice of Universal  Good;  their profound determination  and   great vows were already ful filled ; they traveled to all places where buddhas were appearing in the world, requested them to turn the wheel of teach­ ing, and were well able to receive and hold the eye of truth of the bud­ dhas, perpetuating the lineage of buddhas; they knew the order of all buddhas' appearance in the world and giving instructions, their names, countries, attainment of enlightenment,  and turning the wheel of teach­ ing; in worlds where there were no buddhas, they appeared and became buddhas, able to purify defiled sentient beings, able to destroy the action obstructions of enlightening  beings, and enter the unimpeded pure realm of reality.

Then the great enlightening being Universally Good entered a vast concentration called Buddha flower array. When he entered this con­ centration, all worlds quaked in six ways, moving in eighteen ways, pro­ ducing a tremendous sound that none did not hear.  A fter that he rose from concentration. At that point the enlightening being Universal Wis­ dom, knowing the congregation had assembled, asked the enlightening being Universally Good, "Please tell us-what are the reliances of great enlightening beings? What are their extraordinary thoughts? What are their practices? What are  their spiritual  friends?  What  are  their exertions of energy? What are their attainments of peace of mind? What are their ways of developing sentient beings? What are  their precepts?  How  do they receive the prediction of enlightenment? How  do they enter into the state of enlightening beings? What are their entries into enlighten­ ment? What are their penetrations of the activities  of sentient  beings? What are their entries into worlds? What are their entries into ages?

 

 

What are their explanations of past, present, and future? What are their entries into past, present, and future? What are their developments of a tireless mind?  What are their knowledges  of differentiation ? What  are their mental masteries?  What  are their explanations  of Buddha? What are their developments of the Universally Good mind? What are their principles of Universally Good practice? For  what reasons do they generate great compassion?  What  are the   causes   of their development of the will for enlightenment? What are their expressions of respect to spiritual friends? What are their purities?  What  are their transcendent ways? What are their conscious knowledges? What are their realizational knowledges? What are their powers? What are their impartialities? What are their expressions of the true meaning of the Buddha teaching? What are their teachings? What do they preserve? What are their intellectual powers? What are their masteries? What are their qualities of nonattach­ ment? What are their equanimities? What are their generations of knowledge?  What are their magical   displays?  What   are their supports of powers?  What are their attainments of great joy and solace? What are their profound penetrations of the Buddha  teaching?  What   are   their bases? What are their developments of fearlessness? What are their de­ velopments of minds free from doubt? What are their inconceivabilities? What are their skillful esoteric sayings? What are their skillful analytic knowledges? What are their entries into concentration? What are their universal entries? What are their doors  of liberation?  What are their spiritual powers?  What are their insights? What are their liberations? What are their groves? What are their palaces? What are their enjoy­ ments? What are their adornments? What are their developments of an unshakable mind? What are their  profound, great determinations they don't give up? What are their contemplations? What are their explana­ tions of things? What are their purities? What are their definitive marks? What are their illuminations of knowledge?  What  are their  peerless states? What are their indomitable attitudes? What are their outstanding minds? What are their oceanic knowledges entering unexcelled enlight­ enment? What are their jewel-like states? What are their adamantine commitments to universal enlightenment? What are their great under­ takings? What are their ultimate great tasks?  What are their indestruc­ tible faiths? What are their ways of receiving the prediction of enlighten­ ment? What are their dedications of roots of goodness? What are their attainments of wisdom? What are their developments of a boundlessly broad mind? What are their hidden treasuries? What are their rules of behavior? What are their controls? What are their unimpeded functions? What are their unimpeded functions in respect to sentient beings? What are their unimpeded functions in respect to lands? What are their unim­ peded functions in respect to phenomena and principles? What are their unimpeded functions in respect to bodies? What are their unimpeded functions in respect to vows? What  are their unimpeded functions in respect to realms? What are their unimpeded functions of knowledge?

 

 

What are their unimpeded  functions of spiritual capacities?  What  are their unimpeded functions of miraculous abilities? What are their unim­ peded functions of power? What are their versatilities? What are their spheres? What are their powers? What are their fearlessnesses? What are their unique qualities? What are their activities? What are their bodies? What are their physical actions? What is their speech? What is their puri­ fication of speech? What are the protections they receive? What arc their accomplish ments of great works? What are their minds? What are their determinations? What are their comprehensive minds? What are their profound minds? What do they strive to practice? What are their certain understandings? What are their certain understandings of worlds? What are their certain understandings of beings? What arc their habit energies? What are their graspings? What do they cultivate? What are their ac­ complishments of the Buddha teachings? What makes them regress from the way of the Buddha teachings? What are their paths of emancipation? What are their qualities of certainty? What are their ways of generating the qualities of buddhahood? What arc their appellations of greatness? What are their paths? W hat are their infinite paths? What arc their aids to enlightenment? What are their ways of cultivation?  What are their ways of adornment? What are their feet? What are their hands? What are their guts? What are their internal organs? What are their hearts? What is their armor? What are their weapons? What arc their heads?  What are their eyes? What are their ears? What are their noses?  What are their tongues? What arc their bodies? What are their minds? What is their action? What is their abiding? What is their sitting? What is their reclin­ ing? What are their dwelling places?  What are their spheres of action? What are their observations? What are their universal  observations? What is their springing? W hat is their lion's roar? What is their pure giving? What is their pure discipline? What is their pure tolerance? What is their pure energy?  What is their pure concentration? What is their pure wisdom? What is their pure benevolence? What is their pure com­ passion?  What is their pure joy? What is their pure equanimity? What are their  principles? What  are their pure laws? What are their  virtues used to foster enlightenment? What are their knowledges used to foster enlightenment? What are their sufficiencies of insight? What are their quests for truth? What are their understandings of truth? What are their norms of practice? What are demons?  What are demons'  actions? How are the actions of demons gotten rid of? What are visions of Buddha? What are actions of Buddha? What  are actions of conceit? What  are actions of knowledge? What is possession by demons? What is being supported by Buddha? What is being supported by truth? What do en­ lightening  beings  do while living  in the heaven  of satisfaction?   Why do they die in that heaven? Why do they appear to abide in the womb? Why do they manifest subtle processes? Why do they manifest birth ? Why do they manifest a smile? Why do they show the act of walking seven steps? Why do they appear as children? Why do they appear to

 

 

live in a palace? Why do they appear to leave home? Why do they demonstrate austerities? How do they go to the site of enlightenment? How do they sit on the site of enlightenment?  What are the extraor­ dinary signs when they sit on the site of enlightenment? Why do they demonstrate the conquering of demons? What are the attainments of the power of the enlightened?  How do they turn the wheel   of teaching? How are good and  pure ways acquired due to the  turning of the wheel of teaching? Why do the enlightened ones manifest extinction in final nirvana? Please explain these things to us."

Then the great enlightening being Universally Good said to Universal Wisdom  and the others, "Offspring   of Buddha,   great   enlightening beings have ten kinds of reliance. They take the determination for en­ lightenment as a reliance, as they never forget it. They take spiritual friends as a reliance, harmonizing  as one.   They take roots of goodness as a reliance, cultivating, gathering, and increasing them. They take the transcendent   ways as a reliance, fully practicing  them.  They take all truths as a reliance, as they ultimately end in emancipation.  They take great vows as a reliance, as they enhance enlightenment. They take prac­ tices as a reliance, consummating them all.  They take all enlightening beings as a reliance because they have the same one wisdom. They take honoring the buddhas as a reliance because their faith is purified. They take all buddhas as a reliance because they teach ceaselessly like bene­ volent parents. These are the ten: if enlightening beings rest in these prin­ ciples, they can become abodes of the unexcelled great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of extraordinary thought. What are they? They think of all roots of goodness as their own roots of goodness. They think of all roots of goodness as seeds of enlightenment. They  think of all sentient beings as vessels of enlightenment.  They think of all vows as their own vows. They think of all truths as emancipation. They think of all practices as their own practices. They think ofall things as teachings of Buddha.  They think of all modes of language  as the path of verbal expression. They think of all buddhas  as benevolent parents. They think of all buddhas as one.  These are the ten:  if great enlightening beings rest on these principles, they will attain unexcelled skillful thought. "Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of practice. What arc they?

Practice dealing with all sentient beings, to develop them all to maturity; practice seeking all truths, to learn them all; practice of all roots of good­ ness, to cause them all to grow; practice of all concentrations, to be single-minded, without distraction; practice of all knowledge, to know everything; practice of all cultivations, to be able to cultivate them all; practice dealing with all buddha-lands, to adorn them all ; practice deal­ ing with all good companions, respecting and supporting them; practice dealing  with  all buddhas,  honoring and serving  them.  These are the ten: if great enlightening beings rest on these principles, they will attain the practice of the unexcelled knowledge and wisdom of buddhas.

 

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"Great enlightening  beings have ten kinds of spiritual  friends. What are they? Spiritual friends who cause them to persist in the determination for enlightenment; spiritual friends who cause them to generate roots of goodness; spiritual friends who cause them to practice the ways of tran­ scendence; spiritual friends who enable them to analyze and explain all truths; spiritual friends who enable them to develop all sentient beings; spiritual friends who enable them to attain definitive analytic and expo­ sitory powers; spiritual friends who cause them not to be attached to any world;  spiritual friends who cause them to cultivate practice tirelessly in all ages; spiritual friends who establish them in the practice of Universal Good;   spiritual  friends who introduce them to the reaches of knowledge of all buddhas. These arc the ten .

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of exertion of energy: exertion of energy to educate all sentient beings, to enter deeply into all Buddha teachings, to purify all worlds, to practice all sciences of enlight­ ening beings, to eliminate all evils of sentient beings, to stop the miseries of all vicious cycles, to destroy all demons,  to become pure,  clear eyes for all sentient beings, to honor all buddhas, and to please all buddhas. These are the ten: if great enlightening beings abide by these things, they will be able to fully achieve the unexcelled transcendent energy of the buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of attainment of peace of mind. What are they? Abiding themselves in the will for enlightenment, they should also induce others to abide in the will for enlightenment, to attain peace of mind.  Ultimately free from anger and strife themselves, they should also free others from anger and strife, to attain  peace of mind. Free from the state of ordinary ignorance themselves,  they also free others from the state  of ordinary  ignorance,  and attain peace of mind. Diligently cultivating roots of goodness themselves,  they also induce others to cultivate roots of goodness, and attain peace of mind. Persisting in the path of the transcendent ways themselves,  they  also induce others to abide in the path of the transcendent ways, and attain peace of mind.  Being born themselves in the house of Buddha,  they should also enable others to be born in the house of Buddha, to attain peace of mind . Deeply penetrating the real truth of absence of intrinsic nature, they also introduce  others into the real truth of absence of in­ herent nature, and attain peace of mind.  Not repudiating any of the bud­ dhas' teachings, they also cause others not to repudiate any of the buddhas' teachings,  and attain   peace of mind . Fulfilling the vow of all-knowing en lightenment, they also enable others to ful fill the vow of all-knowing enlightenment, and attain peace of mind. Entering deeply into the in­ exhaustible treasury of knowledge of all buddhas,  they also lead others into the inexhaustible treasury of knowledge  of all buddhas,  and attain peace of mind.  These are the ten; if great enlightening beings abide by these principles, they will attain the peace of the supreme knowledge of the buddhas.

 

 

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of developing  sentient beings:  by giving,  by their physical bodies,  by teaching,  by cooperation, by nonattachment, by showing the practices of enlightening beings, by clearly showing all worlds, by showing the great magnificent qualities of the Buddha teachings, by various m anifestations of spiritual powers, and by various subtle skillful means. These are ten ways in which enlighten­ ing beings develop and perfect the realm of sentient beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of precepts: not giving up the determination for enlightenment, leaving behind the stages of indi­ vidual salvation,  observing and benefiting all sentient beings,  inducing all sentient beings to live by the teachings of Buddha, cultivating all the sciences of enlightening beings, not being acquisitive in respect to any­ thing, dedicating all roots of goodness to enlightenment,  not being attached to any of the incarnations of buddhas,  reflecting on all things and getting rid of grasping and clinging, and regulating all their faculties. These are the ten; if great enlightening beings abide by these principles, they will attain the unexcelled great transcendent discipline of the buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of receiving the prediction ofbuddhahood, by which they know inwardly they will receive the pre­ diction:  arousing  the  determination  for  enlightenment  with  extraordi­ nary will; never giving up the practices of enlightening beings; continuing to carry out the practices of enlightening beings in all ages; practicing all Buddha teachings; having complete faith in the guidance of all buddhas; cultivating all roots of goodness and bringing  them to fulfillment; plac­ ing all sentient beings in the enlightenment ofbuddhas; harmonizing and unifying with all spiritual friends; thinking of all spiritual friends as bud­ dhas; perpetually   preserving the fundamental aspiration  for enlighten­ ment with diligence.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of entry into the state of enlightening beings: they enter into fundamental vows, practices, pre­ cepts, ways of transcendence, attainment, different undertakings, various understandings, adornment of buddha-lands, command of spiritual powers, and manifestation of incarnation.  By  these they enter into the states of enlightening beings of all times.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of entering enlightenment: they enter boundless realization of true awareness, boundless turning of the wheel of teaching, boundless means of liberation, boundless different explanations,  boundless  taming of sentient beings,  boundless command of spiritual powers, boundless different embodiments, boundless concen­ trations,  boundless  powers  and fcarlessnesses,   and   boundless revelation of nirvana. By these great enlightening beings enter among all the en­ lightened ones of all times.

"Great enlightening  beings  have ten kinds of penetrations of actions of sentient beings: they penetrate all sentient beings' past actions, future actions, present actions, good actions, bad actions, mental actions, actions

 

of senses, actions of understanding,  actions of afflictions and habit ener­ gies, timely and untimely actions of teaching and training. By these enlightening beings penetrate the actions of all beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of entry into worlds:  they enter defiled worlds, pure worlds, small worlds,  large  worlds, worlds within atoms, subtle worlds, inverted worlds, upright  worlds,  worlds where there are buddhas,  and worlds where there are no buddhas. Thereby enlightening beings enter all worlds in the ten directions.

"Great enlightening beings  have ten kinds of entry into ages:  they enter into past ages, future ages, present ages, countable ages, uncount­ able ages, countable ages as uncountable ages, uncountable ages as count­ able ages, all ages as not ages, nonages as all ages, and all ages as one instant. Thereby they enter into all ages.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of explanation  of past, present, and  future: they speak of the past of the past,   the future of the past, and the present of the past; they speak of the past of the future , the present of the future, and the endlessness of the future; they speak of the past of the present, the future of the present, and the equality  of the present; they speak   of past,   present, and future being the one instant of the present. These are the ten ways by which enlightening beings explain all pasts, presents, and futures.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten ways of knowing the worlds of past, present, and future : they know their definitions, their speech, their deliberations, their rules, their appellations, their orders, their provisional names, their endlessness, their quiescence, and their total emptiness. Thus do enlightening beings know all things in all times.

"Great enlightening beings develop ten kinds of tireless mind: honor­ ing and serving all buddhas tirelessly; attending all spiritual teachers tire­ lessly; seeking all truths tirelessly; listening to true teaching tirelessly; expounding true teaching tirelessly; educating and civilizing all sentient beings tirelessly; placing all sentient beings in the enlightenment of the buddhas tireless! y; spending untold eons in each and every world carry­ ing out enlightening practices tirelessly; traveling in all worlds tirelessly; examining and pondering all Buddha teachings tirelessly. These are the ten; if enlightening beings abide by these principles they will attain the tireless supreme knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of knowledge of differ­ entiation: knowledge  of differentiations   of sentient beings,  differentia­ tions   of faculties,   differentiations of consequences of action,  differentia­ tions of forms of birth, differentiations of worlds,  differentiations of spheres of reality, differen tiations of buddhas,  differentiations of phe­ nomena, differentiations of times, and differentiations of all ways of speaking.  If great enlightening  beings  rest on these principles,  they will attain th e buddhas' unexcelled , far-reaching knowledge of differ­ entiation.

"Great  enlightening  beings have   ten   kinds   of mental   command:

 

mental com mand of retaining what they hear, as they retain all teachings without  forgetting ; mental command  of practice, as they  skillfully observe all things as they really are; mental com mand of reflection, as they comprehend  the nature of all things;  mental command of the light of the teachings, as they illumine the inconceivable attributes of buddha­ hood; mental command of concentration, as their minds  are not dis­ tracted as they hear the teachings of all buddhas of the present; mental command of universal sound,  as they understand inconceivable numbers of utterances; mental command of all times, as they expound the incon­ ceivable Buddha teachings of all times; mental command of various in­ tellectual powers, as they expound boundless Buddha teachings; mental command  of producing unobstructed ears, as they hear all the teachings of untold buddhas;  mental command of all qualities of buddhahood, as they are firmly established in the powers and fearlessnesses of the enlight­ ened. If enlightening beings  want to attain these things,  they should study and practice diligently.

"Great enlightening beings speak of ten kinds of Buddha: the Buddha of attainment of true enlightenment,  the Buddha  of vows,  the Buddha of rewards of action, the Buddha of preservation of true teaching, the Buddha of nirvana, the Buddha of the cosmos, the Buddha of mind, the Buddha  of concentration,  the Buddha  of fundamental nature, the Bud­ dha adapting to mentalities.

"Great enlightening beings develop ten kinds of Universally  Good mind: they develop a mind of great benevolence, to save all beings; they develop a mind of great compassion,  to bear suffering in place of all beings; they develop a mind of total giving, relinquishing all they have; they develop a mind that thinks of omniscience above all, gladly seeking all Buddha teachings;  they develop a mind adorned with virtues, learn­ ing all practices of enlightening beings;  they develop an adamantine mind, so as not to become heedless wherever they may live; they de­ velop an oceanic mind, as all pure qualities flow in;  they develop a mind like a mountain, enduring all harsh words; they develop a peaceful mind, giving to all sentient beings without fear; they develop a mind with ultimate  transcendent wisdom,  skillfully observing  that all things have no existence. If enlightening beings establish these minds, they will soon be able to achieve the skillful knowledge of the enlightening being Universally Good.

"Great enlightening beings have ten principles of Universally Good practice: vowing to live through all future ages; vowing to serve and honor all buddhas of the future; vowing to settle all sentient beings in the practice of Universally Good  enlightening beings;  vowing  to accumu­ late all roots of goodness;  vowing  to enter all ways of transcendence; vowing to fulfill all practices of enlightening beings; vowing to adorn all worlds; vowing to be born in all buddha-lands;  vowing to carefully examine  all  things;  vowing  to  attain supreme enlightenment  in all

buddha-lands. If enlightening beings practice these principles diligently,

 

they will soon be able to fulfill the practical undertakings of Universal Good.

"Great enlightening beings arouse great compassion by ten kinds of observations of sentient beings: they see sentient beings have nothing to rely on for support; they see sentient beings arc unruly; they see sentient beings lack virtues; they see sentient beings are asleep in ignorance; they see sentient beings do bad things; they see sentient beings are bound by desires; they see sentient beings are sunk in the sea of birth and death; they see sentient beings chronically suffer from illness; they see sentient beings have  no desire for goodness;  they see sentient beings have lost the way to enlightenment. Enlightening beings always observe sentient beings with these awarenesses.

"There are ten kinds of causes of enlightening beings' development of the will for enlightenment: they become determined to reach enlighten­ ment to educate and civilize all sentient beings, to remove the mass of suffering of all sentient beings,  to bring complete peace and happiness to all sentient beings, to eliminate the delusion of all sentient beings,  to bestow enlightened knowledge on all sentient beings,  to honor  and respect all buddhas, to follow the guidance of the buddhas and please them, to see the marks and embellishments of the physical embodiments of all buddhas, to comprehend the vast knowledge  and wisdom  of all buddhas, and to manifest the powers and fearlessnesses of the buddhas.

"When enlightening beings develop the will for supreme enlighten­ ment and attend and serve spiritual teachers in order to awaken to omniscient knowledge, they should generate ten kinds of spirit:  a spirit of service, a spirit ofjoy, a spirit of noncontention, a spirit of docility, a spirit of not seeking anything else, a spirit of wholehearted devotion, a spirit ofhaving the same virtues, a spirit ofhaving the same vows, a spirit of being in the presence of enlightenment, a spirit of cooperation in perfection of action.

"If great enlightening beings arouse such spirits, they will attain ten kinds of purity: purity of profound determination, reaching the ultimate end without corruption; purity of physical embodiment, appearing ac­ cording to need; purity of voice, comprehending all speech; purity of intellectual powers, skillfully explaining boundless Buddha  teachings; purity of wisdom, getting rid of the darkness of all delusion; purity of taking on birth,  being  imbued  with the power of freedom of enlight­ ening beings; purity of company, having fully developed the roots of goodness of sentient beings they worked with in the  past;  purity  of rewards, having removed all obstructions caused by past actions;  purity of great vows, being one in essence  with all enlightening beings;  purity of practices, riding the vehicle of Universal Good to emancipation.

"Great enlightening beings have ten transcendent ways: transcendent giving, relinquishing all they have; transcendent discipline, keeping the precepts of buddhas pure; transcendent tolerance, abiding in the tolerance and forbearance characteristic  of the enlightened; transcendent vigor, not

 

regressing in whatever they do; transcendent meditation,  focusing their minds on one point;  transcendent wisdom,  observing all things as they truly are; transcendent knowledge, entering into the powers of buddhas; transcendent vowing, fulfilling the great vows of Universal Good; tran­ scendent spiritual powers, demonstrating all autonomous actions; tran­ scendent teaching, penetrating all buddhas' teachings.  If enlightening beings abide by these principles, they will attain   the supreme transcen­ dent knowledge of the buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of conscious knowledge: conscious knowledge of the infinite differentiations of all worlds;  con­ scious knowledge of the inconceivability of all realms of sentient beings; conscious knowledge of all things,  each individual  being immanent  in the variegated manifold , and the variegated manifold being immanent in each individual unit;  conscious knowledge  of the vastness of all spheres of reality; conscious knowledge of the ultimacy of all realms of space; conscious knowledge of all worlds  entering the past; conscious  knowl­ edge of all worlds entering the future; conscious knowledge of all worlds entering  the present; conscious  knowledge of the infinite undertakings and vows of all buddhas  reaching fulfillment in one knowledge;  con­ scious knowledge that the buddhas of past, present, and future all attain emancipation by one and the same practice. By these, enlightening beings can attain the illumination of mastery of all truths; their vows will all be fulfilled , and they will be instantly able to understand all buddhas' tech­ niques and attain true enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of realizational knowledge: they know the unity  of all things; they know the infinity of all things; they know the presence of all things in a single instant; they know the interpenetration of mental activities of all sentient beings; they know the equality of faculties of all sentient beings;  they know the impassioned habitual activities of all sentient beings; they know the mental compul­ sions of all sentient beings;  they know the good and bad acts of all sentient beings; they know all enlightening beings' vows and practices, masteries, preservation of the Teaching,  and  mystical  transfigurations; they know all buddhas'  fulfillment of the ten powers and attainment of true enlightenment.  By these, enlightening  beings can attain skillful use of all the teachings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of power: the power to comprehend the inherent essence of all things; the power to comprehend

that all things are like phantoms;  the power to comprehend  that all things are like illusions; the power to comprehend that all things  are Buddha's teachings; the power to have no attachments to anything at all; the power  to clearly understand all things;   the power of the respectful mind never abandoning spiritual teachers; the power to cause all roots of goodness to reach supreme knowledge; the power of deep faith in all buddhas'  teachings without rejection;   the   power of skill in   preventing the will for omniscience from backsliding. Based on these powers, en­ lightening beings can acquire the supreme powers of buddhas.

 

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of impartiality: impartiality toward all sentient beings, all things, all lands, all determinations, all roots of goodness, all enlightening beings, all vows, all ways of transcen­ dence, all practices, and all buddhas. If enlightening beings abide by these principles, they will attain the supreme impartiality of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of expression of the true meaning of the Buddhas' Teaching: that is, all things only have names; all things are like illusions; all things are like reflections; all things only originate conditionally; all things are pure in action; all things are just made by words; all things are the ultimate reality; all things are signless; all things are the highest truth; all things are the realm of reality.

"Great enlightening beings expound ten kinds of teaching: the teach­ ing of profundity; the teaching  of enormity; the teaching  of variegation; the teaching of omniscience; the teaching of following the ways of transcendence; the teaching of generating the powers of the enlightened; the teaching of the interrelation of past, present,  and future; the teaching of causing enlightening beings not to regress; the teaching of praising the virtues ofbuddhas; the teaching of the sciences of all enlightening beings; the equality of all buddhas, and the interrelation of all spheres of enlight­ enment. Based on these principles,  enlightening beings can accomplish the supremely skillful preaching of the buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings preserve ten things: they preserve all the virtues they have accumulated, all the teachings spoken by all buddhas, all similes, all means of access to true principles, all means of generating mental command, all means of removing doubt and confusion , means of perfecting all enlightening beings, the equal doors of concentration ex­ plained by all buddhas, the ways of ingress into the illumination of all truths, and the free exercise of spiritual powers of all buddhas. Based on these principles, enlightening beings can attain the power of preservation of supreme knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of intellectual power: the intellectual power of not arbitrarily discriminating among things; the intellectual power of not fabricating anything;  the intellectual power of not being attached to anything; the intellectual power of realizing empti­ ness; the intellectual power of freedom from the darkness of doubt; the intellectual power of receiving support from Buddha in all things; the intellectual power of spontaneous awareness of all truths; the intellectual power of skill in  differentiation of expressions  of all truths;  the intellec­ tual power of truthfully explaining all things; the intellectual power of gladdening all sentient beings according to their mentalities. Based on these principles,  enlightening  beings can  attain the supremely  skillful in tellectual powers of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of mastery: mastery of educating and civilizing all sentient beings; mastery of illumining all truths; mastery of cultivating all virtuous practices; mastery of extensive knowledge; mastery  of the discipline of nonreliancc;  mastery  of direct­ in g all roots of goodness to enlightenment; mastery of undiminishing

 

energy; mastery of wisdom crushing all demons; mastery of inducing the determination for enlightenment according to inclinations; mastery of manifesting attainment of true enlightenment  according to the needs of those to be taught.  Based on these principles, enlightening beings can attain the mastery of the supreme knowledge of buddhas.

"Great  enlightening  beings  have  ten  kinds  of nonattachment:  non­ attachment to all worlds, all sentient beings, all phenomena, all actions, all roots of goodness, all places of birth, all vows, all practices, all en­ lightening beings, and all buddhas. Based on these principles, enlight­ ening beings can quickly overturn all concepts and attain supreme pure wisdom.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of equanimity: equanimity in accumulating all virtues; equanimity  in undertaking  all  different vows; equanimity in regard to all living beings; equanimity in regard to the consequences of actions of all living beings;  equanimity  in regard to all phenomena; equanimity in regard to all pure and defiled lands; equanimity in regard to all phenomena; equanimity in regard to the understandings of all sentient beings; equanimity in regard to noncon­ ceptualization  of all practices; equanimity  in regard to the nondifference of all buddhas' powers; equanimity in regard to the wisdom  of all buddhas. If enlightening beings rest in these, they will attain the supreme great equanimity of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings  have ten ways of generating knowledge: they generate knowledge by knowing the understandings of all sentient beings;  knowing the various distinctions of all buddha-lands;  knowing the domains of the network of the ten directions; knowing all worlds, inverted, upright, and so on; knowing the unity,  variety,  and univer­ sality of all things;  knowing  all the various  physical forms; knowing the misconceptions and delusions of all worldlings without clinging to them ; knowing that all truths ultimately lead to emancipation by one path; knowing the spiritual power of the enlightened can enter all uni­ verses; knowing that the seed of enlightenment  in all sentient beings, past, present, and future, does not die out. Based on these principles, enlightening beings can comprehend all things.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of magical displays: magical display of all sentient beings, all bodies, all lands, all gifts, all voices, all practical undertakings,  all education and civilization  of sentient beings, all attainments of true enlightenment, all explanations of truth, and all empowerments. Based on these phenomena, enlightening beings can acquire all means of supreme magical displays.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of support of power:  sup­ port by the power  of buddhas,  support by the power  of truth,   support by the power of sentient beings,  support  by  the power of acts, support by the power of practices, support by the power of vows, support by the power of the environment,  support  by the power of time,   support  by the power of good, and support by the power of knowledge. Based on

 

these, enlightening beings can gain the support of the power of supreme mastery of all truths.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of great joy and solace. Enlightening beings determine to follow, serve, and please all buddhas that emerge in the world throughout the future; thinking of this, they become very happy. They also determine to  honor  those buddhas with the  best  of offerings;  thinking of this,  they become very happy. They also  think, 'When I  make offerings to  those buddhas, they will surely teach  me, and  I  will  faithfully listen  with respect and practice according to the Teaching, and will surely always be born in the state of enlight­ ening beings,' and thinking this they become very happy. They also think, 'I shall carry out the practices of enlightening beings for untold eons and always be with the enlightening beings and buddhas,' and they become very happy at this thought. They also think, 'The fears I had  in the  past  before  I  set  my  heart  on  supreme  enlightenment-fear  of not being able to live, fear of a bad reputation,  fear of death , fear of falling into miserable conditions, fear of the authority  of the crowd-have all gone since I set my mind on enlightenment, so that I no longer tear, am not afraid, cannot be intimidated, and cannot be hurt by any demons or cultists. ' With these thoughts they become very happy. They also think, 'I shall enable all sentient beings to attain supreme enlightenment; after they attain enlightenment, I shall cultivate the practices of enlightening beings in the company of those buddhas for as long as they live, faithfully provide them with offerings appropriate to buddhas, and, after they pass away, set up  innumerable monuments to  each  of them, honor their relics, and preserve the teachings they leave.' With these thoughts they become very happy. They also think, 'I shall array all worlds with the finest adornments, filling them with all kinds of marvels, equally pure. I shall also cause all kinds of spiritual powers, sustaining forces, tremors, and shining lights to pervade them all.' With these thoughts they be­ come very happy. They also think, 'I shall put an end to the doubts and confusions of all sentient beings,  purify all sentient beings'  desires, open up all sentient beings' minds, annihilate all sentient beings' afflictions , close  the doors of the  states of misery for all sentient beings, open the doors of states of felicity for all sentient beings, break  through  the darkness of all sentient beings, give light to all sentient beings, cause all sentient beings to get free from the action of demons, and  cause  all sentient beings to reach the abode of peace.' With these thoughts they become very happy. Great enlightening beings also think,  'The buddhas are as rare and diffi cult to meet with as the udumbara flower, which one can hardly get to see once in countless ages. In the future, when I  want to see a buddha, I will immediately be able to do so; the buddhas will never abandon me, but will always be with me, allow me to see them, and constantly expound the Teaching to me. A fter I have heard the Teach­ ing,  my  mind  will  be  purified,  free  from  deviousness,  straightforward, and free from falsehood, and I will always see the buddhas in each

 

moment of thought.'  With these thoughts  they become  very happy. They also think, 'In the future I shall attain buddhahood,  and by the spiritual power of the enlightened will show the attainment of enlighten­ ment individually to all sentient beings in all worlds, pure and fearless, roaring the great lion's roar, pervading the cosmos with my original universal undertaking, beating the drum of truth, showering  the rain of truth,  performing the giving  of true teaching,  perpetually  expounding the truth, with physical, verbal, and mental action, sustained by great compassion, untiring.' With these thoughts they become  very happy. Based on these ten kinds of great joy and solace, enlightening beings can attain the unexcelled  great joy and solace of the knowledge  and wisdom of true enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of profound penetration of the buddhas'  teachings: they penetrate all worlds of the past; they pene­ trate all worlds of the future; they penetrate the numbers, patterns, explanations,  and purities of worlds of the present; they penetrate the variety of all worlds; they penetrate the various actions and consequences of all sentient beings; they penetrate the various practices of all enlight­ ening beings;  they know the order of appearance  of all buddhas of the past; they know  the order of appearance  of all buddhas   of the future; they know the lands and congregations of all buddhas  present in the cosmos, their teaching and training; they know principles of the world, principles of Buddhist disciples, principles of individual illuminates, principles of enlightening beings, and principles of buddhas, but though they know all these principles, they have no discrimination,  and yet expound various principles. They thoroughly  penetrate the realm of reality because there is nothing to penetrate. According to these prin­ ciples they penetrate the most   profound essence of the great knowledge and wisdom of unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of basis on which they carry  out  their  practices:  they  carry  out  the  practices  of  enlightening beings based on honoring all buddhas, taming all sentient beings, asso­ ciating with all good companions, accumulating all roots of goodness, purifying all buddha-lands, entering deeply into all transcendent ways, fulfilling all vows of enlightening beings, and on infinite will for enlight­ enment and the enlightenment of all buddhas. Based on these, enlight­ ening beings carry out their practices.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of development of fearless­ ness: they develop fearlessness annihilating all obstructing actions, pre­ serving the true teaching after the extinction of buddhas, conquering all demons, not begrudging their bodies and lives, smashing all the false arguments of heretics, gladdening all sentient beings, causing all con­ gregations to rejoice, taming all spirits, goblins, titans, sprites, and ser­ pents, leaving the states of the two lesser vehicles of individual salvation and entering the most profound teaching, and carrying out enlightening practices tirelessly for untold cons. Based  on these enlightening  beings can attain the supreme fearlessness of great knowledge of buddhas.

 

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of developing a mind free from doubt . They make this determination : 'I shall take   care   of all sentient beings by giving; I shall take care of all sentient beings by ethical conduct, tolerance, vigor, meditation, wisdom, benevolence, compas­ sion,joy, and equanimity.' When they make this determination, they are definitely free from doubt-no  doubt can arise in their minds.  This is their first way of developing a mind free from doubt.  Great enlightening beings also think, 'When the future buddhas appear in the world,  I shall serve and honor them in all ways. ' When they make this determination, they are definitely free from doubt-no  doubt can  arise in their minds. This is their second development of a mind free from doubt. Great enlightening beings also think, 'I shall adorn all worlds with various marvelous webs of light.' When they make this determination, they are definitely free from doubt-no  doubt  can arise in th eir minds.  This is the third development  of a mind free from doubt.  Great enlightening beings also think, 'I shall cultivate the practices of enlightening beings throughout all future ages and fully develop countless sentient beings throughout the entire cosmos by  means of the supreme  methods of teaching and taming .' When they make this determination,  they are definitely free from doubt-no doubt can arise in their minds. This is the fourth development  of  a mind free from doubt.  Great enlightening beings also think, 'I shall cultivate the practices of enlightening beings, fulfill the great vows,  acquire omniscience,  and  abide therein.'  When they make this determination, they are definitely free from doubt-no doubt can arise in their minds.  This is the fifth development  of a mind free from doubt.  Great enlightening beings also think, 'I shall  carry out the practices of enlightening  beings for the sake of all beings  in the world, become a pure light of all truths, and illumine all the teachings of buddhas. ' When they make this determination, they  are definitely free from doubt-no doubt can arise in their minds. This is the sixth devel­ opment of a mind free from doubt.  Great enlightening beings  also think, 'I should know all things are Buddha  teachings and explain them  to sentient beings  according to their mentalities to enlighten   them   all.' When they make this determination,  they are definitely free from doubt-no doubt can arise in their minds. This is the seventh develop­ ment of a mind free from doubt. Great enlightening beings also think,  'I shall attain the way to nonobstruction in the midst  of all things, by knowing that all obstructions are ungraspable. ' Thus their minds are free from doubt and they abide in the essence of truth, finally  to attain supreme complete perfect enlightenment. When they make this deter­ mination they are definitely free   from   doubt-no  doubt  can   arise   in their minds. This is the eighth development  of a mind free from doubt. Great enlightening beings also think, 'I should know that all things are transmundane things, get rid of all false notions and delusions, and adorn myself with the adornment of unity, there being nothing to adorn. ' Here they understand by  themselves and not  through  another.  When they make this determination they are definitely free from doubt-no doubt

 

can  arise in their minds. This is the ninth  development of a  mind  free from doubt. Great enlightening beings also think,  'I should realize su­ preme enlightenment in regard to all things, by getting rid of all  false notions and delusions, by attaining instantaneous  knowledge, because unity and difference cannot be  grasped, by  transcending  all  categories, by ultimate nonfabrication of false descriptions, by detachment from all words, and by dwelling in  the realm  of ineffability.'  When  they  make this determination,  they  are  definitely  free  from  doubt-no  doubt  can arise in their minds. This is the tenth development of a mind free from doubt. Based on these, enlightening  beings  can be free  from  all  doubt and confusion regarding all Buddha teachings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of inconceivability.  All their roots of goodness are inconceivable. All their vows are  incon­ ceivable.  Their knowledge that all things are like illusions is inconceiv­ able. Their arousal of aspiration for enlightenment and cultivation of enlightening practice without losing roots of goodness  and without arbi­ trary  notions  is inconceivable. Their not grasping extinction and libera­ tion in spite of having profoundly penetrated all things, because all their vows are not fulfilled, is inconceivable. They cultivate the path of en­ lightening beings and manifest the appearances of incarnation, birth, leaving home, austere practices, going to the site of enlightenment, conquering demons, achieving supreme enlightenment, teaching, and passing away, their spiritual transformations free, unceasing, not  aban­ doning their vow   of compassion,   saving   and   protecting   sentient   beings­ all of this is inconceivable. Though they are able to manifest the  ten powers ofbuddhas  and their freedom of mystical projection, yet they do not give  up  the  mind  equal  to  the  cosmos, and  teach sentient beings­ this is inconceivable. They know that in  all things signlessness is  their sign, their signs are signless, nondiscrimination is discrimination, dis­ crimination is nondiscrimination, nonexistence is existence, existence is nonexistence, inaction is action, action is inaction, nonexplanation is explanation, explanation is nonexplanation-this is inconceivable. They know mind is equal to enlightenment, they  know enlightenment is  equal to mind,  they know mind and enlightenment are equal to  sentient  beings, yet they do not give rise to confusion of mind, confusion of thoughts, or confusion of views-this  is  inconceivable.   From  mmnent  to   moment they enter absorption in extinction and exhaust all contamination, yet they do not experience ultimate reality and do not end roots of goodness with contamination: though they know all  things are free from  contamina­ tion, yet they  know  the end  and  extinction  of contaminations; though they know the principles of buddhas are identical to  the  things  of the world and the things of the world are identical to the  principles  of buddhas, yet they do not form notions of worldly things within the principles of buddhas, and do not form notions of principles of buddhas in  the things of the world-all things enter the realm  of reality because there is nothing entered; they know all things are nondual because there is no change: this is the tenth inconceivable. These are the ten incon-

 

ceivabilities of enlightening beings; if enlightening beings abide in them, they will attain the supreme inconceivable qualities of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of skillful esoteric sayings: the skillful esoteric sayings in all the discourses of buddhas; skillful esoteric sayings about all places ofbirth; skillful esoteric sayings about all enlight­ ening beings' spiritual manifestations and attainment of enlightenment; skillful esoteric sayings about the consequences of actions of all sentient beings; skillful esoteric sayings about the defilement and purity produced by all sentient beings; skillful esoteric sayings about how to be ultimately unobstructed in the midst  of all things;  skillful esoteric sayings  about how in every place in space are worlds, some becoming, some decaying, without any gaps in between; skillful esoteric sayings about how every­ where in all places in all universes, in all phenomena, even in microscopic points, there are buddhas manifesting birth, attainment of buddhahood, and entry into final nirvana,  filling the cosmos,  each distinctly seen; skillful esoteric sayings about seeing all sentient beings as equally nirvanic, being unchanging,  yet not giving up great aspirations,  causing them to be  fu l fil1ed  by  the  vow  for  omniscience;  skillful  esoteric  sayings  about not abandoning teachers in spite of knowing that truths are not realized through the agency of another, honoring the enlightened  even more, becoming one with spiritual friends in cultivating, dedicating, and living by virtues, with the same actions, the same essence, the same emancipa­ tion, the same fulfillment. Based on these, enlightening beings can master the unexcelled skillful esoteric speech of the buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of skillful analytic knowl­ edge: skillful analytic knowledge penetrating all lands; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating all abodes of sentient beings; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating the mental activities of all sentient beings; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating the faculties of all sentient beings; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating the consequences of actions of all sentient beings; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating the practices of all Bud­ dhist disciples; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating the practices of all individual illuminates; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating the prac­ tices of all enlightening  beings;  skillful analytic knowledge penetrating all mundane things; skillful analytic knowledge penetrating all principles and attributes of buddhahood. Based on these, enlightening  beings can attain the supreme knowledge of buddhas that skillfully distinguishes all things.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of entry into concentration:

entry into concentration in all worlds;  entry into concentration in the bodies of all sentient beings; entry into concentration in all phenomena; entry into concentration seeing all buddhas; entry into concentration and remaining for all ages; entry into concentration and manifesting incon­ ceivable bodies on emerging;  entry into concentration in all buddha­ bodies; entry into concentration realizing the equality  of all sentient beings; entry into concentration   instantly   comprehending  all   enlight­ ening beings' knowledge of concentration; entry into concentration ac-

 

 

complishing all the deeds and vows of enlightening beings in one instant and never ceasing.  If enlightening beings abide in these, they will attain the buddhas' supremely skillful methods of concentration.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of universal  entry: uni­ versal entry among sentient beings, into lands, into the various features of worlds, into fires, into floods, into buddhahood, into arrays of adorn­ ments, into the embodiments of boundless virtues of buddhas,  and into all kinds of explanations of truth. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the buddhas' means of penetrating everything by great knowledge. "Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of doors of liberation: pervading all worlds with one body, showing infinite various forms in all worlds, putting all worlds in one buddha-field, universally supporting all realms of sentient beings, filling all worlds with the adornment bodies of all buddhas, seeing all worlds in one's own body, showing the emer­ gence of all buddhas in one world, filling all worlds with one body, and showing the free play of spiritual powers of all buddhas  in a single instant. Through these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme door

of liberation of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of spiritual  power:  the power of knowledge of means of remembering past lives; the power of knowledge  of means of unhindered  clairaudience; the power of knowl­ edge of means of knowing the inconceivably many mental  actions of sentient beings; the power of knowledge of means of unobstructed clair­ voyant vision; the power of knowledge of means of manifesting incon­ ceivable great mystic powers   according   to the minds of sentient beings; the power  of knowledge of means of appearing in infinite worlds  with one body; the power of knowledge of means of entering innumerable worlds in a moment of thought; the power of knowledge of means of producing infinite adornments and adorning inconceivable worlds; the power of knowledge  of means of displaying innumerable emanated bodies; the power of knowledge  of means of manifesting unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment  in untold worlds, in accord  with the minds of innumerable  sentient beings.  Through  these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme skillful spiritual power of buddhas,  dis­ playing them variously to all sentient beings to make them learn.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of insight:  the insight of

practical knowledge of the consequences of actions of all sentient beings; the insight of practical knowledge of the quiescence, purity, and non­ conceptuality of all realms of sentient beings; the insight of practical knowledge that the mental objects of all sentient beings are of but one character, totally ungraspable, and that all things are indestructible; the insight of practical  knowledge  of ability  to cause infinite subtle utter­ ances to be heard in all worlds;  the insight of practical knowledge of how to universally destroy the obsessions of all minds; the insight of practical knowledge of how to appear to be born or not to be born by expedient means; the insight of practical knowledge of abandoning all objects of perception and sensation; the insight of practical knowledge that all

 

 

th ings are neither forms nor formless, are of one nature, which is no nature, not discriminating anything yet able to comprehend all kinds of truths and explain them analytically for measureless ages, abiding in the realm of reality and realizing unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment. "Great enlightening beings know that the birth of all sentient beings is fundamentally birthless because they comprehend that birth cannot be grasped: yet they know causes, know conditions, know events, know

objects, know  actions,  know birth,  know  extinction,  know speech, know confusion , know freedom from confusion , know delusion, know freedom from delusion, know defilement, know purity,  know birth and death , know nirvana, know graspability, know ungraspability, know attachment, know nonattachment, know rest, know movement, know departure, know return, know origination, know nonorigination, know dissolution, know emancipation, know maturity, know faculties , know how to civilize-they  teach  beings according to needs,  never forgetting the deeds of all enlightening beings.  Why? Because enlightening beings set their minds on complete  perfect enlightenment  for the sole purpose of helping sentient beings. Therefore, enlightening beings always edify sentient beings without tiring, in harmony with what is to be done in all worlds. This is called the insight  of practical knowledge  of interdepen­ dent origination.

"Great enlightening beings have no attachment to Buddha and do not develop attachments; they have no attachment to the teachings and do not develop attachments; they have no attachment to lands and do not develop attachments; they have no attachments to sentient beings and do not develop attachments. They do not see that there are sentient beings, yet they carry on educational activity, civilizing and teaching ways of liberation; they do not give up the practices of enlightening beings, with great compassion and great commitment. Seeing buddhas and hearing their teachings, they act accordingly;  trusting the buddhas,  they plant roots of goodness, ceaselessly honoring and serving them. They are able to  shake  infinite  worlds  in  the  ten  directions  by  spiritual  powers;  their minds are broad, being equal to the cosmos. They know various expla­ nations of truth,  they know  how many sentient beings there are, they know the differences among sentient beings,  they know the birth of suffering, they know  the extinction of suffering; while knowing  all   acts are like reflected images, they carry out the deeds of enlightening beings. They sever the root of all subjection to birth.  They  carry out the  prac­ tices of enlightening beings for the sole purpose of saving  all sentient beings and yet do not practice anything.  Conforming to the essential nature  of al l  buddhas,  they  develop  a  mind  like  an  immense  mountain. They know all falsehood and delusion, and enter the door of omniscience. Their knowledge and wisdom are broad and vast and unshakable,  due to attain true enlightenment. This is the insight of practical knowledge  of equally saving all sentient beings in the ocean of birth and death.

"These are th e ten insights; based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme insight of practical knowledge of buddhas.

 

1042         The Flower Omament Scripture

 

"Great enlightening beings have  ten kinds  of liberation:  liberation from afflictions; liberation from false views; liberation from all grasping; liberation from mental   and   physical  clements;   liberation   transcending the two lesser vehicles of individual emancipation; liberation by accept­ ing the nonorigination  of things; liberation by freedom from attachment to all worlds, all lands, all beings, and all things; liberation in infinite abodes,  liberation rising from the practices of enlightening  beings  into the stage of nondiscrimination  of buddhas; liberation able to know  all pasts, presents, and futures in a single moment. Based on these, enlight­ ening beings can perform the supreme deeds of buddhas and teach and develop all sentient beings.

"Great enlightening beings  have ten kinds  of grove.  Birth-and-death is a grove for enlightening beings because they do not reject it. Teaching sentient beings is a grove for enlightening beings because they do not tire of it. Living in all ages is a grove for enlightening beings because they embrace all great deeds. Purifying the world is a grove  for enlightening beings because it is where they themselves sojourn. All abodes of demons are a grove for enlightening beings because they conquer  them all. Thinking  about  the teachings they hear is a grove for enlightening beings because they examine them truthfully . The six ways of transcen­ dence, four means of integration,  and thirty-seven aids to enlightenment are a grove for enlightening beings because they succeed to the domain of the Buddha. The ten powers,  four fearlessnesses, eighteen unique qualities, and all other aspects of buddhahood are a grove for enlightening beings because they do not think of anything else. Manifesting the au­ tonomous spiritual capacities of all enlightening beings is a grove for enlightening beings because they use great spiritual powers to turn the wheel of teaching unceasingly and civilize sentient beings. Instantly show­ ing all sentient beings the attainment of true enlightenment  in all places is a grove of enlightening beings because the body of reality pervades all worlds in space. Based on these, enlightening beings can achieve the bud­ dhas' unexcelled peaceful, happy action, free from sorrow and affliction. "Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of palace.  The  determina­ tion for enlightenment is a palace of enlightening  beings  because they never forget it.  The blessing and  wisdom  of virtuous  conduct  are a palace of enlightening beings because they civilize sentient beings  in the realm of desire. The meditative concentrations of pure benevolence, compassion, joy, and equanimity are a palace of enlightening  beings because they teach the sentient beings in the realm of form. Birth  in the heaven of pure abodes is a palace of enlightening beings because no afflictions can affect them . Birth in the formless realm is a palace of enlightening beings because they enable sentient beings  to escape  diffi­ cult situations. Birth in the world of defilement is a palace of enlight­ ening beings because they enable all sentient beings to cut off afflictions. Appearing to abide in a mansion with spouse, children, and retinue, is a palace of enlightening beings, because they develop their past associates.

 

Appearing  to dwell in the rank of ruler, celestial world guardian,  Indra, or Brahma is a palace of enlightening  beings, in order to tame  beings with the mentality of controllers.  Persisting in all  practices of enlight­ ening beings, freely exercising spiritual powers and attaining mastery  of them all, is a palace  of enlightening beings because they  autonomously and skillfuly exercise the knowledge of meditations, liberations, and concentrations. The guarantee that all buddhas receive of coronation as a monarch of all knowledge, supremely independent, is a palace of en­ lightening beings because they abide among the adornments of the ten powers  and   perform   the   autonomous  deeds   of all   monarchs  of truth . B ased on these ten, enlightening beings  can   attain   coronation by  truth and freedom of spiritual powers in all worlds.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of enjoyment. They enjoy right mindfulness because their minds are not distracted. They enjoy knowledge, distinguishing all things. They enjoy visiting all buddhas, listening to the teachings tirelessly. They like the buddhas  because  they fill the ten directions without bound.  They like enlightening  beings because they freely appear  in infinite ways for the  benefit of sentient beings. They enjoy the doors of concentration because in one door of concentration they enter all doors of concentration. They enjoy mental command of mnemonic formulae because they hold all the doctrines without forgetting and hand them on to others.  They enjoy unhindered powers of analysis and elucidation, expounding a single saying inex­ haustibly.  They enjoy   attaining   true enlightenment,  manifesting   bodies in infinite ways, attaining true enlightenment  for the sake of sentient beings. They enjoy turning the wheel of true teaching,  destroying all misleading doctrines. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme enjoyment of truth of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of adornment:  the adorn­ ment of power, being in destructible; the adornment of fearlessness, being invincible; the adornment of meaning, explaining untold meanings in­ exhaustibly; the adornment of doctrines, contemplating and expounding the collection   of eighty-four   thousand   doctrines   without   forgetting them; the adornment of vows, the universal vows undertaken by all enlightening   beings never regressing;   the adornment of deeds,   cultivating the deeds of Universal Good and gaining emancipation; the adornment oflands, making all lands one land; the adornment of the universal voice, showering the rain of truth throughout  all buddha-worlds;  the adorn­ ment of empowerment, carrying out innumerable deeds in all ages with­ out cease; the adornment  of mystic  manifestations, showing in the body of one being as many  bodies as there are sentient beings, causing all sentient beings to perceive them and seek all-knowledge without regres­ sing. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the adornment of all supreme attributes of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings develop ten kinds of unshakable mind: an unshakable mind able to give up all possessions; an unshakable mind

 

pondering and examining all teachings of Buddha; an unshakable mind recollecting and honoring all buddhas; an unshakable mind pledging not to harm living beings; an unshakable mind caring for all sentient beings without choosing between enemies and friends; an unshakable mind ceaselessly seeking all attributes of buddhahood; an unshakable mind carrying out the practice of enlightening beings for untold ages without wearying or regressing; an unshakable mind perfecting well-rooted faith, clear faith, unpolluted  faith , pure faith, extremely pure faith, undefiled faith, faith respecting and honoring all buddhas, unregressing faith, in­ exhaustible faith , indestructible faith, and ecstatic faith; an unshakable mind believing,  accepting,  and not repudiating the methods  of practice of enlightening beings. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme unshakable mind of omniscience.

"There are ten kinds of profound   great   determinations   that   enlight­ ening beings do not abandon: they do not abandon the profound great determination  to ful fill the enlightenment that all buddhas   realize,   to edify and civilize all sentient beings, to perpetuate  the lineage of bud­ dhas, to associate with all good spiritual friends, to honor all buddhas, to wholeheartedly seek all the virtuous qualities of the Great Vehicle of universal salvation, to cultivate religious practice in the company of all buddhas and maintain pure conduct, to associate with all enlightening beings, to seek the means of applying and preserving all Buddha teach­ ings,  and to ful fill all practices and vows of enlightening beings and develop all qualities of buddhahood. Based on these, enlightening beings will be able not to abandon all principles of buddhahood.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of contemplation of knowl­ edge: contemplation of knowledge  of skillfully analyzing and explaining all things, knowing all roots of goodness of past,  present, and future, knowing the practices of all enlightening beings, being able to transform freely, knowing the meanings of all doctrines, knowing the powers of all buddhas, knowing all methods  of concentration formulae, expounding truth in all worlds, entering all universes, knowing all spaces are incon­ ceivable, and knowing the light of knowledge of all Buddha teachings is unobstructed. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the con­ templation of supreme knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings  have ten kinds  of explanation of things: they say all things arise from conditions; all things  are like magical illusions; all things are free from contradiction; all things are boundless; all things are baseless; all things are indestructible; all things are thus; all things are quiescent; all things are emancipation;  all things are one, inherently complete. Based on these, enlightening beings can skillfully explain all things.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of purity: purity of deter­ mination; purity of cutting through doubts; purity of detachment from views; purity of perspective; purity of the quest for omniscience;  purity of intellectual powers; purity of fearlessness; purity of living by the

 

knowledge of all enlightening beings; purity of accepting all the guide­ lines of behavior of enlightening beings;  purity  of full development  of the felicitous characteristics, pure qualities, and all fundamental virtues of unexcelled enlightenment. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme purity of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of definitive mark. Great enlightening beings, knowing the suffering of pain, the suffering of disintegration,  and the suffering of transitoriness,  single-mindedly seek the way of enlightenment; without becoming lazy, they carry out the practices  of enlightening beings, unwearied,   without fear or apprehen­ sion or anxiety; not giving up this great undertaking, seeking omniscience steadfastly, not retreating, ultimately attaining unexcelled, complete per­ fect enlightenment: this is their first definitive mark.

"Great enlightening beings, seeing that there are sentient beings who are foolish and deluded to the point of madness, reviling, attacking, and injuring one another by words and weapons,  do not abandon  the atti­ tude of an enlightening  being because of these scenes; they just  forbear with tolerance and gentility, concentrate on cultivating the way of en­ lightenment, abide in the supreme Path, and enter the state of detach­ ment. This is their second definitive mark.

"When great enlightening beings hear explanation of the most pro­ found teaching ofbuddhas relating to omniscience, they are able by their own knowledge to deeply believe and accept it, to understand and enter into it. This is their third definitive mark.

"Great enlightening beings also think, 'Having made the profound determination to seek omniscience, I shall become a buddha and attain supreme, complete perfect enlightenment. All sentient beings are flowing in the whirl of mundane conditions, suffering immeasurable pains-! should also get them to set their minds on enlightenment, to believe and delight in it, and to cultivate it diligently and steadfastly without regres­ sing. This is their fourth definitive mark.

"Great enlightening beings know   the knowledge of buddhas is bound­ less and do not try to assess it in limited  terms. Enlightening beings, having heard of the boundlessness of buddhas' knowledge from in­ numerable buddhas, are able not to make limited assessments. Everything written or said in all worlds has limitations and cannot comprehend the knowledge of buddhas. This is the fifth definitive mark.

"In regard to unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment, great en­ lightening beings have supreme desire, profound desire, vast desire, great desire , complex desire, insuperable desire, unsurpassed desire, steadfast desire, desire that cannot be destroyed by any demons or false teachers or their cohorts, unyielding desire to seek omniscience. Enlightening beings, dwelling in such desire, ultimately never turn back from supreme enlight­ enment. This is their sixth definitive mark.

"Great enlightening beings carry out enlightening actions without con­ cern for their own bodies or lives. No one can discourage or frustrate

 

them, because they proceed with determination toward all-knowledge, because the essence of omniscience is always apparent to them, and because they have the light of knowledge of all buddhas. They never give up   on the enlightenment of buddhas and never abandon the wise. This is their seventh definitive mark.

"When  great enlightening beings see good  men and women aiming for the Great Vehicle of universal enlightenment,  they foster the growth of their determination to seek buddhahood, cause them to stabilize all foundations of goodness,  to internalize the determination for omni­ science, and never to turn back  from the quest for supreme enlighten­ ment. This is their eighth definitive mark.

"Great enlightening beings cause all sentient beings to achieve an im­ partial mind, and induce them to cultivate the path  of universal knowl­ edge. They explain the truth to sentient beings compassionately  and cause them never to turn back on the Path of enlightenment. This is their ninth definitive mark.

"Great enlightening beings have the same foundations of goodness as all buddhas; they perpetuate the  seed of buddhahood  and ultimately reach omniscient knowledge. This is their tenth definitive mark.

"These are the ten definitive marks of enlightening beings; by  these they can quickly achieve supreme perfect enlightenment and become endowed with the mark of buddhas' unexcelled knowledge of all truths. "Great enlightening beings have ten illuminations of knowledge: the illumination of knowledge of certain attainment of supreme perfect enlightenment; the illumination of knowledge seeing all buddhas; the illumination of knowledge seeing all sentient beings dying in one place and being born in another; the illumination  ofknowledge understanding the doctrines of all scriptures; the illumination of knowledge  developing the determination for enlightenment through association with the  wise and accumulation of roots of goodness; the illumination of knowledge showing all buddhas; the illumination of knowledge teaching all sentient beings so they may abide in the state of enlightenment; the illumination of knowledge  expounding inconceivable  great means of access to truth; the illumination of knowledge skillfully comprehending the spiritual powers of all buddhas; the illumination of knowledge fulfilling all tran­ scendent ways. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the illumi­

nation of supreme knowledge of all buddhas.

"Great  enlightening beings have ten peerless states, which no listeners or individual  illuminates can   equal.   Though   great enlightening   beings see absolute truth,   they do not grasp it as their realization, because all their vows are not yet fulfilled; this is their first peerless state. Great enlightening beings plant all roots of goodness,   equal to all realities, yet do not have the slightest attachment to them; this is their second peerless state. Great enlightening beings, cultivating the practices of enlightening beings, know they are like phantoms because all things are still and void, yet they have no doubt about the way of buddhahood; this is their third

 

peerless state. Great enlightening  beings, though free from the false ideas of the world, still are able to focus their attention and carry out the deeds of enlightening beings for innumerable  eons, fulfill their great under­ takings, and never give rise to a feeling of weariness therein; this is'their fourth peerless state. Great enlightening beings do not grasp anything, because the essence of all things is void,  yet  they do not  experience nirvana, because the path of omniscience is not yet fulfilled; this is their fifth peerless state. Great enlightening beings know   that   all   periods   of time are not  really periods of time, yet they enumerate periods of time; this is their sixth peerless state. Great enlightening beings know  nothing creates anything, yet they do not give up m aking the way in search of buddhahood; this is their seventh peerless state. Great enlightening beings know  that the realms of desire, form,   and   formlessness are only   mind and that past, present, and future are only mind,  yet they know  perfectly well that mind has no measure and no bounds; this is their eighth peerless state. Great enlightening beings carry out enlightening actions for untold eons for sentient beings one and all, wishing to settle them in the state of omniscience, and yet they never tire or get fed up;  this is their ninth peerless state. Great enlightening beings, though  their cultivation  of practice is completely fulfilled, still do not realize enlightenment,  because they reflect, 'What I do is basically for sentient beings, so I should remain in birth-and-death and help them by expedient means,   to settle   them   on the supreme path of enlightenment.'  This is their tenth peerless state. Based on these ten peerless states, enlightening beings can attain the peer­ less state of supremely great knowledge and all qualities of buddhahood.

"Great enlightening beings have   ten   kinds   of indomitable  attitude. They think, 'I   should   conquer all celestial demons   and   their cohorts.' This is their first indomitable attitude. They also think, 'I should  destroy all false teachings.' This is their second indomitable attitude. They also think, 'I should open sentient beings' minds and edify them with good words, making them all happy.' This is their third indomitable attitude. They also think, 'I should fulfill all transcendent practices throughout the cosmos.' This is their fourth indomitable attitude.  They also think, 'I should amass all virtues.'  This is their fifth indomitable  attitude. They also think, 'Supreme enlightenment is vast and hard to accomplish;  I should cultivate practice to bring it to complete consummation. ' This is their sixth indomitable  attitude.   They also think,  'I  should teach and tame sentient beings with the supreme teaching and the   supreme   train­ ing.' This is their seventh indomitable  attitude. They also think, 'All worlds are  variously different-!  should attain enlightenment there in infinite bodies.'  This is their  eighth  indomitable attitude.   They   also think, 'While  I am cultivating the conduct of enlightening beings,   if sentient beings should come and ask me for my hands, feet, ears, nose, blood, flesh, bones, marrow,  spouse, children, elephant, horse, or royal status, I should be able to give them all up without a single thought of sorrow or regret, doing so only to benefit all sentient  beings, not seeking

 

resulting rewards, beginning with great  compassion  and  ending  with great kindness.' This is their ninth indomitable attitude. They also think, 'All in past, present, and future-all buddhas, all Buddha teachings, all sentient beings, all lands, all worlds, all times, all realms of space, all realms of phenomena, all realms of verbal usage, all realms of tranquil nirvana-all these various things I should, by means of instantaneous discernment, know, be aware of, see, realize, cultivate, and detach from, and have no conceptions of them, being detached from conceptions, not having various notions, having no attributes, no object. They are neither existent nor nonexistent, not one, not dual. I should know all duality by knowledge of nonduality,  know all forms by  formless knowledge,   know all discrim inations by nondiscriminatory  knowledge,  know all differ­ ences by knowledge of nondifference, know all distinctions by non­ differentiating knowledge, know all worlds by nonworldly knowledge, know all times by timeless knowledge, know all sentient beings by knowledge of nonexistence of sentient beings, know all attachments by unattached knowledge, know all abodes by nonabiding knowledge, know all defilements by undefiled knowledge, know all ends by endless knowledge, appear physically in all worlds by ultimate knowledge of the realm of reality, make untold statements by speechless knowledge, enter absence of intrinsic nature by knowledge  of one intrinsic nature,   mani­ fest various realms by knowledge of one realm, know all things are inexplicable yet manifest free speech,  realize the stage of omniscience, and manifest great spiritual powers and displays in all worlds in order to teach and tame all sentient beings.' This is their tenth indomitable atti­ tude. Based on these ten indomitable attitudes, enlightening beings can attain the supreme quality of indomitability of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of mind outstanding like a mountain. They attentively  cultivate the means of omniscience;  this is the first. They always observe that the fundamental nature of all things is empty and ungraspable; this is the second.  They vow to carry out the acts of enlightening beings over measureless eons and cultivate all pure qualities, and by living according to all good and pure principles, see and know the boundless  wisdom of the buddhas; this is the third. In quest of all aspects of buddhahood, they serve all wise teachers impartially, with­ out seeking anything else, with no ambition to steal the Teaching;  with nothing  but  respect,  they  are  never  willful;  they  are  able  to  give  up everything they have, this is the fourth . If anyone reviles and slanders them, beats or wounds them,  or even kills them,  they can accept it all and do not become disturbed or hostile, and do not give up their uni­ versal vow of great compassion-indeed,  they continually make it grow even more because they are truly emancipated  from all things, have perfected relinquishment, realize the truth of all buddhas,  and have mastered forbearance and gentility; this is the fifth. Great enlightening beings develop overmastering  great virtues-virtue overmastering celestials, virtue overmastering humans, virtue overmastering form,

 

virtue overmastering power, virtue overmastering dependents, virtue overmastering  desire, virtue overmastering   kingship,   virtue overmaster­ ing sovereignty, virtue overmastering felicity, virtue overmastering intelligence-yet though they perfect   such   virtues,   they   are   never   at­ tached to them: that is, they do not cling to enjoyment, desire, wealth, or followers; they  only  profoundly delight in truth, go according   to   truth, live according to truth, start out according to truth,  end up according to truth, take truth for their reliance, take   truth   for   their   salvation,  take truth for their refuge, take truth for their home. They guard the truth, love the truth, seek the truth, and  ponder the truth.  While  great enlight­ ening beings experience all kinds of delights of truth,   they always  avoid all manias,  because in the past  they determined to enable all sentient beings to get rid of all manias forever and abide in the realm of buddhas. This is their sixth outstanding mind. Great  enlightening beings  have already practiced the way of enlightening beings diligently for immea­ surable eons in quest of unexcelled,  complete perfect enlightenment,  yet they still think of themselves as just  having  set their hearts on enlighten­ ment and carry out the   acts   of enlightening beings,   without  fright   or fear. Though they are able to attain unexcelled complete perfect enlight­ enment in an instant, yet for the sake of sentient beings they carry out enlightening practices ceaselessly  for measureless eons.  This is their seventh outstanding mind. Great enlightening beings know  all sentient beings are by nature not harmonious or good and are difficult to har­ monize, difficult to liberate, are heedless and ungrateful ; therefore, en­ lightening  beings make great vows for their sake,   wishing   to   enable them to attain mental and intellectual freedom and autonomy,  to be unhindered in their actions, to give up evil thoughts, and not to afflict others. This is their eighth outstanding  mind.  Great enlightening beings also think, 'Nobody  m akes me aspire to enlightenment,  and I do not wait for others to help me cultivate practice. I aspire to enlightenment of my own accord, accumulate the qualities of enlightenment,  and am determined to work  on my  own,  traveling the  path  of enlightening beings forever, and accomplish unexcelled, complete  perfect enlighten­ ment.  For   this   reason I   now cultivate the practice of enlightening beings; I should purify my own mind and also purify others'  minds,  I should know my own sphere and also know  the spheres of others; I should  be equal in perspective to the buddhas of all times.' This is their ninth out­ standing mind. Great enlightening beings  perform this contemplation: 'There is not a single thing that cultivates the practice of enlightening beings, not a single thing that fulfills the practice of enlightening beings, not a single thing that teaches and tames all sentient beings,  not a single thing that honors all buddhas, not a single thing that has been or will be or is ever attained or explained in complete enlightenment.'  The teacher and the teaching are both ungraspable, yet they do not abandon unex­ celled, complete  perfect enlightenment.  Why?  Because  enlightening beings search out all things and find they cannot be grasped-this is how

 

they   develop supreme perfect enlightenment.  Therefore,   although  they do not obtain anything,  yet they diligently cultivate dominant good actions and pure curative measures, so that their knowledge and wisdom develop fully, growing moment by moment to total repletion.  They are not frightened by emptiness and do not think,  'If all things are null, what is the sense of seeking the Path of supreme enlightenment?' This is their tenth outstanding mind. These are enlightening beings' ten mountainlike outstanding minds directed toward unexcelled, complete perfect en­ lightenment, based on which enlightening beings can attain the mountain­ like outstanding mind of supremely great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of oceanic knowledge en­ tering   into   unexcelled,   complete perfect enlightenment.  They penetrate all realms of sentient beings-this is their first oceanic knowledge. They penetrate all worlds without  giving  rise to   arbitrary  discriminations­ this is their second oceanic knowledge.  They know  all realms  of space are measureless and immaterial,  and enter the network of all different worlds in the ten   directions-this  is   their   third   oceanic   knowledge. Great enlightening  beings  skillfully   penetrate   phenomena-they  pene­ trate their fluidity, nonannihilation, noneternity, infinity, nonbirth, non­ destruction, and totality, because they know them all-this is their fourth oceanic knowledge.  Great enlightening  beings know the roots of good­ ness accumulated by the buddhas,  enlightening beings,  listeners, indi­ vidual illuminates, and all ordinary  people,  of the past,  present, and future, the roots of goodness they have accumulated, do accumulate, and will accumulate, the roots of goodness already accomplished, now being accomplished, and to be accomplished by the buddhas of all times in perfect enlightenment, and the roots of goodness in the teaching and civilizing of all sentient beings by the buddhas of all times-knowing all these, they believe in them, approve of them, aspire to them, and culti­ vate them tirelessly; this is their fifth oceanic knowledge.  Moment  to moment  great enlightening  beings   enter   untold eons of the past and know how many buddhas appeared in each eon, no matter  how  un­ speakably many they were, and know their congregations, their teaching and training methods,  the life spans of all the sentient beings, and how long  their doctrine lasted-all   this they see clearly,  in each   and every eon. They also know if there were sentient beings who planted roots of goodness for enlightenment in ages when there were no buddhas. They also know if there are any sentient beings who will get to see buddhas in the future when their roots of goodness ripen. In this way they tirelessly examine untold eons of the past. This is their sixth oceanic knowledge. Great enlightening beings penetrate the ages of the future, examine and distinguish  all ages, measureless, boundless, and know  what ages will have buddhas and what ages will not, how many buddhas will appear in what ages,   what  the names  of each buddha will  be,   what worlds they will live in, what the names of those worlds will be, how many sentient beings they will liberate, and how long they will live-they observe in

 

this way throughout the future, knowing all endlessly, tirelessly; this is their seventh oceanic knowledge.  Great enlightening  beings enter the present, observe and reflect, and moment  after moment  see boundless kinds of worlds in the ten directions, each having buddhas who have attained, are attaining, and will attain supreme enlightenment, as they go to the site of enlightenment, sit under the tree of enlightenment,  conquer the demons,  attain unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment, get up and go into the city,  ascend to the heavens, expound the subtle truth, turn the great wheel of teaching, manifest spiritual powers, tame sentient beings, and finally hand on the teaching of complete enlightenment, give up their lives , and enter final nirvana;  after they have entered nirvana, their teachings are collected to preserve them in the world; the buddhas' monuments are adorned and honored in various ways. The enlightening beings also see the sentient beings in those worlds encounter the buddhas' teachings, accept and preserve and repeat them, remember and ponder them, and increase in wisdom and understanding. They extend such observations throughout the ten directions and have no misunderstand­ ings about the buddhas' teachings.  Why?  Because  great enlightening beings know the buddhas are all like dreams, yet they go to all buddhas and honor them.  At such times enlightening beings do not cling to their own bodies, they do not cling to the buddhas,  they do not cling to the world, they do not cling to the congregation, they do not cling to the preaching,  they do not cling to the age; yet they see the buddhas and hear the teachings,  observe the world and enter into all ages tirelessly. This is their eighth oceanic knowledge. Great enlightening beings honor countless buddhas in each age, for untold eons, appearing to die in one place and be born in another; they honor the buddhas, as well as the enlightening beings and disciples in their congregations, with all kinds of transmundane offerings. After the buddhas pass away, they honor their relics with unsurpassed offerings and also extensively practice charity, satisfying sentient beings. With an inconceivable mind,  a mind not seek­ ing reward, with ultimate  determination,  determination to provide benefit, great enlightening beings,  for the sake of supreme complete perfect enlightenment, honor the buddhas, benefit sentient beings, pre­ serve the true teaching, and reveal and expound it, for untold eons. This is th eir ninth oceanic knowledge.  Great enlightening beings whole­ heartedly seek, from all buddhas, from all enlightening beings, from all teachers of truth, the principles expounded by enlightening beings, the principles studied by enlightening beings, the principles taught by en­ lightening beings, the principles practiced by enlightening beings,  the methods of purification of enlightening beings, the methods of develop­ ment of enlightening beings, the methods  of training of enlightening beings,  the methods  of equanimity  of enlightening beings,   the methods of emancipation of enlightening   beings,   and   enlightening   beings'   methods of total mental command. Having obtained these teachings,  they absorb and retain them, read and repeat them, analyze and explain them, never

 

tiring of this,  causing countless sentient beings  to develop an awareness of the Buddha  teachings that corresponds to   omniscience,  to   penetrate the characteristics of reality , and to attain nonregression in respect to unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment.  Enlightening beings con­ tinue this way tirelessly for untold eons; this is their tenth oceanic knowl­ edge. These are the ten oceanic knowledges by which great enlightening beings enter unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment; based on these, enlightening beings can attain the ocean of supreme knowledge  of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of jewel-like state in unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment. They go to the buddhas in countless worlds, behold them, pay obeisance to them, serve them and honor them with offerings; this is their first jewel-like state . They listen to true teaching from inconceivably many buddhas, absorb it and re­ member it, analyze and ponder it, increasing in awareness and wisdom, carrying this out everywhere; this is their second jewel-like state.

"They disappear from this land and appear to be born elsewhere, yet have no confusion about the Buddha  teaching;  this is their third jewel­ like state. They know how to elicit all principles from one principle and are able to analyze and expalin each of them, because the various mean­ ings of all principles are ultimately all one meaning; this is their fourth jewel-like state.

"They know how to reject afflictions, how to stop afflictions, how to prevent afflictions, and how to extirpate afflictions; they cultivate  the practices of enlightening beings, do not experience absolute truth but ultimately arrive at the further shore of ultimate  truth; with expedient skill they learn well what is to be learned and cause their past vows to reach fulfillment, without physical  fatigue. This is their fifth jewel-like state.

"They know that all the objects of mental discriminations of enlight­ ening beings have no location, yet they still say there are various loca­ tions; though  they have no discrimination  and do not create anything, yet because they want to tame all sentient beings  they do cultivate practices and do act.  This is their sixth jewel-like state. They know all things are of one and the same essence, which is no essence, no variety, no infinity, no calculability, no measurability, no form, no characteristics­ whether one or m any, all are ungraspable:  yet they know  for certain what the norms of buddhas, enlightening beings, individual illuminates, hearers, and ordinary people are, what things are good and what are not good, what is mundane and what is supramundane, what is in error and what is without error, what is contaminated and what is uncontaminated, what is compounded and what is uncompounded. This is their seventh jewel-like state.

"Great enlightening beings find that 'Buddha' cannot be grasped, 'enlightening beings' cannot be grasped, 'phenomena' cannot be grasped, and 'sentient beings' cannot be grasped; yet they do not give up the vow to tame sentient beings and enable them to attain true enlightenment.

 

Why? Great enlightening beings are skillful observers, and know the mentalities of all sentient beings, and know the perspectives of all sen­ tient beings, and guide them accordingly, so that they can attain nirvana; they practice the deeds of enlightening beings zealously in order to fulfill their vow to enlighten   sentient beings.  This is their eighth jewel-like state.

"Great  enlightening  beings know that tactful instruction, manifesta­ tion of nirvana,  and all means of liberating sentient beings  are construed by mind and thought, and are not aberrant or false. Why? Enlightening beings realize that all things are equal in all times; they do not move from Thusness, yet do not abide in ultimate truth; they do not see that there are any sentient beings who ever have received, will receive, or do receive teaching, and they know in themselves they have nothing  to practice, there being nothing at all born or perishing that can be grasped; yet they cause their vows not to be in vain by means of all things. This is their ninth jewel-like state.

"Great enlightening  beings hear from countless buddhas  predictions of future buddhas, each with different names,  living  in different ages; they listen to this for untold eons and, having heard,  cultivate practice, not startled or frightened, not lost or confused, because they know the knowledge of buddhas is inconceivable, because the predictions of the buddhas have no ambiguity in their words, because of the extraordinary power of their own active commitment, and because they foster perfect enlightenment in all who are capable of being taught, fulfilling all their vows, equal in extent to the cosmos. This is their tenth jewel-like state. Based on these ten jewel-like states in unexcelled, complete perfect en­ lightenment, enlightening beings attain the jewel of supreme great knowledge and wisdom of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings generate ten kinds of adamantine mind of commitment to universal enlightenment. They think, 'All truths are boundless, inexhaustible; I should realize them thoroughly by means of knowledge comprehending past, present, and future.' This is their first adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"They also think,  'There are infinite sentient beings even on a point the size of a hairtip,  to say nothing  of in all universes-! should   calm them and liberate them by means  of unexcelled nirvana. ' This is their second adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"They also think, 'The worlds of the ten directions are measureless, boundless, limitless, inexhaustible: I should adorn them all with the finest adornments of the buddha-lands,  with all the adornments  being truly real.' This is their third adamantine commitment to universal enlight­ enment.

"They also think, 'Sentient beings are measureless, boundless, limit­ less, inexhaustible: I should dedicate all roots of goodness to them and illumine them with the light  of unexcelled knowledge.'  This  is their fourth adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"They also think,  'The buddhas  are infinite, boundless,  unlimited,

 

inexhaustible: I should dedicate the roots of goodness I plant to offer to them,  causing those roots of goodness  to reach everywhere,   with no lack; after that I will attain unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment.' This is their fifth adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"Seeing all buddhas and hearing their teachings, great enlightening beings become very joyful: not attached to their own bodies or to the bodies of buddhas, they understand the body of a buddha is not real or unreal,  not existent or nonexistent, not of a particular nature, not with­ out nature, not material,  not immaterial,  not form, not formless, not born, not extinct, really without existence yet not destroying existence. Why?   Because it cannot be grasped through any nature or characteristic at all. This is their sixth adamantine commitment to universal enlighten­ ment.

"If anyone should  revile or beat enlightening beings,  cut off their hands or feet, gouge out their eyes, or even cut off their heads, they are able to bear it all and never become angry or vicious as a result of this. They cultivate the  practices of enlightening beings  for countless eons, taking care of sentient beings, never abandoning them. Why? Because enlightening beings have already observed all things to be nondual,  and their minds are undisturbed. They can give up   their own bodies   and endure those pains. This is their seventh adamantine  commitment  to universal enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings also think,  'The ages of the future are infinite, boundless, limitless, inexhaustible: I should travel the path of enlightening beings  throughout those ages in one   world,   teaching sen­ tient beings, and do the same in all worlds in the space of the cosmos, without fright or fear. Why? Because this is the way the path of enlight­ ening beings should be in principle, cultivated for the sake of all sentient beings. ' This is their eighth adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings also think, ' Unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment is b ased on the mind-if the mind is pure and clear, one can fulfill all roots of goodness and will surely attain freedom in enlight­ enment. If i wish to attain supreme consum mate enlightenment, I can do so at will; if I wish to annihilate all grasping of objects, I can do that too-yet I do not annihilate, because I want to reach the ultimate end of the enlightenment of the buddhas. And I also do not immediately realize supreme enlightenment,  in order to fulfill my original vow to carry out the practice of enlightening beings  through all worlds and enlighten sentient beings.' This is their ninth adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings know  Buddha  is ungraspable, enlighten­ ment is ungraspable, enlightening beings are ungraspable, all things are ungraspable, sentient beings are ungraspable, the mind is ungraspable, action is ungraspable, the past is ungraspable, the future is ungraspable, the present is ungraspable, all worlds are ungraspable, and the created

 

and uncreated are ungraspable: thus enlightening beings dwell in quies­ cence, profundity, silent extinction, noncontention, speechlessness, non­ duality, incomparability, essence, truth, liberation, nirvana, and ultimate reality, yet do not give up any of their great vows,  do not give up the will for omniscience, do not give up the deeds of enlightening beings,  do not give up teaching sentient beings,  do not give up   the transcendent ways, do not give up taming sentient beings,  do not give up serving buddhas, do not give up explaining truths, do not give up adorning the world. Why? Because great enlightening beings have made great vows. Though they comprehend the characteristics of all things,  their great kindness and compassion increase, and they cultivate measureless virtues. Their minds   do not abandon   sentient beings,  because while things have no absolute existence, the ignorant do not realize this,  so enlightening beings are committed to enlightening them so that they clearly compre­ hend the nature of things. Why?  All buddhas  rest peacefully in quies­ cence, yet by great compassion they teach in the world  ceaselessly­ reflecting on this, enlightening beings do not abandon sentient beings. Also, they will not abandon great compassion because they have already developed great commitment and have vowed to certainly benefit all sentient beings, to accumulate all roots of goodness, to persist in appro­ priate dedication, to develop profound wisdom,  to accommodate  all sentient beings, to be impartial toward all sentient beings; they speak truthfully, without falsehood, vow to give all sentient beings the su­ premely  great teaching,  and  vow to perpetuate the lineage of buddhas­ as long as all sentient beings are not yet liberated, are not yet enlightened, and have not yet realized buddhahood, the enlightening beings' great undertaking is not completed and they will not give up great compassion. This is their tenth adamantine commitment to universal enlightenment.

"These are the ten adamantine  commitments  of enlightening   beings to universal enlightenment: based on these they can attain the indrestruc­ tible supreme spiritual knowledge of buddhas.

"Great  enlightening  beings have ten great undertakings.  They think, 'I should serve and honor all buddhas.' This is their first great under­ taking. They also think,  'After the final extinction of all buddhas,  I should adorn monuments of the buddhas, offering all kinds of flowers, garlands, incenses, perfumes, aromatic powders, cloths, parasols, pen­ nants, and banners, and take up and preserve the true teachings of the buddhas. ' This is their third great undertaking. They also think, 'I should teach and tame all sentient beings so that they may  realize  supreme perfect enlightenment.' This is their fourth great undertaking. They also think, 'I should adorn all worlds with the supreme adornments of the buddha-lands. ' This is their fifth great undertaking. They also think,  'I should develop great compassion and tirelessly carry out the acts of enlightening beings forever in all worlds for the sake of sentient beings, one and all, so that they may all attain the unsurpassed enlightenment of buddhas.' This is their sixth great undertaking. They also think, 'The

 

buddhas are infinite: I should spend inconceivable eons with each and every buddha, honoring them and making offerings.' This is their seventh great undertaking. They also think, 'After the passing away of the bud­ dhas, I should set up a precious monument for the relics of each one, those monuments to be as high and wide as untold worlds; I should also make effigies of buddhas  in the same way, and present all kinds  of precious banners and  pennants,  canopies, fragrances, flowers,   and robes for inconceivable eons without a   thought   of weariness, in order to fulfill the teachings of buddhas,  in order to honor  the buddhas,  in order to edify sentient beings, in order to preserve the true teaching, and in order to reveal and expound the teaching.'  This is their eighth great under­ taking.  Great enlightening beings also think, 'By these roots of goodness I should accomplish  unexcelled enlightenment,  gain entry into   the state of all buddhas, and be equal in essence to all buddhas.' This is their ninth great undertaking. Great enlightening beings also think, 'Once  I have attained true awakening, I should expound  the truth in all worlds for untold eons, and show inconceivable autonomous   spiritual   powers, without weariness ofbody,  speech, or mind,  and without deviating from the truth,   because of being   supported   by  the   power of Buddha,  because of diligently carrying out great vows for the sake of all sentient beings, because of great benevolence being  foremost, because of great  compas­ sion being ultimate, because of having  arrived at the formless truth, because of abiding by true speech, because of realizing that all things are silent and void, because of realizing that all sentient beings are ungrasp­ able and yet not contradicting the doings of action, because of being the same one substance as the buddhas of past, present, and future, because of pervading the cosmos and space, because of realizing that all things are signless, because of attaining birthlessness and deathlessness, because of embodying  all qualities of buddhahood,  ceaselessly taming  sentient beings and   carrying   out buddha-work   by the power of great vows. ' This is their tenth great undertaking. B ased on these ten great undertakings, enlightening beings persist in the acts of enlightening beings  and are imbued with  the supremely great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great  enlightening beings have ten ultimate great tasks:  to honor

and provide for all buddhas; to be able to save all the sentient beings they think of;  to  single-mindedly  seek  all facets of buddhahood;  to  accumul­ ate all roots of goodness; to contemplate  all Buddha  teachings; to fulfill all vows; to accomplish all enlightening practices; to serve all genuine teachers; to visit the buddhas in all worlds; and to hear and remember the true teachings of all buddhas. Based on these, enlightening beings can accomplish the ultimate great task of the knowledge of unexcelled com­ plete perfect enlightenment.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of indestructible faith: they have indestructible faith in all buddhas, in all buddhas'  teachings, in all wise and holy mendicants, in all enlightening beings, in all genuine teachers, in all sentient beings, in all great vows of enlightening beings,

 

in all practices of enlightening beings, in honoring and serving all bud­ dhas, in the skillful mystic techniques of enlightening beings,  and in teaching and taming all sentient beings.  Based  on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme indestructible faith of great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great  enlightening beings have ten ways of receiving the predictions of enlightenment:  having   extremely   profound   inner   understanding; being able to develop the roots of goodness of enlightening beings as appropriate; cultivating extensive great practices; open receiving of the prediction;   occult   receiving   of the   prediction;   realizing   enlightenment by their own minds; accomplishing tolerance; teaching and taming sen­ tient beings; comprehending the number of all ages; and mastery of all practices of enlightening beings. By these, enlightening beings can receive the prediction of enlightenment from all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of dedication of roots of goodness, by which they can dedicate all roots of goodness.  They dedi­ cate their roots of goodness to be the same as the enlightened guides in terms of vows, mind, action, faculties, impartiality, mindfulness , purity, state, fulfillment, and incorruptibility;  they dedicate their roots of good­ ness to develop in this way and none other.  Based on this, they attain supreme dedication of roots of goodness.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of attainment of wisdom: giving freely; deeply understanding all Buddha teachings; entering the boundless knowledge of buddhas; being able to cut off doubts in all dialogues; penetrating   the   doctrines of the   wise;   deeply   understanding the skillful use of words by the buddhas in all their teachings; deeply understanding how planting a few roots of goodness in the company of buddhas will enable one to fulfill all pure qualities and attain the infinite knowledge of buddhas; accomplishing the inconceivable states of en­ lightening beings; being able  to visit untold buddha-lands  in one moment of thought; and awakening  to the enlightenment  of all buddhas, entering all realms of reality, hearing and holding the teachings expounded by all buddhas, and deeply penetrating the variously arrayed sayings of all buddhas. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme realizational knowledge of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of development of a bound­ lessly vast mind: development in the company of all buddhas; observing the realms of all sentient beings; observing all lands, all worlds, all phenomena; observing all things as being like space;  observing the ex­ tensive great practices of all enlightening   beings;   correctly   remembering all buddhas of past, present, and future; observing the results of innumer­ able actions; purifying all buddha-lands;  entering the great congrega­ tions of all buddhas; investigating the subtle pronouncements  of all buddhas. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the boundlessly vast ocean of knowledge of all Buddha teachings.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten kinds of hidden treasury:  they

 

know all things  are a treasury producing  virtuous practices;   they know all things are a treasury of right  thought;  they know all things are a treasury of illumination of mental control; they know all things are a treasury of intellectual powers and exposition; they know all things are a treasury of inexpressible accurate awareness of truth; they know all buddhas' autonomous spiritual powers are a treasury of observation of revelations; they know all things are a treasury of skillfully developing impartiality; they know all things arc a treasury of constant vision of all buddhas; they know all inconceivable eons are a mine of realization that all exist like illusions; they know all buddhas and enlightening beings are treasuries producing joy and pure faith . Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the treasury of truth of supreme knowledge ofbuddhas, and can tame all sentient beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of rules of behavior: they should not slander any enlightening teachings; their faith in the buddhas should be indestructible; they should honor and respect all enlightening beings; they should never give up their friendship with wise people; they should not think of those who seck individual  salvation;  they should avoid all regression on the Path of enlightening beings;  they should not give rise to any malice toward sentient beings;  they should cultivate all roots of goodness to perfection ; they should  be able to conquer  all demons; they should fulfill all the ways of transcendence. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme discipline of great knowledge.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of control: control of life, being able to remain alive for untold eons;  control of mind, their intel­ lect being able to enter countless concentrations; control of facilities , being able to array all worlds with infinite embellishments;  control of action, being able to experience consequences at any time;  control  of birth, being able to manifest birth in all worlds;  control of understand­ ing, being able to see Buddha filling all worlds;  control of will,  being able to achieve true awakening in any lands whenever desired; control of spiritual powers, showing all kinds of great mystical displays; control ot doctrine,  revealing boundless  gateways  to truth;  control of knowledge, in each moment of thought  manifesting the ten powers and fearlessnesses of buddhas, attaining true enlightenment. Based on these ten controls, enlightening beings can attain mastery of enlightenment, fulfilling the transcendence, knowledge, and spiritual power of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded functions: unimpeded functions relating to sentient beings, lands, phenomena and principles, bodies, vows, realms, knowledge, spiritual capacities, miracles, and powers.  What arc their unimpeded  functions relating to sentient beings and so on?

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of unimpeded  functions relating to sentient beings: knowing that all sentient beings are void of being; knowing that all sentient beings are only upheld by thought; explaining the truth to all sentient beings in a manner appropriate to the time; magically producing the appearance of all realms of sentient beings;

 

placing all sentient beings inside a pore without crowding; showing all sentient beings other worlds; manifesting the bodies of the celestial beings Indra, Brahma, and the world guardians for all sentient beings; manifest­ ing the calm behavior ofbuddhas' disciples and individual i lluminates for all sentient beings; manifesting the deeds of enlightening beings for all sentient beings; manifesting the buddhas'  physical  embellishments, powers of omniscience, and attainment of enlightenment for all beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded function relating to lands: making all lands one land; fitting all lands in a pore; knowing that the totality of lands is inexhaustible; fi lling all lands with one body sitting; showing all lands in one body; shaking all lands with­ out frightening the beings there; arraying  one land  with the adornments of all l ands; pervading all lands with one buddha and one congregation, showing sentient beings; showing all sentient beings the infinite differen­ tiations of the network of lands fil ling the ten directions-all small lands, middle-sized lands, large lands, broad lands, deep lands, upright lands, inverted lands, sideways lands, straight lands.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded function relating to phenomena and principles: they know that all phenomena are in one phenomenon and one phenomenon is in all phenomena, yet they do not contravene the understanding of sentient beings; they elicit all principles from transcendent wisdom, explain them to others, and en­ lighten them all; they know all things are beyond words, yet they enable all sentient beings to understand them; they know all things are of one characteristic, yet they can expound  infinite characteristics  of things; they know all truths are beyond explanation, yet they explain boundless ways of access to truth; they can skillfully operate a pregnant symbol representing all truths, accommodating all things in one principle with­ out contradiction, expounding it for untold eons without exhausting it; including all things in the teaching of enlightenment, they enable all sentient beings to gain understanding; they know all things have no boundaries; they know the ultimate nonobstruction of all things, like a network of illusions,  with infinite differentiations, explaining  this to sentient beings for infinite eons without exhausting it.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded function

relating to bodies: encompassing the bodies of all sentient beings in one's own body; merging  one's  own body into the bodies  of all sentient beings; all buddha-bodies entering one buddha-body; one buddha-body entering all buddha-bodies; encompassing all lands in one's own body; pervading all things of all times with one body , showing sentient beings; showing boundless bodies in one body entering concentration; in one body showing as many bodies  as sentient beings  attaining enlighten­ ment; showing the body of one being in the bodies of all beings,  show­ ing the bodies  of all beings in the body  of one being;  showing the body of reality in the bodies of all beings, showing the bodies of all beings in the body of reality.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded function re-

 

lating to vows: they make the vows of all enlightening beings their own vows; they manifest themselves attaining enlightenment by the power of the vow of attainment of enlightenment of all buddhas; they themselves attain supreme  perfect enlightenment  in accordance with the sentient beings they are teaching; they never end their great vows, throughout all eons, without bounds; detaching from the body of discriminating con­ sciousness and not clinging to the body of knowledge,  they manifest all bodies by free will; they give up their own bodies to ful fill the aspira­ tions of others;   they edify   all   sentient beings without  giving up their great   vows;   they cultivate the deeds of enlightening beings in   all   ages, yet their great vows never end; they manifest the attainment of true enlightenment in a minute point, pervade all buddha-lands  by the power of vowing, and show this to each and every sentient being in untold worlds; they explain a phrase of teaching,  throughout  all universes, raising great clouds of true teaching, flashing the lightning of liberation, booming the  thunder of truth, showering the rain  of elixir of immor­ tality, ful filling all sentient beings by the power of great vows.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded  functions relating to realms: they abide in the realm of reality without abandoning the realm of sentient beings; they abide in the realm of buddhas without abandoning the realm of demons; they abide in the realm of nirvana without  abandoning  the realm of birth and   death;  they enter the realm of omniscience without putting an end to the realm of the nature of enlightening beings; they abide in the realm of tranquillity and calm without abandoning the realm of distraction; they abide in the spacelike realm where there is no   coming   or   going,   no conceptualization,  no form, no essence,   and no   verbalization,   yet they do not abandon  the realm of all sentient beings, conceptual representations; they dwell in the realm of occult  powers and liberation,  yet without abandoning the realm of specific locations; they enter the realm of ultimate nonexistence of sentient beings, yet do not give up teaching  all sentient beings;  they dwell in the realm of meditation, liberation, spiritual powers, and higher knowledges, quiet and peaceful, yet they manifest birth  in all worlds; they dwell  in the realm of realization of true enlightenment  adorned by all the deeds of buddhas, yet they manifest the composed, tranquil com­ portment of the personally liberated and individually illuminated.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded  function relating to knowledge: inexhaustible analytic powers;  retention of all mnemonic concentration formulae; ability to know and explain  with certainty the faculties of all sentient beings; instantly knowing,  by un­ hindered knowledge, the actions of the minds of all sentient beings; knowing all sentient beings' inclinations, propensities, habits, and afflic­ tions, and giving them remedies in accordance with their ailments;  in a single moment they are able to enter into the ten powers of buddhas; by unimpeded knowledge they are able to know all  ages of past, present, and future and the sentient beings therein; moment to moment they

 

manifest the attainment of enlightenment, showing it to sentient beings endlessly; they know the actions of all sentient beings in the thoughts of one sentient being, understand the language of all sentient beings in the words of one sentient being.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded  function relating to spiritual capacities: they show the bodies of all worlds in one body; in the audience of one buddha  they hear the teachings spoken  in the assemblies of all buddhas; in the mind and thoughts of one sentient being they accomplish  inexpressible,  unsurpassed enlightenment  and open the minds of all sentient beings; with one voice they manifest the different sounds of speech of all worlds and enable sentient beings each to attain understanding; in a single moment they show the various differ­ ences in results of actions of all ages of the entire past,  causing sentient beings all to know and see; they cause all worlds to be fully adorned; they penetrate all pasts,  presents, and futures; they emanate  the great light of truth and show the enlightenment of all buddhas and the acts and aspirations of sentient beings; they protect all living beings, saints, indi­ vidual illuminates, enlightening beings, the ten powers of enlightenment they have, and the roots of goodness of enlightening beings.  If enlight­ ening beings attain these ten unimpeded functions, they can penetrate all Buddha teachings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded functions of miraculous abilities: they place untold worlds in one atom; they manifest all buddha-lands, equal to the cosmos, in a single atom; they place the water of all oceans in one pore and travel throughout  the universe, without the sentient beings therein being disturbed; they contain untold worlds within their own bodies and manifest all spiritual powers; they tie up innumerable mountain chains with a single hair and carry them through all worlds,  without frightening sentient beings;  they make un­ told ages one age and make one age untold ages, showing therein the differences of formation and disintegration, without scaring   sentient beings;  in all worlds they show various changes and devastations by floods, conflagrations, and  gales,   without  troubling   sentient   beings; when such disasters arise, they can safeguard the necessities of life of all sentient beings in all worlds, not letting them be damaged or lost; they can hold inconceivably many worlds in one hand and toss them beyond untold worlds, without exciting fear in the sentient beings;  they explain how all lands are the same as space, causing sentient beings all to gain understanding.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of unimpeded  function of power:  unimpeded function   of power relating to  sentient   beings,   teach­ ing and   taming   them without abandoning  them;   of power relating to lands, manifesting untold adornments and arraying   them;  of power re­ lating to phenomena, causing all bodies to enter the bodiless; of power relating to eons, cultivating practices unceasingly; of the power of en­ lightenment, awakening those who are asleep; of the power of action,

 

including all practices of enlightening beings; of the power of buddhas, liberating all sentient beings;   teacherless power,  spontaneously awakening to   all   truths;   of the power of omniscience,   attaining true enlightenment by o mniscience; of the power of great compassion,  not  abandoning sentient beings.

"These are called the ten unimpeded functions of enlightening beings; for those who attain them, being on the verge of attaining  supreme perfect enlightenment or not attaining it is up to them and makes no difference-though they attain enlightenment, they still do  not  stop carrying out the deeds of enlightening beings. Why? Because great enlightening beings  vow  to  enter infinite  doors of unimpeded  function and manifest them skillfully, as is appropriate.

"Great  enlightening beings have   ten   kinds   of versatility:   they make the body of sentient beings  the body  of lands,  without destroying the body of sentient beings;  they make the body  of lands  the body  of sentient beings, without destroying the body of lands; in the body  of Buddha they show the body of disciples and self-illumined ones, without diminishing the body of Buddha; in the body  of disciples and self­ illumined ones they show  the body of Buddha, without augmenting the body of disciples and self-illumined ones; in the body of practices of enlightening beings they show the body of attainment of enlightenment, without cutting off the body  of practices of enlightening   beings;   in the body   of attainment   of enlightenment   they   manifest   cultivation   of the body   of practices   of enlightening   beings,  without diminishing   the   body of attainment of enlightenment;  they  show the  body  of birth and   death in the realm of nirvana, without clinging to birth and death; they show nirvana in the realm of birth  and death, yet without finally entering nirvana; they enter into concentration, yet manifest all ordinary action, without relinquishing the correct reception of concentration; in   the pre­ sence of one buddha they hear and absorb the teaching, not moving physically yet by the power of concentration appearing physically in the audiences of untold  buddhas,  neither dividing   their bodies nor   rising from   concentration,   continuously   hearing   and   absorbing   the   teachings, in this  way  moment  to   moment  producing untold  concentration-bodies in each concentration-body, going on this way, so that the ages of time may  be exhausted  but   the   concentration-bodies   of enlightening   beings are inexhaustible.  Based on these ten kinds of versatility, enlightening beings can attain the versatility of great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten spheres: showing infinite ways of access to the realm  of reality so that sentient beings can  enter; showing the infinite wonderful arrays  of all worlds, so that sentient beings can enter; traveling by  projection to the realms of all sentient beings to enlighten them all by appropriate means; producing embodiments of enlightening   beings from   the  body  of Buddha,  producing   embodiment of Buddha  from the body  of an enlightening being;  manifesting the world in the realm of space, manifesting the realm of space in the world;

 

manifesting the realm of nirvana in the realm of birth and death, mani­ festing the realm of birth and death in the realm of nirvana; producing verbalizations of all Buddha teachings in the language  of one sentient being; showing all bodies as one body, one body as all different bodies; filling all universes with one body;  in one instant causing all sentient beings to rouse the will for enlightenment,  each manifesting infinite bodies attaining enlightenment. These are the ten spheres of enlightening beings; if they abide in them, they will attain the supreme sphere of great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of power: the power of the profound mind,  not getting mixed up in worldly  feelings; the power of the overmastering profound mind,  not giving up the ways  of enlighten­ ment;   the power of means,  consummating  whatever they do; the power of knowledge, comprehending the activities of all minds;  the power  of vows, ful filling all aspirations; the power  of practice, continuing forever; the power of vehicles of liberation,  able to produce all vehicles of liber­ ation without abandoning the great universal vehicle; the power of miraculous transformations, showing all pure worlds and all buddhas appearing in the worlds in each pore; the power of enlightenment, inspiring all sentient beings to seek enlightenment and become buddhas, without end; the power  of turning  the wheel of the teaching, explaining one expression of truth in accord with the faculties, temperaments, and inclinations of all sentient beings.  Based on these ten powers,   enlight­ ening beings can attain the buddhas' ten powers of omniscience.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of fearlessness . They can remember all verbal explanations, and think that even if infinite people should come from all over and ask them about a hundred thousand great principles, they would see nothing difficult to answer about  those ques­ tions. Because of this their minds become fearless and they ultimately reach the Other Shore of great fearlessness, able to answer any  question and resolve doubts,  without any timidity.  This is enlightening beings' first fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings attain the unimpeded intellectual powers bestowed  by Buddha  and arrive at the furthest reaches of revelation of the secrets intimated by all speech and writing. They think that even if infinite people should come from the ten directions and ask them about infinite doctrines, they would not see anything difficult to answer about those questions. Because of this their minds become fearless and they ultimately reach the Other Shore of great fearlessness . They are able to answer any question and resolve doubts, without any timidity. This is enlightening beings' second fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings know all  things  are  empty  and  are  with­ out  self  or  anything  pertaining  to  self,   without   creation   or  creator, without knower, without life, without soul, without personality,  de­ tached  from mind,  body,  sense, and sense  experience-they  forever leave all views and their minds are like space. They reflect that they do

 

not sec sentient beings in any way harmful to them, in terms of physical, verbal, or mental action, because they do not see anything as having any essence at all . Therefore their minds become fearless and they ultimately reach the Other Shore of great fearlessness . They arc firm, stable, and brave, impossible to discourage or break down. This is enlightening beings' third fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings are protected and sustained by the power of Buddha,  they live according  to the conduct of buddhas,  their action is   truthful   and never  degenerates.  They reflect that they   do not  see any conduct in themselves that would provoke the criticism of others. Therefore their minds become fearless and they teach calmly among the masses. This is enlightening beings' fourth fearlessness.

"The physical, verbal, and mental actions of great enlightening beings arc all pure, immaculate,  harmonious,  free from all evils. They reflect that they do not see any physical, verbal, or mental action in them that is blameworthy.  Therefore their minds become fearless , and they arc able to cause sentient beings to live by the teachings of Buddha. This is enlightening beings' fifth fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings are always accompanied and guarded by powerful thunderbolt-bearers, celestial rain spirits, demigods, celestial musicians, titans,  Indra, Brahma, the world-guardian gods, and so on; and all   buddhas   watch over them heedfully.   They   reflect that   they do not see that there are any demons, false teachers, or people with set views that can hinder their practice of the path of enlightening  beings in any way.  Therefore their minds become  fearless and   they ultimately  reach the Other Shore of great fearlessness. They become very joyful and carry out the deeds of enlightening beings. This is enlightening beings' sixth fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings have developed the faculty of recollection and are free from forgetfulness, as approved  by   buddhas.   They reflect that they do not see any   sign of forgetfulness of the ways of expressing the path of attainment of enlightenment as explained by the buddhas. Therefore they become  fearless in mind,  absorb and hold all buddhas' true teachings, and carry out the practices of enlightening beings. This is enlightening beings' seventh fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings have already attained knowledge and skill in means, and have consummated  the powers of enlightening  beings. They always strive to edify all sentient beings. Their aspiration is always focused on perfect enlightenment, yet because of compassion for sentient beings, to perfect sentient beings, they appear to be born in the polluted world of afflictions, noble, with a full retinue, able to satisfy all their desires at will, leading a pleasant and happy life. Yet they reflect that although they are together with their family and associates, they do not see anything to be attached to to the extent of giving up their cultivation of the ways of enlightening beings, such as meditation, liberations, con­ centrations, mnemonic spells, and analytic and expository powers. Why?

 

Because great enlightening beings are already free in the midst  of all things and have reached the Other Shore. They cultivate the practices of enlightening  beings and  vow never to stop.  They do not see any object in the world that can disturb the path of the enlightening being.  Because of this their minds become fearless, and they ultimately reach the Other Shore ofgreat fearlessness. By the power ofgreat vows  they manifest birth in all worlds . This is enlightening beings' eighth fearlessness .

"Great enlightening beings never forget the determination for omni­ science. Riding the Great Vehicle, they carry on the practices of enlight­ ening beings. By the power of the great determination for omniscience, they demonstrate the tranquil comportment of all saints and individual

illuminates. They reflect that they do not see in themselves any sign of needing to gain emancipation  by means  of the lesser vehicles of indi­ vidual salvation . Because of this their minds become fearless and they ultimately reach the other shore of great fearlessness . While able to demonstrate to all the paths of all vehicles of liberation, they ultimately fulfill the impartial Great Vehicle of universal liberation. This is enlight­ ening beings' ninth fearlessness.

"Great enlightening beings perfect all good and pure qualities, are imbued with virtue,  fully  develop  spiritual  powers, ultimately  abide in the enlightenment of all buddhas, fulfill all practices of enlightening beings, receive from the buddhas the prediction of coronation with omniscience,  and still always teach sentient beings,  carrying on the path of enlightening beings.  They reflect that they do not  see any sign of even a single sentient being who can be developed to maturity to whom they cannot show the masteries ofbuddhas in order to develop them. Because of this, their minds become fearless and they ultimately reach the Other Shore of great fearlessness. They do not stop the practices of enlightening beings, do not give up the vows of enlightening  beings,  and  show  the sphere of buddhahood to any sentient beings who can learn, in order to teach and liberate them. This is enlightening beings' tenth fearlessness.

"These are the ten fearlessnesses of enlightening beings;  based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme great fearlessness of buddhas without giving up the fearlessness of enlightening beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten  unique qualities.  Without de­ pending on the teaching of another, they spontaneously practice the six transcendent ways: they always gladly give generously and are not mean; they always keep pure precepts, without transgression; they are full of patience and forbearance, their minds imperturbable; they have  great energy, never backsliding; they skillfully enter the various meditations, never distracted; they skillfully cultivate wisdom, getting rid of all wrong views. This is their first unique quality,  practicing the six transcendent ways according to the path of transcendence without  being taught  by another.

"Great enlightening beings are well able to take care of all sentient beings: that is to say, they practice charity, giving material goods as well

 

as teaching; they are rightly heedful at all times; they are mild of counte­ nance and friendly in speech; their hearts are joyful as they point  out what is true; they foster understanding of the enlightenment of buddhas; without aversion they impartially benefit all. This is enlightening beings' second unique quality, striving to unite sentient beings according to the four integrative methods, without being taught by another.

"Great enlightening beings skillfully practice dedication-dedication without seeking resulting rewards, dedication in conformity with en­ lightenment, dedication unattached to any worldly meditations or trances; dedication to benefiting all sentient beings, dedication to per­ petuating the knowledge and wisdom of buddhas. This is enlightening beings' third unique quality, developing roots of goodness and seeking enlightened knowledge and wisdom without relying on the teaching of another.

"Great enlightening beings arrive at consummate skill in means; they are always concerned with the welfare of all sentient beings, they do not reject the realm of common ignorance, do not seek individual escape, do not cling to their own happiness. They only strive to edify and liberate others; they are able to enter and exit meditations and liberations, and have attained mastery of all concentrations.  They come and go in birth and death as though  roaming through  a park,  never getting sick of it. They may live in the palace of demons or may be celestial beings-they manifest their bodies in all realms of life. They rnay become mendicants in non-Buddhistic groups, yet they always avoid all false views. They display all secular literature, incantational arts, writing and mathematics, and even entertaining song and dance, being highly skilled in all of these. They may appear  as beautiful women,  intelligent  and talented, foremost in the world. They are able to ask about and to answer about all mundane and transmundane principles, able to ultimately resolve all doubts. They also comprehend all mundane and transmundane phenomena to the ulti­ mate degree. All sentient beings look up to them. Though they manifest the behavior of mendicants and individual illuminates, still they do not lose the   mind   of the Great Vehicle.   Though   they   show   attainment   of true enlightenment moment to moment,  still they do not stop the prac­ tice of enlightening beings. This is their fourth unique quality, the ulti­ mate consummation of skill in means without relying on the teaching of another.

"Great enlightening beings know well the path of simultaneous prac­ tice of the provisional and the true; their intellect is free, and they reach the other shore. That is to say, they abide in nirvana,  yet give the appearance  of birth and death;  they know there are no sentient beings, yet they diligently carry out teaching activities; they are ultimately  calm and dispassionate, yet they appear to have afflictions; they abide in the one indestructible mystic  reality-body of wisdom,   yet they manifest infinite bodies of sentient beings everywhere;  they always enter medita­ tive concentration, yet they give the appearance of experiencing sensual

 

pleasure; they are always aloof from the triple world, yet they do not abandon sentient beings;  they always enjoy the pleasures of spirituality, yet they appear to have concubines who sing and play; though their bodies are arrayed with a multitude of marks and embellishments of greatness, yet they appear as ugly derelicts;  they  always  accumulate virtues and are free from faults, yet they manifest birth in hells or  as animals and hungry ghosts; though they have arrived at the  furthest reaches of buddha-knowledge, they do not abandon the body of knowl­ edge of enlightening beings. Even saints and solitary illuminates cannot know such infinite knowledge and wisdom developed by great enlight­ ening beings-how much less can infantile sentient beings. This is en­ lightening beings' fifth unique quality, the simultaneous practice of the provisional and the true without being taught by another.

"Great enlightening beings' physical, verbal, and mental actions are carried out in accord with knowledge and wisdom and are all pure.  That is to say, they are imbued with great compassion and forever abandon malice; they are imbued  with true understanding  and have no false views. This is enlightening beings'  sixth unique quality,  of physical, verbal, and mental action in accord with knowledge and wisdom, with­ out depending on the teaching of another.

"Great enlightening beings are full of great compassion and do not abandon sentient beings; they accept suffering in place of all sentient beings-the sufferings of hell, the sufferings of animals, the sufferings of hungry ghosts. They do this in order to help, and do not become weary-they are only devoted to liberating  all  sentient  beings.  They never become addicted to objects of desire. They always diligently work to extirpate suffering for sentient beings. This is enlightening beings' seventh•unique quality, always exercising great compassion without de­ pending on the instruction of another.

"All beings  like to see enlightening beings and never tire of seeing

them, because great enlightening beings have for ages been pure in deed, without fault. This is enlightening beings' eighth unique quality, being a welcome sight to all sentient beings,  without depending on the instruc­ tion of another.

"Great  enlightening  beings'  determination, the  adornment  of the great commitment to omniscience, is unbending; though they be in dangerous, difficult places, among  ordinary people, Buddhist  disciples, or self-enlightened people,  they never lose the clear,  pure,   wonderful jewel of the determination for omniscience. Just as there is a jewel called pure adornment whose luster does not change when it is put in mire, and which can clarify muddy water, in the same way, great enlightening beings, even though they be in places of confusion and pollution, among fools, they never lose or spoil the pure jewel mind  seeking omniscience­ they can even cause those evil sentient beings to get rid of erroneous views, afflictions, and defilements, and gain the pure mind-jewel seeking omniscience. This is enlightening beings' ninth unique quality, not losing

 

the precious will for omniscience  even though  in difficult situations, even without the instruction of another.

"Great enlightening beings achieve the knowledge of the realm of self-awakenin g and become enlightened spontaneously without a teacher. Ultimately free, they arrive at the other shore. The turban of the state of freedom from defilement crowns their heads. Still they do not give up association with the wise and always gladly honor the buddhas. This is enlightening beings' tenth unique quality, attaining the supreme state without abandoning the wise or giving up honoring buddhas, without depending on the teaching of another.

"These are the ten unique qualities of enlightening beings, based on which they can attain the buddhas' supreme, grandiose unique qualities.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of activity:  activity related to all worlds, able to purify them all; activity related to all buddhas,  able to provide offerings to them all; activity related  to all enlightening beings, planting the same roots of goodness; activity relating to all sen­ tient beings, able to teach and transform them all; activity relating to the future, able to take in the whole future; activity of all spiritual powers, able to reach all worlds without leaving one world; activity of all light, emanating  lights  of infinite colors, with  an enlightening  being sitting on a lotus seat appearing in each light beam; activity perpetuating the lineage of the three treasures, preserving and sustaining the buddhas' teachings after the demise of the buddhas; activity of all miraculous transformations, expounding  the truth   and  teaching   the   sentient   beings in all worlds; activity of all empowerments, instantly appearing to sen­ tient beings according to their mental inclinations, causing all aspirations to be fulfilled. Based on these ten kinds of activity enlightening beings can achieve the supremely great activity of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of body: the noncoming body, not being born in any world;  the nongoing body, impossible to find in any world;  the nonreal body, realizing all worlds as they really are; the nonfalse body, showing  the world the truth; the inexhaustible body,   never being annihilated;  the stable body, impossible  for demons to destroy; the imperturbable body, impossible for demons and false teachers to disturb;  the formal body, manifesting pure marks  of virtue; the formless body, the forms of all things being ultimately formless; the omnipresent body, being the same one body as all buddhas of all times.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten kinds of physical action:  filling all worlds with one body; ability  to appear before all sentient beings; ability to undertake birth in all states of being; traveling in all worlds; going to the assemblies of all buddhas; ability to cover all worlds with one hand;  ability to grind the iron surrounding  mountains of all worlds to dust with one hand;   manifesting the formation and  disintegration  of all buddha-lands in one's own body to show sentient beings;  admitting all realms of sentient beings into one body; in one's own body manifest-

 

ing all pure buddha-lands,  with all sentient beings  attaining enlighten­ ment therein. Based  on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme action of buddhas and be able to enlighten all sentient beings.

"Great enlightening  beings also have ten more kinds  of body:  the body of transcendent  ways,  due to correctly practicing  them all ; the body of the four integrative methods,  due to not abandoning sentient beings; the body of great compassion, due to accepting immeasurable suffering in place  of all sentient beings without wearying;  the body  of great benevolence, due to saving all sentient beings; the body of blessings and virtue, due to benefiting all sentient beings; the body  of wisdom, being of the same one nature as the bodies of all buddhas;  the body of reality, being  forever free from undergoing  birth in   conditioned   states; the body of expedient means, appearing in all places; the body of spiritual powers, manifesting all mystic transformations ; the body of enlighten­ ment, achieving true awareness at any time, as desired. Based on these, enlightening beings attain the supreme body of wisdom of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of speech: gentle speech, causing all sentient beings to be calm;  sweet elixir speech, causing all sentient beings to be clear and cool;  nondeceptive  speech, everything they say being true; truthful speech, not lying  even in dreams;  great speech, being honored by all the gods; profound speech, revealing the essence of things; steadfast speech, expounding truth inexhaustibly; straightforward speech, their statements being easy  to understand;  vari­ ous speech, being spoken according to the occasion; speech enlightening all sentient beings, en abling them to understand according to their in­ clinations. Based on these, enlightening beings attain the supreme subtle speech of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of purifying speech: joyfully listening to the voice of Buddhas; joy fully listening to explanations  of the virtues of enlightening beings; not saying anything unpleasant to sentient beings; truly avoiding all faults of speech; joyfully praising the enlightened; singing the praises of buddhas aloud at the monuments of deceased buddhas; giving  teachings to sentient beings with a profound, pure mind; praising Buddha with music and song; listening to the true Teaching  without worrying about   one's   body   or life;   giving  oneself up to serve all enlightening beings and teachers of truth, and receiving the sublime teaching from them.

"Based on these ten things which purify speech,  great enlightening beings gain ten kinds of protection:  they are protected by all celestial beings, by all nagas, all yakshas, all gandharvas, all titans, all garudas, all kinnaras, all maharagas, all Brahmas, and all teachers of truth, beginning with the buddhas.

"Having  received   this protection,  great enlightening   beings are able to accomplish ten great works: gladdening all sentient beings; going  to all worlds; knowing all faculties; puri fying all devotions; exterminating

 

all afflictions; getting rid of all habit energy; purifying all inclinations; increasing all profound determinations; causing  all to pervade  all uni­ verses; causing all nirvanas to be clearly seen.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds  of mind: a  mind like the earth, able to hold the roots of goodness of all sentient beings and make them grow; a  mind like the ocean, with the water of truth  of infinite great knowledge of a ll buddhas all flowing into it; a mind like the polar mountain, placing all sentient beings on the supreme transmundane foundations of goodness; a mind like the finest jewel, their desires being pure and unpolluted; a mind like diamond,  deeply penetrating all truths with certainty; a mind like  the  adamantine world-surrounding  moun­ tains, being invulnerable to disturbance by any demons or false teachers; a mind like a lotus blossom, which  worldly  things cannot affect; a mind like an udumbara flower, difficult to encounter through all time; a  mind like the clear sun, destroying the darkness; a mind like space, being immeasurable. B ased on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme pure mind of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten determinations:  to liberate all beings; to cause all beings to get rid of their afflictions; to cause all sentient beings to extinguish their habit energies; to eliminate all doubts; to remove all sentient beings's miseries; to extirpate the difficulties of the states of woe; to respectfully follow all buddhas; to study what  all enlightening beings should learn;  to show the enlightenment of all bud­ dhas at each point in all worlds;  to beat the drum of the highest teaching in all worlds, to cause all sentient beings to gain understanding in accord with their faculties and inclinations. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain buddhas' mind of great determination and competence.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of comprehensive mind:  a mind comprehending all spaces, their intentions far-reaching; a mind comprehending all realms of reality, deeply penetrating infinity; a mind comprehending all past, present, and future, knowing them all in a single thought; a mind comprehending the manifestation of all buddhas, clearly understanding their entry into the womb,  birth,   leaving   home,   attain­ ment of enlightenment, teaching activity, and ultimate nirvana; a mind comprehending all sentient beings, knowing their faculties, inclinations, and habit energies; a mind comprehending all knowledge, knowing the realms of reality everywhere; a mind  comprehending all infinities, know­ ing the differentiations of the networks of illusions;  a mind  compre­ hending all nonorigination, not apprehending any intrinsic nature in any thing; a mind comprehending  all nonobstruction,  not dwelling on the mind of self or the mind of other; a mind comprehending all freedoms, manifesting realization of buddhahood  everywhere in a single instant. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the comprehensive adorn­ ments of supreme buddhahood.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of faculties: joyful faculties, seeing all buddhas, with faith indestructible; hopeful faculties , under-

 

standing whatever B uddha teachings they hear; nonregressing faculties, consummating all their tasks;  steadfast faculties, not stopping the prac­ tices of enlightening beings; subtle faculties, entering the subtle principle of transcendent   wisdom;   unceasing   faculties,   consummating  the   tasks of all sentient beings; adamantine  faculties, realizing the nature of all things; indestructible glowing faculties, illumining all spheres ofbuddha­ hood; undifferentiated faculties, being the same one body as all buddhas; unobstructed faculties, deeply penetrating the ten powers of the en­ lightened. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme faculties of fulfillment of great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of profound mind:  a pro­

found mind not stained by any worldly things;  a  profound  mind  not alloyed with the ways of the lesser vehicles of individual salvation; a profound mind comprehending the enlightenment  of  all  buddhas  of past, present, and future; a profound mind following the path of omni­ science; a profound mind unmoved by any  demons  or heretics;  a  pro­ found mind clari fying the comprehensive knowledge of all enlightened ones; a profound mind  accepting  and  holding  all  truths  heard;  a  pro­ found mind not clinging to  any  state  of life;  a  profound  mind imbued with all subtle knowledge; a profound mind cultivating all qualities of buddhahood. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme, pure, profound mind of omniscience.

"Great  enlightening beings have  ten kinds  of intense profound mind : an intense profound mind not backsliding,  because they accumulate all roots of goodness;  an intense, profound mind removing doubt,  because they understand the esoteric sayings of all buddhas;  an intense profound mind holding truth, being born by great vows and great deeds; a su­ premely intense profound mind,  deeply penetrating all Buddha  teach­ ings; a masterful intense profound mind,  mastering all Buddha teachings; a vast intense profound mind,  entering into various  ways of access to truth; a leading intense profound mind, accomplishing  all tasks; a free intense profound mind,  adorned by   all concentrations, spiritual powers, and mystical  transformations; an abiding intense profound mind, em­ bracing their past vows;   an unceasing intense profound mind,   developing all sentient beings to maturity. B ased on these, enlightening beings can attain the supremely pure intense profound mind of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of diligent practice: diligent practice of giving,  relinquishing all without seeking reward; diligent practice of self-control , practicing  austerities, having  few desires, and being content;  diligent practice of forbearance,   detaching  from   notions of self and other, tolerating all evils without anger or malice; diligent practice of vigor, their thoughts, words, and deeds never confused , not regressing in what they   do,   reaching   the ultimate end;   diligent practice of meditations, liberations, and concentrations, discovering spiritual powers, leaving behind all desires, afflictions, contention, and their con­ geners; diligent practice of wisdom, tirelessly cultivating and accumulat-

 

ing virtues; diligent practice of great benevolence,  knowing that all sentient beings have no nature of their own; diligent practice of great compassion, knowing that all things are empty,  accepting suffering in place of all sentient beings without wearying; diligent practice to awaken the ten powers of enlightenment, realizing them without obstruction, manifesting them for sentient beings; diligent practice of the nonreceding wheel of teaching, proceeding to reach all sentient beings. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme practice of great knowl­ edge and wisdom of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of certain understanding: certain understanding of the supreme, planting roots of goodness  of respect; certain understanding of adornment, producing various adorn­ ments; certain understanding of breadth and magnanimity,  their minds never narrow or mean; certain understanding  of quiescence, able to penetrate the most profound essence of things; certain understanding of universality,   their   determination   for   enlightenment   extending   every­ where; certain understanding  of capacity,  able to receive the support of the power of Buddha; certain understanding of strength, able to crush all demon activities; certain understanding of clear decision, knowing the consequences of all actions; certain understanding of presence, able to manifest spiritual powers at will; certain understanding of succession, receiving the prediction ofbuddhahood from all buddhas; certain under­ standing of freedom, attaining buddhahood at will at any time.  Based on these, enlightening   beings   can attain the supreme   certain   understanding of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have  ten kinds of definitive understanding of worlds:  they know all worlds penetrate one world;   they know one world penetrates all worlds; they know the body and lotus throne of one buddha pervades all worlds; they know all worlds are like space;  they know all worlds are endowed  with the adornments of buddhas;  they know all worlds  are filled with enlightening beings;  they know   all worlds enter one pore; they know all worlds enter the body of a single sentient being;   they know   the enlightenment tree and site of enlighten­ ment of one buddha  pervade all worlds;  they know all worlds are pervaded by one message that allows sentient beings to hear it differently, to their delight. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain buddhas' supreme great understanding of buddha-lands.

"Great  enlightening beings have ten kinds of certain understanding of

the realm of sentient beings: they know that all realms of sentient beings essentially have no reality; they know that all realms of sentient beings enter the body  of one sentient being; they  know that all realms   of sentient beings enter the body  of an enlightening being;  they know  that all realms of sentient beings enter the matrix  of enlightenment;  they know the body  of one sentient being enters all realms of sentient beings; they know  that all realms of sentient beings can be vessels of the bud-

 

dhas' teachings; they know all realms of sentient beings and manifest the bodies of celestial beings for them according to their desires; they know all realms of sentient beings and manifest the tranquil, composed behavior of saints and individual illuminates for them, according to their inclina­ tions; they know all realms of sentient beings and manifest to them the bodies of enlightening beings adorned with virtues; they know all realms of sentient beings and show them the marks and embellishments and the tranquil comportment of buddhas, and enlighten  sentient beings.  Based on these ten, enlightening  beings can attain the supremely  powerful certain understanding of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of habit energy: the habit energy of determination for enlightenment; the habit energy of roots of goodness;  the habit energy of edifying sentient beings;  the habit energy of seeing Buddha; the habit energy of undertaking birth in pure worlds; the habit energy of enlightening practice; the habit energy of vows; the habit energy of transcendence; the habit energy of meditation on equality; the habit energy of various differentiations of state. Based on these, enlightening beings can forever get rid of all afflictive habit energies and attain buddhas' habit energy of great knowledge,  the knowledge that is not energized by habit.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of grasping, by which they perpetuate the practices of enlightening beings: they grasp all realms of sentient beings, to ultimately enlighten them; they grasp all worlds, to ultimately purify them; they grasp Buddha, cultivating the practices of enlightening beings as offerings; they grasp roots of goodness, accumu­ lating the virtues that mark and embellish the buddhas; they grasp great compassion, to extinguish the pains of all  sentient beings;  they grasp great benevolence, to bestow on all beings the happiness of omniscience; they grasp the transcendent ways, to accumulate the adornments of enlightening beings; they grasp skill in means, to demonstrate them everywhere; they grasp enlightenment, to attain unobstructed knowl­ edge; in sum, enlightening beings grasp all things, to comprehend them everywhere with clear  knowledge. Based  on these, enlightening  beings can perpetuate the practices of enlightening  beings and  attain  the bud­ dhas' supreme state of not grasping anything.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of cultivation: they culti­

vate the ways of transcendence, learning, wisdom , purpose,  righteous­ ness, emancipation, manifestation , diligence, accomplishment of true awakening, and operation of right teaching.  Based  on these, enlight­ ening beings achieve supreme cultivation and practice all truths.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of fulfillment of the Buddha teachings: not leaving wise associates; deeply believing in the words of buddhas; not repudiating truth; dedicating unlimited roots of goodness; focusi ng on the infinity of the sphere of Buddha; knowing the realms of all worlds; not abandoning the realm of cosmic reality; avoiding all

 

realms of demons; correctly recollecting the realm of all buddhas; seeking the realm of the ten powers of buddhas. Based  on these, enlightening beings can achieve the supreme great wisdom of buddhas.

"There are ten things  that cause enlightening  beings  to regress from the Buddha teachings, which they should avoid: slighting the wise; fearing the pains of birth and death; getting tired of practicing the acts of enlightening beings; not caring to remain in the world; addiction to concentration; clinging to roots of goodness;  liking  the ways of indi­ vidual liberation; having aversion to enlightening beings.  If enlightening beings avoid these ten things, they will enter the enlightening  beings' paths of emancipation.

"Great enlightening beings have ten paths of emancipation: evoking transcendent wisdom, yet always observing all sentient beings; detaching from all views, yet liberating all sentient beings bound by views; not minding any appearances,  yet not abandoning sentient beings  attached to appearances; transcending the triple world, yet always  being in all worlds; forever leaving afflictions, yet living  together with all sentient beings; attaining desirelessness, yet always most compassionately pitying all sentient beings attached to desires; always enjoying tranquillity and serenity,  yet always appearing to be in company; being free from birth in the world,  yet dying in one place and being reborn in another, carrying on the activities of enlightening beings;  not  being affected by any worldly things, yet not stopping work in the world; actually realizing full enlightenment, yet not abandoning the vows and practices of en­ lightening beings. These arc enlightening beings' ten ways of emancipa­ tion, which are not common to worldlings, and also are not alloyed with the practices of the two vehicles of individual liberation; if enlightening beings live by these principles,  they will attain  the qualities of certainty of enlightening beings.

"Great  enlightening  beings  have  ten  qualities  of certainty:  they  are certainly born in the   family of buddhas;   they certainly live in the realm of buddhas; they certainly know the tasks of enlightening beings; they certainly persist in the transcendent ways; they certainly get to join the assemblies of buddhas; they certainly can reveal the nature of buddha­ hood; they certainly abide in the powers of the enlightened; they certainly enter the enlightenment of buddhas; they certainly are one and the same body as all buddhas; their abode is certainly none other than that of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten ways of generating the qualities of buddhahood: following good friends is a way of generating qualities ofbuddhahood, because they plant roots of goodness together; profound devotion is a way  of generating qualities of buddhahood , because they know the masteries ofbuddhas; making great vows is a way of generating qualities of buddhahood, because their minds become broad; recognizing their own roots of goodness is a way of generating qualities of buddha­ hood, because they know their action is not wrong; tirelessly cultivating

 

practice in all ages is a way of generating qualities of buddhahood, because it comprehends the future; appearing in countless  worlds is a way of generating qualities of buddhahood,  by maturing sentient beings; not stopping the practices of enlightening beings is a way of generating qualities of buddhahood,  by increasing great compassion; infinite aware­ ness is a way  of generating  qualities of buddhahood,  by pervading  all of space in a single moment of thought; excellent action is a way of generating qualities of buddhahood, because what has  been  put  into practice is not lost; the potential of enlightenment is a way of generating qualities of buddhahood, causing all sentient beings to gladly set their minds on enlightenment and sustain this will by all virtues.  Based  on these, enlightening beings gain ten appellations of greatness.

"Great enlightening beings have ten appellations of greatness: they are called beings of enlightenment because they are born of knowledge of enlightenment; they are called great beings  because they dwell in the Great Vehicle; they are called foremost beings because they realize the foremost truth; they are called superior beings because they are aware of higher laws; they are called supreme beings because their knowledge is supreme; they are called exalted beings because they reveal the unexcelled teaching; they are called beings of power because they have extensive knowledge of the ten powers; they are called incomparable  beings  be­ cause they have  no peer in the world;  they are called inconceivable beings because they become buddhas in an instant. If enlightening beings win these appellations, they accomplish the p aths of enlightening beings. "Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of path. One path is a path

of enlightening beings because they do not give up the sole determina­ tion for enlightenment. Two paths are a path of enlightening  beings because they develop wisdom and skill in means. Three paths are a path of enlightening beings because they practice emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness,  and are not attached to the three worlds.  Four practices are a path of enlightening beings: ceaselessly removing the barriers of wrongdoing by repentance, rejoicing in   virtue,   honoring   the enlightened and requesting them to teach,  and skill fully practicing dedication.  The five faculties are a path of enlightening beings: they rest on pure faith, steadfast and imperturbable; they generate great energy,  finishing their tasks; they are single-minded in right recollection, without wandering attention; they know the techniques for entering and emerging from concentration; they are able to distinguish spheres of knowledge. The six psychic powers are a path of enlightening beings: with the celestial eye they see all forms in all worlds and know where sentient beings• die and are born; with the celestial car they hear all buddhas teaching, absorb and remember their teachings, and expound them widely to sentient beings according to their faculties; with telepathic knowledge they are able to know  the   minds  of others freely,   without interference;   with   recollection of past life they are able to remember all ages of the past and increase roots of goodness; with the power of psychic travel they are able to

 

appear variously  to beings capable of being enlightened,  to induce them to delight in truth; with knowledge of extinction of contamination they actually realize the ultimate truth, while carrying out the deeds of en­ lightening beings without cease. Seven remembrances are a path of enlightening beings: they remember buddhas because they see infinite buddhas in a single pore opening the minds of all sentient beings; they remember the Teaching because they do not leave the assemblies of all buddhas-they  personally  receive  the  sublime  Teaching  in  the  assemblies of all buddhas and expound it to sentient  beings  according  to  their faculties , temperaments, and inclinations, to enlighten them; they re­ member the harmonious Community because they continually see en­ lightening beings in all worlds; they remember relinquishment because they know all enlightening beings' practices of relinquishment increase magnanimous generosity; they remember the precepts because  they  do not give up the aspiration for enlightenment, and dedicate all roots of goodness to sentient beings; they remember heaven because they always keep in mind the enlightening beings in the heaven ofhappiness who are to become buddhas in the next lifetime; they remember sentient beings because they teach and tame them with wisdom and skill  in  means, reaching them all,  without interruption.  Following  the  holy Eightfold Path to enlightenment is a  path  of enlightening beings: they travel the path of right insight, getting rid of all false views; they exercise right thought, abandoning arbitrary conceptions, their mind always following universal knowledge; they always practice right speech, getting rid of faults of speech and following the words of sages; they always cultivate right action , teaching sentient beings to make them peaceful and har­ monious; they abide by right livelihood, being frugal  and  content, care­ ful and correct in behavior, eating, dressing, sleeping, eliminating evil, and  practicing good,  all in  accord  with  enlightenment, forever getting rid of all faults; they arouse right energy, diligently cultivating all the difficult practices of enlightening beings, entering the ten powers of buddhas  without hindrance;  their minds always recollect correctly,  able to remember all messages, eliminating all mundane distraction; their minds are always correctly concentrated, they enter the door  of incon­ ceivable liberation of enlightening beings, and in one concentration they produce all concentrations.  Entering the nine successive concentrations is a path of enlightening beings: they detach from craving and ill-will, and expound the truth without inhibition in all they say; they extinguish thought and reflection, yet teach sentient beings with the thought and reflection of omniscience; they give up joy and  emotion, yet  they  are most joyful when they see all buddhas; they give up worldly enjoyments and follow the transcendent enjoyment  of  the  Path  of enlightening beings; henceforth they are unshakable and enter formless concentration, yet  without abandoning life in  the  realms of desire and form;  though they abide in concentration in which all perception and sensation are ex­ tinguished, they do not stop the activity of enlightening beings. Learning

 

the ten powers is a path of enlightening beings: knowledge of what is so and what is not so; knowledge of the causes and effects , deeds and con­ sequences, past, future, and present, of all sentient beings;  knowledge   of the differences in faculties of all sentient beings and explaining the truth to them as is appropriate; knowledge of the infinite different natures of sentient beings; knowledge of the differences in weak, middling,  and superior understanding of all sentient beings, and means of introducing them to truth; knowledge of manifesting the appearance and conduct of Buddha throughout all worlds, all lands, all times, all ages, without abandoning the practices of enlightening beings; knowledge of all medi­ tations, liberations,  and concentrations,  whether defiled or pure, timely or not, expediently  producing doors  of liberation  for enlightening beings; knowledge of distinctions  in all sentient beings'  death in one place and birth in another in the various states of existence; instantaneous knowledge of all ages in past,  present, and future; knowledge of extinc­ tion of all sentient beings' desires, compulsions, delusions, and habits, without abandoning the practices of enlightening beings. Based on these ten paths, enlightening beings can attain the path of unexcelled skill in means of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have infinite paths, infinite aids to enlight­ enment, infinite ways of cultivation, and infinite ways of adornment.

"Great  enlightening beings have ten kinds of infinite path:   because space is infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings; because the cosmos is infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings;  because the realms of sentient beings are infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings; because the worlds are infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings; because time is infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings; because the languages of all sentient beings are infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings;  because the embodiments of Buddha are infinite, so are   the paths of enlightening   beings; because  the utterances of Buddha are infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings; because the power of Buddha is infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings; because omni­ science is infinite, so are the paths of enlightening beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of infinite aids to enlight­ enment: as space is infinite, so is enlightening beings'  development  of aids to enlightenment; as the cosmos is infinite, so is enlightening beings' development of aids to enlightenment;  as the realms  of sentient beings are infinite, so is enlightening beings' development of aids to enlighten­ ment; as worlds are infinite, so is enlightening beings'  development  of aids to enlightenment; as the number of eons can never be fully told,  so too   all worldlings  cannot fully tell of enlightening   beings'   development of aids to enlightenment;  as the languages  of sentient beings are infinite, so is enlightening beings' development  of aids to enlightenment, pro­ ducing knowledge to comprehend ways of speaking;  as the embodiment of Buddha is infinite, so is enlightening beings' development of aids to enlightenment, extending to all sentient beings, all lands, all worlds, and

 

all times;  as the utterances of Buddha  are infinite, enlightening beings utter one word pervading the cosmos,  heard by all sentient beings, so the aids to enlightenment  they develop also are infinite; as the power of Buddha is infinite, the aids to enlightenment accumulated by enlightening beings through the power of Buddha  are infinite too.  Based  on these factors, enlightening  beings  can attain the infinite knowledge  of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings  have ten kinds of infinite ways of cultiva­ tion: cultivation without coming or going, because their physical, verbal,

and mental doings have no action; neither existent nor nonexistent culti­ vation, there being no inherent nature; cultivation without increase or decrease, being in accord with fundamental essence; cultivation like an illusion, a dream, a shadow, an echo, an image in a mirror, a mirage in the heat, the moon's image in the water, being free from all clinging; empty, signless, wishless, nondoing cultivation, clearly seeing the triple world yet ceaselessly accumulating virtues; inexplicable, inexpressible cultivation beyond speech, apart from all definitions and constructions; cultivation of the indestructible realm of reality, directly knowing all phenomena;  cultivation of the  ultimate reality of True Thusness, entering the space of ultimate  reality of True Thusness; cultivation of vast wis­ dom,  the power of their deeds being inexhaustible; equal cultivation of the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and omniscience of buddhas, directly seeing all things without doubt or confusion. B ased on these ten ele­ ments, enlightening beings can accomplish the supremely skillful culti­ vation of omniscience of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings  have ten kinds of way of adornment. Without leaving the realm of desire, they enter the  meditations,  libera­ tions, and trances of the realm of form and formlessness , yet they are not thereby born in those realms. This is their first way of adornment. Their knowledge appears to enter the path of personally liberated saints,  yet they do not take emancipation by this route; this is their second way of adornment. Their knowledge appears to enter the path of individual illumination,  yet they do not   cease to generate great   compassion;  this is their third way of adornment. Though they have human and celestial retinues surrounding them, hundreds and thousands of concubines and troupes of singers and dancers, they never for a moment  leave medita­ tion, liberation, and concentration; this is their fourth way of adornment. They take part in amusements  and experience pleasure   and happiness with all sentient beings, but  they never for a moment leave the concen­ tration of equanimity of enlightening beings; this is their fifth way of adornment. They have already transcended all worlds and have no attachments to anything, yet they do not abandon  efforts to liberate sentient beings; this is their sixth way of adornment. They   live by   the right path,  right knowledge,  and right insight, yet they can appear  to enter false paths, without taking them to be true or pure, to cause the sentient beings involved in them to abandon false principles; this is their

 

seventh way of adornment. They always maintain the Buddha's pure precepts, and their thoughts, words, and deeds are faultless, but because they want to edify immoral sentient beings, they appear to perform the acts of ordinary  ignorant  people; though  they are already  filled with pure virtues and abide in the course of enlightening beings,  yet   they appear to live in such realms as hells, animality, ghosthood, and in dif­ ficulty and poverty, in order to enable the beings therein to gain libera­ tion-really  the  enlightening  beings  are  not  born  in  those  states;  this  is their eighth way of adornment.  Without being taught by another, they attain unhindered intellect and the light of knowledge,  are able to illu­ mine and understand all Buddha teachings, are sustained by the spiritual power of all buddhas, are one and the same body of reality with all bud­ dhas, accomplish all incorruptible mystic states of clarity and purity of great people, abide in all equal vehicles of liberation,  are aware of all spheres of buddhahood, are endowed with the light  of all worldly knowledge, and clearly see all realms of sentient beings; they are able to be truth-knowing teachers for sentient beings,  yet they make the appear­ ance of ceaseless search for truth; though they actually  are unexcelled teachers of sentient beings, they show respect to preceptors and religious mentors, because great enlightening beings,  by skillful expedients,  abide in the path of enlightening beings yet manifest whatever is necessary;  this is their ninth way of adornment.  Their roots of goodness are sufficient, their practices are completed; they are coronated by all buddhas together and reach the furthest extent of mastery of all the teachings, their heads crowned with the turban   of the state of nonobstruction.  Their bodies reach all worlds and everywhere they show the body of Buddha that has no resistance.   Masters of the  teachings,  they  attain supreme fulfillment and turn the unimpeded pure wheel of teaching. They have already ac­ complished all manner of freedom of enlightening beings,  but  for the sake of sentient beings they appear to be born in all lands. They are in the same realm as all buddhas, yet they do not abandon the practices of en­ lightening beings,  do not give up the principles of enlightening  beings, do not neglect the works of enlightening beings, do not leave the path of enlightening beings, do not slacken the conduct of enlightening beings, do not cut off the graspings of enlightening beings,  do not cease the skill­ ful methods of enlightening beings, do not stop doing the tasks of en­ lightening beings, do not tire of the developmental activities of enlight­ ening beings, do not put an end to the sustaining power of enlightening beings. Why? Because enlightening beings want to quickly realize unex­ celled, complete perfect enlightenment,  so they examine  the ways of access to omniscience and cultivate the practices of enlightening beings unceasingly. This is their tenth way of adornment. Based on these prin­ ciples enlightening  beings can attain the supreme way of great adorn­ ment of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of feet : the feet of disci­ pline, ful filling all higher aspirations; the feet of energy, assembling all

 

elements of enlightenment without regressing; the feet of spiritual knowledge, gladdening all sentient beings according to their desires; the feet of psychic powers, going to all bu1dha-lands without leaving one buddha-land;  the feet of determination,  seeking all higher laws; the feet of resolute commitment, fulfi lling all their tasks; the feet of accord, not opposing the teachings of all the honorable; the feet of delight in truth, tirelessly hearing and holding  all teachings spoken by   buddhas;  the feet of rain of teaching, lecturing to the masses without timidity; the feet of cultivation, getting rid of all evils. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain the supreme feet ofbuddhas, which can reach all worlds in one step.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of hands: hands of deep faith, wholeheartedly accepting and ultimately taking up the teaching of buddhas; hands of giving, satisfying  all  those who  seek,  according  to their desires; hands of initiating greetings, extending their right palm to welcome and lead; hands of honoring buddhas, tirelessly gathering bles­ sings  and   virtues;  hands   of  learning   and   skillfulness,   cutting   off  the doubts  of all  sentient  beings;  hands  of  fostering  transcendence   of the triple world, extending  them  to  sentient  beings  and  extricating them from the mire of craving;  hands of settlement on the Other Shore,  sav­ ing drowning sentient beings from the four torrents; hands of generosity with right teaching, revealing all sublime principles; hands of skillful use of philosophies, quelling diseases of body and mind with the medicine of knowledge and wisdom; hands always holding jewels of knowledge, unfolding the light  of truth to obliterate the darkness of afflictions. These are the ten: based on these, enlightening beings can acquire the supreme hands of buddhas covering all worlds in the ten directions.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of guts:  guts  free  from

deception, their hearts being pure; guts free from falsehood, being honest by nature; nonprevaricating guts, having no crookedness; nonswindling guts, having no greed for anything;  guts cutting off afflictions, being full of wisdom; pure-minded guts, being free from all evils;  guts examining food and drink, remembering reality; guts observing noncreation, being aware of interdependent origination; guts aware of all  ways of emanci­ pation, fully developing the will; guts rid of the defilement of all extreme views, enabling all   sentient beings to enter into   the guts of Buddha. These are the ten; based on these, enlightening beings can acquire the supreme, vast guts of buddhas, able to contain all sentient beings.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of internal organs. Per­ petuating the seed of buddhas is an organ of enlightening beings, mani­ festing the immeasurable spiritual power of the Buddha teaching. Causing the seed of the Teaching to grow is an organ of enlightening  beings, generating the immense light of knowledge. Preserving the seed of the spiritual community  is an organ of enlightening beings,  enabling  them to gain access to the irreversible wheel of teaching. A wakening those who are rightly stabilized is an organ of enlightening beings, instantly

 

adapting to the time. Fully  developing  unstable sentient beings is an organ of enlightening beings, producing continuity of causal basis. Con­ ceiving compassion for wrongly stabilized sentient beings is an organ of enlightening  beings,  causing thorough development of causal basis for the future . Fulfilling the indestructible bases of the ten powers  of bud­ dhas is an organ of enlightening beings, with unopposable roots of good­ ness that conquer the armies  of demons. The supremely fearless lion's roar is an organ of enlightening beings, gladdening all sentient beings. Attaining the eighteen unique qualities of buddhas is an organ of enlight­ ening beings, with knowledge penetrating everywhere. Knowing  all sentient beings, all lands, all things, and all buddhas is an organ of en­ lightening beings, clearly seeing all in a single instant. These are the ten; based on these, enlightening beings can attain the indestructible internal organs of great knowledge with supreme virtues of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of heart:  a heart of dili­ gence, fulfilling all tasks; a heart of perseverance, accumulating embel­ lishing virtuous practices; a heart of great courage and strength, crushing all armies of demons; a heart acting according to truth, extinguishing all afflictions; a heart of nonregression, never ceasing until enlightenment is reached; a heart of inherent purity, knowing the mind is immovable, not having  any attachments; a heart of knowledge of sentient beings,  adapting to their understandings and inclinations to emancipate  them; a heart of great kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, leading into the way of enlightenment, knowing the various understandings and inclinations of sentient beings, and saving them without using separate paths; a heart of emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and nonfabrication , seeing the characteristics of the triple world without grasping them; a heart adorned with an indestructible supreme treasury of marks of felicity, thoroughly invulnerable to all demons. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme heart of the treasury of light of great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of armor:  they wear the

armor of great benevolence, rescuing all sentient beings; they wear the armor of great compassion,  enduring  all suffering; they wear the armor of great commitment, fulfilling all their tasks; they wear the armor of dedication, constructing the adornments of all buddhas; they wear the armor of virtue,  benefiting all sentient beings;  they wear the   armor   of the ways of transcendence, liberating all conscious beings; they wear the armor of wisdom,  destroying  the darkness of affliction of all sentient beings; they wear the armor of skill in means, generating universal roots of goodness; they wear the armor of the firm stability and freedom from distraction of the mind of universal knowledge,  not  enjoying other vehicles; they wear the armor of single-minded  certainty,  free from doubts and confusion in regard to all things. Based on these ten, en­ lightening beings can wear the supreme armor of buddhas and crush all demon armies.

 

"Great  enlightening  beings  have  ten  kinds  of  weapon:  g1vmg  is  a weapon of enlightening beings, destroying all stinginess; self-control is a weapon  of enlightening  beings,  getting rid of all crime;  impartiality  is a weapon  of enlightening beings, removing all discrimination;  wisdom is a weapon of enlightening beings, dissolving all afflictions; right liveli­ hood is a weapon of enlightening beings, leading away from all wrong livelihood; skill in means is a weapon of enlightening beings, manifesting in all places; in general, all afflictions such as desire, wrath, and folly are weapons of enlightening beings because they liberate sentient beings through afflictions; birth-and-death is a weapon of enlightening  beings because they continue enlightening practices and teach sentient beings; teaching the  truth is a weapon of enlightening beings, able to break up all clinging; all knowledge is a weapon of enlightening beings because they do not give up the avenues of practice of enlightening beings.  Based on these ten, enlightening beings can annihilate the afflictions, bondage, and compulsions accumulated by all sentient beings in the long night of Ignorance.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of head:  the head of nir­ vana, as no one can see the top;  the head of honor,  respected by all humans and celestials; the head of universal higher understanding, being supreme in the universe; the head of foremost roots of goodness, honored by the sentient beings of the three worlds; the head bearing   sentient beings, developing an indestructible crown; the head of not despising others, in all places always respectful; the head of transcendent wisdom, nurturing  all virtuous qualities; the head of union of knowledge and skill in means, everywhere appearing in compatible forms; the head of teach­ ing all sentient beings, taking all sentient beings as disciples; the head of preservation of the eye of reality  of buddhas,  able to perpetuate the seeds of the three treasures. B ased on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme head of knowledge and wisdom of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of eye: the flesh eye, seeing all forms; the celestial eye, seeing the m inds of all sentient beings; the wisdom-eye, seeing the ranges of the faculties of all sentient beings; the reality-eye, seeing the true character of all things; the buddha-eye, seeing the ten powers of the enlightened;  the eye of knowledge, knowing and seeing all things; the eye of light, seeing the light of Buddha; the eye of leaving birth and death, seeing nirvana; the unobstructed eye, its vision without hindrance; the eye of omniscience, seeing the realm of reality in its universal aspect.  Based on these ten, enlightening beings attain the eye of supreme knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of ear: hearing the voice of praise, they eliminate craving; hearing the voice of criticism, they elimi­ nate anger; hearing explanation of the two lesser vehicles of individual salvation, they do not cling to or seek them ; hearing of the Path of en­ lightening beings, they rejoice greatly; hearing  of places of pain and trouble, such as the hells, they arouse great compassion and make vows

 

of universal salvation; hearing tell of the wonderful things  of the human and celestial worlds, they know  they are impermanent  phenomena; hearing praise of the virtues of buddhas, they work diligently to quickly fulfill them; hearing tell of such practices as the six ways of transcendence and four means   of integration,   they   determine   to   practice   them   and reach their ultimate  end; hearing all   sounds of the world,  they know they arc all like echoes, and penetrate untold profound meanings; great enlightening beings,  from their first determination  until they reach the site of enlightenment, always hear the true Teaching yet do not give up the work  of transforming sentient beings.  These are the ten; if enlighten­ ing beings accomplish these things,  they will attain the supreme ear of great wisdom of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of nose: when they smell foul things, they do not consider them foul; when they smell fragrances, they do not consider them fragrant; when they smell both fragrance and foulness, their minds are equanimous, abiding in relinquishment; if they smell the fragrance and foulness of people's clothes, bedding, or bodies, they   can discern their conditions of greed, anger, and delusion; if they smell the scents of hidden repositories,  plants and trees and so on,  they can discern   them as if they were right before their eyes; if they smell scents from the hells below to the heavens above,  they know  the past deeds of the beings there; if they smell the fragrance of generosity, morality, learning,  and wisdom ofbuddhas'  disciples, they remain steady in the will for omniscience  and do not let it be distracted; if they smell the fragrances of all enlightening practices, they enter the state of budda­ hood by impartial wisdom; if they smell the fragrance of the sphere of knowledge of all buddhas, they still do not give up the practices of en­ lightening beings.  If enlightening   beings accomplish  these things,  they will acquire the infinite, boundless nose of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of tongue:  a tongue that

reveals and explains the acts of infinite sentient beings; a tongue that re­ veals and explains infinite doors to truth; a tongue that sings the praises of the infinite virtues of buddhas; a tongue ofinfinite eloquence; a tongue that expounds aids to the Path of the Great Vehicle; a tongue that covers all space; a tongue that illumines all buddha-fields; a tongue that awakens the understanding of all sentient beings; a tongue that causes all to praise the buddhas; a tongue that defeats all demons and false teachers, destroys all afflictions of birth and death, and fosters arrival at nirvana.  If enlight­ ening beings accomplish these things,  they will acquire the supreme tongue of buddhas, which covers all buddhalands.

" Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of bodies:  human bodies to teach humans; nonhuman bodies to teach denizens of hells, animals, and hungry ghosts; celestial bodies to teach the beings of the realms of desire, form, and formlessness; learners' bodies to demonstrate the stage of learning; nonlearners' bodies to demonstrate the stage of sainthood; individual illuminates' bodies to teach the way to enter the stage of in-

 

dividual enlightenment; enlightening beings' bodies to foster the accom­ plishment of the Great Vehicle; buddhas' bodies,  anointed  by the water of knowledge; mentally produced bodies,  generated by adaptive  skills; the uncontaminated  reality-body,  effortlessly   manifesting the bodies of all sentient beings.  If they accomplish  these, they attain the supreme body of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of mind: a mind of leader­ ship, generating all roots of goodness; a stable mind, with profound faith steadfast and unwavering;  a mind of profound penetration,  understand­ ing in accord with the teachings of buddhas; a mind of insight, knowing the mentalities of all sentient beings; an undisturbed mind, not adulterated with any afflictions; a clear, clean mind, which externals cannot stain or adhere to; a mind observing  sentient beings well, not missing proper timing in dealing with them; a mind choosing well what to do, never making a mistake anywhere; a mind closely guarding the senses, taming them and not letting them run wild; a mind skilled in entering concen­ tration, entering deeply into the concentrations of buddhas,  without egoism or selfishness. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme mind of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of action: hearing the Teaching, out of fondness for truth; expounding the Teaching, to benefit sentient beings; getting rid of covetousness, anger, delusion, and fear, by taming their own minds; action in the realm of desire, to teach beings in that realm;  concentrations  in the realms of form and formlessness, to foster quick return to noncontamination; aiming for the meaning of the Teaching, to quickly attain wisdom; action in all realms of life, to freely edify sentient beings; action in all buddha-lands, honoring all buddhas; nirvanic action, not cutting off the continuity of birth and death;  fulfill­ ing all qualities of buddhahood, without giving up application of the principles of enlightening beings. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can achieve the action of buddhas that has no coming or going.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of abiding:  abiding in the will for enlightenment, never forgetting it; abiding in the transcendent ways, not tiring of fostering enlightenment; abiding  in the teaching of truth, increasing wisdom; abiding in dispassion,  realizing great medita­ tional concentration; abiding in conformity to universal knowledge, austerity, contentment, moderation in food, clothing, and dwelling, and getting rid of evil, because few desires means few concerns; abiding in deep faith , bearing the true Teaching; abiding in the company of the en­ lightened, to learn the conduct  of buddhas;  abiding  in generation of spiritual powers, to fulfill great knowledge; abiding in attainment of acceptance,  fulfilling the forecast of enlightenment;  abiding  in   the site of enlightenment, fulfilling power, fearlessness , and all aspects of bud­ dhahood. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can reach the buddhas' supreme abiding in o mniscience.

"Great  enlightening  beings have  ten kinds of  sitting: the sitting of

 

universal monarchs, promoting all virtuous behavior; the sitting of guardian deities, independently establishing the Buddha teaching in all worlds; the sitting of Indra, king of gods, being superior lords of all sen­ tient beings; the sitting of Brahma,  being in control of their own and others' minds; the sitting of lions, being able to expound the truth; the sitting  of right  teaching,  holding forth by means of mental  command and intellectual powers; steadfast sitting, vowing to reach the ultimate end; the sitting of great benevolence, bringing happiness to all evil sen­ tient beings; the sitting of great compassion, tirelessly enduring all pains; adamantine sitting, conquering demons and false teachers. Based  on these, enlightening beings can attain the buddhas' supreme sitting of true awareness.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten kinds of reclining:  the reclining of silent tranquillity, because of practicing in accord with principle; the reclining of concentration, because of body and mind being supple; the reclining of Brahma,  because of not disturbing self or others;  the reclin­ ing of good  works,  because of having  no regrets afterward; the reclining of true faith , because of being unshakable; the reclining of the right Path, because of awakening by good companions; the reclining of sublime aspirations, because of skillful dedication;  the reclining of completion of all tasks, because of having accomplished all that is to be done; the re­ clining of relinquishment  of all effort, because of thorough  training. Based on  these enlightening beings can  attain the supreme  reclining of the great teaching of buddhas and be able to awaken all sentient beings.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten kinds of abode: the abode of great  goodwill,  being  impartial  toward all sentient beings;  the  abode of great compassion,  not slighting  the uncultivated; the abode of great joy,  aloof from all   vexations;   the abode of great equanimity,  regarding the created and uncreated equally;  the abode of all transcendent ways, being led by the aspiration for enlightenment; the abode of universal emptiness, by virtue of skillful analysis; the abode of signlessness, not leaving the absolute state; the abode of wishlessness, examining the experience of taking on life; the abode of recollection and awareness, by virtue of full development  of recognition of truth;  the   abode   of equality of all things, by virtue of having gained the prediction of buddhahood. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can reach the supreme abode of buddhas where there is no obstruction.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of sphere of action:  they take right mindfulness as their sphere of action,  as they fulfill the points of mindfulness; they take all realms of being as their sphere of action, as they become truly aware of the implications of the Teaching; they take wisdom as their sphere of action,  gaining  the joy of buddhas;  they take the transcendent ways as their sphere of action, as they fulfill omni­ science; they take the four integrative practices as their sphere of action, as they educate sentient beings;  they take birth and death as their sphere of action, as they accumulate roots of goodness; they take bantering with

 

all sentient beings as their sphere of action, as they teach them according to their needs and cause them to become free; they take spiritual powers as their sphere of action, a'i they know the realms of the senses of all sen­ tient beings;  they take skill in means as their sphere of action,  uniting them with transcendent wisdom;  they take the site of enlightenment  as their sphere of action,  as they attain universal knowledge, without stop­ ping the practices of enlightening beings. Based on these ten, enlighten­ ing beings can reach the supreme sphere of action of great wisdom of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of observation: observation knowing all acts, seeing all details; observation knowing  various  ten­ dencies, not grasping sentient beings; observation knowing faculties, comprehending the nonexistence of faculties; observation knowing phe­ nomena,  not violating the realm of reality;   observation seeing   the   veri­ ties of buddhahood, cultivating the enlightened eye; observation attaining wisdom, explaining things as they really are; observation accepting the nonorigination of things, definitely comprehending  the teaching of Buddha; observation in the state of nonregression,  destroying all afflic­ tions and transcending the three worlds  and the stages of the lesser vehicles; observation in the stage of coronation, by virtue of unshakable mastery of all Buddha teachings; observation in concentration with hyperconscious knowledge, practicing charity everywhere as Buddhist service. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supremely great observational knowledge of buddhas.

"Great  enlightening beings have ten kinds of universal observation: they observe all who come seeking of them,  satisfying them without aversion; they observe all immoral sentient beings and establish them in the pure precepts of buddhas;  they observe all malicious sentient beings and settle them in   the power of enlightened   tolerance;   they observe all lazy sentient beings and urge them to be diligent and not give up bearing the burden of the Great Vehicle; they   observe   all   confused   sentient beings and get them to abide in the state of universal knowledge of buddhas, where there is no distraction; they observe all deluded sentient beings and clear away their doubts and break down reification;   they observe all impartial good friends and follow their instructions to live by the Buddha teachings; they observe all principles they hear and quickly attain realizational insight into the supreme meaning;  they observe the infinite sentient beings,  never abandoning the power  of great compas­ sion; they   observe   the   teachings   of all   buddhas   and   quickly   manage to accomplish universal knowledge. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the universal observation of supreme   wisdom   of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of springing:  the springing of a majestic bull, overshadowing all dragons, yakshas, kinnaras, gand­ harvas, and other creatures; the springing of a majestic elephant,  their minds well tamed and gentle, carrying all sentient beings; the springing

 

of a great water spirit, producing dense clouds of the great Teaching, flashing the  lightning  of liberation,  reverberating with the thunder of truth, and showering the sweet rain of the spiritual faculties and powers, the elements of enlightenment, meditations, liberations, and concentra­ tions; the springing  of the great golden-winged bird,  evaporating  the water of covetousness, breaking the shell of delusion, catching the evil poisonous dragons of affliction, and lifting beings out of the ocean of suffering of birth and death; the springing of a great m ajestic lion, resting secure in fearless, impartial great knowledge and, using that as a weapon, crushing demons and false teachers; the springing of courage and strength, able to destroy   the enemy,  afflictions, on   the great battlefront of birth and death; the springing of great knowledge, knowing the elements of body, mind, and sense experience, as well as all other interdependent productions, and freely explaining all things; the springing of mental command,  retaining   teachings by the power of recollection and aware­ ness, and expounding them according to the faculties of sentient beings; the springing of intellectual powers, uninhibited and swift, analyzing everything and causing everyone to receive benefit and be happy; the springing of realization of Thusness, fulfilling all aids to the way to omniscience, and with instantaneous wisdom attaining all that can be attained, understanding all that can be understood, sitting  on a lion throne, conquering hostile demons, and realizing unexcelled, complete perfect enlightenment.  Based on these ten, enlightening  beings can achieve the supreme springing of buddhas in the midst of all things.

"Great enlightening beings have ten  kinds of lion's roar.  They  de­ clare, 'I will surely  attain  true  enlightenment'-this is  the  great  lion's roar of the determination for enlightenment. 'I will enable those who have not yet transcended the world  to  transcend,  liberate  those who  are not yet liberated, pacify those who are not yet at peace, and enable those who have not attained nirvana to attain it' -this is the great lion's roar of great compassion. 'I will perpetuate the seeds of the Buddha, the Teach­ ing, and the harmonious Community'-this is the great lion's roar of requiting the benevolence of the Buddha.  ' I will   purify   all   buddha­ lands' -this is   the great lion's  roar of ultimately  firm   commitment.  'I will get rid of all evil ways and difficult situations'-this is the lion's roar of personally maintaining pure conduct. 'I will fully attain the adorning features of body, speech, and mind of all buddhas' -this is   the   great lion's roar of tirelessly seeking virtue. 'I will fully accomplish the knowl­ edge of all buddhas'-this is the great lion's roar of tirelessly seeking knowledge. 'I will annihilate all demons and all the works of demons'­ this is the great lion's roar of cultivating right practice to stop afflictions. 'I will realize that all things are selfless, without being, without life, without personality, empty,  signless, wishless, and pure as space' -this is the great lion's roar of the acceptance of the nonorigination of all things. Enlightening beings in their last life shake all buddha-lands and make them all pure: thereupon all the Indras, Brahmas, and guardian deities

 

come and praise  them and  entreat  them, 'Please, enlightening  being, with the truth of birthlessness, appear to be born.' The enlightening beings then  observe all sentient beings in the world  by  the unobstructed eye of wisdom and see that there are none  who  compare to  themselves­ so they appear to be born in royal palaces, walk seven steps by them­ selves,  and declare in a great lion's roar,  'I  am  supreme in the world-1 will forever end the realm ofbirth and death.' This is the great lion's roar of doing what one says. Based on these ten, enlightening  beings  can attain the supremely great lion's roar of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure giving:  impartial giving, not discriminating among sentient beings; giving according to wishes, satisfying others; unconfused giving, causing benefit to be gained; giving appropriately, knowing superior, mediocre, and inferior; giving without dwelling, not seeking reward; open giving, without clinging attachment; total giving, being ultimately pure; giving dedicated to enlightenment,  transcending the created and the uncreated; giving  to teach sentient beings, never abandoning them, even to the site of enlight­ enment; giving with its three spheres pure, observing the giver, receiver, and gift with right awareness, as being like space. Based on these ten principles, enlightening beings can accomplish the supreme, pure, mag­ nanimous giving of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure discipline: pure dis­ cipline of body, guarding themselves from evil deeds; pure discipline of speech, getting rid of faults of speech; pure discipline of mind,  forever getting rid of greed, hatred, and false views; the pure discipline  of not destroying any subjects of study, being honorable leaders among   people; the pure discipline of preserving the aspiration  for enlightenment, not liking the lesser vehicles of individual salvation; the pure discipline of preserving the regulations of the Buddha,  greatly fearing even minor offenses; the pure discipline of secret protection, skillfully drawing out undisciplined sentient beings; the pure discipline of not doing any evil, vowing to practice all virtuous principles;  the pure discipline of detach­ ment from all views of existence, having no attachment to precepts;  the pure discipline of protecting all sentient beings,  activating great com­ passion. Based on these ten principles, enlightening beings can attain the supreme flawless pure discipline of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure tolerance: pure tolerance calmly enduring slander  and vilification, to protect sentient beings; pure tolerance calmly enduring weapons,  to protect   self and others; pure tolerance not   arousing   anger   and   viciousness,   the   mind being unshakable; pure tolerance not attacking the low, being mag­ nanimous when above; pure tolerance saving all who come for refuge, giving up one's own life; pure tolerance free from conceit, not slighting the uncultivated;  pure tolerance not becoming angered at injury, because of observation  of illusoriness; pure tolerance not revenging offenses, because of not seeing self and other; pure tolerance not following affiic-

 

tions, being detached from all objects; pure tolerance knowing all things have no origin, in accord with the true  knowledge  of enlightening beings,  entering  the realm of universal  knowledge  without depending on the instruction of another. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain all buddhas' supreme tolerance of truth, understanding without depending on another.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure energy:  pure phys­ ical energy, to attend buddhas, enlightening beings, teachers, and elders, honoring fields of blessings, never retreating; pure verbal energy, exten­ sively explaining  to others whatever  teachings they learn and   praising the virtues of buddhahood,  without wearying;  pure mental energy,  able to enter and exit kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity, meditations, liberations, and concentrations, without cease; pure energy of honesty, being free from deceptiveness, flattery, deviousness, and dishonesty, not regressing in any of their efforts; pure energy of determination on in­ creasing progress, always  intent on seeking higher  and higher knowl­ edge, aspiring to embody all good and pure qualities; unwasteful pure energy, embodying charity, morality, tolerance, learning, and diligence, continuing unceasingly until enlightenment; pure energy conquering all demons, able to extirpate greed, hatred,  delusion, false views,  and all other bonds  and veils of affliction; pure energy fully developing the light of knowledge, being carefully observant in all actions,  consummating them all,  preventing  later regret,   and attaining   all   the unique   qualities of buddhahood; pure energy without coming or going, attaining true knowledge, entering the door of the realm of reality, body, speech, and mind all impartial, understanding forms are formless and having no attachments; pure energy developing the light of the Teaching,  tran­ scending all stages and  attaining   the coronation  of buddhas,  and   with an uncontaminated body manifesting the appearances of death and birth, of leaving home and attaining enlightenment, of teaching and passing away, ful filling such tasks of Universal Good. Based on these ten, en­ lightening beings can attain the supreme great energy of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure meditation: pure meditation always gladly leaving home, giving up all possessions; pure meditation finding genuine good companions,  to teach the right way; pure meditation living in the forest enduring wind and rain and so on, being detached from self and possessions; pure meditation leaving clam­ orous sentient beings,  always enjoying tranquil silence; pure meditation with harmonious mental activity,  guarding the senses; pure meditation with mind and cognition silent, impervious to all sounds and nettles of meditational concentration; pure meditation aware of the methods of the Path of enlightenment, contemplating  them all and actually  realizing them; pure meditation detached from clinging to its experiences, neither grasping nor rejecting the realm of desire; pure meditation awakening psychic knowledge, knowing  the faculties and natures of all  sentient beings; pure meditation with freedom of action, entering into the con-

 

centration  of buddhas  and  knowing  there  is  no  self.  Based  on  these  ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme pure meditation of buddhas. "Great enlightening beings  have ten kinds  of pure wisdom:   pure wisdom knowing all causes, not denying consequences; pure wisdom knowing all conditions, not ignoring combination; pure wisdom  know­ ing nonannihilation  and nonpermanence,  comprehending  interde­ pendent origination truly; pure wisdom extracting all views, neither grasping nor rejecting characteristics of sentient beings; pure wisdom observing the mental activities of all sentient beings, knowing they are illusory; pure wisdom with vast intellectual power,  distinguishing  all truths and being unhindered in dialogue; pure wisdom  unknowable  to demons, false teachers, or followers of the vehicles of individual  salva­ tion, deeply penetrating the knowledge  of all buddhas;  pure wisdom seeing the subtle reality body of all buddhas, seeing the essential purity of all sentient beings, seeing  that all phenomena  are quiescent, and seeing that all lands are the same as space, knowing all characteristics without impediment; pure wisdom with all powers of mental command, analytic abilities, liberative means, and ways of transcendence, fostering the at­ tainment of all supreme knowledge; pure wisdom instantly uniting with adamantine knowledge comprehending the equality of all things,  at­ taining the most honorable knowledge of all things. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the unobstructed great wisdom of

buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure benevolence: im­ partial pure benevolence, caring for all sentient beings without discrimi­ nation; helpful pure benevolence, bringing  happiness  by  whatever they do; pure benevolence taking care of people in the same way as oneself, ultimately bringing about emancipation from birth and death; pure benevolence not abandoning the world, the mind always focused on accumulating roots of goodness;  pure benevolence able to bring libera­ tion, causing all sentient beings to annihilate all afflictions; pure benevo­ lence generating enlightenment, inspiring all sentient beings to seek omniscience; pure benevolence unobstructed  by the world,  radiating great light illuminating  everywhere equally;  pure benevolence filling space, reaching everywhere to save sentient beings;  pure benevolence focused on truth,  realizing the truth of Thusness;   pure   benevolence without object, entering   enlightening   beings'   detachment   from   life. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme, vast, pure benevolence of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure compassion: pure compassion without companion, as they make their determination inde­ pendently; tireless pure compassion, not considering it troublesome to endure pain on behalf of all sentient beings;  pure compassion  taking on birth in difficult situations, for the purpose of liberating sentient beings; pure compassion taking on birth in pleasant conditions, to show imper­ manence; pure compassion for the sake of wrongly fixated sentient

 

beings, never giving up their vow of universal liberation; pure compas­ sion not clinging to personal pleasure, giving happiness to all sentient beings; pure compassion not seeking reward, purifying their minds; pure compassion  able  to  remove  delusion  by  explaining  the  truth.  Great en­ lightening beings know all things are in essence pure and have no cling­ ing or irritation, but suffering is experienced because of afflictions of adventitious  defilements:   knowing this, they conceive great compassion for sentient beings.  This is called essential purity, as they explain to them the principle of undefiled pure light.  Great enlightening  beings know that all phenomena are like the tracks ofbirds in the sky, but that sentient beings' eyes are clouded by delusion and they cannot clearly realize this; observing them, enlightening beings conceive great compassion. This is called true knowledge, as they teach them the principle of nirvana. These are ten kinds of pure compassion,  based on which enlightening beings attain the supremely great compassion of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure joy: the pure joy of aspiring to enlightenment;  the pure joy of relinquishing all possessions; the pure joy of not rejecting undisciplined sentient beings but teaching them and maturing  them;  the pure joy of being able   to   tolerate evil­ doing   sentient beings  and   vowing  to save and liberate them;  the pure joy of giving   one's life in search   of truth,  without   regret;   the pure joy of giving up sensual pleasures and always taking pleasure in truth ; the pure joy of inducing sentient beings to give up material  pleasures and always take pleasure in truth ; the pure joy of cosmic  equanimity  tire­ lessly honoring and serving all buddhas they see; the pure joy of teaching all sentient beings to enjoy meditations, liberations, and concentrations, and to freely enter and emerge from them; the pure joy of gladly carrying out all austere practices that accord with the way of enlightening beings and realizing the tranquil, imperturbable supreme calmness and wisdom of the sage. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the su­ premely great pure joy of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of pure equanimity: the

pure equanimity of not becoming emotionally attached to   sentient beings who honor and support  them;  the pure equanimity  of not being angered at sentient beings who slight and revile them; the pure equanimity  of always being in the world but not being affected by the vicissitudes  of worldly  things;  the pure equanimity  of instructing   sentient beings who are fit for the Teaching at the appropriate times, while not conceiving aversion for sentient beings who are not fit for the Teaching; the pure equanimity of not seeking   the   states of learning  or nonlearning  of the two lesser vehicles; the pure equanimity of the mind always being aloof from all desires that are conducive to affliction; the pure equanimity of not praising the two lesser vehicles' aversion to birth and death; the pure equanimity of avoiding  worldly  talk, talk that is not of nirvana, talk that is not dispassionate, talk that is not according to truth, talk that disturbs others, talk of individual salvation, and in general all talk that obstructs

 

the Path of enlightening beings; the pure equanimity of waiting for the appropriate times to teach sentient beings whose faculties are mature and have developed mindfulness and precise awareness but  do not  yet know the supreme truth; the pure equanimity of waiting for the appropriate times to teach sentient beings whom the enlightening being has already instructed in the past but who cannot be tamed until the enlightening being reaches buddhahood;  the pure equanimity of not considering people as higher or lower, being free from grasping and rejection , being aloof from all kinds of discriminatory notions, always being rightly concen­ trated, penetrating truth and attaining tolerance. Based on these ten, en­ lightening beings can attain the supremely pure equanimity of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of principle:  the principle of great learning, steadfastly putting it into practice;  the principle  of truth, skillfully thinking about it and discerning it; the principle of emp­ tiness, the ultimate truth being emptiness;  the principle  of silence and calm, being  detached from the clamor and confusion of sentient beings; the principle of inexpressibility, not clinging to words; the principle of according  with truth,  realizing that past,  present, and future are equal; the principle of the realm of reality, all things being one in essence; the principle of True Thusness, as all who realize Thusness enter it; the prin­ ciple of the limit of reality, realizing ultimate truth; the principle of great ultimate  nirvana, extinguishing  all suffering yet carrying out the prac­ tices of enlightening beings. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme principle of omniscience.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of law: the law of truth, practicing what they teach; the law of detachment from clinging,  de­ taching from both the clinger and that which is clung to; the law of non­ contention, being free from all confusing conflicts; the law of silent ex­ tinction, extinguishing all irritations; the law of dispassion, all covetous­ ness being ended; the law of freedom from false notions, all arbitrary conceptualization clinging to objects permanently ceasing; the law of birthlessness, being immovable as space; the law of the uncreated, being detached from appearances of origin, subsistence, and annihilation; the law of basic essence, being inherently pure; the law  of abandoning all nirvana in which there is still suffering, to be able to generate all practices of enlightening beings  and carry them out uninterruptedly.  Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supremely great law  of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of virtues instrumental in fostering enlightenment: urging sentient beings to   generate the  aspiration for enlightenment is one of enlightening beings' virtues instrumental in fostering enlightenment, because it perpetuates the three treasures; fol­ lowing the ten kinds of dedication is one of enlightening beings' virtues instrumental in fostering enlightenment, because it stops all that is not good and accumulates all that is good;  wisely guiding and teaching is one of enlightening beings' virtues instrumental in fostering enlighten-

 

ment, because it transcends the virtues of the worlds of desire, form, and formlessness; indefatigability   of mind is one of enlightening   beings'  vir­ tues instrumental in fostering enlightenment, because thereby they finally liberate all sentient beings;  relinquishing all internal and external pos­ sessions is one of enlightening beings' virtues instrumental in fostering enlightenment,  because of having no attachments to anything at all; working unflaggingly to fully develop spiritual refinements is one of enlightening   beings'    virtues    instrumental    in    fostering    enlightenment, by opening  the gate of great charity, without  limit;  dedicating  all roots of goodness, superior, middling, or lesser, to supreme enlightenment without slighting any is one of enlightening  beings'  virtues instrumental in fostering enlightenment,  being consonant with skill in means; gen­ erating great compassion for bad sentient beings who are mean and fixed on error, not despising them, is one of enlightening beings'  virtues in­ strumental in fostering enlightenment,  by virtue of always activating the heart of universal commitment of great people; honoring and serving all buddhas,  thinking   of all enlightening beings as buddhas,  and bringing joy to all sentient beings, is one of enlightening beings' virtues instru­ mental in fostering enlightenment, as they keep their original will most firm  and  steadfast. Great enlightening beings accumulate roots of good­ ness over measureless eons, wishing to attain realization of supreme en­ lightenment themselves, as though it were in their palm; yet they give away all their roots of goodness to all sentient beings without any grief or regret, their minds being as broad as space-this is a virtue of enlight­ ening   beings instrumental in   fostering enlightenment,  as they develop great wisdom and realize great truth. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can embody the supremely great mass of virtues of buddhas.

"Great enlightening   beings   have   ten   kinds of knowledge   instrumental in fostering enlightenment. They associate with learned, genuine teachers, and respectfully attend them,  obeying them in every way, not deviating from their instructions; this is one, being totally honest, without false­ hood. They give up conceit forever, they are always humble and respect­ ful, their thoughts, words, and deeds are free from coarseness, they are harmonious and agreeable, and do not prevaricate; this is the second, as their beings become capable of bearing the Buddha  teaching. They are mentally collected, aware, always alert, never distracted or confused; conscientious and agreeable, their minds are calm and imperturbable; they always remember the six thoughts,  always practice the sixfold respect, and always abide by the six principles of steadfastness; this is the third, being a way to develop tenfold knowledge. They take pleasure in truth and principle, always enjoying listening to teaching of truth, abandoning worldly philosophies and theses, always concentrating on listening to transcendental talk, leaving the lesser vehicles of individual salvation be­ hind and entering the wisdom of the Great Vehicle of universal salvation; this is the fourth, singlemindedly  recollecting without distraction. They bear the six ways of transcendence in mind wholeheartedly, have already

 

perfected the practice of the four immeasurable minds, follow the meth­ ods of illumination and skillfully put them into practice; they earnestly question intelligent people of knowledge,  avoid bad tendencies, and aim for good ways; their minds always like contemplation with right  recol­ lection;  they subdue their own feelings and proted the   minds   of others: this is the fifth, firmly executing true practice. They always appreciate emancipation and do not cling to the world; they are always aware of their own minds and never have any evil thoughts; they have done away with greed, anger, and malevolence, and their thoughts, words, and deeds are all good; they have certain knowledge of the inherent nature of mind: this is the sixth, able to purify one's own and others' minds. They observe the five clusters as being like illusory phenomena, the elements like poi­ sonous snakes, the sense mediums like desolate villages, all things as like illusions, flames, reflections, dreams, shadows, echoes, images, like paint­ ings in the sky, like a turning wheel of fire, like the colors of the rainbow, like sunlight and moonlight,  signless and formless, neither permanent nor ending,   not   coming   or   going,   and not   abiding   either-contemplating in this way,  they know all things have no origin and no destruction: this is the seventh, knowing  that the essential nature of all things  is empty and quiescent. When great enlightening beings   hear   that   phenomena have no self, no being, no soul, no person, no mind, no object, no greed, no anger, no delusion, no body, no thing, no master, no sustenance, no attachment, and no action, all of these having no existence, being ulti­ mately nil-having heard this, they deeply believe it, without doubt or repudiation: this is the eighth, being able to perfect complete understanding. Great enlightening beings tame their faculties well,  and they cultivate ac­ tion according to truth; they always abide in tranquillity and insight, and their minds are silent and calm, with no disturbing thoughts arising; they have no  self,  no  person,  no  fabrication,  no  conditioning,  no idea of self, no idea of self doing anything, no excess or lack,  and no sense of attain­ ment of this either; their physical, verbal,  and mental actions have no coming or going, no energy, no vigor; they see all things and all beings impartially and do not dwell on anything;  they are neither of this world nor beyond it, notions of 'here'  and 'there'  being inherently irrelevant; they come  from nowhere and   go   nowhere-they   always   meditate   in. this way by means of knowledge and wisdom: this is the ninth, reaching transcendence of forms of discriminations.  Because great enlightening beings see the principle of interdependent origination,  they see the purity of phenomena; because they see the purity of phenomena,  they see the purity oflands; because they see the purity oflands, they see the purity of space; because they see the purity of space, they see the purity  of the realm of reality; because they see the purity   of the   realm of reality,   they see the purity of knowledge; this is the tenth,   cultivating and accumulat­ ing all-knowledge. These are enlightening beings' ten kinds ofknowledge instrumental in fostering enlightenment, based on which they can attain the buddhas' store of un-impeded, pure, subtle knowledge of all truths.

 

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of sufficiency of insight: skillfully analyzing all things; not grasping or clinging to anything; di­ vorcing all deluded views; illumining all senses with the light of knowl­ edge; skillfully generating rightly directed energy; being able to deeply penetrate knowledge of absolute truth; extinguishing the actions of afflic­ tions and developing the knowledge of extinction and knowledge of birthlessness; observing   everywhere with the knowledge   of the   celestial eye; knowing the purity of the past by the recollection of past states; annihilating the contaminations of sentient beings by the spiritual knowl­ edge of ending contamination. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme illumination of all teachings of the buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have  ten kinds of guest for truth:  guest for truth with a straightforward mind, being  free  from  dishonesty;  diligent guest for truth, being free from laziness;  wholly  devoted  guest  for truth, not begrudging their lives; guest for truth to destroy all sentient beings' afflictions, not doing it for fame, profit, or  respect;  guest for truth to benefit self and others, all sentient  beings,  not just  helping  themselves; guest for truth to enter knowledge and wisdom, not taking pleasure in literature; quest for truth to leave birth and death, not craving worldly pleasures; quest for truth to liberate sentient beings, engendering the deter­ mination for enlightenment; quest for truth to resolve the doubts  of all sentient beings, to free them from vacillation; quest for truth to fulfill buddhahood, not being inclined to lesser aims. Based on these ten, enlight­ ening beings can attain great knowledge of all elements of buddhahood without being instructed by another.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of understanding of truth: generating and developing roots of goodness in accord with the conven­

tional world is the way   of understanding   of truth of unenlightened   ordi­ nary people; attaining indestructible faith, aware of the   essence   of things, is the way of understanding truth of people acting according to faith; leaving behind  erroneous ways and turning to the eightfold right  path is   the   way   people   aiming    for   stream-entering   understand   truth;   get­ ting rid of bonds, putting an end to   the   contaminations   of birth   and death, and seeing reality is the stream-enterer's understanding of truth; seeing tasting as affliction and knowing no coming or going is the once­ returner's understanding of truth;   not   taking   pleasure in the world, seek­ ing to end contamination, not having so much as a single thought of attachment   to   life,   is   the nonreturner's understanding   of truth;   attaining the six spiritual powers, eight liberations,   nine concentration states,   and four special knowledges,   all fully developed,   is   the saint's   understanding of truth;    naturally   being   inclined   to   contemplate   uniform   interdepen­ dent origination, the mind always tranquil and content, having   few concerns, understanding causality, awakening on one's own without depending on another, accomplishing   various   kinds   of spiritual knowl­ edge, is the individual illuminate's understanding of truth; having vast knowledge, all faculties clear and sharp, always inclined to   liberate all

 

1096         The Flower Omament Scripture

 

sentient beings, diligently cultivating virtue and knowledge to foster enlightenment,   fully   developing    buddhas'    ten    powers,    fearlessnesses, and other attributes, is the enlightening being's understanding of truth. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the understanding   of truth of the supreme great knowledge of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten norms  of practice: honoring the wise; always being alerted by the celestial spirits; always having shame and conscience before the buddhas;   having pity for   sentient beings and not abandoning birth  and death;  carrying tasks  through  to consum­ mation without change of mind; single-mindedly following the   en­ lightening beings who aspire to universal enlightenment and diligently learning; getting rid of wrong   views   and   earnestly   seeking   the   right Path; destroying demons and the actions of afflictions; knowing the dif­ ferent faculties and   temperaments   of sentient beings   and   teaching   them to enable them to live in the state of buddhahood;  abiding in the infi­ nitely vast cosmos of reality,  removing   afflictions   and   purifying   the body. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the buddhas' supreme method of practice.

"For  great enlightening beings there are ten kinds of demons:   the demon of the clusters of mental and material elements, giving rise to attachments; the demon   of afflictions,   perpetually   confusing   and   de­ filing; the demon of actions, able to obstruct and inhibit; the demon of mind, which gives rise to pride;   the   demon   of death,   which abandons life; the demon of heaven, being self-indulgent; the demon of roots of goodness, because of perpetual clinging; the demon  of concentration, because of long indulgence in the  experience; the  demon of spiritual teachers, because of giving rise to feelings of attachment;   the   demon   of the   phenomenon   of enlightenment,   because   of not wanting  to   relinquish it. Great enlightening beings should apply appropriate means to quickly escape these demons.

"For great enlightening beings there arc ten kinds of demons' actions: cultivating roots of goodness while forgetting the aspiration for enlight­ enment; giving with ill-will,   keeping   precepts   with   hatred,   rejecting people of bad   character,   rejecting   the slothful,   slighting   the   confused, and despising the ignorant; being jealous and stingy with the profound teaching, not explaining it to those who are capable of being enlightened, insisting on explaining it to people without the capacity for it as long as wealth and   honor are thereby   available;  not liking to hear about   the ways of transcendence, not  practicing them even when hearing about them, tending to negligence even when practicing them, becoming nar­ row and mean in spirit because oflaziness, and not seeking supreme great enlightenment; avoiding good companions, associating with bad com­ panions, craving personal release, not wanting to accept life, wishing for the desirelessness and tranquillity of nirvana; arousing hatred and anger toward enlightening beings, looking  at them with malevolent  eyes, looking for faults in them, talking of their faults, cutting off their sup-

 

port; repudiating true teaching and being averse to hearing it,  immedi­ ately criticizing it when hearing it, having no respect for those who expound it, claiming oneself to be right and others all wrong;  indulging in the study of secular literature, expounding the vehicles of individual salvation while obscuring the profound Teaching,  or giving subtle doc­ trines to unsuitable people,  straying from enlightenment  and persisting in false paths; always liking to associate with those who are already liberated and at peace, and giving  them offerings,   while not being will­ ing to approach or edify those who have not yet attained liberation  or peace; developing conceit, having no respect, often troubling or hurting sentient beings,  not seeking genuine knowledge  of truth,  being mean and difficult to awaken.  These are the ten kinds of demons'  actions, which enlightening beings should quickly get away from to seek en­ lightened action.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways  of getting rid of demons'

actions: associating with the wise and honoring and serving them; not elevating themselves or praising themselves; believing in the profound Teaching of Buddha without repudiating it; never ever forgetting the determination for omniscience; diligently cultivating  refined practices, never being lax; always seeking all the teachings for enlightening beings; always expounding the truth tirelessly; taking refuge with all the bud­ dhas of the ten directions, thinking of them as saviors and protectors; faithfully accepting and remembering  the support  of the spiritual power of the buddhas; equally planting the same roots of goodness with all enlightening beings. Based on these ten , en lightening beings can escape all demonic ways.

"Great enlightening beings have ten ways of seeing buddhas:  the buddha of abiding in the world attaining true enlightenment they see by nonattachment; they see the buddha of vows by production; they see the buddha of rewards of action by deep faith ; they see the buddha of preservation by  following the Teaching;  they see the buddha of nirvana by deeply entering it; they see the cosmic buddha everywhere; they see the buddha of mind by peaceful stability; they see the buddha of concen­ tration by infinite independence;  they see the buddha  of fundamental essence by clear comprehension; they see the buddha of adaptation by universal awareness. By these they always see the supreme Buddha.

"Great enlightening  beings have ten kinds of buddha-action.  Guiding at appropriate times is buddha-action because it fosters correct cultivation of practice. Causing dream visions is buddha-action because it awakens awareness of past roots of goodness.  Expounding  to others scriptures they have not yet heard is buddha-action because it causes growth of knowledge and resolution of doubts. Teaching the way to emancipation to those bound up in regrets is buddha-action  because it frees them from a doubting mind.  Manifesting the glorified body of Buddha  for the sake of sentient beings with stingy minds, ignorant minds, minds interested in personal salvation , malevolent minds, doubting minds, scattered minds,

 

or conceited minds, is buddha-action because it nurtures past roots of goodness. Widely expounding  the true Teaching in times when true Teaching is difficult to come across, causing those who hear it to attain concentrated   knowledge and   knowledge   of spiritual  powers,  to   be able to benefit innumerable sentient beings, is buddha-action because the resolution is pure. If anything demonic occurs, being able to manifest a voice equal to space explaining  the principle of not harming others, in order to quell it,  causing   the   awakening of understanding   and   causing the majesty of demons who hear to vanish,  is buddha-action because the will is extraordinary  and the power great. The mind having no lapse, being constantly alert, not permitting experiential entry into the absolute state of individual liberation,  and never speaking   of the realm of libera­ tion to those whose faculties and characters are not yet mature, is buddha­ action because it is the performance of the original vow. Shedding all the bonds and contaminations   of birth   and   death,   cultivating  the practices of enlightening  beings continously,  taking care of sentient beings with great compassion,  causing them to undertake such practice   and even­ tually be liberated, is buddha-action because it does not stop the practice of the deeds of enlightening beings.  Enlightening beings realize that their own bodies as well as sentient beings  are fundamentally quiescent and null, yet, not being surprised or afraid, they still tirelessly cultivate virtue and knowledge;   though  they know all things  have no creation, yet they do not ignore the individual  characteristics of things;  though they are forever aloof of craving for objects, yet they always gladly behold  the form bodies of buddhas;   though  they know one is enlightened into the truth without depending on another, yet they seek omniscience through many kinds of methods; though they know all lands are like space, they always enjoy adorning  all buddha-lands;  though  they always observe that there is no real person or self,  yet they tirelessly teach and enlighten sentient beings;  though  fundamentally unmoving in the cosmos of real­ ity, yet they manifest a multitude of transformations by spiritual powers; though they have already accomplished  omniscience,  yet they practice the acts of enlightening beings  without ceasing; though   they know all things are inexplicable, yet they turn the wheel of the pure Teaching and gladden the hearts of all beings; though they are able to manifest the spiritual powers of buddhas, yet they do not reject embodiment  as en­ lightening beings; though they appear to enter ultimate final extinction, they manifest birth in all places-being able to perform these practices, simultaneously carrying out the provisional  and the true, is buddha­ action. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can achieve supreme teacherless great action without relying on the instruction of another.

"For great enlightening beings there are ten kinds of conceited action. Not respecting teachers, parents, mendicants, people on the right Path, people aiming for the right Path, or honorable fields of blessings, is con­ ceited action.  If there arc teachers who have attained to supreme  truth, who ride the Great Vehicle of universal enlightenment, who know the

 

way to emancipation, who have attained mental command and expound the great principles of the scriptures, to be haughty toward them or their teachings and to be disrespectful is conceited action. When in an audience hearing the sublime Teaching expounded, to be unwilling to laud its excellence and cause others to believe and accept it, is conceited action. Habitually conceiving the illusion of superiority, elevating oneself and looking down on others, not seeing one's own faults, not knowing one's own shortcomings, is conceited action. Habitually imagining that one is better than those who are better than oneself, not praising virtuous people who are   praiseworthy,  and   not   being happy  when others praise them, is  conceited action.  When seeing someone  preach,  in  spite of knowing it is the norm, the rule, the truth, the word of Buddha,  to despise the teaching  because of disliking  the person,  to slander it and incite others to slander it, is conceited action.  Seeking a high seat for oneself, declaring oneself to   be a   teacher worthy  of receiving   offerings and not supposed to work, failing to rise to greet old people who have cultivated spiritual practice for a long time, being unwilling  to serve them,  is conceited action. Frowning  unhappily  on seeing people with virtue, speaking to them harshly and looking for faults in them, is conceited action. When seeing intelligent people who know the truth, not being willing to ap­ proach and attend them, respect and honor them, being unwilling to ask them what is good and what is not good, what should be done and what should not be done,  what acts result in various benefits and comforts in the long night, being foolish and deluded, stubborn and contentious, swallowed by self-importance, never able to see the way  to emanci­ pation, is conceited action. There are also sentient beings with minds shrouded by conceit,  who when buddhas appear in the world are unable to approach, respect, and honor them; in them no new good arises, and goodness from the past evaporates and vanishes;  they say what  they should not, they contend where they should not; in the future they will surely fall into a deep pit of danger and will not even encounter Buddha, much less hear the Teaching, for hundreds of thousands of eons, though because of having once conceived the aspiration for enlightenment they will in the end wake up on their own-this is conceited action.  If en­ lightening beings get rid of these ten kinds of conceited action, they will attain ten kinds of actions of knowledge.

"The ten kinds  of action  of knowledge are believing in consequences of action and not denying causality; not giving up the determination for enlightenment, always remembering the buddhas; attending the wise, respecting and providing  for them ,   honoring  them   tirelessly;   enjoying the teachings and their meanings, never tiring of them,  getting rid of wrong awareness and cultivating true awareness; getting rid of haughti­ ness toward all sentient beings, thinking of enlightening beings as bud­ dhas, valuing  the true Teaching as much as one's own being, honoring the enlightened as though protecting one's own life, thinking of practi­ tioners as buddhas; being free from all that is not good in thought, word,

 

and deed, praising the excellences of sages and saints, and according with enlightenment; not denying interdependent  origination,  getting rid of false views, destroying darkness and attaining light, illumining all things; acting in accord with the ten kinds of dedication, thinking of the ways of transcendence as one's mother, thinking of skillful means as one's father, and entering the house of enlightenment with a profound, pure mind; diligently accumulating all practices that foster enlightenment, such as charity, morality, learning, cessation and contemplation, virtue and wis­ dom ; indefatigably cultivating  any practice that is praised by the bud­ dhas, that can break through  the afflictions and conflicts of demons, that can remove all obstructions, veils, shrouds,  and bonds,  that can teach and tame all sentient beings, that can embrace the truth in accord with knowledge and wisdom, that can purify a buddha-land,  that can gener­ ate spiritual capacities and insights. Based on these ten actions of knowl­ edge, enlightening beings can attain the supreme action of great knowl­ edge of buddhas, including all skillful means of liberation.

"For great enlightening beings there are ten kinds of possession by demons:  laziness;  narrowness and meanness of aspiration;  satisfaction with a little practice; exclusivity;  not making  great   vows;   liking   to be in tranquil extinction and annihilating  afflictions; permanently  annihi­ lating birth  and death;  giving  up the practices of enlightening beings; not  edifying  sentient  beings;  doubting  and  repudiating  the  truth.  If en­ lightening beings can get rid of these possessions by demons, they can gain ten kinds of support by Buddha: they are supported by Buddha in first being able to aspire to enlightenment; in preserving the will for en­ lightenment life after life without letting it be forgotten ; in being aware of manias and being able to avoid them ; in learning the ways of tran­ scendence and practicing them as taught; in knowing  the pains of birth and death yet not rejecting them;  in contemplating  the most  profound truth and gaining immeasurable reward; in expounding the principles of the two lesser vehicles of salvation for the benefit ofsentient beings with­ out actually grasping the liberation of those vehicles; in happily con­ templating  the uncreated without  dwelling therein, and not thinking  of the created and the uncreated as dual;  in reaching the realm of birthless­ ness yet manifesting birth; in realizing universal knowledge yet carrying out the practices of enlightening beings and perpetuating the seed of en­ lightening beings. Based on these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme supportive power of buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of support by truth: know­ ing all conditioned states are impermanent;  knowing  all conditioned states are painful; knowing all conditioned states arc identityless; know­ ing all phenomena are quiescent nirvana; knowing all phenomena arise from   conditions and do not come to be   without   conditions;  knowing that ignorance comes from wrong thought, and finally old age and death come from ignorance, so if wrong thought is extinguished, ignorance is extinguished, and finally old age and death are extinguished; knowing

 

the three doors  of liberation and generating the vehicle of hearers,  real­ izing the state of noncontention and generating the vehicle of individual illuminates; knowing the six transcendent ways and the four means of integration, generating the Great Vehicle; knowing that all lands, all phenomena, all sentient beings, and all times are spheres of knowledge of buddhas; knowing how to cut off all thoughts, abandon all grasping, detach from before and after, and accord with nirvana.  Based  on  these ten, enlightening beings can attain the supreme support of truth of all buddhas.

"Great enlightening beings  have  ten kinds of activities in the heaven of satisfaction. First, they tell the celestials in the heavens of desire the principle of detachment, saying, 'All dominion is impermanent, all plea­ sures must fade and vanish,' and they urge the celestials to aspire to en­ lightenment. Second, to the celestials of the heavens in the realm of form they  explain how to  enter and emerge  from the meditative and libera­ tive concentrations,  and if there are any who become  attached to them and therefore regenerate   views of the body,   erroneous views,  nescience, and so on, the enlightening beings explain true wisdom to them; if any conceive a deluded idea of purity of material or immaterial things, they explain that they are not pure  and  are  all impermanent, and  thus  urge them to aspire to  enlightenment. Third, in  the heaven  of satisfaction, great enlightening  beings enter a concentration called magnificent array of light, and their bodies radiate light illumining the entire universe; according to the mentalities of sentient beings, they preach to them in various voices, so that the sentient beings, having heard, have pure faith and are reborn in the heaven of satisfaction after death, where the en­ lightening beings urge them  to  aspire  to  enlightenment. Fourth, the great enlightening beings in the heaven of satisfaction, with their un­ obstructed eyes, see all the enlightening beings in all the heavens of satis­ faction in the ten directions, so that all the enlightening beings see each other; having  seen  each  other,  they  discuss  the  marvelous Teaching­ that is, descending spiritually into the mother's womb, being born, leaving home, going to the site of enlightenment, being imbued with magnificent adornments, and also showing the deeds they have been carrying out since ancient times, by which they attained this great knowledge and its virtues, being able to manifest these things without leaving  their  original places. Fifth,  when  a  great enlightening  being  is in the heaven  of satisfaction,  the  enlightening beings in  the  palaces of all the heavens of satisfaction in the ten  directions  come and gather around respectfully, and then the great enlightening being, wishing to enable those enlightening beings to fulfill their vows, and  to  gladden them, expounds teachings according to the states those enlightening beings should abide in, according to  what  they are to  do  and what they are to stop, what they are to practice and what they are to realize; having heard this, the enlightening beings are  very  happy and  freshly inspired, and return to the places where they live in their own lands. Sixth, when

 

great enlightening beings are in the heaven of satisfaction , the celestial devil,   lord of the realm of desire, in order to spoil and disrupt  the work of the enlightening beings, comes to the enlightening  beings  with a retinue of demons; then the enlightening beings,  in order to crush the army of demons, abide in the gate of knowledge of skill in means of transcendent wisdom which is included in the adamantine path, and expound the truth to them in both gentle and harsh words, causing the demons to be unable to get the upper hand; and when the demons see the sovereign power of the enlightening beings, they all become inspired to seek supreme enlightenment. Seventh, great enlightening beings in the heaven of satisfaction know that the celestials in   the realm of desire do not like to hear the truth; then the enlightening  beings  announce in a loud voice,  'Today an enlightening being is going to manifest wonders

-those who wish to see should come at once.' Then the celestials, having heard this, gather in droves. The enlightening beings, seeing that the celes­ tials have gathered, show them wonders in the palace that the celestials have  never  seen  or  heard  of;  having  seen  these,  the celestials  are  totally enraptured. Then the enlightening beings also produce voices in music saying, 'Benevolent ones, all conditioned states are impermanent and painful, all  things are void of identity; nirvana is tranquil extinction.' They also say, ' You all should cultivate the practices of enlightening beings and should fulfill omniscience.' When the celestials hear this voice of teaching, they  grieve and  lament and  give  rise  to revulsion and  are all inspired to seek enlightenment. Eighth, great enlightening beings living in the palace of the heaven of satisfaction are able, without leaving their original place, to go to the abodes of all the innumerable buddhas in the ten directions, see the buddhas, approach them and pay respects to them, and reverently listen to their teaching. At that time the buddhas, in order to enable enlightening beings to attain the supreme state of coronation, explain to them a stage of enlightening beings called 'all spiritual capacities,' in which all supreme virtues are attained by instan­ taneous realizational wisdom, and they enter the stage of all knowledge. Ninth, great enlightening beings living in the palace of the heaven of satisfaction,  wishing to  honor the  buddhas, use  great  spiritual powers to produce various offerings called 'extraordinarily pleasing,' filling all worlds throughout the space of the cosmos, and present them to the buddhas-when the  sentient  beings of those worlds see  those offerings, all are inspired  to seek supreme enlightenment. Tenth,  great enlight­ ening beings in the heaven of satisfaction set forth in fmite teachings like illusions, like reflections, pervading all worlds in the ten directions, manifesting various forms, various characteristics,  various bodies,  var­ ious modes of conduct, various activities, various methods, various meta­ phors, various explanations, gladdening all sentient beings according to their mentalities. These are the ten kinds  of activities  of enlightening beings in the heaven of satisfaction : if they accomplish these things, they can subsequently be born in the human world.

 

"When  great enlightening beings in the heaven   of satisfaction   are about to descend to be born in the human  world,  they manifest ten things. First, they radiate a tremendous light from their feet , called adornment  of peace and happiness,  which illumines all the miserable states in the universe; all sentient beings who come in contact with this light attain peace and happiness free from suffering, and, having realized peace and happiness, they realize that an extraordinarily great person is going to come forth into the world.  Second,  they emit a tremendous light, called awakening, from the curl of white hair between their brows, illumining the whole  universe, shining  on   all   the enlightening beings they worked with in the past; those enlightening beings,  bathed in this light, know that an enlightening being  is about  to be born down on earth,  and each produce innumerable offerings and bring them to present to the enlightening being. Third,  they emanate from their right palms a great light,  called realm of purity, which can purify all universes: if there are any individual illuminates therein who have  attained noncontami­ nation and become aware of this light,  they give up their lives; if they do not become aware of this light,  they arc moved to other worlds by the power of the light; all demons, false teachers, and sentient beings with opinions are also removed   to other worlds,  except  sentient beings who are sustained by the spiritual power of buddhas and are fit to be taught. Fourth, they emit great lights from their knees, called pure adornments, which illumine all the palaces of all the heavens; all the celestial beings in those heavens realize that enlightening beings in   the heaven   of satisfac­ tion are about to descend to be born in the human world, and they feel bereaved and saddened, and each brings various flower garlands, cloth­ ing, perfumes, aromatic powders, banners, canopies, and music to the enlightening beings and respectfully present them, and then follow the enlightening beings in their descent to birth and on till their extinction. Fifth , from their gammadion  thunderbolt-adorned  heart  enlightening beings radiate tremendous light, called symbol  of invincibility,   which shines on the thunderbolt-bearers of power in all worlds;  thereupon a hundred billion thunderbolt-bearers all gather and follow and guard the enlightening beings   from   their   birth   till   their   extinction.   Sixth,   from each pore of their bodies they radiate great lights, called distinguishing sentient beings,  which   illumine   all universes   and   touch   the   bodies   of all enlightening beings and also touch the bodies of all celestials and humans;  the enlightening beings and others all think they should stay there and honor  the buddhas  and edify sentient beings.  Seventh,  from the great jewel palaces they radiate immense light, called continuous observation,  which illumines the places where these enlightening beings are going to be born;  thereafter other enlightening beings follow them down to earth and take on birth in the same houses, the same villages, or the same cities, in order to teach sentient beings.  Eighth, from the celes­ tial palace halls  and from the ornaments  of the magnificent balconies, they radiate a great light, called pure adornments of all palaces, which

 

shines on the abdomens of the mothers by whom they will be born and causes the mothers to be calm and comfortable and replete with   all virtues; in the bellies of the mothers there are naturally immense  man­ sions adorned with great treasures in which to rest the bodies of the en­ lightening beings. Ninth, they emanate from their feet vast light, called skillfully abiding; celestials about to die who are bathed in this light all have their lives prolonged and provide for the enlightening beings from their birth till their extinction.  Tenth, from their minor embellishments they radiate great light,   called array of eyes which shows  the enlight­ ening beings'  various deeds; at that time humans and celestials may see the enlightening beings in the heaven of satisfaction, or in the womb, or newborn, or leaving home, or attaining enlightenment, or conquering demons, or teaching, or entering extinction. Great enlightening  beings emanate countless such lights  from their bodies,  their thrones, their palaces, their towers, all showing various works of enlightening beings; and, having shown these works, because they are replete with all virtues, they descend from the heaven of satisfaction to be born in the human world.

"There are ten phenomena involved in the great enlightening beings' manifestation of being in the womb.  First,   great enlightening beings want to develop sentient beings who are small-minded and low  in  under­ standing, and not let them get the idea that the enlightening beings are spontaneously born by transformation and that their  knowledge  and virtues do not derive from cultivation-for  this reason  enlightening beings appear in the womb. Second, because they want to ripen the roots of goodness of their parents, families, and those who did the same prac­ tices as they did in the past, they appear in the womb because the roots of goodness of those people will be developed by seeing the enlightening beings in the womb. Third, when  the  enlightening  beings  enter  the womb, they are in a state of right mindfulness and  right  knowledge, without any confusion; and once they are in the womb  they remain cor­ rectly mindful, without distraction. Fourth, while great enlightening beings are in the womb, they always expound the truth; the enlightening beings and m ajor deities of all worlds gather around them and all are caused to attain boundless spiritual capacities and knowledge-the en­ lightening beings in the womb have developed such higher faculties of intellectual powers. Fifth, while the great enlightening beings are in the womb, they gather great congregations, and by the power of their past vows edify all the hosts of enlightening beings. Sixth, great enlightening beings achieve buddhahood among humans, so they should receive the best  of births,  as  humans;  therefore  they  appear in  the  mother's  womb. Seventh, when the  great enlightening beings are in  the mother's womb, all the sentient beings in  the  universe see them, as  if seeing their own faces in a mirror. At that  time  the  great-hearted  among the  various beings all come to the enlightening beings and respectfully present offer­ ings to them. Eighth, when great enlightening beings are in the mother's

 

womb,  all the enlightening beings from other worlds  who are in their final lives come and assemble and recite a great collection of teachings called vast treasury   of   knowledge.   Ninth,   when   great   enlightening beings are in the mother's  womb,  they enter the   concentration   that   is the treasury of purification and by   the power of concentration manifest within the mother's womb all kinds of adornments of a great palace, all wonderfully fine, to which  even the palace of the heaven of satisfaction cannot compare, and cause the mother's body to be com fortable and free from pain. Tenth, when great enlightening beings are in the mother's womb, by their enormous spiritual power they produce offerings called opening the pure treasury of virtue and offer them to all buddhas in all worlds; the buddhas  all explain  to them the infinite matrix  of enlight­ ening beings' abode in the cosmos of reality. These are the ten phenom­ ena involved  in great enlightening beings'  appearance in the womb; if they master these, they can reveal extremely subtle processes.

"Great enlightening beings have ten extremely subtle processes:  while in the mother's  womb,  showing  the first inspiration for enlightenment up to the stage of coronation;  while in the mother's womb, showing life in  the  palace  of the  heaven  of satisfaction;  while in  the  mother's  womb, showing  birth; while in the mother's womb, showing childhood;  while in the mother's womb, showing life in a royal  palace;  while in the mother's   womb,   showing  departure   from   householding  life;   while   in the mother's  womb,  showing the practice of austerities, going to the site of enlightenment, and attaining true awakening; while in the mother's womb, showing the turning of the wheel  of teaching; while  in the mother's womb, showing ultimate extinction; while  in the  mother's womb, showing a great subtlety called infinite different aspects of the practices of all enlightening  beings and the autonomous  spiritual powers of all buddhas. Based on these, enlightening beings can attain buddhas' supreme subtle process of great knowledge.

"Great enlightening beings have ten kinds of birth: birth with right awareness and right knowledge,  free from folly and delusion; birth radiating great networks of light beams illuminating the whole universe; birth in the final existence,   never to be reincarnated;   unborn,   unorigi­ nated birth; birth knowing the triple world to be like an illusion; birth appearing corporeally  everywhere in all worlds  in the ten directions; birth in a body  realizing omniscience; birth in a body emanating  the lights of all buddhas and awakening all sentient beings; birth in a body entering contemplative  concentration   with   great  knowledge.   When great enlightening beings are born, they shake all buddha-lands, liberate all sentient beings, annihilate all states of misery, and eclipse all demons; innumerable  enlightening beings come  and gather around  them.  These are the   ten   kinds of birth   of enlightening   beings,  which   they   manifest in order to pacify sentient beings.

"There are  ten  reasons why great enlightening beings smile and make a promise in their hearts. They think, 'All worldlings are sunk in the

 

mire of craving, and no one but I can rescue them.' They also think, 'All worldlings are blinded by passions and afflictions, and only I now have wisdom. ' They also think, 'Based on this so-called body I will attain the supreme reality-body of buddhas, which fills all times.'  Then the enlight­ ening beings, with unobstructed eyes, look over all the Brahma heavens and all the controlling heavens, and think, 'These sentient beings all think they have the power of great knowledge.' Then the enlightening beings observe sentient beings who have long planted  roots of goodness  and who now  are regressing and sinking.  The enlightening beings  observe that though the seeds sown in the world be few, the fruits reaped are many.  The enlightening  beings see that all sentient beings who receive the teaching of Buddha will surely gain benefit. The enlightening beings see that enlightening beings who were their colleagues in past ages have become obsessed with other things and  cannot  attain the great virtues of the Buddha teaching. The enlightening beings see that the celestials and humans who were in the same communities  with them in the past still are in mundane states,  unable  to detach from them,  and not tiring of them either. Then enlightening beings are bathed in the lights  of all buddhas and are even more joyful . These are the ten reasons great en­ lightening being smile and make a promise in their hearts; great enlight­ ening beings appear in this way to pacify sentient beings.

"There are  ten reasons great enlightening  beings  show the act of

walking seven steps; to manifest the power of enlightening beings; to manifest the giving of the seven kinds of wealth;   to satisfy the wishes of the spirits of the earth; to manifest the appearance  of transcending   the three worlds; to manifest the supreme walk of the enlightening  being, beyond the walk of the elephant, the bull, or the lion; to manifest the characteristics of adamantine ground; to manifest the desire to give sen­ tient beings  courageous strength; to manifest the practice of the seven jewels of awakening; to show that the truth they have realized docs not come from   the instruction  of another;  to   manifest supreme peerlessness in the world.  These are the ten reasons they show the act of walking seven steps after birth; they manifest this to pacify sentient beings.

"Great enlightening  beings appear  as children for ten  reasons:  to

manifest the learning of all worldly arts and sciences; to manifest the learning of riding and military art and various worldly occupations; to manifest the learning of all kinds of worldly things such as literature, conversation, games, and amusements; to manifest the shedding of errors and faults of word, thought,  and deed; to manifest entering concentra­ tion, staying in the door of nirvana, and pervading infinite worlds in the ten directions; to show that their power goes beyond all creatures, celes­ tial, human, and nonhuman; to show that the appearance and majesty of enlightening beings goes beyond all deities; to cause sentient beings addicted to sensual pleasures to joyfully take pleasure in truth;  to   show the reception of empowerment  of buddhas  and being bathed in the light of truth.

 

"Having  appeared  as children , great enlightening beings  appear  to live in a royal palace for ten reasons: to cause the roots of goodness of their colleagues of the past to develop to maturity; to show the power of roots of goodness of enlightening beings; to show the com forts of great spiritual power of enlightening beings to humans and celestials who are obsessed with comforts; to adapt to the minds of sentient beings in the polluted world;  to manifest the spiritual power of enlightening  beings, able to enter concentration  in the heart of the palace; to enable those who had the same aspirations in the past to fulfill their aims; to enable their parents, family, and relatives to fulfill their wishes; to use music to produce the sounds of the sublime teaching to offer to all buddhas; to dwell in subtle concentration while in the palace and show everything from the attainment  of buddhahood to final extinction;  and to accord with and preserve the teachings of the buddhas.

"After enlightening beings  in their  final embodiment  have  appeared in a royal palace,  they leave home. Great enlightening beings demon­ strate leaving home for ten reasons: to reject living at home; to cause sentient beings attached to their homes to give up their attachment;  to follow and appreciate the path of saints; to publicize and praise the vir­ tues of leaving home; to demonstrate eternal detachment from extreme views; to cause sentient beings to detach from sensual and selfish plea­ sures; to show the appearance of transcending the world; to show in­ dependence, not being subject to another; to show that they are going to attain the ten powers and fearlessnesses of buddhas;  and because it is natural that enlightening beings in their final life should do so . Enlight­ ening beings use this manifestation of leaving home to pacify sentient beings.

"Great  enlightening beings demonstrate  the practice of austerities for

ten reasons: to develop sentient beings with low understanding;  to re­ move false views from sentient beings;  to show the consequences of action to sentient beings who do not believe in consequences of action; because it is natural  to do so in accordance with the adulterated and polluted world;  to   show the ability  to endure toil and diligently  work on the Way; to cause sentient beings to want to seek the truth;  for the sake of sentient beings who are attached to sensual pleasures and selfish pleasure; in order to show that enlightening beings' effort is supreme, continuing  to the very last life; to induce sentient beings  to enjoy the state of calm and  tranquillity  and increase roots of goodness;  to wait until the time is ripe to develop people's  immature  faculties. Enlight­ ening beings use these expedient means to pacify all sentient beings.

"Ten things occur when great enlightening beings go to the site of enlightenment: they illumine all worlds; they cause all worlds to quake; they manifest their bodies in all worlds;  they awaken all enlightening beings and all their colleagues of the past; they m anifest all the adorn­ ments of the site of enlightenment; they manifest various kinds of de­ portment and all the adornments of the  tree of enlightenment, showing

 

them  according  to  the inclinations  of the  minds  of sentient beings; they see all the buddhas of the ten directions; they continually enter concen­ tration  with  every  step and become buddhas  moment  to moment, with­ out interruption; the leaders  of  all  creatures,  unaware  of each  other, produce   all kinds of wonderful offerings;   with unobstructed   knowledge they observe all  the  buddhas  carrying  out  the  deeds  of  enlightening beings in all worlds and fulfilling true enlightenment. By these ten things enlightening beings teach and influence sentient beings.

"Ten things occur when great enlightening beings sit on the site of enlightenment: they cause all  worlds to quake  in various ways;  they equally illuminate all worlds; they remove all the sufferings of miserable states; they cause all worlds to be adamantine; they gaze on the lion thrones of all the buddhas; their minds are like space, without concep­ tualization; they manifest comportment as appropriate; they rest in ada­ mantine concentration;   they receive the pure,   sublime place sustained by the spiritual power of all buddhas;  they can strengthen all sentient beings with the power of their own roots of goodness.

"When great   enlightening beings   sit   on   the   site   of enlightenment, ten extraordinary, unprecedented events occur:  all the buddhas   of the worlds of the ten   directions appear before them,   raise their right   hands, and praise them as unexcelled guides; all buddhas watch over them and give them power;  the enlightening beings   who   were   their colleagues in the past come and surround them and respectfully present various adorn­ ments;  the plants and trees and all insentient things bend   toward the site of enlightenment; the great   enlightening   beings   enter   a   concentration called observing the cosmos, whose power can cause all enlightening practices to be fulfilled; they attain a spell called oceanic treasury of supreme pure light, and are able to receive the rain from the great clouds of teaching of all buddhas; by spiritual powers they produce superb offerings throughout all worlds which they present to the buddhas;  they rest in highest knowledge and actually know the faculties and mental patterns of all sentient b eings; they enter a concentration called ' well aware,'  whose power enables   their bodies to fill all worlds in all spaces in all times; they attain pure illumination and unobstructed great knowl­ edge, enabling their physical actions to penetrate past,  present,   and fu­ ture. These are the ten extraordinary things that happen when great enlightening beings sit on the site of enlightenment.

"When great enlightening beings are sitting on  the site of enlighten­ ment,   they   manifest  the  conquering  of  demons  because  of  observing ten kinds  of purpose:  because  the  sentient  beings  in  times  of confusion are bellicose, enlightening beings want to show the spiritual power of enlightening beings; to cut off the doubts of people in celestial and mundane states who have doubts; to civilize and tame the armies  of demons; to cause people who like the military to come and observe demon quelling,  so  their minds will  be subdued;  to  show  that no one in the world can oppose the powers of enlightening beings; to arouse the

 

courage and strength of all sentient beings;  out of pity for the sentient beings of degenerate times; to show that even up to the site of enlighten­ ment there are still hordes of demons who   come to create disturbance, and only after this does one finally manage to get beyond the reach of demons; to show that the force of afflictions is weak and inferior com­ pared with the mighty power of great compassion and virtue; and to do what must be done in a polluted, evil world. These are the ten reasons why great enlightening beings manifest demon-conquering.

"Great  enlightening  beings  have ten kinds  of attainment  of powers of the enlightened:  they   attain   the powers of the enlightened because they transcend the afflictive activities of all demons; because they ful fill all enlightening practices and master all concentrations of enlightening beings; because they fully accomplish all the far-reaching meditations of enlightening beings; because they fulfill all the pure means of fostering enlightenment; because they attain illumination of knowledge  of all things and can think and analyze well; because their bodies pervade all worlds; because they can support all by spiritual power; because their utterances are equal to the minds of all sentient beings; because they are physically, verbally, and mentally equal to the buddhas of all times, and can comprehend the things of all times in a single thought; because they attain concentration  of precisely aware knowledge  and are imbued with the ten powers of the enlightened,  from knowledge  of what is so and what is not so up to knowledge of extinction of contaminations. If enlightening beings acquire these ten powers, they are called buddhas, truly awake.

"There are ten aspects   of the   turning   of the   great wheel  of teaching by truly awakened buddhas:  they are i mbued with the knowledge of the four pure fearlessnesses; they produce utterances consonant with the four intellectual powers;  they are able to expound  the characteristics of the four truths; they accord with the unobstructed liberation of all buddhas; they are able to provoke pure faith in the minds of all sentient beings; whatever they say is not in vain, being able to extract the poison arrows of suffering from sentient beings;  they are supported  by the power of great compassionate commitment; their utterances pervade all worlds; they teach endlessly for incalculable eons; the teachings they utter are all able to produce spiritual faculties and powers, ways of awakening, medi­ tations, liberations, concentrations,  and such phenomena.  When bud­ dhas teach, it involves infinite such phenomena.

"When  truly awakened buddhas  turn the wheel of teaching,  by  vir­ tue of ten things they plant pure elements in the minds of sentient beings, which are not in vain:  because of the power of their past  vows;  because of being sustained by great compassion; because of not abandoning sen­ tient beings;  because of freedom of knowledge able to teach according to the inclinations  of sentient beings;  because of unerring   timing;  because of according with suitability and not preaching arbitrarily; because of knowledge of past, present, and future; because buddhas are most excel-

 

lent, without  peer;  because their sayings are free and unfathomable; because their knowledge is free and whatever they say is enlightening.

"When buddhas have done their buddha-work, they manifest final extinction because of ten considerations: to   show that all activities are really impermanent; to show that all created things are unstable; to show that ultimate nirvana is the abode of peace, without fear; to show those attached to the physical body that the physical body is impermanent, so that they will aspire to dwell in the pure body of reality; to show that the power of impermanence cannot be overturned; to show that all created things do not remain as one wishes and are not under one's control;  to show that all existents are like magical productions and are not hard and fast; to show that the nature of nirvana is ultimately stable  and indes­ tructible; to show that all things have no birth or origin, yet have the appearance of assemblage and dissolution. Once the buddhas have finished their buddha-work, have fulfilled their vows, have turned the wheel of teaching, have  enlightened and liberated those who could  be enlightened and liberated, and have made the predictions of buddhahood  of the enlightening beings   who become  honored   ones,   as a matter  of course they enter unchanging,  great, ultimate nirvana.  These are the ten points of consideration because of which they manifest ultimate  extinction in nirvana.

"This teaching is called the far-reaching pure practice of enlightening beings. It is expounded by all the infinite buddhas. It can enable the wise to comprehend innumerable matters and to all become joy ful. It enables the great undertakings and   deeds of all   enlightening beings   to   continue. If any sentient beings hear this teaching, believe it, understand it,  and put it into practice, they will surely be able to attain supreme complete per­ fect enlightenment quickly. Why? Because they apply the teachings in practice.  If enlightening beings do not practice in accord with the teach­ ing, they will be forever estranged from the enlightenment of buddhas. Therefore, enlightening beings should p ractice the teaching.

"This flower of definitive   meaning   of the   points   of virtuous   prac­ tices of all enlightening beings enters into all the teachings, produces all knowledge, transcends all worlds, is beyond the paths of the two lesser vehicles, is not common to all sentient beings, can illumine all ways of entry into truth,   and develops   transcendental   roots   of goodness in sen­ tient beings. This book of the teaching of detachment from the world should be honored, listened to and absorbed, recited and remembered, contemplated, appreciated, and put into practice. People who can do this will soon attain unexcelled complete perfect enlightenment. "

When this book was spoken, by the spiritual power of Buddha and by the nature of the teaching,  infinite  worlds in the  ten  directions  quaked and great light shone everywhere. At that point, buddhas of the ten directions all  appeared before the enlightening being Universally Good and said in praise, " It is very good, offspring of Buddha, how you can expound this book of transmundane principles ofthe flower of definitive

 

meaning of points of virtuous  practice  of  enlightening  beings of  the highest ranks,  which enters into  all Buddha teachings.  You have learned this teaching well and expound this teaching well;  you  preserve  this teaching by spiritual power. We buddhas all rejoice in this, and  as  we rejoice for you, so do all buddhas. We buddhas, all of the same mind, preserve this scripture, so  that  the  enlightening  beings  of present  and future who have not heard it may all get to hear it."

Then the great  enlightening  being  Universally  Good,  by  the  power of Buddha,  looked over all the masses in the ten directions, throughout the cosmos, and said in verse:

Cultivating difficult  practices  for  measureless eons, Born   of the true   teachings of infinite buddhas, Causing countless beings to dwell in enlightenment­

Listen as I tell of the peerless deeds of enlightening beings.

Serving infinite buddhas, abandoning attachment,

Widely liberating sentient beings, without forming such concepts, Seeking enlightened virtue, minds independent,

Their sublime practices I now tell.

Free from afflicting actions of demons of the three worlds, Imbued with higher  conduct  with  holy  virtues, Destroying delusions, minds at peace-

I now tell the path they travel.

Forever free of the deceptive illusions of the world, Showing sentient beings various transformations;

Mind arising, abiding, passing away-they manifest myriad phenomena:

I tell of their abilities to gladden all.

Seeing sentient beings born, aging, and dying, Bound and oppressed by afflictions and troubles, They want to liberate them, and so inspire them­ Listen to their virtuous practices.

Generosity, ethics, tolerance, vigor, meditation, wisdom,

Skill in means, benevolence, compassion, equanimity, and so on-

They practice these for billions of eons:

Hear the virtues of those people.

 

Seeking enlightenment for billions of eons, They never begrudge their lives,

Vowing  to  benefit sentient beings,  not  doing  it  for  themselves­

! now tell of their compassionate deeds.

 

To expound their virtues for countless eons Would hardly amount to a drop in the sea; Their virtues are peerless, incomparable-

By the power of Buddha I now summarize them.

 

In their minds, no high or low­ They tirelessly seek the Path,

As they go, causing sentient beings To live in good, purifying ways.

 

Their   wisdom   benefits   all Like trees, rivers, and springs, And also like the earth

Upon which everything rests.

 

E nlightening beings are like lotus flowers, With roots of kindness, stems of peace, Petals of wisdom,

Fragance of conduct.

 

Buddha emanates the light of truth, Causing them to bloom;

The water of the created not sticking to them, All who see them are delighted.

 

The tree  of sublime ways of enlightening beings Grows in the ground of the straightforward mind; Faith is its seed, compassion its roots,

Wisdom its trunk;

Skillful means are its boughs,

Five transcendent ways its branches,

Concentration its leaves, spiritual powers its flowers, And omniscience its fruit;

Supreme powers are like birds perched in it As it gives shade to the triple world.

 

The lion of enlightening beings Has pure good ways for a body, The  four  truths  are its legs, Right mindfulness is its neck,

Benevolence its eyes, wisdom its head, Wearing the turban of liberation;

In the valley   of emptiness of ultimate   reality It roars this teaching and scares all demons.

 

Enlightening beings are caravan leaders; They see living beings everywhere

In the wasteland of birth and death, Afflicted,   in   dangerous places, Caught by the bandits of manias,

Ignorant, blind,   straying   from   the  right   road: Enlightening beings direct them  to  the  right,  straight  road So they may enter the city of fearlessness.

 

Enlightening beings see sentient beings Afflicted by the three poisons,

Suffering all kinds of pains,

Feverish, oppressed through the long night; Arousing great compassion for them,

They explain many ways of curing, Eighty-four thousand kinds,

To eliminate all afflictions.

 

Enlightening beings are spiritual sovereigns, Civilizing beings by the right way,

Causing them to avoid evil and cultivate good, And wholeheartedly seek enlightened virtue.

 

Crowned and given predictions   of supreme   enlightenment By all buddhas,

They distribute the wealth of sagacity of people, The jewels of the elements of enlightenment.

 

Enlightening beings turn the  wheel of teaching Just like what the buddhas turn;

Conduct  is its hub,   concentration the spokes; Knowledge is their adornment, wisdom is their sword. Having defeated the bandit afflictions

And slaughtered the enemy demons, They put false teachers to flight Whenever they see them.

 

Enlightening beings' ocean   of knowledge   and  wisdom Is boundlessly deep and wide,

Suffused with the flavor of truth,

Filled with jewels   of attributes  of enlightenment. A   great   mind   is its   boundless   shore, Omniscience is its tide:

No sentient beings can measure it, It can never be fully explained.

 

Enlightening beings' polar mountain Goes beyond the world:

Concentration of spiritual capacity its peak, The great mind rests immovable.

Any who approach it

Are imbued  with its color of wisdom. It is far beyond all realms of objects; There is no one who does not see it.

 

Enlightening beings are like diamond, Determined  to   find omniscience, Their faith and austere  practice Steadfast and unshakable.

Their minds without fear, They  aid  living  beings And thoroughly annihilate All demons and afflictions.

 

Enlightening beings' great benevolence and compassion Are like layers of dense clouds;

Three superknowledges flash lightning, Paranormal powers thunder,

And with the four intellectual powers They rain water of eight qualities Moistening all to relieve

The fever of afflictions.

 

The citadel of truth of enlightening beings Has transcendent wisdom for walls, Conscience for a deep moat,

Knowledge as its battlements. Opening wide the gate of liberation, Right mindfulness always guards it .

The four truths are the level royal road, The six spiritual powers are the arsenal. The banners of the great Teaching

Are hoisted all around;

The demons of the three worlds Cannot enter at all.

 

The condor of enlightening beings Has   magic   for its steady feet, Skillful means for its mighty wings,

Kindness and compassion its clear eyes; Perched on the tree   of all knowledge, It watches the ocean of existence,

 

Snatches human  and celestial dragons And places them on the shore of nirvana.

 

Enlightening beings' sun of truth Rises in the world,

Its full orb of conduct

Running swiftly by psychic travel, Shining with the light of wisdom,

Maturing the herbs of faculties and powers, Destroying the darkness of afflictions, Evaporating the ocean of craving.

 

The moon of the light of knowledge of enlightening beings Has the realm of reality for its sphere,

Coursing through ultimate emptiness, Seen by all the world.

In the minds of consciousness of the three worlds, It waxes and wanes through time.

Among the stars  of the Two Vehicles, It has no peers at all .

 

The bodies arrayed with virtues

Of enlightening beings, spiritual sovereigns,

Are replete with all embellishments and marks of greatness, Looked up to by all humans and celestials.

Pure eyes of skillful means,

A diamond  scepter of wisdom, They have mastery of spiritual law And civilize beings with truth.

 

Enlightening beings, as great Brahma lords, Independently transcend the three worlds; They have ended all confusion by actions

And are imbued with benevolence and equanimity. Everywhere they manifest their bodies

And enlighten with the voice of truth . In the three worlds

They uproot erroneous views.

 

Enlightening beings, as controlling celestials, Are beyond  the realm of birth and death; Their sphere is always pure,

Their wisdom never  recedes. Ending the path of lesser vehicles,

They receive the spiritual coronation.

 

Full of virtue and knowledge, Their fame is heard everywhere.

 

Enlightening beings'   knowing   mind Is clear and pure as space:

There is no essence, no reliance­ All is ungraspable.

 

They have great autonomous power, Able to accomplish tasks in the world. Themselves embodying pure conduct, They induce others to do likewise.

 

Enlightening beings' earth of skills Benefits sentient beings;

Enlightening beings' water of compassion Drowns afflictions;

Enlightening   beings'   fire of wisdom Burns the brush of delusive conditioning; Enlightening beings' wind of nonabiding Goes through the void of existence;

Enlightening beings are like precious jewels, Able to save the poor;

Enlightening beings are like thunderbolts, Able   to   smash   perverted   views; Enlightening beings are like ornaments, Adorning   the   body   of existence; Enlightening beings are like wishing jewels, Enhancing all actions.

 

Enlightening  beings'  virtues  are  like flowers, Always producing the branches of enlightenment; Enlightening  beings'  vows are like  garlands, Always hung on the necks of sentient beings;

The fragrance of enlightening beings'  pure  conduct Is sustained, without neglect or offense;

The perfume of enlightening beings' knowledge Scents the three worlds;

Enlightening beings' powers are like screens Able to block the dust of afflictions;

Enlightening beings' knowledge is like a standard, Able to defeat the enemy pride;

Their sublime action is colored silk Adorning their knowledge; Conscience is clothing

Covering all living beings;

 

Enlightening beings' unobstructed vehicle They ride out of the three worlds.

 

Enlightening beings'  elephant  of power Is tame at heart;

Enlightening beings' horse of psychic travel Bounds over all existences;

Enlightening beings, dragons of teaching, Shower on the minds of all beings; Enlightening beings, udumbara flowers, Are rarely met  in   the   world; Enlightening beings, courageous generals, Subdue all demons;

Enlightening beings'  wheel  of teaching Is like what the buddhas turn;

Enlightening beings'  lamp disperses darkness So  people  can see the right road; Enlightening beings' river of virtue

Always follows the course of truth.

 

Enlightening beings' bridge of effort Liberates all kinds of beings;

Their great knowledge and universal vows Together make a sturdy ship,

Bringing in sentient beings

And settling them safely on the shore of enlightenment. Enlightening beings' garden of freedom

Truly delights sentient beings;

Enlightening beings' flowers of liberation Adorn the palace of knowledge;

Enlightening beings are like wonderful medicines Destroying the diseases of afflictions;

Enlightening beings are like the snowy mountains, Producing the herb of wisdom;

Enlightening beings are equal to buddhas, Awakening sentient beings.

 

In buddhas' mind is nothing else

But true awakening and awakening others; Whence buddhas come forth,

Thence come enlightening beings; And like the omniscient,

They enter universality by knowledge.

 

Enlightening beings skillfully lead All living beings;

 

Enlightening   beings  naturally   awaken To the sphere of omniscience; Enlightening beings' measureless power Cannot be destroyed by the world; Enlightening beings' fearless knowledge Knows sentient beings and phenomena: All worlds,

Forms and characteristics different, Their languages and terms,

They can all distinguish.

 

Though detached from name and form, They manifest various appearances;

No sentient beings can fathom their  path:

Such virtues have enlightening beings accomplished.

 

Realizing natures are all natureless,

They have no clinging to existence or nonexistence; This universal knowledge

Has no end and no   dependence: I now will explain

In order to gladden sentient beings.

 

Though knowing the appearances of things Are like illusions, all empty and null,

Yet  with   compassion  and   commitment And the spiritual power of buddhas Enlightening beings, by mystical projection, Show innumerable various things.

Such qualities as this

You all should hear about.

 

With one body they can manifest Unlimited different bodies; Without mind or object,

They respond to all beings.

 

In one voice

They can utter all words; The languages of all beings

They can produce according to type.

 

Forever free of an afflicted body, They manifest an autonomous body;

They know things cannot be  explained, Yet make various explanations.

 

Their minds are always silent and cool, Clear and pure as space,

Yet they adorn lands everywhere, Showing all beings.

 

They have no attachment to the body Yet are able to manifest bodies

In all worlds,

Taking on birth according to need.

 

Though born in all places, They do not dwell on birth;

They know bodies are like space, Variously appearing, according to mind.

 

The body of enlightening beings is boundless, Appearing in all places,

Always honoring and serving The most worthy of people.

 

Perfumes, flowers, music,

Banners, pennants, and jeweled canopies, They present to the buddhas,

Always with a pure mind.

 

Without leaving the assembly of one buddha They are present in all buddhas' places;

In those great congregations

They ask about problems and listen to the Teaching.

 

Hearing the Teaching, they enter concentration On each of numberless points,

And likewise emerge from concentration With endless manifestations.

 

With knowledge and skill in means They realize the world is all illusory, Yet are able to manifest boundless Illusory things of the world.

 

They   manifest   various   forms , As well as minds and languages; They enter the net of ideas,

Yet without ever clinging.

 

Sometimes they manifest  initial determination To benefit the world;

 

Sometimes they manifest long-time practice, Boundlessly extensive.

 

Charity, morality, tolerance, energy, Meditation, and wisdom,

The four boundless minds, four integrative practices, And all such higher principles

They may show carried to fulfillment, Accepting them without false notions.

 

Sometimes they manifest immanent buddhahood, Anointed and crowned by the enlightened; Sometimes they appear like listeners,

Or like the self-awakened. Everywhere in ultimate nirvana,

Still they do not give up enlightenment practice.

 

They may appear as Indras, Or as Brahma kings,

Sometimes surrounded by goddesses, Sometimes alone and silent.

 

Sometimes they appear as monks Quietly taming their minds; Sometimes they appear as monarchs, Ordering the laws of society.

 

Sometimes they appear as artful women, Sometimes as ascetics;

They may appear to enjoy sensual pleasures Or to enter meditations.

 

Sometimes they appear newborn, Sometimes young, old, or dying; Any who tried to conceive of this Would be doubtful and go mad.

 

Sometimes they appear in celestial palaces, Sometimes they manifest spiritual descent; Sometimes they enter or abide in the womb, Sometimes they are buddhas preaching.

 

Sometimes born,  sometimes extinct,

Sometimes they appear to enter halls of learning; They may be with consorts,

Or apart from society practicing meditation.

 

Sometimes they sit on the site of enlightenment And naturally realize true awakening;

Sometimes they manifest active teaching,

Or they may appear as beginning seekers of truth.

 

They may appear as embodiments of Buddha, Sitting at peace in infinite l ands;

Or they may be cultivating the nonregressive path, Accumulating means of enlightenment.

 

They penetrate countless ages

And reach the Other Shore of them all, Infinite ages a single moment  of thought, A single moment of thought, infinite ages.

 

All ages are not ages,

But they show them as ages to the world; There is no advent and no accumulation, Yet they accomplish the tasks  of the ages.

 

In a single atom They see all buddhas

In all places everywhere,

There being nowhere there is no buddha.

 

Lands, beings, phenomena­ They see them all, in order, Through incalculable ages, Ultimately inexhaustible.

 

Enlightening beings know the number of living beings Is vast beyond bound:

All those creatures' bodies

Arise from measureless causal relations; As they know one is infinite,

So indeed are all.

 

According to their competence, They teach the uninstructed;

They know the faculties of sentient beings, Superior, middling, inferior, are not the same.

 

They also know faculties change,

And which can be taught and which cannot, And that one faculty and all faculties

Are mutually interrelated,

 

And their subtle individual differences, And their precise order.

 

They also know  the mental behavior Of beings past,  present, and future, Their inclinations and understandings, All their vexing habits.

They realize all actions Have no coming or going.

 

Once they know people's behavior, They tell them the unexcelled Teaching. They know thoroughly all kinds

Of defiled and pure conduct;

In an instant becoming enlightened, They accomplish omniscience.

 

Dwelling in buddhas' inconceivable Mind of ultimate knowledge, Instantly  they are   able   to   know The actions of all beings.

 

Having mastered the functional power

Of enlightening beings' spiritual knowledge, They can in a single moment

Travel to boundless lands.

 

Going swiftly like this Throughout endless ages,

There is nowhere they do not reach, Yet without stirring a hair.

 

Just as a skilled magician

Makes all kinds of forms appear Yet one finds in those illusions Neither form nor nonform, Likewise do enlightening beings

Use the magic of knowledge of means To  manifest  various  forms Throughout the world.

 

As the clear sun and moon, Bright mirrors in the sky, Reflect in myriad waters

Without being mixed up by the waters, Likewise, you should know,

 

Enlightening  beings'  wheel of truth Appears in the water of minds in the world Without being mixed up by the world.

 

Just as a man in a dream Makes all kinds of things And may go on for millennia Without one night ending,

Enlightening beings dwelling in the essence of reality Reveal all phenomena,

And   while   countless eons   may   end, Their instantaneous knowledge is endless.

 

As in mountain canyons And in palatial halls

All sounds are echoed Without discrimination,

Enlightening beings dwelling in the essence of reality Can, with autonomous knowledge,

Widely utter words adapted to types, Also without discrimination.

 

As one seeing  a mirage And thinking it is water Chases it but finds no drink And becomes even thirstier, So too is the case

Of sentient beings' afflicted minds; Enlightening beings take pity on them, Rescue them and free them.

 

Seeing form as like clustered foam, Sensations as like bubbles on water, Conceptions as like heat waves,

Dispositions as like the pith of a plantain tree, And consciousness as like magic

Manifesting various things,

Thus knowing the clusters as such, The wise have no attachments.

 

The mediums of sense are all empty and silent, Yet turn like the cogs of a machine;

The elements are in essence unconnected, Yet fabricate the appearance of the world. Enlightening beings  abide in real truth, The supreme truth of voidness;

 

They teach widely in m any ways,

Yet their minds do not dwell on anything.

 

There is no coming and no going, And also no remaining,

Yet afflictive actions, the cause of suffering, Continue to flow and develop.

 

That which is interdependently originated

Is neither existent nor nonexistent, not real or false: Thus do enlightening beings enter the middle way And teach it without attachment.

 

They are able in an instant

To manifest the minds of past,  present, and future, And all the various phenomena

Of the realms of desire, form, and formlessness.

 

Following the three modes of conduct, They expound the three liberations, Define the paths of the Three Vehicles, And accomplish omniscience.

 

They comprehend what is so and what is not, All actions and all faculties,

Realms, understandings, meditations, Where all paths lead,

Recollection of past lives, clairvoyance, And annihilating all delusion.

 

They know the ten powers of buddhas, But  cannot  yet fully achieve them; They realize all things are void,

Yet always seek the sublime Teaching; They   are not   mixed  up   in afflictions, Yet still do not annihilate contamination.

 

With extensive knowledge of ways of emancipation They liberate sentient beings;

In this they attain fearlessness

And  do  not  give up  cultivating  their  practices.

 

Unerring, not deviating from the Path, They do not lose right mindfulness .

Their vigor,  determination, concentration, And meditative wisdom are undiminishing.

 

Pure in conduct, meditation, and altruism, They clearly understand all times;

With great compassion for sentient beings, They are totally unimpeded.

 

By entering these gates of truth They accomplish such practices:

I now tell a little

Of the sense of their arrays of virtue.

 

Even if one told of their practices for countless eons One would never exhaust them;

Now I tell a little bit,

Like a mote of dust of the earth.

 

Resting on buddha-knowledge,

They generate extraordinary thoughts, Cultivate the best of actions,

And embody great benevolence and compassion.

 

Heroically striving,  inwardly  at peace, They teach and enlighten conscious beings; Abiding by pure precepts,

They ful fill practices leading to enlightenment.

 

Able to comprehend buddhas' virtues, Sentient beings, actions, and lands, They also know all ages

With never a thought of weariness.

 

With total command of differentiating knowledge, They arrive at the meaning of truth;

They contemplate and explain the incomparable, Peaceful, and calm true awareness.

 

They generate the mind of Universal Good And cultivate the actions and vows;

With the causal power of compassion, They proceed on the Path pure in mind.

 

Practicing the transcendent ways, They perfect conscious knowledge; Realizing power and freedom,

They attain unexcelled enlightenment.

 

Achieving impartial knowledge, They expound the supreme truth;

 

Able to preserve it, endowed with sublime intelligence, They arrive at the position of the supreme teacher.

 

Avoiding all attachments,

They expound impartiality of mind; Generating knowledge and  wisdom,

They produce miracles and attain enlightenment.

 

Preserving the truth through all  ages, The knowers are most joyful;

Deeply penetrating it and relying on it, They have no fear or confusion.

 

They realize the inconceivable, Unravel artful mysteries;

They skillfully enter concentrations And see all spheres of knowledge.

 

Consummating the liberations, They exercise spiritual insights; Forever free from veils and bonds,

They roam freely in gardens and groves.

 

Virtuous ways are their mansions, All their deeds are admirable;

They cause boundless adornments to appear, Their minds unmoved by the world.

 

Observing well, profoun dly intent,

They can elucidate with wonderful eloquence The pure marks of enlightenment,

The light of knowledge illumining all.

 

Their dwelling place is peerless, Their   minds   are indomitable; Their will is like a high mountain, Their virtues like a deep ocean.

 

They rest in truth like treasure, Wear the armor of vows, Undertake great works, Ultimately invulnerable.

 

They gain the destiny of enlightenment, And are steadily broad-minded;

Their hidden resources are inexhaustible, They awaken to all truths.

 

Masters of worldly knowledge,

They function subtly, without obstruction: Sentient beings, all lands,

And all kinds of phenomena, Embodiments, vows, and realms, Knowledge, spiritual capacities, and so on, They manifest in the world,

Countless hundreds of billions.

 

Their spiritual powers and states Are free-none can inhibit them; They are adorned with all works

Of powers, fearlessnesses, and unique buddha-qualities.

 

Their bodies and physical deeds, Their words and purified speech, Are under protection,

So they can accomplish ten things.

 

When enlightening beings are first inspired And when their minds pervade all,

Their senses   are   undistracted And they attain higher faculties.

 

With profound minds, overmastering minds, They get away from deception;

With various   sure understandings, They thoroughly penetrate the world.

 

Abandoning afflictive habits, They take to the supreme Path;

Skillfully practicing it, they fulfill it And arrive at omniscience.

 

Avoiding regression, they enter  the  absolute And certain!y realize silent extinction; Generating the Path of enlightening teaching, They embody epithets of virtue.

 

The paths,   the paths of infinity, Up to the paths of adornment­ Successively they go by these Without attachment to any.

 

Hands, feet, and guts, With hearts of adam ant,

Wearing the armor of sympathy,

 

Equipped with many weapons,

Heads of knowledge, eyes of understanding, Deeds of enlightenment their ears,

Pure conduct their noses,

They destroy darkness, unhindered.

 

Intelligence   is   their   tongue, Their bodies are omnipresent; Higher knowledge is their mind,

They cultivate their practices in action and repose.

 

They walk on the site of enlightenment, Sit on the lion throne,

Recline in universal goodwill, compassion, joy, and equanimity, And rest in emptiness.

 

Their spheres of action and contemplation Illumine the realm of enlightenment; Observing the  acts  of sentient beings, They spring forth and roar.

 

Free from greed, they practice pure giving; Abandoning conceit, they preserve pure conduct. Never angered, always tolerant,

Not lazy, always vigorous, Mastering meditation, Wisdom uncontrived,

Kindly saving, tirelessly compassionate,

They take joy in truth and abandon afflictions.

 

In all realms

They know meanings and principles; Their virtues are fully developed, Their wisdom is like a sharp sword.

 

Fully aware,  they delight in learning And clearly understand how to proceed; They   know   demons   and   their   ways And vow to get rid of them all.

 

Seeing buddhas and buddha-works, They determine to embody them all;

Free from pride, they cultivate knowledge, Not taken in by the power  of demons; They are supported by the buddhas

And also sustained by truth.

 

They appear to live in the happy heaven And also appear to die there;

They appear to abide  in the mother's womb And also show subtle processes.

 

They appear to be born and smile, And appear to walk seven  steps; They demonstrate   study   of arts And learning in the palace.

 

They leave home and practice austerities, Go to the site of enlightenment,

Sit straight and radiate light, Alerting living beings.

 

Conquering demons, they attain true enlightenment And turn the wheel of the unexcelled teaching;

When their manifestations are done, They enter great extinction.

 

Those practices of enlightening beings Are cultivated over measureless eons; They are boundlessly extensive,

And I now tell but a little.

 

Though they enable numberless beings

To become established in enlightened virtues, They ultimately grasp nothing

Of sentient beings and religious principles.

 

Imbued with such conduct,

They freely exercise spiritual capacities: They place myriad lands on a hairtip And for trillions of eons,

Holding innumerable lands in their palms, Go everywhere, without fatigue,

Then return and place them in their former locations, Unbeknownst to the beings therein.

 

Enlightening beings place all lands, Variously arrayed,

In a single pore

And show them as they really are.

 

Also in one pore

They contain all oceans

 

Without increase or decrease in the oceans And without injuring sentient beings.

 

Numberless  iron mountains They pick up and crush to dust, Place each mote in one land, Using up every particle,

Then take that number  of lands And reduce them to particles too:

The number of these  particles  might be known,

But the knowledge of enlightening beings cannot be measured.

 

Through one pore

They radiate infinite light beams; The lights of sun, moon, and stars, Ofjewels and fire,

And the lights of the gods Are all eclipsed thereby.

 

Annihilating the pains of miserable states, They teach beings there the unexcelled Way. The various different kinds of speech

Of all worldly creatures Enlightening beings can utter In one language:

They can explain distinctly with certainty All the Buddha teachings,

Causing the living who hear it To all be very joyful.

 

All the ages of the past

They place in future and present; The ages of future and present They place far in the past.

 

They show infinite lands

Burning, becoming, and subsisting, All the various worlds

Being in a single pore.

 

All buddhas of the ten directions, Past, future, and present,

They clearly reveal In their own bodies.

 

They know the methods of transfiguration And skillfully adapt to beings' minds;

 

 

They   manifest  various  bodies Without attachment to any of them.

 

They may manifest the bodies of all sentient beings In the six states of existence;

Or the bodies of Brahma,  Indra, or world guardians, Or the bodies of all other celestial beings,

The bodies of listeners or individual illuminates, Or the bodies of realized buddhas;

Or they may appear as enlightening beings Cultivating omniscience.

 

They skillfully penetrate the web of beings' thoughts, Weak, middling, and superior;

And show the attainment of enlightenment, And the lands of buddhas.

 

They comprehend the web of thoughts And gain mastery of thought;

They show all the expedients Of enlightening practices.

 

Far-ranging spiritual displays Such as these  they show; Such   realms  of experience No worldlings can know.

 

Though they produce manifestations,

Nothing is manifested; ultimately this is supreme. They adapt to beings' minds

To get them to travel the  way  of truth .

 

Their bodies, speech, and minds A re equanimous as space;

Pure conduct is their perfume, Myriad practices are their clothes.

 

With the turban of truth, the topknot of purity, The jewel of omniscience,

Their virtues are all-pervasive,

And they are crowned as sovereigns.

 

The transcendent ways are their weapons, Spiritual   capacities   their   elephants, Psychic travel their horses,

Wisdom their bright jewels.

 

 

Sublime deeds are their consorts,

The four means of integration their  treasures; Skill in means are their generals,

Enlightening beings are the rulers.

 

Concentration is their citadel, Empty silence is their palace.

With the armor  of benevolence, the sword of wisdom, The bow of mindfulness, the arrows of insight,

They spread the canopy of spiritual power  on high And raise the banner of knowledge.

 

Their forbearance immutable,

They break right through the devil's troops.

 

Mental command is the level ground, Spiritual practices are the rivers,

Pure knowledge the wellsprings, Sublime wisdom the forests, Emptiness the clear lakes,

The branches of enlightenment lotus blossoms.

 

They adorn themselves with spiritual powers, Always enjoying concentration.

Meditation is their consort,

Nirvana is their food, the taste of liberation their drink.

 

They freely employ the Three Vehicles; These practices of enlightening beings

Subtly develop further as they cultivate them Tirelessly over measureless ages.

 

They honor all buddhas, Purify all lands,

And cause all sentient beings To abide in omniscience.

 

Even if the number of atoms in all lands Could be known,

And all realms of space

Could be measured with a grain of sand, And every thought in the minds

Of all sentient beings could be counted, Still the virtues of enlightening beings Could not be fully told.

 

 

If you want to be endowed with these virtues And higher subtle qualities,

And wish to enable living beings

To be free from suffering and always peaceful and happy, And wish to make body, speech, and mind

All equal to  those of the buddhas,

You should make an adamant  resolution To learn these virtuous qualities.