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སྡོང་པོས་བརྒྱན་པ།

The Stem Array
Vāsantī

Gaṇḍavyūha

ཤིན་ཏུ་རྒྱས་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཕལ་པོ་ཆེ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ལས་སྡོང་པོས་བརྒྱན་པའི་ལེའུ་སྟེ་བཞི་བཅུ་རྩ་ལྔ་པའོ།

shin tu rgyas pa chen po’i mdo sangs rgyas phal po che zhes bya ba las sdong pos brgyan pa’i le’u ste bzhi bcu rtsa lnga pa’o

“The Stem Array” Chapter from the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra “A Multitude of Buddhas”

Buddhāvataṃsakanāmamahāvaipulyasūtrāt gaṇḍavyūhasūtraḥ paṭalaḥ

Toh 44-45

Degé Kangyur, vol. 37 (phal chen, ga), folios 274.b–396.a; vol. 38 (phal chen, a), folios 1.b–363.a

ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛɪʙᴇᴛᴀɴ ʙʏ

Surendrabodhi
Vairocanarakṣita
Bandé Yeshé Dé
Jinamitra

Translated by Peter Alan Roberts
under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2021

Current version v 1.0.30 (2024)

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co.

Summary

s.1

In this lengthy final chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, while the Buddha Śākyamuni is in meditation in Śrāvastī, Mañjuśrī leaves for South India, where he meets the young layman Sudhana and instructs him to go to a certain kalyāṇamitra or “good friend,” who then directs Sudhana to another such friend. In this way, Sudhana successively meets and receives teachings from fifty male and female, child and adult, human and divine, and monastic and lay kalyāṇamitras, including night goddesses surrounding the Buddha and the Buddha’s wife and mother. The final three in the succession of kalyāṇamitras are the three bodhisattvas Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, and Samantabhadra. Samantabhadra’s recitation of the Samantabhadracaryāpraṇidhāna (“The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct”) concludes the sūtra.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.1

Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and edited by Emily Bower, who was also the project manager. Ling Lung Chen was consultant for the Chinese, and Tracy Davis copyedited the final draft. The translator would like to thank Patrick Carré and Douglas Osto, who have both spent decades studying and translating this sūtra, for their advice and help.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

ac.2

The generous sponsorship of Richard and Carol Weingarten; of Jamyang Sun, Manju Chandra Sun and Siqi Sun; and of an anonymous donor, which helped make the work on this translation possible, is most gratefully acknowledged.

Introduction

i.1

The Stem Array (Gaṇḍavyūha) is a unique sūtra in that most of its narrative takes place in South India, far from the presence of the Buddha. It follows the journey of the young Sudhana from teacher to teacher, or kalyāṇamitra (literally “good friend”), beginning with his meeting Mañjuśrī when that bodhisattva came to South India. Another unique characteristic is that Sudhana’s teachers include children, non-Buddhists, a courtesan, merchants, and so on, among them a number of women. His teachers are both humans and deities, including eight night goddesses around the Bodhi tree and the forest goddess of Lumbinī, the birthplace of the Buddha. These teachers are often described as having received teachings from numerous other buddhas. For example, the bhikṣu Sāgaramegha describes how he received, from a buddha who appeared out of the ocean, teachings that would take more than a kalpa to write out. The kalyāṇamitras are described as having realizations and miraculous powers that test the limits of the imagination.

Indian Origins of the Sūtra

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra in China

Gaṇḍavyūha and Borobudur

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra in Tibet

Translations into Western Languages

The Meaning of the Title as Translated into Tibetan

The Meaning of the Title Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra

Who Is Sudhana and What Is a Śreṣthin?

The Numbers

Challenges in the Translation

Detailed Summary of The Stem Array Sūtra

The Translation

The Noble Mahāvaipulya Sūtra “A Multitude of Buddhas”
Chapter 45: The Stem Array

Chapter 2

Samantabhadra

2.1

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samantabhadra looked upon the great assembly of bodhisattvas, and in order to categorize, teach extensively, clarify, illuminate, and give instructions on the Tathāgata’s samādhi called the gaping lion, he taught those bodhisattvas in ten ways the Tathāgata’s samādhi called the gaping lion through the equality of the nature of the realm of phenomena with the element of space, the equality of the three times, the equality of the realm of phenomena, the equality of the realms of beings, the equality of all worlds, the equality of the continuum of karma, the equality of the thoughts of all beings, the equality of the aspirations of beings, the equality of the appearances of phenomena, the equality of the times for ripening beings, and the equality of the faculties of all beings. [F.301.b]

Chapter 3

Mañjuśrī

3.1

Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta was residing270 in his kūṭāgāra together with bodhisattvas who had the same conduct; vajrapāṇis who constantly followed him; devas with physical bodies whose minds aspired to serve all the buddhas and were dedicated to bringing power to the entire world; devas who walked on foot following their past aspirations; devas of the earth who aspired to hear the Dharma; devas of pools, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, wells, and rivers who were dedicated to great compassion; [F.314.a] devas of fire who brought illumination through the light of wisdom; devas of the air who wore precious crowns; devas of the directions who illuminated the directions with wisdom; devas of the night who were dedicated to eliminating the darkness of ignorance; devas of the day who were dedicated to producing the daylight of the tathāgatas; devas of the sky who were dedicated to orbiting271 in the sky of the entire realm of phenomena; devas of the ocean272 who were dedicated to rescuing beings from the ocean of existence; devas of mountains who were dedicated to gathering the accumulation of omniscience and whose minds had ascended to the summit273 of the roots of merit; devas of rivers who were dedicated to adorning all beings and who were dedicated to aspiring to the characteristics and supernatural power of all the buddhas; devas of towns who were dedicated to caring for the towns that are the minds of all beings; nāga lords who were devoted to and longed for the town of the omniscient Dharma;274 yakṣa lords who were engaged in protecting all beings; gandharva lords who were dedicated to increasing the power of joy in all beings; kumbhāṇḍa lords who were dedicated to preventing rebirth as pretas; garuḍa lords who were engaged in aspiring to bring all beings out of the ocean of existence; asura lords who had the aspiration to attain the body and power of the Tathāgata, which have transcended the entire world; mahoraga lords [F.314.b] who rejoiced in seeing the Tathāgata and bowed down to him; deva lords who had been saddened by saṃsāra and gazed with admiration; and lords of Brahmakāyika devas who bowed down with great respect.

Chapter 4

Meghaśrī

4.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, eventually arrived at the land called Rāmāvarānta. Having arrived there, he traveled through the land of Rāmāvarānta. Enjoying the delightful pleasures that arose from his past roots of merit and through the power of vast karma, he came to Sugrīva Mountain. He climbed Sugrīva Mountain and, seeking the bhikṣu Meghaśrī, he went to its eastern side. In the same way, he went to its southern, western, northern, northeastern, southeastern, southwestern, and northwestern sides, looking up and down for the bhikṣu Meghaśrī.

Chapter 5

Sāgaramegha

5.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, contemplated the instruction of that kalyāṇamitra. He remembered the radiance of his wisdom.352 He analyzed that bodhisattva’s liberation. He reflected on353 the bodhisattva’s way of samādhi. He looked at the way of an ocean of bodhisattvas. He aspired toward the domain of buddhahood. He delighted in the direction of the vision of the buddhas. He contemplated the ocean of buddhas. He remembered the succession of buddhas. He comprehended that which is understood in the way of the buddhas.354 He looked into the sky of the buddhas.

Chapter 6

Supratiṣṭhita

6.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, remembering the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra and the Dharma teaching called All-Seeing Eyes, contemplating the miracles of that tathāgata, keeping in his mind the clouds of the words and terms of that Dharma, [F.333.a] comprehending that ocean of Dharma gateways, observing the precepts of that Dharma, entering377 those ways of turning toward378 the Dharma, absorbed into the sky of that Dharma, purifying the range of that Dharma, and meditating on the precious continent379 of that Dharma, eventually arrived at Sāgaratīra in the Laṅka region.380 Wishing to see the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita, he looked for him in the eastern direction. In the same way, wishing to see the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita, he looked for him everywhere: in the southern direction, in the western direction, in the northern direction, in the northeastern direction, in the southeastern direction, in the southwestern direction, in the northwestern direction, above, and below.

Chapter 7

Megha

7.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, was filled with the power and might of faith in the Dharma. He was focused on the idea of following the Buddha; he was sincerely dedicated to the lineage of the Three Jewels; his mind illuminated the worlds of the three times;399 he was focused on following the great aspiration; he was continuously dedicated400 to saving all the realms of beings; his mind did not dwell on composite pleasures;401 he was devoted to contemplating the nature of all phenomena; he never deviated from the aspiration to purify all world realms; he dwelled without attachment in the circles of the assemblies of all the buddhas; he remembered the light of the Dharma;402 he remembered his kalyāṇamitras;403 and he proclaimed the lineage of freedom from desire.404

Chapter 8

Muktaka

8.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, then contemplated that power of retention of the bodhisattvas called the light that is the display of Sarasvatī, remembered that particular entry by the bodhisattvas into an ocean of languages, remembered that particular entry by the bodhisattvas into the way of subtlety,417 remembered that particular purity of the bodhisattvas through purification of the mind, accomplished that particular accomplishment by the bodhisattvas of creating the predispositions for roots of merit, purified that particular bodhisattva gateway for ripening, refined that particular bodhisattva wisdom that attracts beings, made firmer that particular pure strength of bodhisattva motivation, stabilized that particular strength of the superior motivation of the bodhisattvas, purified that lineage of bodhisattva aspiration, developed418 that particular goodness that is in the minds of the bodhisattvas, and entered into that particular commitment of the bodhisattvas.

Chapter 9

Sāgaradhvaja

9.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, contemplated the teaching of the head merchant Muktaka and dedicated himself to the instructions of the head merchant Muktaka. He followed the inconceivable bodhisattva liberations. He called to mind the inconceivable radiance of bodhisattva wisdom. He practiced entering and comprehending the inconceivable realm of the Dharma. He comprehended the inconceivable bodhisattva methods of gathering pupils. He reflected on the inconceivable miracles of the tathāgatas. He aspired to the inconceivable aggregation of buddha realms. He contemplated the display of the blessings of the buddhas. He examined the inconceivable majestic power of the display of samādhis and liberations. He was dedicated to entering inconceivable separate, unobscured world realms. He developed the aspiration for inconceivable, enduring bodhisattva activity. And he adopted the inconceivable continuum of bodhisattva activity and prayer.

10.

Chapter 10

Āśā

10.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, delighted by the qualities of the kalyāṇamitra, [F.364.b] sent forth by the kalyāṇamitra, empowered by the sight of the kalyāṇamitra, practicing the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra, remembering the words of the kalyāṇamitra,526 and contemplating the kalyāṇamitra with affection, saw kalyāṇamitras as the source of the Buddhadharma, saw kalyāṇamitras as the teachers of the Buddhadharma, saw kalyāṇamitras as masters527 in the Dharma of omniscience, and saw the kalyāṇamitras as eyes that look into the sky of buddhahood.

11.

Chapter 11

Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa

11.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, thinking of following the bodhisattva instructions, thinking of following the pure conduct of bodhisattvas, thinking of increasing the strength of the merit of bodhisattvas, thinking of the illumination of the power of seeing the buddhas, thinking of developing the power to attain the treasure of the Dharma, [F.376.a] thinking of increasing the power of accomplishing the great prayers, thinking of facing every direction in the realm of the Dharma, thinking of the illumination of the nature of the Dharma, thinking of the dispersal of all obscurations, thinking of looking at the realm of Dharma free of darkness, thinking of the motivation703 that is stainless and unbreakable like Nārāyaṇa’s704 precious vajra, and thinking of invincibility and unassailability in the face of all the māra armies, eventually arrived in the land of Nālayu.

12.

Chapter 12

Jayoṣmāyatana

12.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, was illuminated by the wisdom of the bodhisattva liberation called the banner of being invincible to others. He dwelled in the direct experience of the inconceivable range of the miraculous manifestations of the buddhas. He perceived the direct knowledge of inconceivable bodhisattva liberations. His mind was illuminated by the wisdom of inconceivable bodhisattva samādhis. He had attained the radiance of the wisdom of samādhi that is present at all times. He was illuminated by the range of samādhi, in which all perceptions are present and included. He had obtained the light of the wisdom that transcends all worlds. He had the direct perception of dwelling in the entire range of the three times.718 He was devoted to the wisdom that teaches equality without dualistic conceptions. He had the light of wisdom that pervaded719 throughout all objects of perception. He had mastered the treasury of aspiration for pure patience toward all that is heard.720 He had attained the definitive wisdom721 of patience for natural phenomena. His mind was never apart from meditation on the nature of the bodhisattva conduct722 of higher cognition. His mind was irreversibly progressing toward the power of omniscience. He had attained the illumination of the knowledge723 of the ten strengths. His mind was never content in its aspiration to hear the sound of the words of the realm of Dharma. [F.380.b] His mind had gained entry into the field of dwelling in omniscience. His mind had attained the infinite display of bodhisattva conduct. His mind was purified724 by the infinite domain of great725 bodhisattva prayers. He had the mind with direct perception of the limitless knowledge without limit or center of the unceasing network726 of world realms. He had the mind that never wearies in ripening and guiding the infinite ocean of beings. He saw the infinite range of bodhisattva conduct. He saw the infinite diversity of the different world realms. He saw the small and the vast objects of perception included within the infinite world realms. He saw the various networks of names that are the bases for infinite world realms. He saw the various infinite, differing relative designations and terms for infinite world realms. He saw the infinite, differing aspirations of beings. He saw the infinite, differing categories of beings. He saw the infinite practices for guiding and ripening beings. He saw the various infinite perceptions727 of the directions and times of beings. [F.381.a]

13.

Chapter 13

Maitrayaṇī

13.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, with inconceivable respect754 for kalyāṇamitras, with a pure, vast755 aspiration, intent on the Mahāyāna, aspiring to the wisdom of buddhahood, [F.388.a] following the Buddhadharma, longing to follow the kalyāṇamitras, practicing veneration of the Dharma,756 intent on unimpeded wisdom, with conviction in the highest goal, being within the range of the apogee of wisdom, comprehending the three times in a fraction of an instant, intent on the nondual apogee of space, having attained certainty in the apogee of nonduality, dwelling in the nonconceptual apogee of the realm of the Dharma, having entered the comprehension of the way that is the apogee of being free of obscurations, dedicated to the harmony that is the apogee of action,757 realizing that the apogee of the tathāgatas is without an apogee, dwelling in the nonconceptuality that is the apogee of the buddhas,758 and dedicated to the wisdom that disperses the network of conceptualizations of all beings, had a mind free from all attachment to realms, free from attachment to all the circles of followers of the buddhas, and practiced, without dwelling in any location, the purification of all buddha realms; he had the recognition that there is no self and no beings within all beings, comprehended that all sounds are like echoes,759 and was dedicated to the realization that all forms are the same as reflections of forms.

14.

Chapter 14

Sudarśana

14.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, contemplated the profound conduct of wisdom of the bodhisattvas, contemplated reaching the profound basis of the realm of phenomena, contemplated all773 profound subtle wisdom, contemplated the profound aspect of worldly conceptualization, contemplated the profound ground774 that is without creation, contemplated the profound ground of the stream of the mind, contemplated the profound ground of dependent origination, contemplated the profound true775 ground of nature, contemplated the profound true ground of the terminology776 of beings, contemplated the profound ground of the adorning array of the realm of phenomena, contemplated the profound ground of dependence on the processes of the body, and contemplated the profound ground of the various transformations of the body.

15.

Chapter 15

Indriyeśvara

15.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, recited,798 promulgated, presented,799 investigated, elucidated, reflected on, described, taught, contemplated, bestowed, understood, was immersed in, repeated again and again, realized, propounded, illuminated, and surveyed the teaching of the bhikṣu Sudarśana.

15.2

He eventually, with an entourage of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas, arrived at the city of Sumukha in the land called Śramaṇamaṇḍala.

16.

Chapter 16

Prabhūtā

16.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had obtained the rain from the cloud of the instructions of the kalyāṇamitras.

16.2

He was like the ocean that never has too much rain from the clouds. The light from the sun of the wisdom of the kalyāṇamitras had caused the seedling of his powers to sprout from the ground of his ripened good karma.

16.3

The net of light rays from the full moon of the instructions of the kalyāṇamitras had brought ease to his mind and body.

17.

Chapter 17

Vidvān

17.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had obtained the light of the liberation called the unceasing display of the treasure of merit. He contemplated that ocean of merit. He viewed that sky of merit. He obtained that heap of merit. He climbed that mountain of merit. He accumulated that store964 of merit. He immersed himself in that river of merit. [F.11.b] He descended the steps into the bathing place of that merit. He purified that field of merit. He looked at that treasure of merit. He thought of that way of merit. He paid attention965 to that tradition966 of merit. He purified that lineage of merit.

18.

Chapter 18

Ratnacūḍa

18.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had conviction in that river of merit. He viewed that field of merit. He purified that mountain984 of merit. He climbed down that stairway to the bathing place of merit. He opened that treasury of merit. He viewed that treasure of merit. He purified that domain of merit. He carried away that heap of merit. He developed that strength of merit. He increased that power of merit.

19.

Chapter 19

Samantanetra

19.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had perceived the visions of infinite buddhas. He had attained the companionship of infinite bodhisattvas. [F.19.b] He had been illuminated by the infinite ways of the paths of the bodhisattvas. His mind had certainty through being saturated by the infinite ways of the Dharma of the bodhisattvas.997 He purified the path of the infinite motivations of the bodhisattvas. He had attained the brilliance of the infinite faculties of the bodhisattvas. He dwelled in the infinite aspirations of the bodhisattvas. His mind followed the example of the infinite conduct of the bodhisattvas. He possessed the banner of the infinite invincibility of the bodhisattvas. He possessed the movement of the infinite light of wisdom of the bodhisattvas. He had attained the infinite illumination of the Dharma of the bodhisattvas.

20.

Chapter 20

Anala

20.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, remembered the succession of his kalyāṇamitras. He thought about the gateways of their instructions. He was content in his mind, thinking, “I have been accepted as a pupil by the kalyāṇamitras.” He observed in his mind, “I am under the protection of the kalyāṇamitras, and I will never regress in my progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment.” Thinking this, his mind was happy, his mind was serene, his mind was pleased, his mind was gladdened, his mind was delighted, his mind was joyful,1000 his mind was strong,1001 his mind was soothed, his mind was vast, his mind was adorned, his mind was unimpeded, his mind was unobscured, his mind was clear, his mind was composed, his mind had power, his mind had supremacy, his mind comprehended the Dharma, his mind pervaded the realms, his mind was adorned by the vision of the buddhas, and his mind never stopped focusing on the ten strengths.

21.

Chapter 21

Mahāprabha

21.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, remembered that illusion of wisdom. He contemplated the bodhisattva’s liberation that had the form of illusion. He examined the illusory aspect of the nature of phenomena. He comprehended the equality of the illusions of actions. He reflected on the equality of the illusions of phenomena. He comprehended the equality of the emanations that are ripened by the Dharma. He followed the inconceivable appearances that arise from wisdom. He accomplished the accomplishment of the illusions of infinite prayer. He purified the unimpeded conduct that has the true nature of an illusory manifestation. He analyzed the three times as having the characteristics of being composed of illusions.

22.

Chapter 22

Acalā

22.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, left the city of Suprabha, and having followed the road for a little while, he contemplated the instruction given to him by King Mahāprabha: he remembered the way of bodhisattva conduct called the banner of great love; he meditated on the light of the great samādhi called exercising power over the world; he realized1052 the variegated display of the lion throne and adornments of the pure bodhisattva body; he increased the inconceivable power and strength of bodhisattva aspiration and merit; [F.36.a] he made firm1053 the inconceivable way of bodhisattva wisdom that ripens beings; he reflected upon the inconceivable greatness of the general enjoyments of the bodhisattvas; he considered the inconceivable different aspects1054 of the bodhisattvas; he remembered the inconceivable pure ripening of beings by bodhisattvas; he thought about the inconceivable pure and perfect bodhisattva assembly of pupils; he had conviction in the inconceivable radiance of the bodhisattvas’ dedication to their duty to beings; and he attained happiness, powerful attraction, delight, contentment, deep joy, clarity of mind, brightness of mind, stability of mind, vastness of mind, and inexhaustibility of mind. He was in that way dedicated to remembering and thinking of the kalyāṇamitra.

23.

Chapter 23

Sarvagamin

23.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, visualizing in his mind the upāsikā Acalā, remembering the instruction of the upāsikā Acalā, with conviction in and no doubt about what the upāsikā Acalā had taught, proclaimed, instructed, described,1080 sanctioned, established, explicated, stated, and elaborated upon it; he followed it, contemplated it, comprehended it, meditated on it, was absorbed in it,1081 was fixed upon it, understood it, illuminated it, and became equal to it.1082

24.

Chapter 24

Utpalabhūti

24.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had no regard for his life or body; he had no regard for engaging in dedication to obtaining and possessing the pleasures of existence; [F.46.a] he had no regard for the objects of perception that beings delight in; he had no regard for forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures; he had no concern for enjoying retinues and pleasures; he had no regard for any of the pleasures of the power of kingship and sovereignty; he was focused on attaining the highest purification of a buddha realm for the pure ripening and guiding of all beings; he was focused on never being satisfied with the extent of his offering to, honoring, and serving all the tathāgatas; he was focused on all phenomena with the wisdom that knows their nature;1090 he was focused on the qualities of bodhisattvas so that there would be no decline in his practice, which had the entire ocean of those qualities as its goal; he was focused on the great prayers of all bodhisattvas so as to maintain bodhisattva conduct throughout all kalpas; he was focused on entering the ocean of the circles of the followers of all tathāgatas; he was focused on all gateways of bodhisattva samādhis so as to manifest the attainment of all countless bodhisattva samādhis through each samādhi gateway; he was focused on all the light of wisdom of all Dharma wheels so as to never be satisfied with the extent of his obtaining Dharma wheels from all the tathāgatas; and he was focused on the kalyāṇamitras, who are the source of qualities, because the kalyāṇamitras are the source of the qualities of the buddhas, the bodhisattvas, and others.

25.

Chapter 25

Vaira

25.1

When Sudhana set out on the path to Kūṭāgāra, he observed and contemplated how the path could be upward or downward, even or uneven,1096 dusty or free of dust, safe or hazardous,1097 difficult or unobstructed, and crooked or straight. He thought, “This journey to a kalyāṇamitra will be a cause for the practice of the bodhisattva path, will be a cause of the practice of the path of the perfections, and will be a cause of the path of benefiting all beings,1098 which will be a cause for turning all beings away from the precipice of attachment1099 and aversion, [F.49.a] of elation and depression;1100 will be a cause for turning all beings away from a perception1101 of inequality; will be a cause for removing the dust of the kleśas from all beings; will be a cause for clearing away the tree trunks, thorns, pebbles, and gravel of the various bad views of all beings; and, through their entering the unobscured realm of the Dharma, will be a cause for bringing them without hindrance to the palace of omniscience.

26.

Chapter 26

Jayottama

26.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, whose mind spread great love throughout the immeasurable realm of beings; whose being was saturated with the tenderness1129 of great compassion; who had accumulated a vast array of the accumulations of merit and wisdom; who had become free of all the dust, darkness, dirt, and mire of the kleśas; who had realized the equality of all phenomena; [F.51.b] who was devoted to the path that leads1130 upward to omniscience; who had chosen1131 the gateway for entering into immeasurable good qualities; who had the exertion1132 of firm diligence that is unimpaired by any bad quality; who was filled1133 with the vast calmness1134 of inconceivable bodhisattva samādhis; who shone with the light of the sun of wisdom that eliminated all the darkness of ignorance; who scattered flowers of wisdom brought by the pleasant, cool breezes of methods; who followed the way of wisdom that emerged from an ocean of great aspirations; and who possessed the wisdom that permeated without impediment the entire realm of the Dharma‍—he had approached entry into the city1135 of faultless1136 omniscience, and he yearned for the bodhisattva path.

27.

Chapter 27

Siṃhavijṛmbhitā

27.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, set out for the town of Kaliṅgavana in the land of Śroṇāparānta and then arrived there. Searching for the bhikṣuṇī Siṃhavijṛmbhitā, as he roamed here and there he questioned the people he met. There were many hundreds of young men1154 and many hundreds of young women assembling and following in the streets, crossroads, and street junctions, together with many hundreds of men and many hundreds of women.

28.

Chapter 28

Vasumitrā

28.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, with his mind illuminated by that great light of wisdom, focusing upon the light of omniscience, regarding the light of the power of the true nature, strengthening the way of retention that is the treasure of what was known from the voices of all beings, increasing the way of retention that possesses the Dharma wheels of all the tathāgatas, supporting1204 the power of the great compassion that is a refuge for all beings, realizing the strength of the omniscience that comes from the gateway of the light of the way of all Dharmas, following the pure aspiration that pervades the domain of the vast realm of phenomena, shining with the light of wisdom that illuminates all the directions of phenomena, accomplishing the power of the higher knowledge that pervades the array of world realms in the ten directions of all phenomena, and fulfilling the aspirations of accomplishing undertaking all the practices, memories, and actions1205 of the bodhisattvas, eventually arrived at the city of Ratnavyūha in the land of Durga and searched for the courtesan Vasumitrā.

29.

Chapter 29

Veṣṭhila

29.1

Then Sudhana went to the town of Śubhapāraṃgama [F.66.a] and approached the householder Veṣṭhila. He bowed his head to his feet, stood before him, and, with his hands placed together in homage, said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it.

29.2

“Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! Explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

30.

Chapter 30

Avalokiteśvara

30.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, contemplating the instruction of the householder Veṣṭhila, knowing that treasury of bodhisattva aspiration, remembering that power of bodhisattva memory, keeping in his mind the power of that successive lineage of the way of the buddhas, comprehending the continuous succession of the lineage of the buddhas, remembering the names of the buddhas that he had heard,1245 being in accord with the way of the Dharma taught by the buddhas, comprehending the array of attainments through the Dharma1246 of the buddhas, having confidence in the proclamation1247 of complete buddhahood by the buddhas, and focused on the inconceivable activity of the tathāgatas, eventually came to the Potalaka Mountain. [F.69.a] He ascended the Potalaka Mountain and searched and searched for the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.

31.

Chapter 31

Ananyagāmin

31.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, his mind having acquired Avalokiteśvara’s verses of wisdom,1267 had not had enough of gazing on the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, but so as not to disobey his instruction, Sudhana went to where the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin was.

31.2

He bowed his head to the feet of the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin. Then he stood before him and, with his hands placed together in homage, said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it.

32.

Chapter 32

Mahādeva

32.1

Sudhana had a mind that followed the vast conduct of bodhisattvas. He had the nature of longing for the scope of the wisdom of the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin. He saw the special qualities of accomplishing great higher cognition. He had attained joy in the armor of stable diligence. He had the aspiration to follow the displays1270 of inconceivable liberations. He practiced the qualities of the bodhisattva level. He analyzed on the level of samādhi. He was established on the level of the power of retention. He engaged in the level of prayer. He trained in the level of discernment. He was accomplishing the level of power.

33.

Chapter 33

Sthāvarā

33.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, eventually reached the goddess of the earth, Sthāvarā, in the land of Magadha’s bodhimaṇḍa. When he arrived there, one million earth goddesses proclaimed to one another, “Someone who will be a refuge for all beings is coming here! Someone who has the essence of the tathāgatas and who will break open the enclosing egg of ignorance of all beings is coming here! Someone who is in the family of the kings of Dharma and will attain the state of an unimpeded, stainless king of the Dharma is coming here! Someone who is a hero with the thunderbolt weapon that has the great power of wisdom and who will subdue the circle of opponents is coming here!”

34.

Chapter 34

Vāsantī

34.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, remembering the teaching of the earth goddess Sthāvarā, remembering the bodhisattva liberation called the essence of invincible wisdom, becoming adept in the meditation of bodhisattva samādhi, contemplating the way of the bodhisattva Dharma, analyzing the displays of bodhisattva liberation, viewing the very subtle wisdom of bodhisattva liberation, entering the ocean of the wisdom of bodhisattva liberation, with faith in the different wisdoms of bodhisattva liberation, realizing the mastery of the wisdom of bodhisattva liberation, and descending into the ocean of the wisdom of bodhisattva liberation, arrived at the location of the town of Kapilavastu.

34.2

He circumambulated the town of Kapilavastu, keeping it to his right, and entered the town through its eastern gate.

34.3

He stayed at the town’s central junction of three streets, where, soon after sunset, wishing to see Vāsantī, the goddess of the night, while reverentially following the bodhisattva teaching, having the definite understanding that the wisdom of buddhahood is attained through kalyāṇamitras, having the blessing of the scope of the view of the eyes of wisdom, facing every direction [F.80.a] with the aspiration to see the kalyāṇamitra, with a mind that perceives the essence of great wisdom, with eyes of wisdom that engage with all objects of perception, with eyes of samādhi that pervade the vast extent of the ocean of the wisdom of all the ways of the realm of phenomena, seeing the ocean of all that is to be known in all directions, with a single-pointed mind intent on attaining the eyes of wisdom resting with one-pointed thought, he saw Vāsantī, the goddess of the night, in the realm of space above the great town of Kapilavastu. She was in a kūṭāgāra of various precious jewels beyond compare. She was seated upon a lotus that had every excellent aroma, in the center of a great precious lion throne. Her body was the color of gold. Her hair was soft, abundant, and deep black. Her eyes were deep black.1285 She was beautiful, attractive, and lovely to the sight. Her body was beautified by all jewelry and adornments. She was wearing dyed1286 clothing. She possessed a sacred topknot adorned by the disk of the moon as a crest. The constellations, the planets, and all the stars appeared in her body.

34.4

He saw within her pores all the beings she had liberated who in the vast realm of beings had fallen into inopportune states, lower existences, and lower realms.

34.5

He saw within her pores all those she had brought to the higher realms, all those she had ripened for the enlightenment of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and those she had ripened for omniscience.

34.6

He saw within her pores all her created bodies, [F.80.b] created forms, and created colors that were her various methods that ripened beings.

34.7

He heard sounding from her pores the creation of sounds, the creation of the aspects of the voice, and their application to the various ways of speech1287 through which she ripened beings.

34.8

He perceived within her pores her creation of times, her bodhisattva conduct, her bodhisattva prowess, her entrances to bodhisattva samādhis and transformations, her bodhisattva power of leadership, her bodhisattva states of being,1288 her bodhisattva view, her bodhisattva observation, her bodhisattva emanations, her bodhisattva lion-like awesomeness of a great being, and her displays of bodhisattva liberation through which she ripened beings in accordance with their motivations and aspirations.

34.9

He saw and heard an ocean of the ways of the Dharma that employed various methods, and he was satisfied, joyful, pleased, delighted, content, and happy. He prostrated to the night goddess Vāsantī with the full length of his body, got up, and circumambulated the night goddess Vāsantī, keeping her to his right, many hundreds of thousands of times. Then he stood before her and, with his hands placed together in homage, said, “Goddess, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment. I have seen that all the qualities of buddhahood arise through the blessing of a kalyāṇamitra. [F.81.a] I put myself in the hands of the kalyāṇamitra. Show me, goddess, the path to omniscience upon which a bodhisattva will bring forth the ten strengths.”

34.10

The night goddess Vāsantī said to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, “Noble one, it is excellent, excellent, that you are thus in awe of kalyāṇamitras and wish to hear a kalyāṇamitra’s words and practice the teaching of kalyāṇamitras.

34.11

“Noble one, through thus practicing the teaching of the kalyāṇamitras, you will, without a doubt, approach the highest, complete enlightenment.

34.12

“Noble one, I have attained the bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings. My mind has love for beings who have unstable minds. My mind has compassion for beings who follow the path of nonvirtuous actions. My mind rejoices in those who follow the path of virtuous actions. My mind does not discriminate between beings with stable and unstable minds. My motivation is to purify those afflicted by the kleśas. My motivation is to bring the pitiful to perfection. My motivation is to generate a vast aspiration in those with inferior aspiration. My motivation is to develop great diligence in those with inferior power.1289 [F.81.b] My motivation is to turn away from existences in the cycle of saṃsāra those whose aspiration is for saṃsāra. My motivation is to establish on the path to omniscience those beings whose aspiration is for the Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna.

34.13

“Noble one, those are the motivations and intentions that I have. I possess the bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings.

34.14

“When beings are in darkness, humans sleep, the hosts of spirits roam around, the numbers of thieves and robbers increase, dangerous beings are active in all directions, thick black clouds cover everything, there is a thick mass of smoke or dust, there is the assault of terrible wind and rain, the moon and stars are hidden, and the eyes are unable to see.

34.15

“Noble one, through various methods I protect those beings in the darkness who are on the ocean, on a plain, on mountains, in a remote wilderness,1290 in1291 a forest, in the countryside, in a town, in a direction, in an intermediate direction, or on a road; those on the ocean whose ship is sinking; those who are in distress; those on the plains; those who are falling down precipices in the mountains; those who have no food or drink in remote wildernesses; those caught in thickets of bamboo in dense forests; those whom calamitous wrongdoing has befallen; [F.82.a] those who are being slain by bandits in the countryside; those who perish from ruthless actions in towns; those who are bewildered in the directions; those who are confused in the intermediate directions; and those who encounter disaster on the road.

34.16

“I do so in this way: for those on the great ocean, I dispel the black winds and clouds, I make troubled waters clear, I dispel the circle of cruel winds, I calm the huge powerful waves, I bring freedom from the danger of lightning, I show the direction to go, I provide the correct course over the waters, I reveal the shore, and I show the way to reach the island of jewels. I protect them in the form of a gatherer of beings,1292 the form of a merchant leader, the form of a great-maned king of horses, the form of a king of elephants, the form of a king of turtles, the form of a king of the asuras, the form of a king of the garuḍas, the form of a king of the kinnaras, the form of a king of the mahoragas, the form of a deity of the sea, and the form of a ferryman.1293

34.17

“I dedicate those roots of merit in this way: ‘May I be a protector of all beings in order to free them from the entire mass of suffering!’

34.18

“When beings on the plains at night1294 are in great darkness and the ground is covered with bamboo, thorns, pebbles, and potsherds; when there are numerous fierce poisonous snakes, uneven ground, and difficult paths, [F.82.b] and when dust and dirt swirl thickly; when there is the assault of fierce wind and rain, being stricken with the suffering of heat and cold, and the fear of snakes and wild beasts; and when bands of murderers and bandits are prowling around, I protect those beings who are confused in the dark, in the form of the sun, in the form of the moon, in the form of the rising of dawn, in the form of great shooting stars, in the form of flashes of lightning, in the form of the light of jewels, in the form of the circle of the planets, in the form of light from the aerial palaces of the constellations and stars, in the form of a deva, and in the form of a bodhisattva.

34.19

“In my mind there arose this aspiration: ‘May I become a refuge for all beings through this root of merit, in order to dispel all the darkness of the kleśas.’

34.20

“I protect through various methods those on mountain precipices who are afraid of dying and who through clinging to life are under the power of the desire for fame, who desire the banner of words of renown, who have enjoyment as their goal, who are overpowered by desire, who are engaged in the pursuit of the prerequisites for life, who primarily yearn for worldly good fortune, who are tied by affection to children and wife,1295 who are lost in the thicket of views, and who are oppressed by various kinds of suffering and fears.

34.21

“I do so in this way: by providing them with caves and shelters, by providing them with fruit and roots to eat, by providing them with streams and springs, by providing them with protection against heat and cold, [F.83.a] by showing them correct pathways, by the sound of the song of the avadavat, by the sound of the cry of the king of peacocks, through the form of illumination from burning herbs, and through the form of light from the mountain deities.

34.22

“I become a protector of those in mountain caves, clefts, and chasms who are afflicted by various sufferings, by providing them with level ground, and to dispel the blinding darkness those beings are in.

34.23

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘Just as I have protected these beings who are in the mountains, may I become a protector for those who have fallen into the chasms of the mountain of saṃsāra and have been seized by the demons of old age and death.’

34.24

“I become someone who shows the correct path to follow for those beings who are trapped in the net of a dense forest and blinded by the darkness of the night; who are in distress within a tangle of trees and shrubs;1296 whose path is blocked by grass, rivers, thorns,1297 trees,1298 and vines; who have entered a dense forest of numerous trees and vines; who have fear in their hearts on hearing the roaring of tigers; who are distressed at being unable to accomplish their goals; who are afflicted by various dangers, misfortunes, and troubles; and who do not know the way out of a thick forest.

34.25

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘Through this root of merit, may I free from all suffering those beings who are in the thicket of various views, who are caught in the net of craving, and who are oppressed by the various sufferings and dangers of saṃsāra.’

34.26

“Through various methods I bring happiness to those beings who are confused in darkness in remote wildernesses. [F.83.b] I show them the path and bring them to a safe and pleasant place.

34.27

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘Through this root of merit, may I free from all suffering and bring to the great good fortune of the path to happiness and omniscience those beings who are lost in the remote wilderness of saṃsāra and are following the path to all the lower realms.’

34.28

“Noble one, through various methods that bring disillusionment, I free from attachment to their homeland those beings in homelands who experience suffering caused by that attachment.

34.29

“In my mind there arises this aspiration: ‘Through this root of merit, may I free all beings from attachment to the skandhas and bring them to the wisdom of omniscience that has no location.’

34.30

“Noble one, the beings who dwell in villages, who are destroyed by their bondage to house and home, who are bewildered in the darkness of the night, and who suffer because of the various demands of their homes‍—through various ways of causing distress, I bring them to disillusionment. I cause them to develop a mind free of attachment. I care for them through the gift of the Dharma. I make them perfectly content and establish them in the Dharma that has no home.

34.31

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘Through this root of merit, may I free all beings dwelling in the town of their six āyatanas from the realm of activity that is existence in saṃsāra, and may I establish them in the realm of activity of the wisdom of omniscience.’

34.32

“Noble one, through various methods I bring illumination to those beings who are bewildered in the darkness of night in the east and other directions and intermediate directions, [F.84.a] who see level areas as being uneven with chasms, who perceive high ground as depressions and depressions as high ground,1299 and who are bewildered as to the directions of paths and areas. I reveal a door to those who wish to exit. I reveal a path to those who wish to go upon it.1300 I reveal a ford to those who wish to cross a river. I reveal a ship to those who wish to cross1301 the sea.1302 I reveal a house to those who wish to go inside. I reveal a region to those who wish to see it. I reveal the high ground and the low ground. I reveal the areas that are level, those that are not level, and their various forms. I reveal villages, towns, markets,1303 kingdoms, and capitals to exhausted travelers. I reveal springs, ponds, lakes, reservoirs, lotus ponds, rivers, forests, orchards, and gardens to those afflicted by heat and thirst. I reveal pleasant forms of various kinds such as father, mother, children, wives, friends, families,1304 and relatives to those who wish to meet the beloved they are separated from.

34.33

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘May I bring light and illumination, so that they will perceive the various forms around them, to those who are bewildered in the darkness of night, whose eyes are afflicted by blindness, and who are bewildered as to directions.

34.34

“ ‘Similarly, there are beings who have dwelled in the darkness of saṃsāra for a long time who are confused concerning the right direction; who are bewildered in the darkness of ignorance; whose eyes of wisdom are clouded by the cataracts of ignorance; [F.84.b] who have incorrect perception, mind, and view; who perceive the impermanent as permanent; who perceive suffering as happiness; who perceive the absence of a self as a self; who perceive the unpleasant as pleasant; who believe in an enduring self, being, soul, person,1305 or individual; who rely on the skandhas, dhātus, and āyatanas; who are confused about cause and result; who follow the path of nonvirtuous actions; who kill; who steal; who engage in sexual misconduct; who lie; who slander; who speak harsh words; who speak meaninglessly; who are covetous; who are malicious; who hold wrong views; who do not respect their fathers; who do not respect their mothers; who do not respect śramaṇas and brahmins; who do not respect the powerful; who do not respect holy beings; who have passion and devotion for what is not the Dharma; who are overcome by inappropriate desires; who are in the bondage of wrong views; who malign the tathāgatas; who engage in bringing the wheel of the Dharma to an end; who hold the banner of Māra; who harm1306 bodhisattvas; who have anger toward the Mahāyāna; who are engaged1307 in reviling the aspiration to enlightenment; who criticize bodhisattvas; who harm or injure their mothers;1308 who are1309 harmful and hostile; who malign the āryas; who practice a religious conduct that is not that of1310 good people; who damage that which belongs to stūpas and the saṅgha; who oppose their parents; who commit the acts with immediate result on death; and who are facing a great abyss.

34.35

“ ‘May I dispel the darkness of their ignorance with the great light of wisdom, inspire them toward the highest, complete enlightenment, and reveal to them, through the completely good Mahāyāna, the path to the level of the wisdom of the ten strengths, [F.85.a] the level of the tathāgatas, the scope of the omniscient wisdom of the tathāgatas, the ocean of the ways of omniscient wisdom, the range of activity of the wisdom of the buddhas, the scope of the buddhas, the accomplishment of the ten strengths, and the strength of the power of retention of the buddhas and the single1311 body of all the buddhas. Having revealed that, may I establish them in the knowledge1312 of the equality of all the buddhas.’

34.36

“Noble one, I am present to save those beings who are sick, who are depressed by being ill for a long time, whose bodies are weakened, who are old, who have been overpowered by old age, who have no protector, who are destitute, who are poor, who are ruined, who have gone astray into another land, who are going in the wrong direction, who are in prison, who are being punished, who are criminals, who are being led to execution, and who are afraid of losing their lives.

34.37

“Noble one, I am dedicated to using every method to heal all the illnesses of sick beings. I serve and attend those who are old, who are overpowered by old age. I collect the necessities for life for those who are without them. I am a protector for beings who have no protector. I gather a mass of wealth and gold for those who are destitute and poor. I gather what is needed for those who are ruined. I lead those who have gone astray in other lands back to their homelands. I take into the correct direction those who follow the wrong direction. [F.85.b] I free from prison those who are in prison. I free from the suffering of punishment those who are being punished. I save the lives of those who are criminals being led to execution.

34.38

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘May I protect and save these beings from these various kinds of fear and harm. Similarly, may I free them from all the kleśas through gathering a collection of the highest Dharmas. May I cause them to transcend birth, aging, illness, death, misery, wailing, suffering, unhappiness, and torment. May I liberate them from all fear of falling into the lower realms. May I bring them into the care of kalyāṇamitras. May I gather a collection of the gift of the precious Dharma. May I establish them in nontransgressive conduct. May I inspire them toward the pure body of the tathāgatas. May I establish them in the realization of the essence that is completely free of aging and death.’

34.39

“Noble one, through various methods I become the protector of those beings who follow wrong paths; who are attached to various dark views; who have the range of activity of incorrect concepts;1313 who engage in dreadful physical, vocal, and mental conduct; who follow various kinds of discipline and asceticism; who view that which is not complete buddhahood as complete buddhahood; who are engaged in paining and tormenting their bodies; who bow down to, pay homage to, and place their trust in lakes, ponds, springs, reservoirs, rivers, precipitous mountains, the directions, and the intermediate directions; and who are under the power of bad companions. [F.86.a]

34.40

“I turn them away from evil views and all paths that lead to falling into the abyss of the lower realms. I establish them in the correct worldly view. I establish them in the good fortune of humans and devas.

34.41

“In my mind there arises this thought: ‘May I liberate these beings from dreadful practices and suffering. Similarly, may I establish all beings in the noble, transcendent path of the perfections. May I cause them to progress irreversibly toward omniscience and through completely good great prayer bring them to omniscience. And may I never depart from the level of a bodhisattva until all realms of beings have been guided.’ ”1314

34.42

At that time, Vāsantī, the goddess of the night, in order to teach further the bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings, through the blessing of the buddhas looked into the ten directions and then recited these verses to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son:

34.43

“I teach the Dharma so as to benefit beings,1315

In order to dispel the darkness of ignorance and stupidity.

I observe the time and bring happiness to beings.

This is my supreme way of liberation, of peace. {1}

34.44

“I have perfectly practiced vast love,1316

Meditating throughout limitless kalpas in the past.

In that way, I have filled the world with illumination.

Sudhana, know this way well.1317 {2}

34.45

“My ocean of compassion is measureless.

Through it the jinas of the three times appear in the world. [F.86.b]

Through it the suffering of beings is quelled.

Sudhana, know this way well. {3}

34.46

“Creating worldly happiness

And noncomposite, higher bliss

Pleases, delights, and gladdens me.

Jinaputra, understand this way of mine. {4}

34.47

“Always turned away from composite faults

And the wisdom, liberation, and results of the śrāvakas,

I purify the strengths of the buddhas.

Jinaputra, understand this way of mine. {5}

34.48

“My eyesight is vast and completely pure.

With it I see many realms in the ten directions.

I see the self-originated ones in those realms

Seated under the lords of Bodhi trees. {6}

34.49

“I see the buddhas and their assemblies,

The buddhas’ bodies beautified by signs,

Emanating multicolored beautiful light rays,

A multitude of light rays emanating from all their pores. {7}

34.50

“I see the beings within those realms

And their entrances into death and rebirth,

Those foolish ones who in those oceans of existences

Continue in saṃsāra and experience the results of their actions. {8}

34.51

“Completely pure is the ocean of my hearing

In which are gathered all sounds without exception.

I hear and hold in my memory

The entire ocean of the languages in all worlds. {9}

34.52

“The speech beyond analogy or equal,

Adorned by all aspects of speech and all sounds,

The wheel that is turned by the jinas

I hear and hold in my memory. {10}

34.53

“My power of smell also is completely pure.

Jinaputra, understand this way that is

The entrance to dwelling in all liberations,

Without impediment, in the ocean of the ways of the Dharma. {11}

34.54

“My tongue is vast and extensive,

Subtle, red, and shining like a jewel.

Jinaputra, understand this way through which

I know the thoughts of beings. {12}

34.55

“My Dharma body is completely pure. [F.87.a]

I remain in its brilliance1318 throughout the three times,

In a form of body in accordance with the wishes of beings,

Which they all see through the power of their faith. {13}

34.56

“My mind is without attachment, undefiled.

The sound of speech is like the roaring of the clouds.

Though all lords of humans are contained in it,

I have no conceptualization concerning that. {14}

34.57

“I know the ocean of the minds

Of the countless beings in the realms.

I know their faculties and aspirations,

But in this I have no conceptualization. {15}

34.58

“My miracles are vast and perfectly performed.

They are inconceivable and shake the realms.

Similarly, the light and power of my body

Subdue the beings who are difficult to subdue. {16}

34.59

“My merit is vast and completely pure,

An inexhaustible treasure completely displayed,

Through which offerings are made to the jinas

And all beings are sustained. {17}

34.60

“Vast and completely pure is my wisdom,

Through which I know an ocean of Dharma

And cut through the doubts of all beings.

Jinaputra, understand this way of mine. {18}

34.61

“Comprehending all three times,

I see and know an ocean of buddhas

And comprehend their prayers.

This way is measureless1319 and perfect. {19}

34.62

“I see an ocean of realms within all atoms

And their entry into the three times.

I see within them an ocean of buddhas

And the level 1320 of their way that is present everywhere. {20}

34.63

“See how the enlightenment, the buddhahood, of Vairocana

Pervades the realms in all directions.

Within every atom, at the foot of a Bodhi tree,

He is speaking of the Dharma of peace.” {21}

34.64

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, asked Vāsantī, the goddess of the night, “Goddess, how long has it been since you have been established in the highest, complete enlightenment? [F.87.b] How long has it been since you attained this liberation through which you have become established in accomplishing the benefit of beings in this way?”

34.65

Vāsantī, the goddess of the night, answered, “Noble one, beyond and even more beyond as many past kalpas as there are atoms in Sumeru, during a kalpa called Praśantaprabha, there was a world realm called Ratnaśrīsaṃbhava in which there appeared five thousand million buddhas. Within that world realm there was a medium-sized four-continent world called Ratnacandrapradīpaprabhā, the capital of which was called Padmaprabhā. In that capital city there was King Sudharmatīrtha, who was a cakravartin Dharma king who ruled over the four continents and possessed the seven jewels. He spread the Dharma over the mountains and seas of that great world up to its edges and made it happy. King Sudharmatīrtha had a queen named Dharmamaticandrā. At dusk, intoxicated by desire and exhausted by bliss, she returned to the harem at midnight and went to sleep. To the east of the capital city of Padmaprabhā there was a great forest called Śamathaśrīsambhava, in which appeared a tathāgata by the name of Sarvadharmanigarjitarāja, whose body shone with the light of all kings of jewels and was the miraculous manifestation of all the buddhas. At the foot of a Bodhi tree, he attained the highest, complete enlightenment of buddhahood. Through the power of that, a great light of many colors filled the world realm of Ratnaśrīsaṃbhava. In the capital city of Padmaprabhā there was a goddess of the night called Suviśuddhacandrābhā. [F.88.a] She approached Dharmamaticandrā, the king’s queen, woke her with the sound of rattling her jewelry, and said to her, ‘Know this, queen of the king! The Tathāgata Sarvadharmanigarjitarāja has attained the highest, complete enlightenment of buddhahood in the great forest Śamathaśrīsambhava.’ Then, in front of the king’s queen she praised the qualities of the buddha and described at length the miraculous manifestations of the buddhas and the completely good conduct and prayer of the bodhisattvas.

34.66

“Noble one, the king’s queen was illuminated by the light from that tathāgata, and she sincerely entered into the path to the highest, complete enlightenment. She made offerings to that tathāgata and his saṅgha of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas.

34.67

“What do you think, noble one? At that time, in that time, who was that king’s queen, Dharmamaticandrā? Do not think that it was anyone else, for at that time, in that time, I was the king’s queen, Dharmamaticandrā.

34.68

“Noble one, under that tathāgata I developed the motivation of aspiration and created roots of merit so that for kalpas as numerous as the atoms in Sumeru I never fell into rebirth in the lower realms. I was never reborn as a denizen of hell, as an animal, or as a preta. I was never reborn in an inferior family. I was never reborn as someone without sensory faculties. I was never someone who suffered. I always attained the state of a great deity among deities, [F.88.b] and a great human among humans. In this way, I was never apart from buddhas and bodhisattva kalyāṇamitras. I was never reborn in a bad time.

34.69

“Noble one, in that way, I created roots of merit under one buddha after another, and for as many kalpas as there are atoms in Sumeru, I traveled on easy and level paths without any impediment, but I had not yet accomplished the powers of a bodhisattva. When those kalpas as numerous as the atoms in Sumeru had passed, ten thousand great kalpas before this Bhadra kalpa, at the time of the first of those kalpas, which was called Aśokaviraja, there was a world realm called Rajovimalatejaḥśrī.

34.70

“Noble one, that world realm Rajovimalatejaḥśrī was completely pure of the kleśas, and five hundred buddhas appeared within it. The first of those five hundred buddhas was a tathāgata, an arhat, a samyaksaṃbuddha, one with wisdom and conduct,1321 a sugata, one who knows the world’s beings, an unsurpassable guide who tames beings, a teacher of devas and humans, a buddha, a bhagavat, who was named Sumerudhvajāyatanaśāntanetraśrī. At that time, I was Prajñāvabhāsaśrī, the daughter of the head merchant Vighuṣṭakīrti. I was beautiful and attractive, a delight to see, with a very beautiful, perfect complexion.

34.71

“The goddess of the night called Suviśuddhacandrābhā, through the power of her prayers, had become the goddess of the night called Viśuddhanetrābhā in Vicitradhvaja, the capital of the four-continent world realm named Virajovatī. At night, while I was not yet asleep and my parents were asleep, [F.89.a] she shook our house, illuminated it with a great light, revealed her own form to me, and praised the qualities of the buddhas. She revealed the tathāgata residing at the bodhimaṇḍa seven days after he had attained buddhahood.

34.72

“Then, accompanied by my parents and a great crowd of my family, and preceded by Viśuddhanetrābhā, the goddess of the night, I went into the presence of that tathāgata. I then made vast offerings to the Tathāgata, and as soon as I saw the Tathāgata’s face, I attained the samādhi called guiding beings and seeing the Buddha’s face and the samādhi called the domain illuminated by the wisdom of the range of the three times. Through attaining them I remembered as many kalpas as there are atoms in Sumeru. My aspiration to enlightenment manifested. In that way, I heard the Dharma from that tathāgata, and I attained the bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings. Through attaining that, I pervaded with my body as many worlds as there are atoms in ten buddha realms, and there appeared to my sight all the buddhas who were present in those worlds, and I knew that I was present at the feet of all of them. All of the beings who had been born in those world realms appeared to my sight, and I knew all the symbols of their different languages. I knew their minds, thoughts, faculties, and aspirations. [F.89.b] I knew the past kalyāṇamitras in whose presence they were ripened. I manifested to them the bodies that satisfied them according to their aspirations. That liberation of mine increased with each instant of the mind. Through the instant of mind that followed that instant of mind of liberation, my body pervaded as many buddha realms as there are atoms in a hundred world realms. Through the next instant of mind, my body pervaded as many buddha realms as there are atoms in a thousand world realms. Through the next instant of mind, my body pervaded as many buddha realms as there are atoms in a hundred thousand world realms, and so on, up to my body pervading, in each instant of mind, as many buddha realms as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of world realms. There appeared to my sight all the buddhas that were present in those worlds, and I knew that I was present at the feet of all of them. I obtained all the Dharma that was taught by those buddha bhagavats. I possessed it, kept it, preserved it. I comprehended the past ocean of ways and ocean of prayers of those tathāgatas. All those buddha realms purified by those tathāgatas were created in order to purify their own buddha realms. All of the beings who had been born in those world realms appeared to my sight. I blessed my body in order to ripen and guide all of their different minds, thoughts, faculties, and aspirations. [F.90.a]

34.73

“Thus, the way in which my liberation pervaded the entire extent of the realm of phenomena increased with each instant of mind.

34.74

“Noble one, I know only this bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings. How could I know the conduct or describe the qualities of bodhisattvas who have arisen from the completely good bodhisattva conduct and prayers that have no middle or edge; who have the power to enter the entire extent of the ways of the ocean of the realm of phenomena; who play in the samādhi called the glorious vajra of wisdom, which is attained by bodhisattvas1322 who have arisen from the great prayers to be in the care of all the families of tathāgatas in all world realms; who have accomplished a great ocean of merit that purified in an instant of mind the vast extent of world realms; who in each instant of mind ripen all the realms of beings; who have the eyes of the sun of wisdom that dispels all the darkness of the obscurations of all beings in all the world realms that are under the power of their guiding wisdom; who have the power to communicate the Mahāyāna to all the realms of beings; who possess the moon of intelligence that dispels the darkness of doubt, uncertainty, and equivocation within all beings; who have the pure domain of speech that lifts beings from attachment to the entire ocean of existence; who have the power to manifest emanations in the atoms throughout the entire realm of phenomena; [F.90.b] and who are inseparable from the domain of the knowledge of the entire range of the three times?

34.75

“Depart, noble one. At the bodhimaṇḍa in this land of Magadha there is the goddess of the night called Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā, whom I have inspired again and again to develop the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment. Go to her and ask her, ‘How should a bodhisattva train in bodhisattva conduct? How should a bodhisattva practice it?’ ”

34.76

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, praised the night goddess Vāsantī with these verses:

34.77

“I see the purity of your body

Adorned by signs, like Meru,

Superior to all worlds; within the world

You have a perfect body as beautiful as Mañjuśrī’s. {22}

34.78

“Your Dharma body is completely pure,

The same in all three times, without conceptualization.

Every world without exception is contained within it

Without creation, destruction, or abiding. {23}

34.79

“I see the image of your body dispersed

Throughout the whole extent of existences,

And I see within the pores of your body

The constellations of stars with the moon and planets. {24}

34.80

“Your mind also is completely pure,

Pervading the realm of space in all directions.

Even the supreme among humans are all included within it.

You possess the supreme wisdom free of concepts. {25}

34.81

“Multicolored clouds as numerous as the atoms in a realm

Arise out of all the pores of your body, [F.91.a]

Spread to the buddhas in the ten directions,

And send down a rainfall of all adornments. {26}

34.82

“The endless number of the bodies as numerous as beings

Arise out of the pores of your body.

They pervade and fill the worlds in the ten directions

And purify1323 beings through various methods. {27}

34.83

“I see an inconceivable number of realms

With various different displays in all your pores.

They appear in accordance with all the aspirations

Of those you purify in the various existences of beings. {28}

34.84

“Whoever rejoices on hearing your name

Will easily attain their goals and live well.

Whatever being sees your body

Will be facing the path to enlightenment. {29}

34.85

“Merely seeing you causes the kleśas to cease

In one who rejoices on hearing your name.

I would endure countless kalpas in the lower realms

So that I could see your face. {30}

34.86

“If I were to create as many bodies as there are atoms in a thousand realms,

And for the duration of that same number of kalpas

They were to describe the qualities of just one of your pores,

They would never be able to reach the end of that description.” {31}

34.87

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, bowed his head to the feet of the night goddess Vāsantī, circumambulated the night goddess Vāsantī many hundreds of thousands of times, keeping her to his right, and, looking back again and again with unfulfilled longing, departed from the night goddess Vāsantī. [B6] [F.91.b]

35.

Chapter 35

Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā

35.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, contemplating the night goddess Vāsantī’s first entry into the pure domain of aspiration to enlightenment, analyzing the arising of the essence of a bodhisattva, comprehending the ocean of bodhisattva prayer, purifying the bodhisattva path of perfections, overcoming the domain of the bodhisattva levels, augmenting the domain of bodhisattva conduct, following1324 an ocean of the setting-forth of bodhisattvas, looking at the ocean of the great illumination of omniscience, increasing the bodhisattva clouds of great compassion intent on saving all beings, and attaining the blessing of the completely good bodhisattva conduct and prayer of the night goddess Vāsantī that extends to the limits of all realms, went to the location of the night goddess Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā. Having reached her, he bowed his head to the feet of the night goddess Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā, circumambulated the night goddess Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā many hundreds of thousands of times, keeping her to his right, and then stood before her and, with palms together, said, “Āryā, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment. However, I do not know how a bodhisattva practices on the level of a bodhisattva, how a bodhisattva sets forth, how a bodhisattva accomplishes.” [F.92.a]

36.

Chapter 36

Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā

36.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, was blessed by the instruction of the kalyāṇamitra; his mind practiced the words of the kalyāṇamitra; his mind had the perception of the kalyāṇamitra as a physician and himself as a patient; [F.96.a] his mind was contented by focusing on the vision of the kalyāṇamitra; his mind had obtained the opportunity to disperse the mountain of obscurations to the vision of the kalyāṇamitra; his mind had attained, through seeing the kalyāṇamitra, entry into the ocean of the ways of the great compassion that saves all the realms of beings; his mind had attained, through seeing the kalyāṇamitra, the illumination by wisdom of the ocean of the ways of the realm of phenomena.

37.

Chapter 37

Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī

37.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, aspiring to the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā’s samādhi of the bodhisattva liberation called the banner of the power1431 of vast, stainless, completely good joy, comprehending it, understanding it, knowing it, believing in it, undertaking it, pervading it, recollecting it, remembering it, and meditating on it,1432 practicing the instruction of the kalyāṇamitra and memorizing the instruction given by the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā in order to maintain the continuity of the teaching of instruction, approached the night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī. Through contemplating1433 seeing a kalyāṇamitra, through the domain of all his faculties,1434 by going from place to place1435 to obtain the sight of a kalyāṇamitra, through looking in all directions, through being intent on searching for a kalyāṇamitra, through being free from all pride, [F.113.b] through the prowess1436 of pleasing a kalyāṇamitra, through being resolved to create a great accumulation of merit, through having become single-mindedly intent upon a kalyāṇamitra,1437 and through all his roots of merit,1438 he had gained the unwavering motivation for a kalyāṇamitra’s conduct of skillful methods, had developed an ocean of the power of diligence for increasing reliance on a kalyāṇamitra, and had prayed to dwell with and follow kalyāṇamitras equally in all kalpas.

38.

Chapter 38

Praśantarutasāgaravatī

38.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, meditating on the night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī’s bodhisattva liberation called the manifestations that guide beings that appear in all worlds, and contemplating it, having faith in it, engaging in it, increasing it, expanding it, augmenting it,1497 gaining power over it, illuminating it, and being absorbed in it, approached the night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī.

39.

Chapter 39

Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī

39.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, was meditating on, familiarizing himself with,1529 and cultivating the bodhisattva liberation called the display in each instant of mind of the arising of the power of vast delight. He was following, remembering, [F.148.a] and comprehending the instruction and teachings of the night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī, remembering each word and letter, the numerous countless aspects, the knowledge of the aspects of the nature of phenomena, and he was relying on it through his memory, analyzing it with his intelligence, comprehending it with his understanding,1530 increasing it with his intellect, feeling it with his body, practicing it, and engaging in it, and eventually he arrived where the night goddess Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī was.

40.

Chapter 40

Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā

40.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, further meditating on, believing in,1554 and increasing the bodhisattva liberation called the entry into beautiful sounds and profound manifestations, went to where the night goddess Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā was. He saw the night goddess Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā seated upon a lion throne consisting of the saplings of precious trees, inside a kūṭāgāra made from the branches of all perfumed precious trees and encircled by an entourage of ten thousand night goddesses. [F.159.b]

41.

Chapter 41

Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā

41.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, went to where the night goddess Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā was. He saw the night goddess Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā in the center of her entourage, seated upon a throne that contained kings of jewels that illuminated the dwellings of all beings. She had a body covered completely in a net of jewels that illuminated the ways of the realm of phenomena. Her body revealed the images of the sun, the moon, and all the planets, stars, and constellations. She had a body that manifested to the perception of beings in accordance with their wishes. She had a body such that her own body was perceived by all beings as having the same form as their bodies. She had a body that manifested perceptions of a vast, centerless, edgeless ocean of skin colors. She had a body that manifested practicing all paths of the practice of conduct. She had a body that could be perceived from every kind of orientation.1627 She had a body that was present in all worlds, filling all directions with the sound of thunder from the cloud of the Dharma and with various miraculous manifestations. She had a body that reached throughout the realm of space, at all times looking at how to benefit all beings. She had a body that paid homage and bowed down at the feet of all tathāgatas. She had a body that came before all beings, aiding them in the accumulation of roots of merit. [F.180.a] She had a body that possessed the mindfulness of keeping and never deviating from the motivation to accomplish and fulfill the prayer to receive and possess clouds of Dharma directly from all the tathāgatas. She had a body that filled all principal and intermediate directions with light that had no edge or center. She had a body that manifested the illumination and the spreading light of the lamp of Dharma, dispelling the darkness in all beings. She had a body that manifested as a stainless body of the wisdom that phenomena are like illusions. She had a body that manifested as a Dharma body free of darkness and dust. She had a body that appeared with the nature of being an illusion. She had a mind free of darkness that had realized the true nature. She had attained the illumination in all aspects of the light of wisdom. She had a mental body that was completely free of illness and had no pain. She had appeared from the realm of the enduring and indestructible Dharma body. She had a body that was the pure body of the stainless true nature, the state completely without kleśas, and which had the nature of the unlocated blessing of the tathāgatas.

42.

Chapter 42

Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī

42.1

Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, remembering the instruction of the night goddess Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā and meditating on, comprehending, and augmenting the bodhisattva liberation called the origin of the roots of merit that inspire the ripening of all beings, eventually arrived at the Lumbinī Forest.

42.2

He circumambulated the Lumbinī Forest, keeping it to his right, and then searched for Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī, the Lumbinī Forest goddess.

43.

Chapter 43

Gopā

43.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, left the presence of Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī, the Lumbinī Forest goddess, and went to the location of the great city of Kapilavastu. [F.219.b]

43.2

While meditating on, comprehending, increasing, practicing, purifying,1744 contemplating, and examining the bodhisattva liberation called the miraculous manifestations at the birth of bodhisattvas throughout all the perceptions of countless kalpas, he came to the assembly hall of the bodhisattvas called the Illuminating Light of the Realm of the Dharma.

44.

Chapter 44

Māyādevī

44.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, on the way to Māyādevī, undertaking the wisdom of practicing the scope of the activity of the buddhas, thought, “By what means can I see the kalyāṇamitras, honor them, meet them,1846 accompany them,1847 learn their qualities, know the field of their speech, understand the succession of their words, and possess the teachings of the kalyāṇamitras who have six āyatanas that have risen above all worlds; who have bodies that have transcended all attachments; who follow the path of unimpeded movement; who have pure Dharma bodies; who have bodies that are manifestations of illusory physical activities; who perform conducts in the world that are the illusions of wisdom; who have forms and bodies1848 from prayer;1849 who have bodies that are not born and do not cease; who have bodies that are neither true nor false; who have bodies that do not pass away or perish; who have bodies that do not originate and are not destroyed; who have bodies that have the single characteristic of having no characteristics; who have bodies that have no attachment to duality; who have bodies that are based on having no basis; who have bodies that do not decay1850 or diminish; [F.256.a] who have bodies without thoughts, like reflections; who have active bodies that are like dreams; who have bodies that do not depart, like the surface of a mirror; who have bodies that are established in peace, like the absence of directions; who have bodies that pervade all directions; who have bodies that have no differentiation between the three times; who have bodiless bodies of mind that are bodies without thought; who have bodies that have transcended the path of sight in all worlds; who have bodies that have been tamed through the path of completely good vision; and who have the unimpeded field of activity of space?”

45.

Chapter 45

Surendrābhā

45.1

Sudhana went to the paradise of the lord of Trāyastriṃśa and approached the deva maiden Surendrābhā, the daughter of the deva Smṛtimat. He bowed his head to the feet of the deva maiden Surendrābhā, circumambulated the deva maiden Surendrābhā many hundreds of thousands of times, keeping her to his right, and then stood before the deva maiden Surendrābhā with his palms together in homage and said, “Āryā, goddess, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Āryā, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

46.

Chapter 46

Viśvāmitra

46.1

Sudhana descended from the paradise of the lord of Trāyastriṃśa and eventually came to Viśvāmitra, the teacher of children, in the city of Kapilavastu. When he came to him, he bowed his head to the feet of Viśvāmitra, the teacher of children; circumambulated Viśvāmitra, the teacher of children, many hundreds of thousands of times, keeping him to his right; and then stood before Viśvāmitra, the teacher of children, with his palms together in homage and said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! Ārya, I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!” [F.273.b]

47.

Chapter 47

Śilpābhijña

47.1

Sudhana went to where Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, was present. When he came to him, he bowed his head to the feet of Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, then stood before Śilpābhijña, the head merchant’s son, with his palms together in homage and said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! Ārya, I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

48.

Chapter 48

Bhadrottamā

48.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, went to the town called Vartanaka in the region of Kevalaka and approached the kalyāṇamitra Bhadrottamā. When he approached the kalyāṇamitra Bhadrottamā, he bowed his head to her feet, and then he stood before the kalyāṇamitra Bhadrottamā with his palms together in homage and said, “Āryā, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. [F.276.b] Āryā, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

49.

Chapter 49

Muktāsāra

49.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, eventually arrived in the southern region, and in the town of Bharukaccha he approached the goldsmith Muktāsāra. He bowed his head to the feet of the goldsmith Muktāsāra and then, standing before him with his palms together in homage, said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it.

50.

Chapter 50

Sucandra

50.1

Sudhana went to the householder Sucandra, bowed his head to the feet of the householder Sucandra, stood before him, and, with his palms together in homage, said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

51.

Chapter 51

Ajitasena

51.1

Sudhana eventually reached the town of Roruka and approached the householder Ajitasena, bowed his head to the feet of the householder Ajitasena, stood before him, [F.278.b] and, with his palms together in homage, said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

52.

Chapter 52

Śivarāgra

52.1

Sudhana eventually reached the village of Dharma and approached the brahmin Śivarāgra. He bowed his head to the feet of the brahmin Śivarāgra, stood before him, and, with his palms together in homage, said, “Ārya, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Ārya, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

53.

Chapter 53

Śrīsaṃbhava and Śrīmati

53.1

Sudhana eventually reached the town of Sumanāmukha and approached the boy Śrīsaṃbhava and the girl Śrīmati. He bowed his head to their feet, stood before them with his palms together in homage, and said, “Āryas, I have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it. Āryas, I have heard that you give instruction and teachings to bodhisattvas! I pray that you explain to me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and how they should practice it!”

54.

Chapter 54

Maitreya

54.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, his mind moistened by the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra, contemplated bodhisattva conduct. Thinking of how his many bodies in the past had failed to practice perfect conduct, he made resolute the strength of his body. Thinking of how his body and mind throughout the past, even though pure, were the worthless continuation of a saṃsāric mind, he applied the attention of his mind to conduct. Thinking how his actions throughout the past had been impure, had been devoted to the world, and were worthless hardships, he contemplated accomplishing in the present that which is very meaningful. [F.289.a] Thinking how throughout the past he had developed thoughts through incorrect examination, he generated the strength to create the correct examination of bodhisattva conduct. Thinking how his past bodies had a range of activity1973 dedicated to engaging in self-benefit, he made firm the strength of his superior, higher motivation to engage in benefiting1974 all beings. Thinking how in the past he had the flavorless conduct of continually seeking what was desired, he increased the great force of the power for attaining relief through engaging in obtaining the Dharma of the buddhas. Thinking how in the past he had engaged in conduct through an incorrect motivation, he purified1975 the flow of his mind in the present with a correct view that was free of error and with dedication to bodhisattva prayer. Thinking how in the past he fruitlessly had no diligence in his undertakings and practiced without diligence, in the present he motivated his mind and body by generating the diligence for remaining prepared to gather the Dharmas of the buddhas. Examining how he and others had been lost in the lower realms and1976 the five classes of beings, and thinking how in the past he had not taken care of his body, he increased a vast, powerful rejoicing and aspiration for maintaining a body with the power to accomplish all the Dharmas of the buddhas, take care of all beings, and serve all kalyāṇamitras. [F.289.b]

55.

Chapter 55

Mañjuśrī

55.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, after passing through a hundred and ten towns, came to the district called Sumanāmukha, where, while thinking of and looking for Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, he was aspiring and praying to see Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta and continually yearning to meet him.

55.2

Then Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, from a distance of a hundred and ten yojanas, extended his hand and placed it upon the head of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, who was in the town of Sumanāmukha, and said, “Well done, well done, noble one! Someone who does not have the power of faith, who has a mind that wearies, who has thoughts of despondency, who abandons practice, who turns away from diligence, who is pleased by having a few qualities, who remains clinging to a single root of merit, who is not skilled in accomplishing the conduct and prayer, who is not in the care of a kalyāṇamitra, and who does not consider the buddhas is unable to know the true nature of phenomena in this way, or to know this kind of way and this kind of range of activity, or to know this kind of place or enter it, or to believe in it or examine it or understand it or attain it.”

56.

Chapter 56

Samantabhadra and “The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct”

56.1

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, who had reverenced as many kalyāṇamitras as there are atoms in the world realms of a billion-world universe; who had the motivation to gather the accumulations for omniscience; who correctly held and practiced the instructions and teachings of all kalyāṇamitras; who in the presence of all kalyāṇamitras gave rise to the same aspiration as they did; who had the realization that pleased and was not displeasing to all kalyāṇamitras; who followed the ocean of the ways of the instructions and teachings of all kalyāṇamitras; who had the essence that arises from the ocean of the aspiration of great compassion; who had shone on all beings with the clouds of the ways of great love; who had a body that increased the power of great joy; who was active2179 in complete peace within the vast bodhisattva liberations; who had the vision focused on whatever emanates from all gateways;2180 who had perfected the practice of the ocean of the qualities of all tathāgatas;2181 who had followed the path of aspiration of all the tathāgatas;2182 who had increased the power of diligence in the accumulation of omniscience; who had a mind with the perfect development of the motivation and aspiration of all bodhisattvas; who had comprehended the succession of all the tathāgatas in the three times; [F.345.b] who had realized the ocean of the ways of the Dharmas of all buddhas; who had followed the ocean of the ways of the Dharma wheels of all the tathāgatas; who had the range of activity of manifesting the appearance of taking birth in all worlds; who had comprehended the ocean of the ways of the prayers of all bodhisattvas; who was established in bodhisattva conduct in all kalpas; who had attained the illumination of the scope of omniscience; who had increased all the powers of a bodhisattva; who had attained the illumination of the path to omniscience; who had attained the unobscured illumination of all directions; who had the realization that pervades the ways of the entire realm of phenomena; who had accomplished the illumination of the ways of all realms; who had engaged in the appropriate way with the activities of the vast extent of beings; who had demolished all the precipices and mountains of obscurations; who had followed the unobscured true nature of phenomena; who was active2183 in complete peace in the bodhisattva liberations that have the essence of all the surfaces and bases in the realm of phenomena; who was seeking the range of activity of all the tathāgatas; who had been blessed by all the tathāgatas; who was established in being active2184 in the range of activity of a bodhisattva; who had heard the name of the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samantabhadra; who had heard of his bodhisattva activity; who had heard of his special prayers; who had heard of his special entry and dwelling in the accomplishment of accumulation; who had heard of his special path of accomplishment and setting forth; [F.346.a] who had heard of his way of activity on the completely good level; who had heard of the accumulations of his level; who had heard of his power for attaining that level; who had heard of his ascending to that level; who had heard of his being established on that level; who had heard of his reaching that level through leaving the previous levels; who had heard of the range of activity of that level; who had heard of the blessings of that level; who had heard of his dwelling on that level; and who yearned and thirsted for the sight of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra; with a motivation as vast as space that had risen above all clinging; with a perfect meditation that perceived all2185 realms; with a mind that had transcended all attachments; with an unobscured range of activity in all phenomena; with an obstructed mind that pervaded the entire ocean of the directions; with an unobscured mind that ascended to the scope of perception of omniscience; with a pure mind that had the pure vipaśyanā that adorns a bodhimaṇḍa; with a perfectly distinct mind that comprehended the ocean of the Dharmas of all the buddhas; with a vast mind that pervaded all realms of beings in order to ripen and guide them; with an immense2186 mind that purified all buddha realms; with a measureless mind that manifested his appearance within the assemblies of the followers of all buddhas; and with an inexhaustible and endless mind that dwelled in all kalpas and had the conclusive strengths, fearlessnesses, and unique qualities of all the tathāgatas, Sudhana, in the bodhimaṇḍa, which had the supreme vajra as its essence, was seated upon a lotus seat that was a mass of all jewels, gazing at the lion throne that was the seat of the Tathāgata. [F.346.b]

Colophon

c.1

This was translated and revised by the Indian upādhyāyas Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi and by the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Yeshé Dé and others.2232

Tibetan Editor’s Colophon

Tashi Wangchuk

c.2

A Multitude of Buddhas is the marvelous essence of the final, ultimate, definitive wheel from among the three wheels of the Sugata’s teaching. It has many other titles, such as The Mahāvaipulya Basket, The Earring, The Lotus Adornment, and so on.

c.3

It has seven sections:2233 A Multitude of Tathāgatas,2234 The Vajra Banner Dedication,2235 The Teaching of the Ten Bhūmis,2236 The Teaching of Completely Good Conduct,2237 [F.362.b] The Teaching of the Birth and Appearance of the Tathāgatas,2238 The Transcendence of the World,2239 and Stem Array.2240 These are subdivided into forty-five chapters.

c.4

According to Butön Rinpoché and others, it contains thirty-nine thousand and thirty verses, a hundred and thirty fascicles, and an additional thirty verses. In the Tshalpa Kangyur edition there are a hundred and fifteen fascicles, the Denkarma edition has a hundred and twenty-seven fascicles,2241 and present-day editions have various numbers of fascicles.2242

c.5

This sūtra was first received from Ārya Nāgārjuna by Paṇḍita Buddhabhadra and Paṇḍita Śikṣānanda (652–710), and they both translated it into Chinese. It is taught that Surendrabodhi and Vairocanarakṣita became principal editors for a Chinese translation.

c.6

As for the lineage of the text, there is the lineage from China: The perfect Buddha, Ārya Mañjuśrī, Lord Nāgārjuna, the two paṇḍitas mentioned above, and Heshang Tushun. Then the lineage continued through others until Üpa Sangyé Bum received it from Heshang Gying-ju. Then that lineage was passed on through Lotsawa Chokden and has continued up to the present time.

c.7

The lineage from India is as follows:

It was passed from Nāgārjuna to Āryadeva, and then Mañjuśrīkīrti, and so on, until Bari Lotsawa received it from Vajrāsana. It is taught that the lineage then continued through Chim Tsöndrü Sengé, the great Sakya Lord,2243 and so on.

c.8

However, I have not seen any other text or history of a translation made by any other lotsawa or paṇḍita other than those listed in the colophon to this translation into Tibetan.

c.9

The king of Jangsa Tham2244 had a complete Kangyur made that was based on the Tshalpa Kangyur. At the present time this is known as the Lithang Tshalpa Kangyur (1609–14). I considered this to be a reliable source and so have made it the basis for this edition. However, it has many omissions, accretions, and misspellings, and therefore I have at this time corrected it by seeking out many older editions.

c.10

There are variant Indian texts and conflicting translations, and I have not been able to ascertain from them a definitive single meaning or correct words. Nevertheless, this text is nothing but a valid edition.

c.11

There are varying translations of terms that have been left unrevised, as there is no contradiction in meaning. For example, it has rgyan instead of bkod pa;2245 ’byam klas instead of rab ’byams;2246 so so yang dag par rig pa instead of tha dad pa yang dag par shes pa;2247 thugs for dgongs pa;2248 [F.363.a] nyin mtshan dang zla ba yar kham mar kham dang instead of nyin mtshan dang yud du yan man dang;2249 and tha snyad instead of rnam par dpyod pa.2250

c.12

Sanskrit words have many cases and tenses, so that although the Tibetan lotsawas and paṇḍitas, who had the eyes of the Dharma, translated their meaning, their tenses, cases, and so on are difficult to discern. Those are the majority of the examples of uncertainty, and there are also a few other kinds, but they are nevertheless in accord with Tibetan grammar.

c.13

In most texts there are many archaic words, so that the meaning of the translation is not clear, but there is a consistency when those words are all in archaic Tibetan. However, there appears to have occurred in later times a strong adulteration of the text so that there is a mixture of archaic and modern forms. There are also unreliable placements of the shad mark that differentiates clauses, but all these have been left as they are because these faults are few and minor. Therefore, this revision has been diligently edited without becoming analogous to knocking down the ancient megaliths of the southern regions.

c.14

May this remain for the entire kalpa within the circle of the Cakravāla Mountains, as bright as the sun and moon, as the glory of the merit of nonsectarian beings and the precious teaching of the Buddha.

c.15

This was printed in the water tiger year called dge byed (1722),2251 in the presence of Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738), the divine Dharma king who rules in accordance with the Dharma, who has the vast, superior wealth of the ten good actions, and who is a bodhisattva as a ruler of humans and the source of happiness in the four regions of greater Tibet.

c.16

This was written by the attendant Gelong Tashi Wangchuk, who in the process of revision was commanded to become its supervisor.

c.17

Ye dharmahetuprabhavā hetun teṣān tathāgato hy avadat. Teṣāñ ca yo nirodha evaṃ vādī mahāśramanaḥ.

(The Tathāgata has taught those causes that are the causes for the arising of phenomena, and the great Śramaṇa, in that way, taught that which is their cessation.)

Notes

n.1

See colophon, c.3.

n.2

Pekar Zangpo, mdo sde spy’i rnam bzhag (2006), 18.

n.3

This depiction of Śākyamuni as a Vairocana emanation has its precedent in a sūtra that was never translated into Tibetan but exists in Chinese translation: the Brahmajālasūtra. This sūtra introduces the Buddha Vairocana as the primordial buddha who is the source of ten billion Śākyamunis who exist simultaneously in ten billion different worlds. This sūtra should not be confused with the Brahmajālasūtra that exists both in the Pali canon and in the Tibetan Kangyur (Toh 352).

n.4

See Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The Ten Bhūmis, Toh 44-31.

n.5

There is evidence for Mahāyāna sūtras originating in northern India. In his Genealogies of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Joseph Walser argues that the “core portion” of The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines (Toh 12, Aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā) was most probably written in the second half of the first century in Mathura, which is located in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He also offers the tentative conclusion that it was written by “a Sarvāstivādin monk residing at Buddhadeva’s Guhavihāra outside of Maṭ.” See Walser (2018), 242.

n.6

Osto notes that Etienne Lamotte, Edward Conze, and Nalinaksha Dutt all regard the Mahāsāṃghika as the source of the Mahāyāna tradition. See Osto (2008), 157, n. 5. Paul Williams argues that at least some Mahāyāna sūtras emerged from the Mahāsāṃghika: “There can be no doubt that at least some early Mahāyāna sūtras originated in Mahāsāṃghika circles. In the lokottaravāda supramundane teachings we are getting very close to a teaching well-known in Mahāyāna that the Buddha’s death was also a mere appearance; in reality he remains out of his compassion, helping suffering humanity, and thence the suggestion that for those who are capable of it the highest religious goal should be not to become an Arhat but to take the Bodhisattva vows, embarking themselves on the long path to a supreme and totally superior Buddhahood.” See Williams (2009), 21. This view has been contested by a number of scholars, however, including Paul Harrison, who maintains in his “Searching for the Origins of the Mahāyāna: What Are We Looking For?” that it is impossible to draw a clear connection between the Mahāyāna and a single sect, maintaining instead that the Mahāyāna was a loose set of related movements that cut across Buddhist India. For a fine summary of scholarship concerning the origins of the Mahāyāna, see Osto (2008), 105–16.

n.7

Toh 127. See translation in Peter Alan Roberts, trans., The King of Samādhis Sūtra, 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2018.

n.8

Osto (2008), 108–9.

n.37

According to the Sanskrit. There is no division into chapters in the Tibetan, see Introduction i.65. In Śikṣānanda’s eighty-fascicle Chinese translation (hereafter, “the Chinese”), this is presented as the thirty-ninth sūtra in twenty-one fascicles, from 60 to 80. Each fascicle bears the title 入法界品 (ru fa jie pin), number 39, and a serial number ranging from 1 to 21; for example, fascicle 60 is entitled 入法界品第三十九之一 (ru fa jie pin di san shi jiu zhi yi), the first segment of the thirty-ninth sūtra, Entry into the Realm of the Dharma.

n.38

According to the Sanskrit and such Kangyurs as the Degé, which have shes pa dam pa’i ye shes. Lithang and Choné Kangyurs have shes rab dam pa’i ye shes. Yongle and Kangxi have ye shes rab dam pa’i ye shes.

n.39

According to the Sanskrit. The Tibetan has brtan pa dam pa’i ye shes.

n.40

According to the Sanskrit and the Chinese. The Tibetan blo gros chen po’i gzi brjid appears to translate from mahāmatitejas.

n.41

This is followed in the Sanskrit by Samantaprabhatejas, which would have been translated into Tibetan as kun nas ’od gyi gzi brjid. The Chinese appears to have conflated these three similar names into one as 普吉祥威力 (pu ji xiang wei li).

n.42

Construction from the Tibetan. Not present in the Sanskrit or the Chinese.

n.43

According to the Sanskrit, the Chinese, and most Kangyurs, which have shin tu rnam par lta ba’i myig. Yongle, Lithang, Kangxi, and Choné have rnam par dag pa’i in error for rnam par lta ba’i. In the Sanskrit this is followed by Avalokitanetra, which is absent in both the Chinese and the Tibetan, most likely the result of a scribal omission due to the similarity of the names.

n.44

In the Sanskrit and the Chinese this is followed by “the bodhisattva Samantanetra,” which is not present in the Tibetan.

n.45

The Sanskrit has “bodhisattva mahāsattva.” The Chinese ends all names with “bodhisattva.”

n.46