Gaṇḍavyūha — Entering the Dharma Realm

Summary

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.

Acknowledgements

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.

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

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.

The Gaṇḍavyūha forms the forty-fifth and final chapter of the Buddhāvataṃsaka (A Multitude of Buddhas) Sūtra, where it is called a “chapter” rather than a “sūtra.” According to the Degé colophon, the
previous forty-four chapters form six sections, or sūtras, of the Avataṃsaka, with the Gaṇḍavyūha as the seventh sūtra. In his sixteenth-century survey of the major sūtras, Pekar Zangpo
(pad dkar bzang po) divides the first group of chapters into two, so that the Gaṇḍavyūha is the eighth section of the Buddhāvataṃsaka. The Gaṇḍavyūha is one of the four sections that consist of a single sūtra,
but it is by far the longest sūtra or chapter, comprising about a third of the Avataṃsaka
Sūtra.

In the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, the Buddha Śākyamuni never speaks: all the teachings in
the forty-five chapters of the Avataṃsaka are given by others. In the first forty-four
chapters or sūtras this is done in the Buddha’s presence. The Gaṇḍavyūha is unique in that
most of this lengthy chapter takes place far from his presence, with other buddhas being presented as the sources of teachings
received by the kalyāṇamitras whom Sudhana meets. However, the previous chapters of the Avataṃsaka have already presented the view that various buddhas are manifestations of the Buddha Vairocana, and
it is by the name Vairocana that Śākyamuni is referred to in this sūtra.

The previous forty-four chapters of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra take place during the two
weeks after the Buddha’s enlightenment, at which time he sits in silence under the Bodhi tree yet is simultaneously present,
still in silent meditation, in other locations throughout our universe: the Trāyastriṃśa paradise of Indra on the summit of
Sumeru, the Yāma and Tuṣita paradises high above Sumeru, and the highest paradise in the realm
of desire—the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise. Bodhisattvas congregate around him, inspired by his presence to give such
teachings as the Daśabhūmika Sūtra (Ten Bhūmi Sūtra), which is taught by the bodhisattva Vajragarbha in the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise. The
Daśabhūmika Sūtra had a great influence on the development of Buddhism, eclipsing the
previous seven bhūmis of the Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of
Wisdom) sūtras.

The Gaṇḍavyūha, on the other hand, begins with the Buddha in silent meditation in
his Jetavana Monastery in Śrāvastī, where he spent most of his summer retreats. Human pupils are gathered around him along
with a multitude of bodhisattvas that his human pupils are not advanced enough to perceive. While the Buddha sits silently in
meditation, the bodhisattva Samantabhadra gives a teaching to the assembled bodhisattvas. The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī leaves the
assembly for South India, and, rather than continuing to describe events and teachings in the presence of the Buddha, the
sūtra follows Mañjuśrī to South India, where he meets Sudhana, and the narrative then follows Sudhana for the rest of the long
sūtra. Although the beginning of the sūtra is set at a time later than that of the Buddha’s enlightenment, further on, in the
night-goddess chapters, the Buddha is depicted as being present under the Bodhi tree. There are other temporal anomalies: the
bodhisattva Maitreya, in the chapter where Sudhana meets him, is portrayed as being on earth and not yet passed away to be
reborn in Tuṣita, even though he is said in the Māyādevī chapter, as is generally said in other Buddhist sources, to be
already present in Tuṣita. Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother, appears to Sudhana in Kapilavastu, the Buddha’s hometown, even
though she is traditionally said to have passed away shortly after the Buddha’s birth and been reborn as a male deity in the
Trāyastriṃśa paradise.

The sūtra primarily describes (in successive long compounds in Sanskrit) both the inner qualities and the external
displays of miraculous powers that have been attained by the various kalyāṇamitras whom Sudhana meets. It concludes with the
bodhisattva Samantabhadra composing the Samantabhadracaryāpraṇidhāna (“The Prayer for
Completely Good Conduct”), which is regularly recited by contemporary Tibetan Buddhists.

Indian Origins of the Sūtra

Mahāyāna sūtras first appeared through the medium of revelations after the tradition of written sūtras had developed.
These sūtras appeared in various Buddhist traditions and in various locations. Mahāyāna sources show doctrinal similarities to the Mahāsāṃghika tradition. The Mahāsāṃghika was
especially prevalent in southwest India, and a substantial number of Mahāyāna sūtras have indications of a South Indian
provenance, with passing references to South Indian music, or, to take the Samādhirāja
Sūtra
as just one example, to
a prominent South Indian personage, in this case the ṛṣi Ananta. Similarly, much of the Gaṇḍavyūha
Sūtra takes place in South India, depicting teachers who appear to operate independently of Buddhist communities
in the north. Douglas Osto echoes Qobad Afshar in suggesting that the site of Dhanyākara referenced in the Gaṇḍavyūha is in fact Dhānyakaṭaka/Dharaṇikoṭa, an ancient city that existed on the banks of
the Kṛṣṇa River in the southern region of Andhra. This place, Afshar and Osto believe, was probably where the Gaṇḍavyūha was first composed.

In terms of its language, the Sanskrit of the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra has numerous
nonclassical Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) features and vocabulary. This is especially true of the
verses, which are less prone to revision to Classical Sanskrit than the prose. It is frequently the case that the verses in a
sūtra are older than the prose that accompanies them, or they at least retain the original form of the language in which the
sūtra was composed. In the Gaṇḍavyūha, they favor the -u ending for the nominative case, where it would be -a in Sanskrit,
-e in the ancient northeastern dialect, and -o
in that of the northwest (and its continuation in Pali). The difference between these two kinds of Sanskrit is not evident in
the Tibetan or the English translations.

Concerning the relative chronology of the Gaṇḍavyūha, chapter 41 makes a clear
reference to the Satyaka Sūtra (formally known as The Teaching of the
Miraculous Manifestation of the Range of Methods in the Field of Activity of the Bodhisattvas), which
describes a Jain master by the name of Satyaka, who advises a king on the polity of rulership and is eventually revealed by the Buddha to be a
bodhisattva who takes on various forms in order to benefit beings. The Satyaka Sūtra
briefly presents the single-yāna view that was expounded in The Lotus Sūtra, but it goes further by stating that
all religious traditions in India occur through the blessing of the Buddha and are therefore included within the single
yāna. This view of the Satyaka
Sūtra is crucial for understanding one of the surprising elements in the Gaṇḍavyūha
Sūtra—some of Sudhana’s teachers do not appear to be following a Buddhist path. There is the ṛṣi
Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa, who is teaching young brahmins; and Jayoṣmāyatana, who is following the non-Buddhist ascetic practice of
“the five heats” (sitting amid four fires under the noonday sun); and there is even Mahādeva, also known as Śiva. Therefore,
in terms of the succession of sūtras, it would appear that the Gaṇḍavyūha postdates both
The Lotus Sūtra (though not necessarily its later chapters) and the Satyaka Sūtra.

The depiction of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara in the Gaṇḍavyūha is surprising in
that he is presented as an apparently human guru living on the Potalaka Mountain in South India, with no mention of his
association with Amitābha’s pure realm of Sukhāvatī, where earlier sūtras locate him. The Potalaka Mountain was an important
place of pilgrimage for both the Buddhists and Śaivites of South India, as the abode of both Śiva, who was known as Lokeśvara
(Lord of the World), and Avalokiteśvara. This earthly abode of Avalokiteśvara, in Tibet known as the Potala Mountain, would
become prominent in Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism, as evidenced by the Potala Palace in Lhasa and Mount Putuo Island in China.

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra first existed in India as an independent sūtra and still exists
as an independent sūtra in Sanskrit manuscripts. The successive Chinese translations reveal a gradual growth in the contents
of the sūtra, with the addition of more teachers in the Indian version before its eventual translation into Tibetan. Even so,
the number of kalyāṇamitras met by Sudhana is still smaller than the number that Maitreya, toward the end of the sūtra,
proclaims that Sudhana has met on his journeys—110.

There was an Indian version longer than the one that was translated into Tibetan, though no Sanskrit manuscript of
this version has survived. It is known only from the version sent to China by the king of Orissa, who gave a copy to the
Chinese emperor in 795. This version was translated by
the Kashmiri monk Prajñā in 798, two or three decades before the Tibetan translation was made. The Chinese translations also
indicate that the Gaṇḍavyūha had a different title in the seventh century, which can be
reconstructed from the Chinese 入法界品 (Ru fa jie pin) as Dharmadhātupraveśana (Entry into the Realm of the Dharma).

Earlier versions concluded with the Maitreya chapter. The Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra chapters were added
subsequently, and finally the sixty-two-verse “Prayer for Completely Good Conduct,” which has continued to exist as an
independent text, was added as the sūtra’s conclusion. This prayer was translated into Chinese in a forty-four-verse version
by Buddhabhadra in the early fifth century. Amoghavajra’s (705–74) eighth-century Chinese translation of the prayer has
sixty-two verses because of the addition of fifteen verses on Amitābha. This longer version appeared as the conclusion of the
Buddhāvataṃsaka in the translation into Chinese made in 798 and in the early
ninth-century translation into Tibetan. “The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct,” particularly its first twelve verses, is
regularly recited in Tibetan Buddhism, and it also exists independently in the Kangyur with an additional concluding
verse.

There are no surviving Sanskrit manuscripts of the Gaṇḍavyūha from the first
millennium, but there is a complete Sanskrit text that dates to 1166 ce, three hundred years later
than the Tibetan translation. It consists of 289 palm-leaf pages and was sent from Nepal to the Royal Asiatic Society in
London by Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800–1894) in the early nineteenth century. Cataloged as Hodgson 2 (A), this is the earliest
extant Sanskrit manuscript of the Gaṇḍavyūha. The Sanskrit Buddhist tradition has continued in Nepal, where the Gaṇḍavyūha remains one of the nine central works of Newar Buddhism.

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra in China

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra was first translated into Chinese as an independent text by a
monk named Shengjian sometime between 388 and 408 ce. In that translation there are only twenty-five kalyāṇamitras. Compared to the extant Sanskrit
version, the first nine kalyāṇamitras after Mañjuśrī and those after the thirty-fourth are not present. Therefore, it may represent an unfinished translation or an earlier
form of the sūtra, or both.

Not long afterward, in 420, Buddhabhadra (359–429 ce), an Indian monk who had migrated to
China, translated with his team the entire Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, which at that time was
composed of thirty-four chapters with the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra as the final chapter. Buddhabhadra’s translation contains not only additional
chapters when compared to Shengjian’s translation, but also additional verses and passages within the chapters.

Interestingly, the Indian monk Paramārtha (499–569 ce), who flourished not long after
Buddhabhadra’s time, refers to the Buddhāvataṃsaka as a Bodhisattvapiṭaka (“basket” or “collected teachings for bodhisattvas”). This is echoed by a copy of
this sūtra found in the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, which bears the title Bodhisattvapiṭaka
Buddhāvataṃsaka. While the presently
available Sanskrit does not give the title Bodhisattvapiṭaka, the Tibetan colophons feature
this designation, though the sense of it shifts depending on the given colophon’s grammar, which may suggest that there was some confusion among Tibetan scholars about the term’s significance.

The Buddhāvataṃsaka had grown even further in size by the time of its translation
into Chinese under the direction of the Khotanese Śikṣānanda (于闐國實叉難陀, 652–710 ce). This was made between 695 and 699 ce
and had an additional five chapters, with the
Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra still in final place as the thirty-ninth chapter. The translation of the Gaṇḍavyūha in this version varies little from that of Buddhabhadra, with a few exceptions: the
final two verses of the Veṣṭhila section have been added, Avalokiteśvara’s mountain is now named Potalaka rather than Prabha,
and a short verse greeting appears in the final section.

Śikṣānanda’s version of the Buddhāvataṃsaka became the basis for the Huayan school of
Chinese Buddhism, huayan being the Chinese translation of avataṃsaka as “flower garland,” and it is Śikṣānanda’s version that was translated
by Thomas Cleary into English as The Flower Ornament Scripture. In Śikṣānanda’s Chinese, the title of the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra was 入法界品 (Ru fa jie pin), which
could have come from the Sanskrit Dharmadhātupraveśanaparivarta and in English could
be translated as The Chapter on Entering the Realm of the Dharma. Thomas Cleary translated this
as Entry into the Realm of Reality, while Douglas Osto translated it as Entry into the Realm of Dharma, and Patrick Carré as l’Entrée dans la dimension
absolue (Entry into the Absolute Dimension).” The term dharmadhātupraveśana does occur in the text, as for example in verse 44 of chapter 1.

There is a longer version of the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra that was translated into Chinese
as an independent sūtra in 798 by the Kashmiri monk Prajñā. This was the first among the Chinese translations to include “The
Prayer for Completely Good Conduct.” Prajñā’s translation
was based on a Sanskrit manuscript that the king of Orissa sent as a gift to the Chinese emperor, who received it in 795. The additions in Prajñā’s version are not found in any
surviving Sanskrit edition, nor are they found in the early ninth-century Tibetan translation made just a few decades after
Prajñā’s translation. In Prajñā’s translation the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra is called The Vow Concerning the Course of Conduct of Samantabhadra and the Entry into the Range of Inconceivable
Liberation (入不思議解脫境界普賢行願品, Ru bu si yi jie tuo jing jie pu
xian xing yuan pin), which could be reconstructed in Sanskrit as Acintyavimokṣagocarapraveśanasamantabhadracaryāpranidhāna).

As mentioned, the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra became the basis for the Chinese Huayan
school of Buddhism. Li Tongxuan (635–730 ce) was particularly influential in the spread of this
tradition, and he wrote a commentary (華嚴論, Huayan lun) on the
Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, in which he identifies a deeper structure and meaning in the
Gaṇḍavyūha’s narrative, and that part of Li Tongxuan’s commentary has been translated
into French by Patrick Carré. Li also composed a summary of that commentary and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra itself. This tradition spread to Korea and Japan, where it became, respectively, the Hwaeom and Kegon schools of
Buddhism.

##
Gaṇḍavyūha and Borobudur

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra, and in particular its Maitreya chapter, was an inspiration for
what is arguably the greatest Buddhist monument ever built: Borobudur in Indonesia. This was built in the ninth century by the
Buddhist kings of the Śailendra dynasty in Java. The massive structure has a series of encircling terraces that hold 504
statues and 2672 carved panels. The upper terraces, the third and fourth galleries, are entirely dedicated to the Gaṇḍavyūha, with 460 panels illustrating the sūtra.  Of these, it
appears that 218 panels are dedicated to the Maitreya chapter, and from among those twenty are dedicated to the description of
Maitreya’s kūṭāgāra and thirty-five to the various manifestations of Maitreya. In fact, 334 panels are dedicated to the conclusion of the Gaṇḍavyūha: Maitreya, the brief return to Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, and the “Prayer of Good Conduct.” This
reflects the importance of the Gaṇḍavyūha and particularly of Maitreya’s kūṭāgāra—an edifice
that embodied enlightenment—for the constructors of Borobudur, who were also trying to create an edifice that embodied
enlightenment.

Although the number of accounts of Sudhana meeting kalyāṇamitras grew in succeeding recensions, they did not reach the
number given in the sūtra itself in chapter 54, where Maitreya states that Sudhana, following his initial meeting with
Mañjuśrī, has visited 110 kalyāṇamitras. Borobudur, possibly to accord with that statement, does have that number of panels
dedicated to the illustration of that part of the Gaṇḍavyūha, but even so it does not
represent 110 kalyāṇamitras but instead repeats the illustration of certain visits, in addition to portraying Sudhana
traveling and depicting incidents in past lives of the kalyāṇamitras.

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra in Tibet

The Buddhāvataṃsaka as translated into Tibetan is composed of forty-five chapters and
115 fascicles, with the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra still retaining its position as the last of the
chapters. According to the Degé Kangyur, the entire Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, including the
Gaṇḍavyūha, was translated into Tibetan by Yeshé Dé, Jinamitra, and Surendrabodhi, which
would have been during the reign of King Senalek (r. ca. 800/804–15) or King Ralpachen (r. 815–36). Yeshé Dé and Jinamitra had
been working at Samyé Monastery since the reign of King Trisong Detsen (r. 742–98), but Surendrabodhi appears to have come to
Tibet after Senalek, Trisong Detsen’s youngest son, became king. Senalek was in turn succeeded by his son Ralpachen, the end
of whose reign also saw the end of state-sponsored translation. Therefore, this translation appears to have been made sometime
between 800 and 836, but it may incorporate even earlier translation work, particularly in the case of the Gaṇḍavyūha.

By the time of the sūtra’s translation into Tibetan at the beginning of the ninth century, the number of chapters in
the Avataṃsaka Sūtra had increased from thirty-nine to forty-five. But this is primarily
because of the division in Tibetan of what is the Chinese chapter 5 into chapters 5 through 9, with some additional material,
and the additional chapters 11 and 32. This Tibetan translation provides the earliest indication of when the forty-fifth
chapter was named Gaṇḍavyūha.

According to Tashi Wangchuk, who wrote the colophon to the eighteenth-century Degé edition, and also according to the
historian Ngorchen Könchok Lhundrup (1497–1557), the Buddhāvataṃsaka is composed of seven
sūtras or sections, while Pekar Zangpo divides the first of these into two, making eight sections.

Whereas the Chinese version of the Buddhāvataṃsaka retained the traditional beginning
of the Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra as an independent sūtra, commencing with “Thus did I hear…” and so
on, the version translated into Tibetan omits it, as do the surviving Sanskrit versions.

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra, which in Tibetan is interpreted to mean, ambiguously, The Stem Array Sūtra, is the forty-fifth and last chapter in the Tibetan version of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, which is made up of four volumes as found in the Degé Kangyur. This
chapter is by far the longest, beginning halfway through the third volume and occupying the entire fourth volume of the Buddhāvataṃsaka. It is composed of 72 of the 115 fascicles that make up the entire sūtra,
beginning with fascicle 44 (the twenty-fourth in volume Ga). Fascicles refer to the bundles of pages in the original Sanskrit
manuscripts, usually joined up through two holes in the center of each page. In this translation the beginning of a fascicle
is simply marked with the letter B (from the Tibetan for fascicle: bam po) and a number, for example, [B24].

The quality of the Tibetan translation differs from the rest of the Buddhāvataṃsaka,
either because of scribal corruption or choices of translation. The Tibetan has peculiarities not shared with other parts of
the Avataṃsaka. For example, it retains the archaic spelling of myi and myed instead of mi and med. The translation is less reliable than
usual, as it contains frequent, possibly inadvertent omissions and misspellings that must have occurred early in the scribal
transmission, as some of these errors in the sūtra are found in all Kangyurs.

It also exhibits a certain idiosyncrasy of translation, in that the terms may not match what was established in the
Mahāvyutpatti (bye brag tu rtogs par byed chen po) and Madhyavyutpatti (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa), the early ninth-century Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionaries produced
within the same state-sponsored translation project responsible for the translation of this sūtra. For example, vyūha is regularly translated as rgyan
(“adornment”) instead of bkod pa (“array”), even in the title of the sūtra,
in spite of its being generally known in Tibetan as sdong po bkod pa. These and other
variations of the title are touched upon in the Avataṃsaka’s editorial colophon in the Degé
Kangyur (

).

According to that colophon, this edition of the Avataṃsaka was prepared in 1722. This
was eight years before the eighth Tai Situpa Chökyi Jungné (1700–1774) began his work as chief editor of the Degé Kangyur. He
states in his account of the creation of the Kangyur: “I began in the Iron Dog year,” which was 1730, and the carving and
printing of the Degé woodblocks did not begin until 1737 and was completed in 1744. It was nevertheless done under the command
of the Degé King Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738), as was the entire Degé Kangyur, and therefore may be an earlier edition that Situ
incorporated into his edition of the Kangyur. The colophon also states that it was based on the Lithang Kangyur, also known as
the Jangsa Tham Kangyur. The creation of this Kangyur took five years, from 1609 until 1614. The Lithang was the second
printing of the Kangyur, which otherwise only existed in manuscript form. The first printing was the Yongle in 1411.

The colophons of the Narthang, Lhasa, and Stok Palace Kangyurs ascribe the translation of the Buddhāvataṃsaka to a Vairocanarakṣita: “It was translated and revised by the chief editor Lotsawa
Vairocanarakṣita.” The great Sakya master Ngorchen Könchok Lhundrup also states that the translator was
Vairocanarakṣita.

In the editor’s colophon in the Degé it states, “It is taught that Surendrabodhi and Vairocanarakṣita became
principal editors for a Chinese translation.” As the Indian master Surendrabodhi came to Tibet during the reign of King
Senalek (ca. 800/804–15), the identity of this Vairocanarakṣita is a mystery, as he could not be the eleventh-century
translator Vairocanarakṣita, nor could he be the eighth-century Vairocana. Tashi Wangchuk adds, “I
have not seen any other text or history of a translation made by any lotsawa or paṇḍita other than those listed in the colophon to this translation into Tibetan,”
thus apparently rejecting the attribution of Vairocanarakṣita as the translator.

Translations into Western Languages

The Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra was translated into German from Buddhabhadra’s Chinese version
by Dōi Torakazu as Das Kegon Sutra, Das Buch vom Eintreten in den Kosmos der Wahrheit in
1978.

The entire Avataṃsaka Sūtra has been translated from the Chinese by Thomas Cleary and
published in 1993 as The Flower Ornament Scripture. The Gaṇḍavyūha
Sūtra is therefore included as the final chapter, chapter 39, under the title “Entry into the Realm of
Reality.”

The Śikṣānanda version has been translated from the Chinese into French by Patrick Carré. There is as yet no
translation of the longest Chinese version, which was translated by the Kashmiri Prajñā in 798.

There have been partial unpublished translations from the Sanskrit by Mark Allen Ehman in 1977 and Yuko Ijiri in
2005.

Douglas Osto has translated the first part of chapter 1 and chapters 3, 54, and 55 from the Sanskrit of the Gaṇḍavyūha, with its title given as The Supreme Array. They are
available to read on his website. He has also included excerpts from other chapters of the sūtra in his book Power, Wealth
and Women in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra.

The Meaning of the Title as Translated into Tibetan

As mentioned above, the sūtra’s title in Chinese translations differs from that in Tibetan, and it was evidently known
by other names in earlier centuries. By the ninth century, however, it was known by this obscure title Gaṇḍavyūha. This translation follows the ambiguous meaning assigned to it by the early
ninth-century translators into Tibetan.

There are two versions of the Tibetan title. In the Kangyur, the title is only mentioned in the colophon, where it is
given as sdong pos rgyan. As stated above, rgyan (“adornment”) is used throughout as the translation of vyūha instead of the usual bkod pa (“array”). Nevertheless, it
is usually referred to in Tibetan literature as sdong po bkod pa. The Sanskrit compound does
not indicate the grammatical connection between the two terms gaṇḍa and
vyūha, but the Kangyur colophon’s sdong pos
rgyan ascribes an instrumental case to gaṇḍha, while its
popularly known title sdong po bkod pa has no such case. Neither Sanskrit nor Tibetan
specifies whether gaṇḍa is singular or plural. The title appears to have no
connection with the content, unless it is taken to refer to the successive joints in a bamboo stem, as an analogy to the
successive episodes in Sudhana’s journey.

Gaṇḍa in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit can have two meanings: “stem” or
“stalk” and “pieces” or “parts” or “sections,” and the Pali specifies that, as a variation of gaṇṭha, it can mean the section between the joints of a stem, in addition to such things as a
swelling, a boil, an excrescence, and so on. As the sūtra is composed of a series of episodes in which Sudhana meets a
succession of teachers, the intended meaning could well have been “an array of parts” or, more freely, “a series of episodes.”
The only use of the word gaṇḍa in the sūtra itself is within a compound in
verse 112 in the Maitreya chapter: pañcagaṇḍagaticakramohitam. Pañcagaṇḍika is a standard BHS term for the five classes of existence, and
therefore that compound could be translated as meaning “the ignorance of the wheel of the five sections of existence,”
referring to hells, pretas, animals, humans, and devas. However, because the meanings of gaṇḍa can include boil, blister, abscess, goiter, cheek, or bubble (as well as harness, button,
joint, bone, and so on), the Tibetan here translates gaṇḍa as “blister”
(shu ba) so that the Tibetan translation of this compound is shu ba’i lam rgyud lnga yi ’khor lor rmongs (“the ignorance of the wheels of the
blisters of the five existences,” which seems unlikely to have been the original intended meaning).

Douglas Osto also points out that gaṇḍa has been used as the first
element of a compound in Sanskrit to mean “great” or “supreme,” and he therefore has translated gaṇḍavyūha as “Supreme Array,” which would have made for a reasonable title.

However, the English translation of the title here, “Stem Array,” follows the better-known version of the Tibetan
title, preserving its peculiar ambiguity, while the less familiar title as given in the colophon could have been translated as
“An Adornment by Stems.”

The Meaning of the Title Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra

The title of the sūtra in which the Gaṇḍavyūha is the final chapter has also been
interpreted variously. The word avataṃsaka is a substantiate of avataṃsa. In Classical Sanskrit, avataṃsa describes a garland or any circular ornamentation. For example, karṇāvataṃsa (ear avataṃsa) means “earring.” One peculiar
Tibetan translation of buddhāvataṃsaka is “Buddha’s earring” (snyan gyi gong rgyan). A kusumāvataṃsa (flower avataṃsa) is a flower garland that is
worn by a person, hence another Tibetan translation of buddhāvataṃsaka is
“Buddha’s garland,” using an obscure archaic word for garland that has various spellings (rmad ga chad, rma ga chad, or rmag chad). Thomas Cleary, translating into English from the Chinese Huayan, calls it Flower Ornament. However, in Buddhist Hybrid
Sanskrit (BHS), avataṃsaka means “a great number,” “a multitude,” or “a
collection.” Therefore, we have the Tibetan version of the title as A Multitude of Buddhas
(sangs rgyas phal po che). phal po che
is used elsewhere in the Kangyur to translate Sanskrit words meaning “multitude,” such as nicaya, for “a great assembly of beings” (skye bo phal po
che for mahat janakāya). Although this is the title given in
all Kangyurs, some, such as the Urga and Degé have the title Flower Garland (rma ga chad) at the conclusion of each chapter, a possible indication that this was the earlier
translation of the title, which has been left unchanged within the body of the text. However, the Mahāvyutpatti dictionary has phal po che for avataṃsaka, and neither rma ga
chad nor its variant forms appear anywhere in the dictionary. This contradiction between the chapter colophons
and the main title is absent in the Lhasa, Stok Palace, Narthang, Lithang, and Shelkar Kangyurs. This translation follows the
example of those latter versions so as to avoid such an evident contradiction.

Whatever the intended meaning of the title, the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra does depict a
multitude of buddhas, among which are multitudes of the Buddha Śākyamuni, all of whom are emanated by the Buddha
Vairocana.

During the course of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra we find that the Buddha Śākyamuni is
but one of countless manifestations of the Buddha Vairocana. Śākyamuni is even referred to as the Buddha Vairocana. The Buddha
Śākyamuni is depicted as being simultaneously present in various locations in our world realm: at the Bodhi tree, in the
Trāyastriṃśa paradise of Indra, which is on the summit of Sumeru, in the Yāma and Tuṣita paradises high above
Sumeru, and in the highest paradise in the realm of desire—the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise. Śākyamuni
is also depicted as being present in these same locations not only in our world realm but in countless other world realms. The
Buddha Vairocana prayed to manifest in this way and to have vast assemblies that his manifestations would teach to, and these
buddhas are the result of his prayer. According to the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, not only is
Vairocana the source of all buddhas everywhere, but all the bodhisattvas whom those buddhas teach were previously pupils of
Buddha Vairocana.

This depiction of Śākyamuni as a Vairocana emanation has its precedent in a sūtra that was never translated into
Tibetan, the Brahmajālasūtra, which introduces the Buddha Vairocana as the buddha who is
the source of ten billion Śākyamunis simultaneously existing in various worlds. This sūtra should not be confused with the
early Buddhist Brahmajālasūtra, which has an identical title but entirely different
content. That Brahmajālasūtra was translated into Tibetan and is included within the Pali canon.

The Buddha Vairocana is therefore portrayed in the Buddhāvataṃsaka as the fundamental
buddha who is the source of countless manifestations of the Buddha Śākyamuni. The Buddha Vairocana would also later become the
central buddha in tantric traditions such as the Shingon tradition of Japan, which is based particularly on the Mahāvairocanābhisambodhi Tantra (Toh 494). Even in the higher tantras Vairocana still retains his
position as the central buddha in the five-buddha-family system.

Who Is Sudhana and What Is a Śreṣthin?

The Borobudur panels portray Sudhana as a prince-like young man with a retinue, whereas there are Chinese and Japanese
depictions of him as a chubby child. Many years pass in the course of his wanderings. In chapter 8 it is stated that he spent
twelve years searching for the head merchant Muktaka, so even if he were a child at the beginning, he would be an adult by the
end. However, the conventional passage of time is not a feature of this sūtra. Sudhana is introduced as being part of one of
four groups that come to see Mañjuśrī when he goes to South India. There are laypeople—the male upāsakas and female upāsikās—and dārakas and dārikas (“sons and
daughters” or “boys and girls”), which, like the compound strīpuruṣadārakadārikāḥ much later in the sūtra, appears to imply parents and their children, and this is
specifically indicated when Mahāprajña, the first of the eleven named upāsakas, is identified as the father of the first of
the daughters. However, the definition of the terms dāraka and dārika includes unmarried males and females up to the age of twenty, and each of
these sons and daughters who come to meet Mañjuśrī is accompanied by a retinue. Therefore, the implication is that Sudhana is
not a child but presumably around eighteen or nineteen years old. As Sudhana is the first of the eleven named sons listed, the
implication appears to be that, as the most prominent of the sons, he is also the son of Mahāprajña. The only description of
his family is the vast, miraculous wealth they obtained upon his birth.

Throughout the sūtra he is referred to as a śreṣṭhidāraka. The word
śreṣṭhin in Classical Sanskrit can mean “distinguished,” “eminent,” “a
person of high position,” and, more specifically, the president of a guild or a head merchant. Edgerton, for the Buddhist
Hybrid, gives “guild leader” and “capitalist.” The Pali equivalent seṭṭhi,
according to the Pali Text Society’s dictionary, can mean “the foreman of a guild,” “a treasurer,” “a banker,” or “a wealthy
merchant.” Douglas Osto, in Power, Wealth and Women in Indian Mahāyāna Buddhism: The
Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra, used “merchant-banker’s son” to describe Sudhana, but subsequently in his translation of parts
of the sūtra he used the simpler “merchant’s son.” Cleary and Carré, translating from the Chinese, have, respectively, “youth”
and jeune (“young”), omitting a translation of śreṣṭhin. Here I follow the Tibetan translation of śreṣṭhin as tshong dpon, literally “head merchant.”

In chapter 8, Muktaka is simply called a śreṣṭhin, translated into
Tibetan as tshong dpon (“head merchant”), and this translation follows the
Tibetan, although his work is not described. Cleary translates śreṣṭhin as
“distinguished man” and also as the adjective “noble”; Carré, translating from the Chinese, has aîné (“elder” or “superior”).

In chapter 18, Ratnacūḍa is said to be a dharmaśreṣṭhin, which was
translated into Tibetan as chos kyi tshong dpon, literally “head merchant of
the Dharma,” presumably meaning that he is a wealthy patron of the Dharma. Cleary translates as both “eminent person” and
“religious eminent,” while Carré translates from the Chinese simply as aîné
(“elder” or “superior”). Ratnacūḍa is twice associated with a market in the narrative and therefore does seem to be an
extremely wealthy merchant, and his ten-story house of gold is filled with Dharma activities and even visions of buddhas and
bodhisattvas.

In chapter 19, Samantanetra is said to be a gāndhikaśreṣṭhin,
translated into Tibetan as tshong dpon spod tshong (“head-merchant perfume
seller”). Cleary translates this as “eminent perfumer,” which would correspond to the Sanskrit, and Carré has simply aîné (“elder” or “superior”), omitting reference to gāndhika.

In chapter 24, Utpalabhūti is also called a gāndhikaśreṣṭhin,
translated into Tibetan slightly differently than in chapter 19 as spod tshong gi
tshong dpon. Cleary again translates this as “eminent perfumer,” while Carré has simply parfumeur (“perfumer” or “perfume seller”), omitting reference to śreṣṭhin.

In chapter 26, Jayottama is simply called a śreṣṭhin, translated into
Tibetan as tshong dpon (“head merchant”). Cleary translates as “eminent man,”
and Carré, translating from the Chinese, has marchand (“merchant”). However, in
the narrative there is no mention of the work he does, but instead he is said to be advising householders on civic duties,
doing so in terms of the Dharma.

The Numbers

Chapters 10 and 15 of the Gaṇḍavyūha have two long lists of numbers that demonstrate
the innumerable beings for whom bodhisattvas seek enlightenment. Any number, no matter how large, does not encapsulate the
scope of their salvific agenda. These two lists of numbers should have been identical. As this is a unique list of numbers,
they have proved to be very susceptible to corruption or omission. There are differences between the two lists in the
surviving Sanskrit and also for the same lists in different Sanskrit editions. Moreover, the same numbers were translated
differently into Tibetan in the two chapters even though the translation in chapter 10 of the Gaṇḍavyūha is reproduced exactly in chapter 36 or the 36th sūtra in the Avataṃsaka as The Teaching on Using Numbers on Being Questioned by Cittarāja. The Gaṇḍavyūha lists were recorded in the Mahāvyutpatti
Sanskrit–Tibetan dictionary, revealing not only that variations already existed but that they also differed from the Kangyur
versions. The Chinese should be the earliest witness to the condition of the lists. However, Buddhabhadra and Śikṣānanda
omitted most of the numbers in the Gaṇḍavyūha chapter, instead writing “and so on” and
jumping to the last number. Therefore, they are not found in Carré’s translations, and Cleary reproduces the version found in
the Sanskrit. Meanwhile, Prajñā recorded the list in Chinese phonetics. The phonetics of Chinese ideograms have varied over
time and regions, but they are still able to give an indication of the list. However, because of being a long sequence of
names for incalculable numbers, it may have suffered from the same defects through successive copying. In addition, Śikṣānanda
transliterated the list as it occurs in chapter 36 of the Avataṃsaka. In our translation
there is an attempt to supplement omissions that have occurred in the two lists and to find the correct Sanskrit spelling for
the numbers, with the Mahāvyutpatti record of the numbers being particularly important, so as
to create a uniformity between the lists. Some of the recorded forms of the numbers in chapter 15 have the nominative case in
-u, which may well be a remnant of the original Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit of the
sūtra. It may never be possible to ascertain the original condition of the lists, but their purpose was not to create a
reliable mathematical tool but to overwhelm the mind with an inconceivable vastness of numbers. Therefore, a disproportionate
amount of time has been spent on these pages of numbers, even though a reader may very well skip over them.

The system of enumeration reaches numbers of such enormous value that they exceed even the extensive system of names
for large numbers that have been developed in English in modern times, the highest being the googolplex (a 1 followed by a
hundred zeros, and the source for the name and verb Google). Even such a number is dwarfed by the
vastness of the universe of the Gaṇḍavyūha, where even within each atom there are as many
buddhas as there are atoms in total. Therefore, an attempt to provide equivalent English names foundered, and the
inconsistency in the Tibetan has resulted in choosing the Sanskrit names for this translation, though the various Tibetan,
Chinese, and Sanskrit equivalents or variants are supplied in the endnotes.

Challenges in the Translation

Although the translation is based on the Degé edition, and the numbers of the xylograph Degé folios are included
within the translation, it is the Comparative Edition of the Degé that has proved invaluable, as it contains detailed
annotations of the discrepancies with other editions of the Kangyur, often revealing errors in the Degé. Some of these errors
are evidently the result of the copyist mishearing a word being dictated by a reader. The sūtra existed only in handwritten
copies for five centuries before the first woodblock printing (the Yongle edition made in China) in 1410. Not included in the
Comparative Edition but consulted for this translation is the Stok Palace Kangyur, which belongs to another group of Kangyurs
and has occasionally been alone in preserving the correct spelling, for example, rnyi (“snare”) translating the Sanskrit jāla (“net”) while all
other available Kangyurs have snying (“essence” or “heart”).

The Sanskrit often provides a witness as to which Kangyur has the correct spelling. Sanskrit manuscripts are
themselves just as subject to corruption, and surviving Sanskrit manuscripts date to a later period than the Tibetan
translation. At times the Tibetan is evidently translating from a word similar to that in the presently available Sanskrit,
and therefore it may have been translated from a manuscript in which particular words were not yet corrupted, or it could be
translating from a manuscript that contained an error. The Chinese translations are the earliest witness to the condition of
the sūtra in Sanskrit; at times the Chinese agrees with the Tibetan and at times with the available Sanskrit. The work of our
Chinese consultant, Ling Lung Chen, has been illuminating in this respect. An example of where the Tibetan and the Chinese are
correct and the present Sanskrit is not is where mukha (“gateway”) has been
misspelled as sukha (“bliss”). There are also cases where the Classical
Sanskrit meaning of a word has been incorrectly adopted for the Tibetan translation instead of the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
meaning. Another problem is inadvertent omission of words, particularly in lists, which may have occurred in the Sanskrit
manuscript being used or early in the process of manuscript copying in Tibet. These missing words are included in the
translation, even though the meaning would not be affected by their omission.

The Sanskrit has also been helpful when the meaning in Tibetan translation is vague and open to interpretation or
seems dubious in its accuracy. Another challenge particular to this sūtra is the repetition of long descriptive compounds that
are not stock phrases and are meant to be overwhelming, describing qualities beyond the grasp of the ordinary mind. The
meaning of words in this context and their interrelationship is open to a wider interpretation than usual; for example, if
sarva (“all”) begins a compound, it has been open to interpretation as to
which part of the compound it refers to. Generally, however, in this translation the Tibetan interpretation is followed unless
there appears to be an egregious (and noted) error or an inadvertent omission. Instances of discrepancies among the Tibetan,
the Sanskrit, and the Chinese are included in the notes.

Tibetan does not have the precise cases that Sanskrit has; therefore, the Sanskrit has been invaluable in indicating
singular or plural as well as where in long passages the compounds change case, such as from nominative to instrumental in the
long passage describing Sudhana at the beginning of chapter 56.

Also, when Sanskrit compounds are translated into Tibetan, it is not always clear where one compound ends and the
other begins. This is sometimes indicated by the shad, the vertical line in
Tibetan orthography, but as the Tibetan editor’s colophon indicates, the placement of the shad is at times arbitrary and confusing, the likely result of the process of copying, as some of
the errors are evidently transcription errors from listening to the text being read. The Vaidya Sanskrit edition in Roman
letters has added punctuation that does not always agree with the Tibetan interpretation of the structure of the sentence. The
Suzuki edition of the Sanskrit has also been useful for finding transcription errors in the Vaidya. Tibetan also tends to
translate the prefixes of Sanskrit words, while a direct translation from Sanskrit into English would choose a word from the
more extensive English vocabulary. This translation tends to follow the latter approach rather than the translation of
prefixes. Words can be multivalent in Sanskrit, their meaning altered according to context, and can even be interpreted as
having more than one meaning simultaneously. There are Sanskrit poems written with a carefully chosen vocabulary to create
verses that can be read as having two different meanings. There are some terms in this sūtra where a choice of translation
necessarily means rejecting another possible meaning; for example, vajra can
refer to a thunderbolt or a diamond, and these two can be seen in that culture as identical. In particular, however, there are
two prominent terms in this sūtra that present such a problem: dharmadhātu
and samantabhadrabodhisattvacaryā.

The word dharmadhātu is a compound made of two elements: dharma and dhātu. Dharma has a great number of meanings, from “the Buddha’s teachings” to “law,”
“justice,” “qualities,” “nature,” “phenomena,” and so on, while dhātu can
indicate a realm, an element, or a constituent and can be used to mean sensory elements, the relics from an enlightened
being’s cremation, and so on. In the term lokadhātu, used over and over in
this sūtra, dhātu can mean “realm,” as in “world realm” or “a realm of
worlds.” The term dharmadhātu has been used to mean “essence or true nature
of phenomena,” such as emptiness, and so the Chinese title, which could be translated as Entering the
Dharmadhātu, has been translated by Carré as l’Entrée dans la dimension absolue
(Entry into the Absolute Dimension) and by Cleary as Entry into the
Realm of Reality. Osto has used the more literal “realm of the Dharma,” which has in certain contexts been used in
this translation. However, often the meaning appears to be “the realm of phenomena” when something is said to spread
everywhere, and occasionally it could mean either, or simultaneously both.

The ambiguity of samantabhadrabodhisattvacaryā is reflected in
differing translations. It is a compound used repeatedly in the sūtra, and the question is whether samantabhadra (“completely good”) is an adjective for bodhisattvacaryā (“bodhisattva conduct”) or whether it means the conduct of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra.
The sequence of the words in the compound (this is not evident in Tibetan) would appear to signify the former meaning, but its
use in the Samantabhadra chapter appears to indicate the latter. At times it could mean both simultaneously.

Neither the Tibetan nor the Chinese—nor therefore the Sanskrit from which they were translated—had a division of the
Gaṇḍavyūha into chapters. The later Sanskrit has a division into fifty-six chapters, and
because this will make the reading of the sūtra much easier and more accessible for the reader in English, that chapter
division has been adopted for this translation.

Detailed Summary of The Stem Array Sūtra

Chapter 1: Introduction

The Buddha Śākyamuni is in Jetavana in Śrāvastī with five thousand bodhisattvas and five hundred śrāvakas. In
their minds they wish for a teaching, and therefore the Buddha enters samādhi, and countless buddha realms appear there
within a vast kūṭāgāra. Bodhisattvas also come from other realms to Śrāvastī. The śrāvakas, lacking in the necessary
merit, are unable to see this miraculous display. Then ten bodhisattvas who have come from the ten
directions—Vairocanapraṇidhānanābhiraśmiprabha, Duryodhanavīryavegarāja, Samantaśrīsamudgatatejorāja,
Asaṅgaśrīgarbharāja, Dharmadhātupraṇidhisunirmitacandrarāja, Dharmārciṣmattejorāja,
Sarvamāramaṇḍalavikiraṇajñānadhvajarāja, Vairocanapraṇidhānaketudhvaja, Sarvāvaraṇavikiraṇajñānavikrāntarāja,
and Dharmadhātupraṇidhitalanirbheda—recite verses describing what has occurred.

Chapter 2: Samantabhadra

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra recites verses to the bodhisattvas describing the inconceivable pervasion of
phenomena by the buddhas. In addition, the Buddha, still in samādhi, emanates a ray of light from between his eyebrows so
that the bodhisattvas can see these countless buddha realms, and in a state of great joy the bodhisattvas emanate
countless manifestations. On seeing this, Mañjuśrī recites verses describing this event.

Chapter 3: Mañjuśrī

Through the Buddha’s blessing, Śāriputra is enabled to see Mañjuśrī, who is departing for South India. Accompanied
by his sixty pupils, he follows Mañjuśrī. He praises Mañjuśrī to his pupil Sāgarabuddhi. They all go to Mañjuśrī and pay
homage to him, and Mañjuśrī teaches them ten motivations. Then Mañjuśrī goes to Vicitrasāladhvajavyūha Forest near the
city of Dhanyākara. The laypeople of the city, hearing that Mañjuśrī is in the forest, go to see him. Among them is
Sudhana, the son of a prominent upāsaka. Mañjuśrī describes the miracles that occurred at Sudhana’s birth, praises
Sudhana, and teaches him and the others about the nature of buddhas. Mañjuśrī departs; Sudhana follows him and in verse
praises him and requests teaching. Mañjuśrī instructs him to develop bodhisattva conduct by relying on kalyāṇamitras. He
tells him to go to the bhikṣu Meghaśrī, who is on Sugrīva Mountain in the southern land of Rāmāvarānta.

Chapter 4: Meghaśrī

Sudhana arrives in Rāmāvarānta and finds the bhikṣu Meghaśrī walking on a plateau on the summit of a mountain.
Meghaśrī describes how he can see all tathāgatas in every direction. However, he states that his knowledge is limited, and
he cannot describe the various accomplishments that enable other bodhisattvas to see all the tathāgatas, and he instructs
Sudhana to go to the bhikṣu Sāgaramegha in Sāgaramukha so as to receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva.

Chapter 5: Sāgaramegha

Sudhana meets Sāgaramegha, who describes how by focusing on the ocean and its qualities over twelve years he saw
a buddha seated on a giant precious lotus arise from the ocean, with countless deities of various kinds paying homage to
that buddha, who gave him a teaching called All-Seeing Eyes, which was so vast that even one
chapter of it was too long to ever be written out. Sāgaramegha then gave this teaching to the nonhuman beings who came
from all directions. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this teaching and instructs Sudhana to go receive
instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita in Sāgaratīra.

Chapter 6: Supratiṣṭhita

Sudhana searches for Supratiṣṭhita and eventually sees him walking in the sky accompanied by a vast gathering of
various kinds of deities, who pay homage to him. Supratiṣṭhita states that he has attained a wisdom called the
unimpeded apex, so that he knows past lives, all past buddhas, all languages, when to guide beings, and so
on, and can perform all kinds of miracles. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this liberation and
instructs Sudhana to go receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from a Dravidian named Megha in the
town of Vajrapura in the land of Draviḍa.

Chapter 7: Megha

Sudhana finds Megha teaching on a throne in a courtyard in the town of Vajrapura. Megha
comes down from his throne and makes many offerings to Sudhana. He praises the bodhisattvas through various
analogies, and light rays shine from his mouth, spreading throughout the universe. Many deities of various kinds come to
listen. Then Megha sits back on his throne and states that he has attained Sarasvatī’s power of retention, so
that he knows the languages of all the different kinds of deities and other beings throughout all worlds. However, he
states that his knowledge is limited to this Sarasvatī power of retention, and he instructs Sudhana to go receive
instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from a head merchant named Muktaka in the land of Vanavāsī.

Chapter 8: Muktaka

After twelve years Sudhana reaches Vanavāsī and finds Muktaka. Muktaka enters a state of meditation through the
power of retention called the assembly of all the buddha realms, and countless buddhas, their deeds,
their realms, and their pupils become visible within his body. He comes out of his meditation and states that through the
liberation called the unimpeded display, he can see any buddha in any realm or time that he wishes
to, and he is aware that his mind’s perceptions are the mind’s own illusions and that all attainment is the attainment of
the mind. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this liberation called the unimpeded
display, and he instructs Sudhana to go receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from a bhikṣu
named Sāgaradhvaja in the land of Milaspharaṇa at the southern tip of India.

Chapter 9: Sāgaradhvaja

Sudhana arrives at Milaspharaṇa and finds the bhikṣu Sāgaradhvaja sitting in meditation at the end of a
meditation walkway. He is emanating various kinds of beings, bodhisattvas, and buddhas from different parts of his body,
and these emanations are spreading throughout all the buddha realms, accomplishing various kinds of activities. Sudhana
sits before him for six months and six days, until Sāgaradhvaja rises from his samādhi. He describes to Sudhana the
nature of the samādhi he has attained, but he states that his knowledge is limited to that and instructs him to go to
request teaching from the upāsikā Āśā in a park outside the town of Mahāprabhasa.

Chapter 10: Āśā

Sudhana arrives at Samantavyūha Park, which is miraculously beautiful and made of precious substances. The
upāsikā Āśā is seated on a throne inside a magnificent palace, with vast numbers of beings of various kinds paying homage
to her. She tells Sudhana she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the banner of bliss without
sorrow and recounts her past as a pupil of innumerable buddhas. She emphasizes how bodhisattvas are
dedicated to the welfare of all beings. However, as her knowledge is limited to her bodhisattva liberation, she instructs
him to go to the ṛṣi Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa in the land named Nālayu.

Chapter 11: Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa

Sudhana arrives in Nālayu and finds the ṛṣi Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa, along with ten thousand young brahmin pupils,
in an ashram in a miraculously beautiful forest. Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa tells his pupils of Sudhana’s greatness, and they
make offerings to him. Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called
the banner of being invincible to others. He places his hand on Sudhana’s head, and Sudhana sees
innumerable buddha realms and hears the teachings of those buddhas for innumerable kalpas. When Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa
removes his hand, Sudhana is back in the forest at that same time. Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa says his knowledge is limited to
this bodhisattva liberation and instructs him to go to the brahmin Jayoṣmāyatana in the land of Īṣāṇa.

Chapter 12: Jayoṣmāyatana

Sudhana finds the brahmin Jayoṣmāyatana undertaking the ascetic practice of sitting beneath a cliff surrounded by
four fires and under the noonday sun. He tells Sudhana that if he climbs to the top of the precipice above him and jumps
into a fire, he will have pure conduct. On hearing this, Sudhana has doubts about Jayoṣmāyatana, but deities appear in the
sky describing how Jayoṣmāyatana’s asceticism has benefited them on the path to buddhahood. Sudhana then obeys the
brahmin’s instructions, and leaping into the fire, he is unharmed and attains samādhi. Jayoṣmāyatana then tells Sudhana
that his own knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation called the unceasing domain and
therefore he should go to Princess Maitrayaṇī in the city of Siṃhavijṛmbhita.

Chapter 13: Maitrayaṇī

Sudhana finds Princess Maitrayaṇī with an entourage of five hundred maidens in a miraculous palace. She instructs
Sudhana to look around the palace, and he sees innumerable buddhas in every object. She tells Sudhana that she has
attained the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the complete display of memory, but as her
knowledge is limited to that, he should go to the bhikṣu Sudarśana in the land called Trinayana.

Chapter 14: Sudarśana

After a long search, Sudhana finds the bhikṣu Sudarśana attended by devas while practicing walking meditation in
a forest. He tells Sudhana that within his lifetime, he has been the pupil of innumerable buddhas for vast lengths of time
and perceives countless buddhas as he practices his walking meditation. However, his knowledge is limited to this
bodhisattva liberation called the never-extinguished lamp of wisdom. Therefore, he instructs Sudhana
to go to a boy named Indriyeśvara in the city of Sumukha.

Chapter 15: Indriyeśvara

Sudhana finds Indriyeśvara playing in the sand with ten thousand other children. Indriyeśvara tells Sudhana that
he has been the pupil of Mañjuśrī and has mastered all kinds of branches of knowledge. In particular he relates at length
the system of enumeration that bodhisattvas use. However, his knowledge is limited to this gateway called the
wisdom that possesses clairvoyance in all crafts. Therefore, he instructs Sudhana to go to the upāsikā
Prabhūtā in the town of Samudrapratiṣṭhāna.

Chapter 16: Prabhūtā

Sudhana finds the young girl Prabhūtā in a marvelous house, wearing a simple white robe and no jewelry, with just
a small pot before her and no other provisions in her house. Ten thousand beautiful maidens are present as her attendants.
She tells Sudhana that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the unceasing display of the treasure
of merit. Through this she is able to provide countless beings in all directions with whatever they wish
out of her small pot. With the food from her pot, she aids śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas in countless
realms in attaining their enlightenments. Sudhana witnesses countless beings arriving at her home and receiving whatever
they wish from the pot. Prabhūtā then says that as her knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, he should go
to the householder Vidvān in the town of Mahāsaṃbhava.

Chapter 17: Vidvān

Sudhana finds Vidvān upon a throne on a platform at the crossroads in the center of the town. Vidvān tells
Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the merit that arises from the treasury of the
mind. Therefore, he is able to provide beings with whatever they wish, and he has brought his entourage of
ten thousand musicians onto the path to enlightenment. Sudhana sees countless beings arrive. When Vidvān looks up into the
sky, all that the beings wish for comes down into Vidvān’s hands, and he gives it to them. However, Vidvān says his
knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation and instructs Sudhana to go to see the head merchant and Dharma patron
named Ratnacūḍa in the town of Siṃhapota.

Chapter 18: Ratnacūḍa

Sudhana finds Ratnacūḍa in the town’s market. Ratnacūḍa takes him to his ten-story home made of gold. On the
first four floors he witnesses bodhisattva activity of generosity, and on the fifth floor and upward he sees bodhisattvas
discussing the Dharma. On the tenth floor all the bodhisattvas are in their last life. Ratnacūḍa tells Sudhana how in the
past he made an offering of incense to a buddha and the aroma covered the entire world for a week. This resulted in his
attaining the bodhisattva liberation called the unimpeded display of the field of prayer, through
which he can see all buddhas and bodhisattvas. However, as his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, he
instructs Sudhana to go to a perfume seller by the name of Samantanetra in the town of Samantamukha.

Chapter 19: Samantanetra

Sudhana finds Samantanetra in a perfume shop in the middle of the town. Samantanetra describes how he can cure
all illnesses, heal beings, and set them on the path to enlightenment. He is also able to make an offering of perfume to
all buddha realms. However, his knowledge is limited to this gateway called the forms of perfume that satisfy
all beings and through which in every way one sees, makes offerings to, and honors the buddhas. Therefore,
he instructs him to go to King Anala in the town of Tāladhvaja.

Chapter 20: Anala

Sudhana finds King Anala sitting on the throne in judgment on hundreds of thousands of criminals as a horde of
terrifying executioners punish them in various ways, creating a lake of blood and a mountain of body parts. Sudhana has
doubts as to whether King Anala is a bodhisattva, but deities appear in the sky and tell him not to doubt. King Anala
takes Sudhana into his palace and explains that what he has seen is an illusion the king creates to inspire beings to
avoid bad actions. He states that his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation called the attainment
of illusions and therefore instructs Sudhana to go to King Mahāprabha in the city called Suprabha.

Chapter 21: Mahāprabha

After a long search, Sudhana finds the city of Suprabha, which appears to
be miraculously made of precious materials. He finds King Mahāprabha seated on a throne in the city along with vast
amounts of goods, animals, and women arranged as gifts. King Mahāprabha tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva
conduct called the banner of great love from countless buddhas. He provides everyone in his kingdom
with whatever they wish. He states that some beings see the city as ordinary, while others see it as made of precious
materials, and this is according to their realization. The king demonstrates entering a samādhi that causes the entire
country to shake. Beings, deities, and even mountains and plants bow in his direction. In the same way he brings happiness
and serenity to beings in countless realms. King Mahāprabha states that his knowledge is limited to the banner
of great love and instructs him to go see the upāsikā Acalā in the city called Sthirā.

Chapter 22: Acalā

Sudhana reaches the city of Sthirā and finds the upāsikā Acalā at home with her parents in a house shining with a
golden light that causes Sudhana to enter states of samādhi. She is extremely beautiful, shining with light, and has an
exceptional aroma. Acalā describes her past life as a princess during the time of the Buddha Pralambabāhu. One night she
saw him shining in the sky, and since that time she has followed his instructions for many kalpas. She demonstrates her
miraculous power of revealing to him a vision of countless buddha realms made of beryl. She states that her attainment is
limited to a certain conduct, samādhi, and the liberation called the essence of the wisdom that is difficult to
attain, and she instructs Sudhana to go see the parivrājaka Sarvagamin.

Chapter 23: Sarvagamin

After a long journey, Sudhana reaches the town of Tosala in the land called Amitatosala. Having searched through
the town, he goes to a shining hill called Sulabha to the north of the town. At its summit he finds Sarvagamin being
honored by ten thousand brahmins. Sarvagamin describes how through the samādhi called the light of the practice
of all gateways he can benefit beings in many ways throughout many worlds. He instructs Sudhana to go to
the perfume merchant Utpalabhūti.

Chapter 24: Utpalabhūti

Sudhana arrives in the land called Pṛthurāṣṭra and finds the perfume merchant Utpalabhūti, who tells Sudhana of
his mastery of perfumes that have magical and spiritual effects. He tells Sudhana to go to a mariner by the name of
Vaira.

Chapter 25: Vaira

Sudhana goes to the city of Kūṭāgāra and finds the mariner Vaira at the city’s gate on the shore of
the ocean, where he is telling tales of the sea to a hundred thousand merchants and many hundreds of thousands of other
people and describing the qualities of the Buddha. He tells Sudhana that he practices the bodhisattva conduct called
the banner of great compassion, aids beings in various ways, knows the locations of islands and
treasures and the ways of sailing on the ocean, and sets beings toward enlightenment through his teaching. However, his
attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called remembering to abide with the fruitful hearing and
seeing of the banner of great compassion, and therefore he instructs Sudhana to go to see the head merchant
Jayottama.

Chapter 26: Jayottama

Sudhana reaches the town called Nandihāra and finds Jayottama in a forest on the eastern side of the town,
speaking about civic duties to many thousands of householders. He tells Sudhana how in many worlds he teaches the Dharma,
pacifies disputes and wars, guides people away from bad behavior, and sets them on the path to enlightenment. He tells
Sudhana to go see a bhikṣuṇī by the name of Siṃhavijṛmbhitā.

Chapter 27: Siṃhavijṛmbhitā

Sudhana arrives in the town of Kaliṅgavana in the land of Śroṇāparānta and finds Siṃhavijṛmbhitā in a park named
Sūryaprabha that, because of her miraculous power, is covered with jewels and other miraculous
manifestations. There are thrones at the foot of jewel trees, on all of which sit Siṃhavijṛmbhitā teaching the Dharma to
various kinds of beings and bodhisattvas. She tells Sudhana that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called
the eradication of all conceit, which enables her to go in various forms to various worlds to
make offerings to buddhas and bodhisattvas. Stating that her realization is limited, she instructs him to go see a
courtesan named Vasumitrā.

Chapter 28: Vasumitrā

Sudhana arrives in the city of Ratnavyūha in the land of Durga and searches for the courtesan Vasumitrā. The
people who do not know her qualities wonder why a practitioner like Sudhana would want to see her. Those who do know her
qualities tell him where her home is. It is vast, comprising many buildings made of precious materials and divine in
appearance. She is beautiful and skilled in languages and all arts and treatises. Her body illuminates her residence. She
tells Sudhana that she takes on a beautiful form among various kinds of beings who are under the power of desire and
teaches them the Dharma to free them from desire, and that they also become free from desire on seeing her, touching her,
kissing her, and so on. She describes that in a past life she was a head merchant’s wife who offered a bell to the Buddha
Atyuccagāmin, who had entered their city accompanied by miraculous events. Mañjuśrī was an attendant of that buddha and
set her on the path to enlightenment. She states that her attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called
the complete attainment of freedom from desire and instructs him to go see the householder
Veṣṭhila.

Chapter 29: Veṣṭhila

Sudhana goes to the town of Śubhapāraṃgama, where he meets the householder Veṣṭhila, who attained the samādhi
called the display of the unceasing family of the buddhas when he opened the door of a shrine.
Through this samādhi he sees countless buddhas of the past, present, and future. He instructs Sudhana to meet the
bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.

Chapter 30: Avalokiteśvara

Sudhana goes to the Potalaka Mountain and on its western side finds Avalokiteśvara teaching within a forest
grove. Avalokiteśvara places his radiant hand on Sudhana’s head and tells him that he has the bodhisattva activity called
the unimpeded gateway to great compassion. He describes how he benefits beings through various
manifestations and emanations, freeing them from various kinds of fear. However, being limited to that activity, he
instructs Sudhana to go to the Cakravāla mountain range to see the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin, who has just come
from another world realm in the east.

Chapter 31: Ananyagāmin

Sudhana goes to see the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin, who says that in the eastern realm of Śrīgarbhavatī he has
attained the bodhisattva liberation called the arising of every gateway at the feet of the Buddha
Samantaśrīsaṃbhava, and that it has taken him countless kalpas to reach this world, even though he passed countless
realms with each step. He also made offerings to all the buddhas in those realms and manifested bodies to benefit the
beings there, and he did this while approaching this world from all other directions simultaneously. He tells Sudhana that
his attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called the arising of every gateway and
instructs him to go see the deity Mahādeva.

Chapter 32: Mahādeva

Sudhana reaches the city named Dvāravatī and finds the deity Mahādeva in a temple in the center of the city. When
Sudhana asks him for instruction, he extends his four arms to the four great oceans and brings back water to rinse out his
mouth. He praises bodhisattvas, who are so difficult to meet, and states that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation
called the net of clouds. Through that liberation he manifests heaps of jewels and precious objects
in front of Sudhana for him to use as offerings to the buddhas in order to gain merit. In that way he establishes
countless beings in the practice of generosity. He manifests ugliness to those with desire, terrifying manifestations to
the proud, and dangers to the lazy, so that they will follow the Dharma. As he is limited to this bodhisattva liberation,
he instructs Sudhana to go from South India to Magadha in North India, to the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, and see
the earth goddess Sthāvarā there.

Chapter 33: Sthāvarā

Sudhana leaves South India and reaches the bodhimaṇḍa in Magadha. As he approaches the earth goddess Sthāvarā,
another million earth goddesses declare that a great realized being is approaching. They manifest an array of miraculous
appearances. Sthāvarā states that Sudhana has accumulated merit in this place in past lives and demonstrates its result by
stamping on the ground so that there appear millions of treasures that Sudhana will always be able to use. She states that
she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the essence of invincible wisdom, as a result of
which she has practiced the Dharma and protected bodhisattvas since the time of the Buddha Dīpaṅkara. She received this
liberation from the Buddha Sunetra many kalpas previously and since then has
always been in the presence of buddhas. As she is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, she instructs Sudhana to go to
Kapilavastu, the hometown of the Buddha Śākyamuni, to see the night goddess Vāsantī.

Chapter 34: Vāsantī

Sudhana reaches Kapilavastu, and after sunset he sees the night goddess Vāsantī in the sky above the town. She
has a golden body, and he sees in her pores the realms of beings she has liberated and her various emanations, and he also
hears from her pores the Dharma teachings she has given. She tells Sudhana that she has attained the bodhisattva
liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness
of all beings. She describes how she helps various beings who are distressed in various ways in darkness,
and how she liberates beings from the darkness of saṃsāra and protects and saves beings from physical and spiritual
dangers. Then she describes these activities in verse. She then explains that many kalpas previously, she had been a queen
who was awoken one night by a night goddess named Suviśuddhacandrābhā, who told her that the Buddha
Sarvadharmanigarjitarāja had just attained buddhahood in a nearby forest and had manifested a miraculous light. She
went to that buddha, entered the Dharma, and in every lifetime that followed had a fortunate rebirth and accumulated
merit. After countless kalpas, she became the beautiful daughter of a head merchant, and the night goddess
Suviśuddhacandrābhā had become a night goddess named Viśuddhanetrābhā. One night the night goddess revealed herself to
the merchant’s daughter and told her of the Buddha Sumerudhvajāyatanaśāntanetraśrī, who had attained buddhahood seven
days previously and was the first of five hundred buddhas who would appear in that kalpa. The merchant’s daughter went to
that buddha and on seeing his face remembered her previous lives. It was from that buddha that she received the
bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates
the darkness of all beings. As a result, she could be in countless realms before many buddhas
simultaneously, knew the languages of beings in countless realms, and manifested to them in various ways. However, she
says that she is limited to this attainment and instructs Sudhana to go back to the bodhimaṇḍa to see the night goddess
Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā.

Chapter 35: Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā

Sudhana returns to the bodhimaṇḍa and sees the night goddess Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā. She instructs
him in ten qualities that bodhisattvas need to attain. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called
complete subjugation through the bliss of the peace of śamatha, through which she can see all the
buddhas in the three times, receive all their teachings, and ripen beings in various ways. Stating that she is limited to
this liberation, she instructs Sudhana to go see the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā, who is nearby.

Chapter 36: Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā

Sudhana goes to the southern side of the bodhimaṇḍa, where he sees the night goddess
Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā. Sudhana sees emanated bodies, as numerous as all beings, coming from all her pores,
teaching the path of the bodhisattva to beings in different languages and forms. Sudhana praises her in verse and then
asks her when she attained her bodhisattva liberation called the banner of the power of vast, stainless,
completely good joy. Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā replies in verse, describing how in a previous world
in the distant past she was the queen of a cakravartin. She was awoken by night goddesses on the night that a buddha named
Śrisamudra attained buddhahood and shone with a miraculous light. She woke the king, the court, and the other queens, and
with a great mass of people they went to the Buddha. That was when she first developed the aspiration to attain
buddhahood, and she particularly prayed to become like those night goddesses. She lists the numerous buddhas whom she
offered to and received teachings from throughout a number of worlds and kalpas. Finally she received and attained her
bodhisattva liberation from the Buddha Ratnaśrīpradīpaguṇaketu and then, out of compassion for beings, took on her
present form as a night goddess. However, she states that she is limited to that attainment and instructs Sudhana to go to
the night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī, who is nearby among the assembly at the bodhimaṇḍa.

Chapter 37: Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī

As Sudhana walks the short distance to see the night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī, she radiates onto him a
light ray that causes him to enter a samādhi and see worlds in the atoms of the ground, and to see her appearing in them
all to guide and help beings through the power of her bodhisattva liberation called the manifestations that
guide beings that appear in all worlds. Sudhana recites verses to her, describing this vision, and asks her
when she attained that liberation. She describes how countless kalpas in the past, in a world called Vairocanatejaḥśrī,
she was a princess named Padmabhadrābhirāmanetraśrīcandrā, the daughter of a cakravartin who ruled all four
continents. North of the capital there was a Bodhi tree, before which was a lake with a magical lotus in its center, upon
which was the Buddha Samantajñānaratnārciśrīguṇaketurāja, the first of countless buddhas to appear in that kalpa.
Over a period of ten thousand years, he radiated light rays to the beings in that world, informing them and preparing them
for his eventual appearance as a buddha. At the moment of his attainment of buddhahood in that world, there were
miraculous omens everywhere. The bodhisattva Samantabhadra appeared above the cakravartin’s palace, his radiance
outshining all other lights. He informed the king that a buddha had appeared at the Bodhi tree. On seeing Samantabhadra,
the princess wished to be with him always, in all her lives. The king manifested miraculously throughout the world,
encouraging everyone to come and see the Buddha. On seeing the Buddha, the princess cast her jewels toward him, and they
formed a miraculous display in the air. She had a vision of Samantabhadra’s presence throughout countless worlds and
attained various samādhis. The buddha told her that in a past life Samantabhadra had instructed her to repair the statue
of the buddha of that time and that this had been the cause of her good rebirths and connection with buddhas and
Samantabhadra in all her lives. The night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī then explains to Sudhana that she had been
the princess, Maitreya was the king, and his queen, the mother of the princess, was the night goddess
Praśantarutasāgaravatī. Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī describes how she attended and made offerings to a succession of
buddhas through the kalpas, and she describes the teachings she received from some of them. She lists a number of buddhas
in verse, and finally says that her attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called the
manifestations that guide beings that appear in all worlds and that Sudhana should go to see the nearby
night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī.

Chapter 38: Praśantarutasāgaravatī

Sudhana goes directly to the night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī, who tells him she has attained the
bodhisattva liberation called the display in each instant of mind of the arising of the power of vast
delight. She explains that she teaches the Dharma everywhere in various ways to beings and that she can see
all bodhisattvas wherever they are and whatever are they doing. In particular she sees how the Buddha, whom she calls
Vairocana, in every instant radiates light rays everywhere that take on various forms to guide beings, and seeing this
gives her great delight. She describes the vast qualities of her liberation, and when Sudhana asks her about her past, she
states that in a world realm called Kanakavimalaprabhāvyūha, beyond many worlds to the east, there was a buddha named
Avivartyadharmadhātunirghoṣa, and she was a goddess at the bodhimaṇḍa of that world. On seeing him she first developed
the aspiration to enlightenment, and subsequently in various lifetimes she attended every buddha that appeared in an
innumerable succession in that world, thereby attaining various samādhis. Then she was reborn in this Sahā world, where
she has attended the first four buddhas and will attend all those who will come. On seeing the present buddha, Vairocana,
she attained her bodhisattva liberation. After that she could see as many realms and buddhas as there are atoms within
each atom and was able to receive all their teachings in each instant of mind. However, as she is limited to this
liberation, she instructs Sudhana to go to the nearby night goddess Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī, who is there in
Vairocana’s assembly.

Chapter 39: Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī

Sudhana sees the night goddess Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī seated on a lotus throne and having a body
that can appear to and communicate with all beings. She tells him she has attained a bodhisattva liberation called
the entry into beautiful sounds and profound manifestations. She describes how she guides beings,
teaching the Dharma in various ways, and how she sees the realm of phenomena in ten ways and teaches through thousands of
powers of mental retention, ten of which she lists. She describes how in the distant past there was a kalpa in one world
where countless buddhas appeared, the first of which was Sarvadharmasāgaranirghoṣaprabharāja. At that time there was
a cakravartin king who after the buddha’s passing used his miraculous powers to create a display to revive the declining
teachings. His daughter, who was a bhikṣuṇī, on seeing that miracle attained the bodhisattva liberation called
the entry into beautiful sounds and profound manifestations. The night goddess reveals that she
was the bhikṣuṇī and the king was the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. She then lists the names of just over a hundred of the
countless buddhas of that kalpa, all of whom she was a pupil of, and for countless kalpas since, she has been attending
buddhas. She says she is limited to this bodhisattva liberation and instructs Sudhana to go to the night goddess
Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā, who is nearby at the feet of the Buddha Vairocana, the name she uses for
Śākyamuni.

Chapter 40: Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā

The night goddess Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā is seated in a kūṭāgāra, on a throne made of precious
branches. She tells Sudhana how night makes beings wish to return to their homes and how she leads beings to good conduct
and liberation. She states she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the arising of the vast radiating
light of joy, which has the knowledge for gathering beings as pupils. Through it she remembers the past
conduct, progress, and attainment of the Buddha, referred to as the Buddha Vairocana. She states that this bodhisattva
liberation can only be comprehended by the buddhas, but through their blessing she can teach it, and she then repeats this
in verse. Sudhana asks her when she gained this attainment, and she describes how in a past kalpa, in another world,
beings were in distress because of famine and poverty caused by their bad conduct. They entreated the cakravartin king
Sarvadharmanirnādacchatramaṇḍalanirghoṣa for help, and he arranged a great distribution of all his wealth to satisfy
all beings. At that time a girl named Ratnaprabhā, on seeing the king, was inspired to attain enlightenment, and she
recited to him verses that described his birth. She said that his father was King Jyotiṣprabha and his mother
was Queen Padmaprabhā. At a time when no rain had fallen for years and everything was withered, there was a bright light
in a lotus pond in their park for seven nights before his birth, during which all the lotus ponds filled with water that
spread throughout the world, ending thirst and flattening the surface of the earth. On the seventh night their son
appeared miraculously, sitting cross-legged in a gigantic lotus, and the king took him and gave him to his queen as her
son. Light rays from his body eliminated all harm and illness throughout the world and made everyone kind and
compassionate. When Ratnaprabhā finished her verses, the king gave her and her entourage of five hundred girls precious
clothes, upon which the images of constellations and stars appeared. People said the girls were more beautiful than the
goddess of the night. Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā then tells Sudhana that King
Sarvadharmanirnādacchatramaṇḍalanirghoṣa was the Buddha; King Jyotiṣprabha was Śuddhodana, the Buddha’s
father in this life; Queen Padmaprabhā was Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother in this life; and she herself was the girl
Ratnaprabhā. She then says that her attainment is limited to her bodhisattva liberation and tells Sudhana to go to the
night goddess Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā, who is also present at the bodhimaṇḍa.

Chapter 41: Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā

Sudhana sees Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā with the images of all the stars and so on in her body.
She manifests bodies in various forms to beings throughout the realm of phenomena. Gazing upon her, Sudhana attains ten
pure perceptions and numerous “commonalities” with the bodhisattvas. Sudhana addresses her in verse, and she tells him
that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the origin of the roots of merit that inspire the
ripening of all beings. This means that having realized the unreality of phenomena, she can manifest in any
miraculous form in order to benefit beings in every instant. She states that while bodhisattvas have transcended concepts
of time and so on, they are still engaged in benefiting beings in terms of their perceptions, like magical apparitions
that have no reality. She describes how in a distant past she was a prince named Vijitāvin whose father had imprisoned
many beings for their wicked behavior, and who through compassion for them offered to take their place if they were
released. The ministers convinced the king that this was a dangerous plot, and so he sentenced the prince to execution.
The queen obtained permission for the prince to make a charitable donation of all his possessions for a fortnight, and he
did so without regret, giving everything away. On the last day of the donations,
Dharmacakranirghoṣagaganameghapradīparāja, the buddha who had appeared in that realm, came there miraculously,
inspiring faith, and the prince attained the bodhisattva liberation called the origin of the roots of merit that
inspire the ripening of all beings and received permission from the king to become a bhikṣu. She states
that the ministers of that time were Devadatta’s followers in this lifetime, but they would all become buddhas in a future
kalpa. The freed prisoners were the buddhas of the present kalpa and numerous other bodhisattvas. The king’s many queens
and harem guards were the Jain followers of Satyaka, whom the Buddha Śākyamuni had declared to be a
bodhisattva. Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā lists some of the many buddhas she followed in the intermediate
time. After summarizing in verse what she has told him, she states that her attainment is limited to this bodhisattva
liberation and tells Sudhana to go to the forest goddess Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī in Lumbinī.

Chapter 42: Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī

Sudhana goes to the Lumbinī Forest and sees Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī inside a kūṭāgāra made of precious tree
branches, teaching a sūtra to millions of forest goddesses. She teaches Sudhana in prose and again in verse the ten kinds
of birth through which a bodhisattva enters the family of the tathāgatas. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva
liberation called the miraculous manifestations at the birth of bodhisattvas throughout all the perceptions of
countless kalpas. She states that through her past prayers she was born in this forest to observe the birth
of the Buddha and describes the ten omens that presaged his birth, the ten omens of light when the Buddha’s mother came to
the forest, and the ten miraculous manifestations at the time of his birth. She states that she sees such miraculous
births in every world and that she sees the buddhas that are in every atom in all worlds. She describes how countless
kalpas ago, she was a nurse named Vimalasaṃbhavaprabhā who was present when the Buddha Īśvaraguṇāparājitadhvaja was
born to Queen Suharṣitaprabheśvarā in a park. Because she was the nurse, the baby was placed on her lap by deities, and
at that moment she attained her bodhisattva liberation. The king and queen of that time were previous lives of the Buddha
Śākyamuni’s parents. Since that time she has witnessed the birth of every buddha everywhere. She repeats this in verse and
then states that she is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, and therefore Sudhana should go see Gopā, who was the
Buddha’s wife, in Kapilavastu.

Chapter 43: Gopā

Sudhana arrives in Kapilavastu and is greeted and praised by Aśokaśrī, the goddess of the Kapilavastu assembly
hall. Sudhana describes his bodhisattva path to her. She and other goddesses make offerings to him and praise him in
verse. Sudhana enters the assembly hall and sees Gopā and her entourage of royal women, all of whom practice the
bodhisattva path. In prose and then in verse, Gopā teaches Sudhana the ten qualities of bodhisattva conduct and the ten
ways to please kalyāṇamitras. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the range of
the view of all the ways of the ocean of the samādhis of the bodhisattvas. Through this she perceives all
buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and their activities and qualities in the past, present, and future. In
particular she knows all the past lives of the Buddha Vairocana, that is, the Buddha Śākyamuni. She then describes how in
a distant past she was a courtesan’s daughter who fell in love with a prince named Tejodhipati, who was dedicated to the
bodhisattva path, and became his wife. Together, throughout many lifetimes, they venerated a succession of sixty hundred
thousand trillion buddhas, after which she attained her bodhisattva liberation. During all that time she was able to gaze
upon her husband’s wonderful qualities, up until this lifetime when he became the Buddha Śākyamuni. She states that
Tejodhipati’s mother was a previous life of Māyādevī, Śākyamuni’s mother, and that Tejodhipati’s father, King Dhanapati,
is now a buddha in an eastern realm. She tells Sudhana that her attainment is limited to this liberation and that he
should go to Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother, who is presently at the Buddha’s feet. Before Sudhana leaves, she describes in
verse an even earlier lifetime in which she was a merchant’s daughter named Bhānuprabhā, who developed devotion to a
mendicant by the name of Suraśmiketu, who had been a prince. She made offerings to him, and as a result had good rebirths
for two hundred and fifty kalpas, culminating in her rebirth as the courtesan’s daughter, which is when she first made the
aspiration to attain buddhahood.

Chapter 44: Māyādevī

Ratnanetrā, the goddess of the city, appears in the sky to Sudhana and instructs him on how to care for the city
of his mind. Then two body goddesses, Dharmapadmaśrīkuśalā and Hrīśrīmañjariprabhāvā, appear to him, praising
Māyādevī and shining on Sudhana light that brings him realizations. He then meets a rākṣasa guardian of the meeting hall
of bodhisattvas, who teaches him two sets of ten qualities related to kalyāṇamitras. Sudhana sees before him a gigantic
lotus, in the center of which is a kūṭāgāra, within which is Māyādevī, who can appear anywhere to any being in various
forms. He bows down with multiple bodies to her multiple forms and enters samādhi. Then he asks her for instruction. She
describes the miraculous coming of the Buddha to her womb, and how bodhisattvas and deities also entered it to make
offerings to the Buddha. Māyādevī explains that she has attained the liberation called the illusory conjurations
of the wisdom of great prayer and is therefore a mother to all buddhas everywhere in the past, present, and
future. She lists a great number of the names of the buddhas of this kalpa. Sudhana asks when she attained this
liberation, and she describes being a bodhimaṇḍa goddess who prayed to the buddha of that time to always have the
cakravartin of that time as her son. For countless lifetimes in various existences this was so, and now he has attained
enlightenment as the Buddha Vairocana. But she states that she is limited to knowledge of this liberation and tells him to
go to the Trāyastriṃśa paradise to ask for instruction from the goddess Surendrābhā.

Chapter 45: Surendrābhā

In this short chapter, Sudhana comes to the Trāyastriṃśa paradise, and Surendrābhā tells him she has attained the
bodhisattva liberation called the display of pure, unimpeded memory. This enables her to remember
serving countless buddhas throughout countless kalpas, from their first development of the aspiration to enlightenment
until the time their Dharma ceases. Saying that her knowledge is limited to this liberation, she tells Sudhana to go to
Kapilavastu to the teacher of children named Viśvāmitra.

Chapter 46: Viśvāmitra

In the sūtra’s shortest chapter, Sudhana descends from the Trāyastriṃśa paradise to Kapilavastu, where
Viśvāmitra, a teacher of children, simply instructs him to go to see Śilpābhijña in the same town.

Chapter 47: Śilpābhijña

Śilpābhijña tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called higher knowledge of
the arts and describes the various realizations of the perfection of wisdom he has attained through
reciting the letters of the Arapacana alphabet. Stating that his realization is limited, he tells Sudhana to go to see
Bhadrottamā in the town of Vartanaka in Magadha.

Chapter 48: Bhadrottamā

Sudhana meets Bhadrottamā, described simply as a kalyāṇamitra. She states that she has attained the samādhi
called unimpeded, through which she has unimpeded senses and other attributes of omniscience. Stating
that she is limited to this samādhi, she instructs Sudhana to go to South India to meet the goldsmith Muktāsāra.

Chapter 49: Muktāsāra

In this brief chapter, Sudhana meets the goldsmith Muktāsāra in the southern town of Bharukaccha. Muktāsāra says
he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the display of pure
unimpeded memory and continuously seeks the Dharma at the feet of the tathāgatas in the ten
directions. As his attainment is limited to this, he instructs Sudhana to go see the householder Sucandra in the forest outside the town.

Chapter 50: Sucandra

In this brief chapter, Sudhana meets Sucandra, who tells him his
attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called the stainless light of wisdom and so he
should go to Ajitasena in the town of Roruka.

Chapter 51: Ajitasena

In this brief chapter, Sudhana meets Ajitasena, who has attained a bodhisattva liberation called
unceasing characteristics. He tells Sudhana to go to the brahmin Śivarāgra in the village of
Dharma.

Chapter 52: Śivarāgra

In this brief chapter, Sudhana meets the brahmin Śivarāgra, who has attained the power of the speech of truth
that fulfills wishes. Stating that he is limited to this attainment, he tells Sudhana to go to the boy and girl
Śrīsaṃbhava and Śrīmati.

Chapter 53: Śrīsaṃbhava and Śrīmati

Sudhana meets the boy and girl Śrīsaṃbhava and Śrīmati. Together, in one voice, they say they have attained the
bodhisattva liberation called the appearance of illusion, through which they see all phenomena as
illusions. As they are limited to this attainment, they tell Sudhana to go to a kūṭāgāra in South India in which dwells
the bodhisattva Maitreya. They describe the qualities of Maitreya and give Sudhana advice on his practice of bodhisattva
conduct, describing at length the qualities that a bodhisattva needs to attain. They also admonish him to be devoted to
kalyāṇamitras, describing at length their central importance for the bodhisattva path as the source of all its qualities.
They describe the nature of the kalyāṇamitras and use analogies in doing so. They also use analogies to describe how a
bodhisattva should perceive a kalyāṇamitra, including the now well-known analogy of the bodhisattva being a patient, the
kalyāṇamitra being a doctor, their instructions being medicine, and their practice being the treatment that cures illness.
They describe through analogies the benefits that come from following this path and conclude by emphasizing that all of
them are dependent on relying upon the kalyāṇamitras. Sudhana then takes his leave.

Chapter 54: Maitreya

Sudhana, in a state of great spiritual attainment, prostrates at the door of the kūṭāgāra called
Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha and then circumambulates it many hundreds of thousands of times. He lists first in prose and
then in verse the many inconceivable qualities of the bodhisattvas who have this kūṭāgāra as their residence. Then he sees
Maitreya arriving with a vast retinue. Maitreya welcomes him in verse, praising him, describing his motivation for coming
there, and giving him instruction. In response to Sudhana’s request and praise, he teaches him at length in prose,
describing and praising the aspiration to enlightenment using a series of analogies. He then instructs Sudhana to enter
the kūṭāgāra and miraculously opens the door by snapping his fingers. There follows a detailed description of the
inconceivable, vast sights that Sudhana sees within a state of samādhi, including other kūṭāgāras, billions of worlds, and
bodhisattvas. Then Maitreya enters and states that this was a bodhisattva liberation called the essence of the
display of the unfailing memory that engages with the knowledge of all objects of perception in the three
times. He then describes the profound nature of bodhisattvas and their qualities, and he states that after
he dies, he will be reborn in the Tuṣita paradise and then come to this world to be a buddha. He then instructs Sudhana to
go to see Mañjuśrī once more, as he has set Sudhana upon this path and Sudhana has been connected to Mañjuśrī in all his
previous lifetimes of following the path.

Chapter 55: Mañjuśrī

Sudhana passes through a hundred and ten towns until he reaches a district called Sumanāmukha. Mañjuśrī is far
away—a hundred and ten yojanas—but reaches out his hand and places it on Sudhana’s head and praises him, teaches him, and
blesses him, so that Sudhana gains many attainments.

Chapter 56: Samantabhadra and “The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct”

Sudhana has great realization and roots of merit, and therefore ten events and ten lights that are omens of the
appearance of Samantabhadra occur. Sudhana sees Samantabhadra seated before the Buddha, and he sees a variety of
miraculous events manifesting from Samantabhadra’s pores and Samantabhadra’s activities in countless realms and
throughout time. As a result, he attains ten practices of the perfection of knowledge. Then Samantabhadra and all those
Samantabhadras before every buddha place their hands on Sudhana’s head, and he gains great attainments. Samantabhadra
describes his own past practices, such as generosity. He instructs Sudhana to look at his body, and Sudhana sees vast
visions within each of Samantabhadra’s pores. Then Samantabhadra recites “The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct,” and
the sūtra ends.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāvaipulya Sūtra “A Multitude of Buddhas”

Chapter 45: The Stem Array

Chapter 1

The Setting

The Bhagavat was in Śrāvastī, in a greatly adorned kūṭāgāra
in Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, together with the bodhisattvas Samantabhadra, Mañjuśrī, and others, including the bodhisattva mahāsattvas
Jñānottarajñānin, Sattvottarajñānin, Asaṅgottarajñānin, Kusumottarajñānin, Sūryottarajñānin, Candrottarajñānin,
Vimalottarajñānin, Vajrottarajñānin, Virajottarajñānin, and the bodhisattva Vairocanottarajñānin; the bodhisattvas
Jyotirdhvaja, Merudhvaja, Ratnadhvaja, Asaṅgadhvaja, Kusumadhvaja, Vimaladhvaja, Sūryadhvaja, Ruciradhvaja, Virajadhvaja,
and the bodhisattva Vairocanadhvaja; the bodhisattvas Ratnatejas, Mahātejas,
Jñānavajratejas, Vimalatejas, Dharmasūryatejas, Puṇyaparvatatejas, Jñānāvabhāsatejas, Samantaśrītejas, Samantaprabhaśrītejas, and the bodhisattva Daśadikprabhaparisphuṭa; the
bodhisattvas Dhāraṇīgarbha, Gaganagarbha, Padmagarbha, Ratnagarbha, Sūryagarbha, Guṇaviśuddhigarbha,
Dharmasamudragarbha, Vairocanagarbha, Nābhigarbha, and the bodhisattva Padmaśrīgarbha; the bodhisattvas Sunetra,
Viśuddhanetra, Vimalanetra, Asaṅganetra, Samantadarśananetra, Suvilokitanetra, Avalokitanetra, Utpalanetra, Vajranetra, Ratnanetra, and the bodhisattva Gagananetra; the bodhisattvas Devamukuṭa, Dharmadhātupratibhāsamaṇimukuṭa, Bodhimaṇḍamukuṭa, Digvairocanamukuṭa,
Sarvabuddhasaṃbhūtagarbhamaṇimukuṭa, Sarvalokadhātūdgatamukuṭa, Samantavairocanamukuṭa, Anabhibhūtamukuṭa,
Sarvatathāgatasiṃhāsanasaṃpratiṣṭhitamaṇimukuṭa, and the bodhisattva Samantadharmadhātugaganapratibhāsamukuṭa; the
bodhisattvas
Brahmendracuḍa, Nāgendracūḍa, Sarvabuddhanirmāṇapratibhāsacūḍa, Bodhimaṇḍacūḍa,
Sarvapraṇidhānasāgaranirghoṣamaṇirājacūḍa, Sarvatathāgataprabhāmaṇḍalapramuñcanamaṇiratnanigarjitacūḍa,
Sarvākāśatalāsaṃbhedavijñaptimaṇiratnavibhūṣitacūḍa,
Sarvatathāgatavikurvitapratibhāsadhvajamaṇirājajālasaṃchāditacūḍa, Sarvatathāgatadharmacakranirghoṣacūḍa, and
the bodhisattva Sarvatryadhvanāmacakranirghoṣacūḍa; the bodhisattvas Mahāprabha, Vimalaprabha, Vimalatejaḥprabha, Ratnaprabha, Virajaprabha,
Jyotiṣprabha, Dharmaprabha, Śāntiprabha, Sūryaprabha, Vikurvitaprabha, and the bodhisattva Devaprabha; the
bodhisattvas Puṇyaketu,
Jñānaketu, Dharmaketu, Abhijñāketu, Prabhāketu, Kusumaketu,
Maṇiketu, Bodhiketu, Brahmaketu, and the bodhisattva Samantāvabhāsaketu;
the bodhisattvas Brahmaghoṣa,
Sāgaraghoṣa, Dharaṇīnirnādaghoṣa, Lokendraghoṣa, Śailendrarājasaṃghaṭṭanaghoṣa, Sarvadharmadhātuspharaṇaghoṣa,
Sarvadharmadhātusāgaranigarjitaghoṣa,
Sarvamāramaṇḍalapramardaṇaghoṣa, Mahākaruṇānayameghanigarjitaghoṣa, and the bodhisattva
Sarvajagadduḥkhapraśāntyāśvāsanaghoṣa; the bodhisattvas Dharmodgata, Viśeṣodgata, Jñānodgata, Puṇyasumerūdgata, Guṇaprabhāvodgata, Yaśodgata,
Samantāvabhāsodgata, Mahāmaitryudgata, Jñānasaṃbhārodgata, and Tathāgatakulagotrodgata; the bodhisattvas Prabhāśrī, Pravaraśrī, Samudgataśrī,
Vairocanaśrī, Dharmaśrī, Candraśrī, Gaganaśrī, Ratnaśrī, Ketuśrī, and the bodhisattva Jñānaśrī; the bodhisattvas Śailendrarāja, Dharmendrarāja, Jagadindrarāja, Brahmendrarāja, Gaṇendrarāja, Devendrarāja,
Śāntendrarāja, Acalendrarāja, Ṛṣabhendrarāja, and the
bodhisattva Pravarendrarāja; the bodhisattvas Praśāntasvara, Asaṅgasvara, Dharaṇīnirghoṣasvara, Sāgaranigarjitasvara, Meghanirghoṣasvara,
Dharmāvabhāsasvara, Gagananirghoṣasvara, Sarvasattvakuśalamūlanigarjitasvara, Pūrvapraṇidhānasaṃcodanasvara, and
the bodhisattva Māramaṇḍalanirghoṣasvara; and the bodhisattvas Ratnabuddhi, Jñānabuddhi, Gaganabuddhi,
Vimalabuddhi, Asaṅgabuddhi, Viśuddhabuddhi, Tryadhvāvabhāsabuddhi, Viśālabuddhi, Samantāvalokabuddhi, and the
bodhisattva Dharmadhātunayāvabhāsabuddhi, and so on. There were five thousand bodhisattvas in all who had all arisen
from completely good bodhisattva conduct and
prayers, who had unimpeded fields
of activity because they pervaded all buddha realms, who had the blessing of infinite bodies because they came into the
presence of all tathāgatas, who had the pure orbs of unobscured eyes because they saw the manifestations of all the buddhas,
who had gone to receive measureless proclamations because they unceasingly came into the presence of all
tathāgatas when they attained buddhahood, who possessed infinite radiance through having attained the radiance of wisdom in
all the ways of the ocean of the Dharma of the buddhas, who taught good
qualities
unceasingly throughout infinite kalpas because of their pure analytic knowledge, who had unrestricted conduct of wisdom as far as the ends of space because they manifested
physical bodies in accordance with the aspirations of beings,
whose sight was free from defect because they knew that the realm of beings has no souls and no beings, and who had
wisdom as vast as space because they pervaded the realm of phenomena with a network of light rays.

There were five hundred śrāvakas endowed with miraculous powers, all of whom had realized the nature of the way of
the truths; directly perceived the true finality; comprehended the nature of phenomena; transcended the ocean of existence;
had the range of activity of the tathāgatas that is as extensive as space; had ended fetters,
predispositions, and bondage; remained in an unobstructed state; dwelled in a peace that was like space; had eliminated
doubts, uncertainty, and equivocation concerning the buddhas; and followed the path of aspiration for the ocean of the wisdom
of the buddhas. There were lords of the world who had served previous jinas, who were dedicated to bringing benefit and
happiness to all beings, who became good guides without being asked, who were dedicated to protecting other beings, who had
attained the gateway to wisdom that transcends the world, who had the motivation of never abandoning all
beings, who had originated from the field of activity of the teaching of all buddhas, who were
dedicated to protecting the teachings of the tathāgatas, who were born through prayers to be within the family of the buddhas,
who had attained being within the family lineage of the tathāgatas, and who aspired to omniscience.

Then those bodhisattvas and their followers, and the śrāvakas who had miraculous powers and the lords of the world and their followers thought, “Without the
Tathāgata’s blessing, without the Tathāgata’s manifestations, without the Tathāgata’s power, without the Tathāgata’s past
prayers, without a past excellent practice of the roots of merit, without the guidance of a kalyāṇamitra, without the pure
eyes of faith, without the attainment of the radiance of a vast aspiration, without the pure superior motivation of a
bodhisattva, and without the determined aspiration for omniscience, it is not possible for worldly beings and devas to
comprehend, or understand, or believe in, or know, or conceive of, or grasp, or analyze, or meditate on, or classify, or
reveal, or describe, or establish within other beings the Tathāgata’s domain, the scope of the Tathāgata’s wisdom, the
Tathāgata’s blessing, the Tathāgata’s strengths, the Tathāgata’s fearlessness, the Tathāgata’s samādhi, the Tathāgata’s
conduct, the Tathāgata’s state, the Tathāgata’s supremacy, the Tathāgata’s body, or the Tathāgata’s wisdom.

“May the Bhagavat teach us—we who have the aspirations of bodhisattvas—as well as all beings, who—because of their various aspirations, different kinds of motivations, and different kinds
of knowledge—use different kinds of words and terms, are on different levels of power, and have different purity of faculties,
different kinds of motivation and conduct, different ranges of thought, different kinds of reliance on the qualities of the
tathāgatas, and different kinds of interest in the teaching
of the Dharma.

“May he teach us how in the past he set out to attain omniscience. May he teach us how in the past he accomplished
the aspiration of a bodhisattva. May he teach us how in the past he had a pure field of the perfections of a bodhisattva. May
he teach us how in the past he had the miraculous manifestations of having reached the level of a bodhisattva. May he teach us
how in the past he had completely accomplished the field of conduct of a bodhisattva. May he teach us how in the past he had
displayed accomplishing the way of a bodhisattva. May he teach us how in the past he had a pure display of the bodhisattva’s path. May he teach us how in the past he displayed the
accomplishment of an ocean of a bodhisattva’s ways of going forth. May he teach us how in the past he perfectly displayed an ocean of the miraculous manifestations that are a bodhisattva’s attainments. May he teach us
how in the past he had an ocean of a bodhisattva’s practices. May he teach us how he has an ocean of miraculous manifestations
through attaining enlightenment. May he also teach us how he has manifested the most powerful miraculous manifestation of
turning a tathāgata’s wheel of the Dharma. May he also teach us how he has an ocean of the miraculous manifestations of
purifying a tathāgata’s buddha realm. May he also teach us how he has the gateway of methods for guiding the realm of beings.
May he also teach us how he has sovereignty over the city of the Dharma of an omniscient tathāgata. May he also teach us how
he has a tathāgata’s illumination of the path for all beings.
May he also teach us how he has a tathāgata’s miraculous manifestation of entering into the existences of beings. May he also
teach us how he receives the offerings of beings for a tathāgata. May he also teach us how he has a tathāgata’s miracle of
teaching merit and offerings to all beings. May he also teach us how the
Tathāgata has created the perceived image of a buddha within the mental processes of all beings. May he also teach us how the
Tathāgata has created magical manifestations for all beings. May he also teach us how the Tathāgata has created the magical
appearances of teachings and instructions for all beings. May he also teach us the Tathāgata’s manifestations of the
inconceivable range of the samādhis of buddhahood for all beings.”

Then the Bhagavat, knowing the thoughts in the minds of those bodhisattvas, rested in the samādhi called
the gaping lion, which is as extensive as space and therefore is beyond example and has adornments that appear to all beings, has the nature of being the gateway to great compassion, possesses the gateway to great compassion,
precedes great compassion, and has the quality of great compassion.

As soon as the Bhagavat rested in that meditation, there appeared a kūṭāgāra that was greatly adorned and so vast
that it had no end or center, with invincible vajra banners arranged on the ground, arrayed in networks of all kings of
precious jewels, filled with petals of flowers made of many jewels, beautified by pillars of beryl, with kings of jewels as an arranged display of ornaments
that illuminated the world, having a multitude of excellent jewels, having
heaps of precious jewels from the Jambu River, with porches, toraṇas, pinnacles, and windows made of all jewels,
adorned by countless pure balconies, with an array of precious jewels that resembled all the lords of worlds, with
arrangements of the precious jewels from the world’s oceans, covered with nets of all precious jewels, with upraised parasols and banners, and beautified by gateways and toraṇas
emitting light rays that completely filled the realm of phenomena; the external ground was beautified by indescribable daises
for the surrounding assembly, and in all directions there were stairways of heaps of jewels and beautifully arranged
adornments.

Through the power of the Buddha, there were present buddha realms, to the number of the atoms in countless buddha
realms, that were immense and vast in length and breadth, possessed various adornments made of all jewels, had grounds made of
an indescribable variety of precious jewels, were encircled by walls of countless precious jewels, and were adorned by lines
of palm trees made of various jewels.

Those buddha realms were adorned by immeasurable rivers of scented water that were filled with an unceasing volume of
scented water that was mixed with many flowers made of a variety of jewels, flowing and turning to the right, and resounding
with descriptions of all the qualities of buddhahood.

There were rows of precious white lotus flowers, precious trees beautifully adorned by the blossoms of superior
lotuses made from all jewels, rows of countless kūṭāgāras made of various jewels covered in shining networks of every kind of
precious jewel, countless aerial palaces made of precious jewels adorned with all precious jewels, the aroma of countless
incenses spread everywhere, and the adornment of clouds of incense, countless banners of jewels, banners of cloth, banners
that were flags, banners with streamers of jewels, banners with flowers, banners with adornments, banners with garlands,
banners with bells of various jewels, banners that were parasols of kings of jewels, banners of precious jewels with pervading radiance, banners of kings of
precious jewels that resounded with the wheel of the names of all the tathāgatas, banners of delightful lions made of the
kings of precious jewels, banners of the kings of precious jewels that proclaimed the past practices of all the tathāgatas,
and banners of the kings of precious jewels that illuminated the entire realm of phenomena, and all directions were adorned
with every kind of adorning banner.

Clouds of countless aerial palaces of devas adorned the entire expanse of the sky above Jetavana. Jetavana was
adorned and covered by a cloud of countless trees of various kinds of incense. It was adorned and encircled by Sumeru Mountains that possessed indescribable
adornments. It was adorned by the beautiful voices and sounds of the praises of all tathāgatas that came from indescribable
clouds of musical instruments being played and beaten. It was adorned by a covering of clouds of indescribable precious
lotuses. There were indescribable precious lion thrones on which were precious cushions made of divine materials, on which the
bodhisattvas were seated, and which were adorned by clouds that emitted beautiful voices that praised the tathāgatas. It was
adorned by clouds of grains that were precious jewels that formed indescribable images of lords of the worlds. It was adorned
by indescribable clouds of networks of white pearls. It was adorned by a covering of indescribable clouds of kūṭāgāras made of
red pearls. It was adorned by an indescribable rainfall from clouds of pearls that were as hard as vajras.

Why was this? It was because of the inconceivable roots of merit of a tathāgata. It was because of the inconceivable
good qualities of a tathāgata. It was because of the inconceivable sovereign power and blessing of a tathāgata. It was because
of a tathāgata’s inconceivable miraculous manifestations whereby his one body could pervade all world realms. It was because
of the inconceivable display of the spiritual power through which all the tathāgatas could enter one body that appears
throughout the entire array of buddha realms. It was because of the inconceivable manifestations of the tathāgatas through
which they can show the perceivable image of the entire realm of phenomena within a single atom. It was because of the inconceivable manifestations of the tathāgatas through
which they can show the entire succession of tathāgatas of the past within a single pore. It was because of the tathāgatas’
inconceivable ability to illuminate infinite world realms with a single ray of light. It was because of the tathāgatas’
inconceivable ability to pervade all buddha realms, which are as numerous as the atoms that comprise all world realms, with a
cloud of emanations from a single body hair. It was because of the tathāgatas’ inconceivable ability to reveal the kalpas of
the creation and destruction of world realms from a single body hair.

Just as Jetavana was in this way a buddha realm and was completely purified by being a pure realm, in that same way
the world realms in the ten directions to the limits of the realm of phenomena, to the limits of space, were also completely
purified, adorned, beautified, and with emanated bodies of tathāgatas, and had become similar to Jetavana. They were filled
with bodhisattvas; had ocean-like assemblies of followers of tathāgatas; had rainfalls from clouds made of every kind of
adornment; were completely illuminated by the lights of all jewels; were adorned by rainfall from clouds made of the entire
variety of jewels; were adorned by a covering of clouds made of the adorning features of all
realms; were adorned by rainfalls of every kind of divine material; were adorned by a profusion of clouds of every
kind of flower; were adorned by a beautiful rainfall of clothes of every color falling
from a treasure of clouds of trees of every kind of clothing; were adorned by a continuous rainfall from clouds made of
every kind of garland, tassel, and string of beads; were adorned by a rain from masses of clouds as extensive as the
universe that were made of various kinds of
incense and perfume that pervaded all the directions; were adorned by a continuous rain of a fine powder of networks of jewels from clouds of networks of flowers made from every kind of jewel; were
adorned by clouds of banners and flags made of every kind of jewel and held in the hands of divine maidens who moved to and
fro throughout the extent of space; were adorned with a variety of lotuses made from all jewels and with circles of precious
petals, tall stems, and pericarps that resounded with the beautiful sounds of music; and were adorned with nets of disks of every kind of jewel, nets of lions made of jewels, and various kinds
of garlands and strings of beads.

In that way, as soon as the Bhagavat rested in the samādhi called the gaping lion, at that time,
in the eastern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, there was the
world realm Kanakameghapradīpadhvajā, the Tathāgata Vairocanaśrītejorāja’s buddha realm, where the bodhisattva
Vairocanapraṇidhānanābhiraśmiprabha, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with
the permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm, and
adorned the sky with clouds of various kinds of adornments: clouds of divine flowers from which a rain of flowers fell, clouds of divine perfume from which a rain of perfume was
released, clouds of divine jewel lotuses from which a rain of lotuses was scattered, clouds of divine garlands from which a
rain of garlands was produced, clouds of divine jewels from which a rain of jewels fell, clouds of divine jewelry from which a
rain of jewelry fell, clouds of divine precious parasols from which a rain of parasols was produced, clouds of divine flowers
from which a rain of flowers fell, clouds of various kinds of fine divine clothing in different colors from which a rain of
clothing fell, clouds of divine precious banners and flags that stood in the sky, and an array of clouds of every kind of jewel that
filled the sky. Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the eastern direction
emanated perfectly adorned kūṭāgāras that were covered with a net of precious jewels, each containing a lion throne and a
lotus made of precious jewels that shined light in all directions, and he and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged
upon the lotuses, their bodhisattva bodies adorned with a network of the kings of precious wish-fulfilling jewels.

In the southern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, there
was the world realm Vajrasāgaragarbhā, the Tathāgata Samantāvabhāsaśrīgarbharāja’s buddha realm, where the bodhisattva
Duryodhanavīryavegarāja, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with the permission
of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers and came to the Sahā world realm. They manifested a network of tassels of every perfume
that covered all the oceans of world realms. They manifested a network of tassels of strings of every kind of jewel extending
throughout all infinite buddha realms. They manifested a network of tassels and garlands made of every kind of flower that
existed throughout all successive buddha realms. They manifested a network of garlands, tassels, and strings of beads that
connected all buddha realms. They manifested a
network of chains of vajras that holds the ground beneath all the disks of buddha realms. They manifested the way that all
buddha realms possess networks of various kinds of precious jewels. They manifested all world realms having acquired and
possessing tassels of various kinds of cloth. They manifested all buddha realms being possessed of networks of many tassels
and garlands of a variety of jewels, and all realms possessing a network of tassels and garlands made of the light rays of
glorious precious jewels. And they manifested the ground of all world realms having a network of tassels and garlands of
precious jewels and beautiful lion images.

Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the southern direction
emanated kūṭāgāras made of precious jewels that illuminated the world, each containing a lion throne and a lotus made of
precious jewels, which shined light into all directions, and
he and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses, their bodhisattva bodies adorned with a network of
flowers made from every kind of jewel.

In the western direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, there
was the world realm Maṇisumerūvirocanadhvajapradīpā, the Tathāgata Dharmadhātujñānapradīpa’s buddha realm, where the
bodhisattva Samantaśrīsamudgatatejorāja, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with the
permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm, and manifested
the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of Sumerus of banners, with various kinds of colors and with various kinds of
perfume, that were as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms; the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds
of Sumerus of flowers, with various kinds of colors and with various kinds of scents, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha
realms; the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of Sumerus of incenses, with various kinds of
colors and with various kinds of scents, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms; the entire realm of phenomena
being filled with clouds of Sumerus of kings of jewels, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, in
forms resembling every kind of requisite, that have arisen from the brilliance of his pores; the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of
Sumerus of precious jewels, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, in the forms of various
kinds of banners of stars in a display of circles of lights;
the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of Sumerus of kings of jewels, as numerous as the atoms in
countless buddha realms, in the forms of various exceptional displays of the essence of vajras in various colors; the entire
realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of Sumerus of precious jewels from the Jambu River that
brilliantly illuminate all world realms, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms; the entire realm of phenomena
being filled with clouds of Sumerus of precious jewels, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, that
filled the sky and illuminated the entire realm of phenomena; the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of
Sumerus of kings of jewels, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, that were in the form of the
features of all tathāgatas; the entire realm of phenomena being filled with clouds of
Sumerus of kings of jewels, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, that resounded with the
bodhisattva conduct that revealed the images of the past practices of all tathāgatas; and the ten directions being filled with
clouds of Sumerus of kings of jewels, as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, that formed the images
of the bodhimaṇḍas of all tathāgatas.

Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the western direction emanated
kūṭāgāras covered by the kings of perfumes and by networks of strings of pearls, each having in its center a lotus made of
precious jewels like the banner of Devendra upon a lion throne, and he and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses, with their bodhisattva bodies adorned with a
precious network of gold and a crown of kings of wish-fulfilling jewels bound onto their heads.

In the northern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, there
was the world realm Ratnavastrāvabhāsadhvajā, the Tathāgata Dharmadhātugaganaśrīvairocana’s buddha
realm, where the bodhisattva Asaṅgaśrīrāja, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms,
with the permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm, and
manifested the sky being adorned by clouds of precious cloth; manifested the sky being adorned by clouds of precious clothing
of yellow color, yellow in appearance; manifested the sky being adorned by clouds of precious clothing perfumed by various
scents; manifested the sky being adorned by clouds of clothing made of the kings of
jewels that were like the banner of the sun; manifested the sky being adorned by clouds of clothing made of the kings of jewels that shone with the splendor of gold; manifested the sky being
adorned by clouds of clothing made of the kings of jewels that shone with jewels; manifested the sky being adorned by clouds
of precious clothing in the manifold forms of all the stars; manifested the ten directions of the sky being filled with clouds
of clothing made of precious jewels that were like cloth of shining crystal;
manifested the ten directions of the sky being filled with
clouds of clothing made of kings of jewels that shone with glorious brightness; and manifested the sky being covered by clouds
of clothing made of kings of jewels as an ocean of adornments.

Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the northern direction
emanated kūṭāgāras of precious jewels that had emerged from oceans, each having in its center a lotus made of precious jewels
like the banner of Devendra upon a lion throne, and he and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses, with
their bodhisattva bodies adorned with a network of beautiful lion images made of the kings of precious jewels and with
precious star banners above their heads.

In the northeastern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms,
there was the world realm Sarvamahāpṛthivīrājamaṇiraśmijālapramuktā, the Tathāgata Anilambhacakṣuṣa’s buddha realm, where the bodhisattva
Dharmadhātusunirmitapraṇidhicandra, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with the
permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm, and manifested
all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of precious materials; manifested all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of perfumes;
manifested all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of incense; manifested all infinite world realms
being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of sandalwood; manifested all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras
of flowers; manifested all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of jewels; manifested all infinite world
realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of vajras; manifested all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of
kūṭāgāras of gold; manifested all infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of clothing; and manifested all
infinite world realms being covered by clouds of kūṭāgāras of lotuses.

Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the northeastern direction
emanated kūṭāgāras of precious jewels that had gateways that looked out upon the entire realm of phenomena, each having in its
center, upon a lion throne, a lotus of precious jewels and unequaled perfume, and he and his entourage seated themselves
cross-legged upon the lotuses, with their bodhisattva bodies adorned with a network of flowers made of the kings of precious
jewels and turbans that were like a network of various treasures of kings of jewels bound upon their heads.

In the southeastern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms,
there was the world realm Gandhameghavyūhadhvajā, the Tathāgata Nāgeśvararāja’s buddha realm, where the bodhisattva
Dharmārciṣmattejorāja, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with the permission of
the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm, and covered the entire sky
with clouds of disks of light the color of gold, covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the infinite colors of
jewels, covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the color of the ūrṇā hair of the tathāgatas, covered the entire
sky with clouds of disks of light the color of various jewels, covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the color
of the center of lotuses, covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the color of disks made of the branches of
trees made of the precious kings of jewels, covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the color of the uṣṇīṣas of
the tathāgatas, covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the color of Jambu River gold, covered the entire sky
with clouds of disks of light the color of the sun, and covered the entire sky with clouds of disks of light the color of the
moon and the stars.

Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the southeastern direction
emanated kūṭāgāras of perfect shining flowers of pristine jewels, each having in its center a lotus of lion-vajra jewels upon
a lion throne, and he and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses, their bodhisattva bodies adorned with
a network of precious kings of brightly shining jewels.

In the southwestern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms,
there was the world realm Maṇisūryapratibhāsagarbhā, the Tathāgata Dharmacandrasamantajñānāvabhāsarāja’s buddha realm,
where the bodhisattva Sarvamāramaṇḍalavikiraṇajñānadhvaja, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless
buddha realms, with the permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā
world realm, and emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from flowers, which were as vast as the element of space;
emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from musical instruments, which were as vast as the element of space;
emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from precious jewels, which were as vast as the element of space; emanated
from all his pores clouds of light rays from precious clothing perfumed by incenses and perfumes of all kinds, which were as vast as the element of space; emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from
lightning emanated by nāgas, which were as vast as the element of space; emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from bright, precious jewels, which were
as vast as the element of space; emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from shining gold and precious jewels, which
were as vast as the element of space; emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from shining kings of jewels that were
the essence of splendor, which were as vast as the element of space; and emanated from all his pores clouds of light rays from
precious jewels that had the nature of illuminating the extent of the three times, like the ocean of the awareness of the
tathāgatas, spreading throughout the element of space.

Together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the southwestern direction
emanated kūṭāgāras with networks of great precious jewels that illuminated the entire realm of phenomena, each having in its
center a lotus that radiated light rays of perfumed lamps upon a lion throne, and he and his entourage seated themselves
cross-legged upon the lotuses, with their bodhisattva bodies adorned with networks of the stainless essences of kings of
jewels and with turbans of kings of jewels that emitted words that guided all beings bound upon their heads.

In the northwestern direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms,
there was the world realm Vairocanaśrīpraṇidhigarbhā, the Tathāgata
Samantavairocanaśrīmerurāja’s buddha realm, where the bodhisattva Vairocanapraṇidhijñānaketu, together with
bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with the permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm,
and emanated, from all his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of the
bodies of all the tathāgatas who appear in the three times; emanated, from all his signs and features of a great being, all
his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of the bodies of all the bodhisattvas who appear in the three times;
emanated, from all his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of the bodies
of all the assemblies of followers of all the tathāgatas who appear in the three times; emanated, from all his signs and
features of a great being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of the bodies of all the hosts of emanations
of all the tathāgatas who appear in the three times; emanated, from all his signs and features of a great being, all his
pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of all the past practices of all the tathāgatas who appear in the three times;
emanated, from all his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of the bodies
of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas who appear in the three times; emanated, from all his signs and features of a great
being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images
of the forms of all the bodhimaṇḍas and Bodhi trees of all the tathāgatas who appear in the three times; emanated, from all
his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of the many images of the miracles of all
the tathāgatas who appear in the three times; emanated, from all his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, and
his entire body, clouds of images of the bodies of all world-lords who appear in the three times; and emanated, from all his
signs and features of a great being, all his pores, and his entire body, clouds of images of the pure realms of the buddhas
who have appeared in the three times.

Instantly these filled the entire element of space, and together with his entourage, he approached the Bhagavat,
bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the northwestern direction emanated kūṭāgāras with the essence of the kings of jewels that
illuminated every direction, each having in its center, upon a lion throne, a precious lotus that illuminated the directions,
and he and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses, with their bodhisattva bodies adorned with networks
of the invincible light of pearls and with turbans that had the illuminating light of all jewels bound upon their heads.

In the downward direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, there
was the world realm Sarvatathāgataprabhāmaṇḍalavairocanā, the Tathāgata Asaṅgajñānaketudhvajarāja’s buddha realm,
where the bodhisattva Sarvāvaraṇavikiraṇajñānavikrāmin,
together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha realms, with the permission of the Bhagavat, rose up
from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world realm, and there resounded, from all his pores, an ocean of the
languages, sounds, speech, and word definitions of all beings;
there resounded the thunder of an ocean of clouds of the descriptions of how all the bodhisattvas in the three times
originated; there resounded an ocean of clouds of the descriptions of how all the bodhisattvas in the three times fulfilled
their aspirations; there sounded an ocean of clouds of the descriptions of how all bodhisattvas correctly accomplished the
perfections; there resounded clouds of oceans of descriptions of how the field of conduct of all bodhisattvas pervaded all
realms; there sounded an ocean of clouds of the descriptions of the accomplishments and miracles of all bodhisattvas; there
resounded an ocean of descriptions of how all tathāgatas went to the bodhimaṇḍa, dissipated the disturbances of
Māra, attained buddhahood at the bodhimaṇḍa, and manifested miracles; there resounded
the thunder of an ocean of clouds of the descriptions of the ways and names of the sūtras and how all tathāgatas turned the
wheel of the Dharma; there resounded descriptions of the ways and methods of the guiding Dharma that guides all beings through
its timely wheel; and there resounded an ocean of descriptions of the aspirations that were made, the particular roots of
merit, the time, the methods, and the Dharma, in order to gain the realization of all wisdom.

He approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the downward direction emanated kūṭāgāras that were treasures of all the various kinds of shining jewels in the
image of the aerial palaces of all the tathāgatas, each having in its center a lotus of every kind of jewel upon a lion
throne. He and his entourage seated themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses, with turbans that were banners shining with the
images of all precious bodhimaṇḍas bound upon their heads.

In the upward direction, beyond an ocean of world realms as numerous as the atoms in countless buddha realms, there
was the world realm Akṣayabuddhavaṃśanirdeśā, the Tathāgata Samantajñānamaṇḍalapratibhāsanirghoṣa’s buddha realm, where
the bodhisattva Dharmadhātupraṇidhitalanirbheda, together with bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in countless buddha
realms, with the permission of the Bhagavat, rose up from that ocean of the assembly of followers, came to the Sahā world
realm, and from all his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, his entire body, all his limbs, his fingers and
toes, the words he spoke, and his robe and his skirt he revealed, within all his signs and features of a great being, all his pores, his entire body, all his limbs, his fingers and
toes, the words he spoke, and his robe and his skirt, the images of an ocean of the past practice of engaging in the
perfection of generosity, and all the recipients and the gifts of all of the
assemblies of bodhisattvas, of himself, of the Bhagavat Vairocana, of all the tathāgatas throughout the past, of all
prophesied and unprophesied tathāgatas throughout the future who have yet to come, and of all who in the present reside in
infinite buddha realms in the ten directions. He made visible the images of an ocean of the entire past practice of engaging
in the perfection of correct conduct. He made visible the images of an ocean of the past practice of engaging in the
perfection of patience through his limbs, his fingers, and his toes being cut off. He made visible the images of an ocean of
the past practice of the diligence, vehemence, and prowess of all bodhisattvas. He made visible the images of an ocean of the
past practice of seeking the dhyāna of all the tathāgatas. He revealed the images of an ocean of the past practices of
engaging in perfecting the way of the Dharma wheel of all the tathāgatas, and he revealed the bodies and faces of those
seeking the Dharma with great resolve giving away all possessions. He revealed the appearances of an ocean of the past
practices of rejoicing in seeing all the tathāgatas, the path of all bodhisattvas, and bringing illumination to all beings. He revealed the appearances of an ocean of the past
practices of the fulfillment of an ocean of prayers by all bodhisattvas through which there is a display of perfect purification. He revealed the appearances of an ocean of the past practice of engaging in
the accomplishment, prowess, and purification of the perfection of strength of all bodhisattvas. Filling the vast expanse of
the realm of phenomena with clouds of all miraculous manifestation, he revealed the appearances of an ocean of the past practice endowed with the domain of
the wisdom of all bodhisattvas.

He approached the Bhagavat, bowed to the Bhagavat, and in the upward direction emanated kūṭāgāras that were adorned
by all kinds of lords of vajras, each having in its center a lotus of sapphires upon a lion throne. He and his entourage,
their blessed bodies adorned by a network of all shining precious kings of jewels and hung with necklaces of the kings of
jewels from which sounded the names of the tathāgatas of the three times, and their heads bound by precious turbans, seated
themselves cross-legged upon the lotuses.

All those bodhisattvas and their entourages had become so through the completely good conduct and prayer of
bodhisattvas. They had been at the feet of all tathāgatas and gazed upon their faces. They possessed the completely pure eyes
of wisdom. The ocean of the teaching of the way of the sūtras and the wheel of the Dharma of all the tathāgatas had entered
their ears. They had perfectly perfected the perfections that bring the attainment of the power of all bodhisattvas. In each
instant they manifested the miracle of going into the presence of all tathāgatas. They had the range of pervading all worlds
with a single body. They manifested the appearance of their bodies being present in the assemblies of the pupils of all
tathāgatas. They had the range of activity of manifesting all
worlds being included within one world that is within a single atom. They ripened all beings, being present at the exact time
for guiding them. They had the range of activity of emitting from all their pores the thunder of the clouds of the Dharma
wheel of all the tathāgatas. They had attained the knowledge that all the realms of beings were like magical tricks. They had
realized that all the tathāgatas are like illusions. They were purified by the knowledge that all rebirths within the
continuation of existence were like dreams. They knew that all accomplishments of wisdom are like mirages. They had realized
that all infinite worlds are like illusory manifestations. They had attained the ten strengths of the tathāgatas and the light
of wisdom. They were supreme beings of fearlessness and had the forcefulness of the lion’s roar. They had entered the
inexhaustible ocean of unique knowledge. They had obtained the ocean of the languages of beings and the wisdom of the meaning
of the words of the Dharma. They possessed an unimpeded scope of wisdom that was as vast as the realm of phenomena and space.
They possessed the pure domain of the wisdom of the clairvoyances of all bodhisattvas. They possessed the diligence that
disrupts the domain of all the māras. They were established in the power of knowing the three times. They had attained the
unobscured wisdom of all phenomena. They had the field of activity of space without any base. They had everlasting omniscience. They had diligence as vast as space. They had the range of wisdom that did not
focus on all existences as its object. They had the pervading
wisdom of the ocean of processes of the entire realm of phenomena. They had
entered through the gateway of the nondifferentiating wisdom of all world realms. They demonstrated the miracle of all the
worlds being connected, one with the other. They demonstrated bodies that were born in all kinds of world realms. They had the
knowledge of the small and vast, wide and narrow shapes of all world realms. They had realized the wisdom of the small being
the vast. They had the knowledge of the vast being the small. They had attained being in the presence of all buddhas in a
single instant of mind. They possessed bodies that had been blessed by all the tathāgatas. They had attained the
ignorance-free wisdom in all the oceans of the directions. They pervaded all the oceans of the directions with emanations in
an instant of mind.

These bodhisattvas who all had such limitless qualities through the blessings of the tathāgatas filled the entirety
of Jetavana.

The great śrāvakas, such as Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Revata, Subhūti, Aniruddha, Nandika,
Kapphiṇa, Kātyāyana, and Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, were present in Jetavana but did not see those miraculous
manifestations of the Tathāgata. Neither did they see the miraculous displays of the Buddha, the majesty of
the Buddha, the manifestations of the Buddha, the miracles of the Buddha, the supremacy of the Buddha, the miraculous
conduct of the Buddha, the power of the Buddha, the blessing of the Buddha,
or the pure realm of the Buddha.

Nor did they see the inconceivable range of activity of the bodhisattvas, the coming of the bodhisattvas, the arrival of the bodhisattvas, the gathering of the
bodhisattvas, the approach of the displays of paranormal powers of the bodhisattvas, the circle of the assembly of
bodhisattvas, the bodhisattvas arranging themselves in the directions, the display of the lion thrones of the bodhisattvas,
the dwellings of the bodhisattvas, the activities of the bodhisattvas, the display of the power of the samādhis of the
bodhisattvas, the gaze of the bodhisattvas, the awesomeness of the bodhisattvas, the forcefulness of the bodhisattvas, the
offerings made to the Tathāgata by the bodhisattvas, the prophecies given to the bodhisattvas, the ripening of the
bodhisattvas, the renunciation
of the bodhisattvas, the purified Dharma bodies of the bodhisattvas, the fulfilled wisdom bodies of the bodhisattvas, the
proclaimed aspiration bodies
of the bodhisattvas, the created form bodies of the bodhisattvas, the pure, perfect features of the
bodhisattvas, the display of the auras of infinite colors of the bodhisattvas, the network of light rays emanated by the
bodhisattvas, the spreading clouds emanated by the bodhisattvas, or the network of the directions being pervaded by the
bodhisattvas, nor did they see the miraculous realm of the conduct of the bodhisattvas.

Why was that? Because they did not have the same roots of merit. They had not accumulated in the past the roots of
merit that are the cause for seeing the miracles of a buddha;
they had not in the past taught the qualities and pure display of the buddha realms included within the world realms in the
ten directions; they had not described the buddha miracles of the buddha bhagavats; and they had not in the past encouraged
beings continuing in saṃsāra to attain the highest, complete enlightenment. They had not established in the minds of others
the aspiration to enlightenment; they had not engaged in preventing the discontinuation of the family lineage of the
tathāgatas; they did not have the diligence to gather all beings as pupils; they did not encourage bodhisattvas to practice
the perfections; and when they were continuing in saṃsāra, they did not have as their goal the level of wisdom that transcends
that of all beings.

They had not accumulated the roots of merit to become omniscient. They had not accomplished the roots of merit of a
tathāgata who transcends the world. They had not realized the clairvoyance that perceives the miracles in all the pure realms
of the buddhas. They did not know the roots of merit from focusing upon the exceptional enlightenment that transcends the
world, which is perceived by the vision of the bodhisattvas and originates from the great aspirations of the bodhisattvas.

Nor did all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas know the exceptional perception of the vision of the wisdom eyes of the
completely good bodhisattvas. Nor did they know the attainments of the bodhisattvas
through the illusory nature of phenomena, which arise from the blessing of the tathāgatas; or the blessing of possessing the various dream-like perceptions of
bodhisattvas; or the increasing great power of the joy of
bodhisattvas.

Therefore, the great śrāvakas, such as the supreme pair, the excellent pair, and so on, did not see the
miracles of the Tathāgata; they did not hear of them, did not know them, did not comprehend them, did not understand them,
were not aware of them, did not believe in them, did not think of them, did not regard them, did not consider them, did not
dwell upon them, and did not reflect upon them.

Why was that? Because the scope of a buddha’s wisdom is not the same as that of the śrāvaka.
Therefore, even though the great śrāvakas were present in Jetavana, they did not see the Buddha’s miracles. They did not have
the roots of merit that would accord with that. They did not have the pure vision for seeing the Buddha’s miracles. They did
not have the samādhi that realizes the power for causing something vast to be within a small object of perception. They did
not have the liberation, the miraculous powers, the supremacy, the power, the mastery, the state, the perception, the vision,
or the wisdom through which they could know, see, comprehend,
understand, fathom, realize, view, experience, grasp, surmount, hear from others, teach, describe, reveal, praise, bestow,
inspire beings toward, connect beings with, bring beings to, or establish beings in the nature of the Buddha’s miracles.

Why was that? Because they had become what they were through the Śrāvakayāna, had accomplished the path of the
śrāvakas, had fulfilled the range of the conduct of the śrāvakas, had gained the result of the śrāvakas, had gained the
knowledge of the illumination of the truths, were established in the summit of existence, had attained absolute peace, had
minds that were devoid of great compassion, had no regard for all the world realms, and had accomplished their own benefit.

They had gathered and were present in Jetavana before, to the left, to the right, and to the rear of the Bhagavat,
but they did not see those miracles of the Buddha.

Why was that? They had not attained omniscient wisdom; they had not accomplished omniscient wisdom; they were not
established in omniscient wisdom; they had not prayed for omniscient wisdom; they had not realized omniscient wisdom; they had
not become imbued with omniscient wisdom; and they had not become purified in omniscient wisdom and therefore were not able to
observe, to know, to see, or to realize the miracles from the Buddha’s samādhi.

Why was that? Because they could be seen through the vision of those who were in the family of bodhisattvas and not
through the vision of śrāvakas. Therefore, those great śrāvakas were present in Jetavana but did not see the Tathāgata’s
miracles, the Tathāgata’s power, the Tathāgata’s pure realm, or the gathering of the bodhisattvas.

By analogy, many hundreds of thousands of pretas, suffering from thirst and hunger, naked, without clothing, their
skin the color of being burned, shriveled by the wind and sun, attacked by flocks of crows, and terrified by wolves and
jackals, do not see the great Ganges
River even though they are gathered on its opposite banks, because they are obscured by obscuring karma. Some of them see a
dry riverbed without water, and some of them see it filled with ashes. In that same way, although the sthaviras, the great
śrāvakas, were present in Jetavana, their vision was obscured by the cataracts of the ignorance that is contrary to
omniscience. And this is because they did not possess the power of the root of merit of the level of omniscience.

By analogy, a man who is in the middle of a great gathering of many people becomes drowsy. He falls asleep, and in a
dream he sees in that place the divine city that is Śakra’s beautiful residence, which is upon the summit of
Sumeru and has trees; is encircled by a wall of fruit trees; is filled with a quintillion female devas and filled with a
quintillion male devas; has wish-fulfilling trees that emit divine clothing, strings of pearls, precious ornaments, and
various kinds of necklaces; has many trees of musical instruments that emit beautiful music when the divine instruments of
various kinds are moved by the breezes; and has an array of all kinds of joyful amusements. He hears the melodious, beautiful
sounds made by the female devas who are singing and playing the divine musical instruments, and he thinks that he is there.
Even though he sees that everywhere this place is adorned
by an array of divine things, the many people who are gathered in that same place do not see it, do not know it, and do not
perceive it. Why is that? Because it is perceived in a dream by the man who is asleep. Although those many people are in the
same place, they do not see it.

In the same way, those bodhisattvas, those lords of the world who aspire to enlightenment, who had received the vast
blessing of the Buddha, who had obtained the unmistaken power of their roots of merit, who had made prayers of aspiration for
omniscience, who understood well all the qualities of the tathāgatas, who were well established in the vast array of the
bodhisattva path, and who were highly accomplished in the Dharma of the aspects of omniscient wisdom —they had completely excellent bodhisattva conduct, had the pure fulfillment of
their prayers of aspiration, had reached the domain of wisdom of all the bodhisattva levels, enjoyed all practices through
bodhisattva samādhi, and practiced without impediment the entire range of bodhisattva wisdom, so that they could see,
perceive, and experience the inconceivable supremacy of the Buddha and the displays of the Buddha. However, the great
śrāvakas, the supreme pair, the good pair, and so on did not see them or know of them, because they did not have the vision of
the bodhisattvas.

By analogy, the Himalaya, the king of mountains, is
filled with places that are the sources of herbs. Those individuals who have acquired the knowledge of mantras, medicine, and
herbs and are accomplished in that science, and who are learned in the usage of all herbs,
carry out there the task of collecting those herbs. Others who dwell on that king of mountains and who are herders of animals,
cattle, goats, and sheep; those who are hunters; and other people who do not know the science of herbs do not know the taste,
power, effects, locations, usages, and application of herbs. In the same way, the bodhisattvas who perceive the range of activity
of the Tathāgata, who have perfected the range of bodhisattva miracles, can
see the range of miracles of the Tathāgata’s samādhi. The great śrāvakas, the supreme pair, the good pair,
and others who were content concerning what had to be done for themselves, who were indifferent concerning what had to be done
for others, who were uncaring—although they were present in Jetavana, they did not perceive the range of miracles of the
Tathāgata’s samādhi.

For example, this great earth is the perfect source of all jewels. It is filled with many hundreds of thousands of
treasures. It is completely filled with different kinds of various jewels. A man who is skilled in the knowledge of the
sources of jewels and treasure, is educated in the science of examining jewels,
has knowledge of the science of treasures, is well trained in the craft of jewelry,
and is supported by the power of vast merit will obtain whatever jewels he desires, and he will completely satisfy himself,
support his father and mother, care for his sons and daughters, and also distribute his wealth among other beings who are old,
sick, poor, suffering misfortune, or in need of food and clothes, bringing others various kinds of happiness from wealth. However, those beings who have no
knowledge of treasures or the source of jewels and who have not created merit do not have the pure vision of the knowledge of
jewels. Even though they are at the very location, they do not perceive that there is precious treasure and a source of
jewels, and without that knowledge they do not obtain jewels, nor do they make use of the jewels.

In the same way, the bodhisattvas had the pure vision of wisdom concerning the inconceivable range of the Tathāgata,
and they perceived the inconceivable range of the wisdom of the Tathāgata. They were present in Jetavana and saw the miracles
of the Buddha, perceived an ocean of the ways of the Dharma, had applied the seal of samādhi, were engaged in making offerings
to the Tathāgata, were dedicated to possessing the Dharma, and gathered beings through the four methods of gathering pupils.
The great śrāvakas did not see those miracles of the Tathāgata or that gathering of the great assembly of bodhisattvas.

By analogy, a man who is blindfolded arrives at an island of jewels. He walks around that island of jewels, stands on
it, sits on it, and lies down on it, but he does not see that source of jewels. He does not see the trees of jewels, the
clothing of jewels, the incense of jewels, or all the jewels. He does not know the scope, the value, or the use of those
jewels. He does not acquire the jewels. He does not understand what could be done with the jewels. Those who are not
blindfolded see and know all those jewels.

In the same way, the bodhisattvas had reached the island of the jewels of the Dharma and saw before them the supreme
jewel of the Tathāgata, the adornment of the entire world, present in Jetavana and demonstrating the inconceivable miracles of
a buddha. The great śrāvakas were present, staying at the feet of the Tathāgata, but did not see manifested miracles from the
range of the Tathāgata’s samādhi. They did not see the great assembly of the bodhisattvas who were like a source of jewels.
Why was that? Because their eyes of wisdom were blindfolded by the ignorance that is contrary to omniscience. They did not
have the purified eyes of wisdom of the bodhisattvas, and they had not realized the comprehension of the lineage of the
Dharma’s domain, through which one could see the inconceivable manifestation of miracles from the supremacy of the Tathāgata’s
samādhi.

By analogy, there is the completely purified sight called stainless brilliance, which does not
experience any darkness. If a man who has obtained that purified sight named stainless brilliance were to
go in the completely black darkness of a dark night among a gathering of a quintillion people who have various practices and conduct and
whose sight is overwhelmed by darkness, he would move, stand, sit down, and act among them in various ways, but those
people will not see or know of that man’s various kinds of activity. However, when that man looks in the different directions at the various practices and
conduct that the great gathering of beings is performing, he sees their various shapes, their various colors, with none of
those various sights unseen. In the same way, the Tathāgata, who has an entourage of an assembly of bodhisattvas, possesses
the sight that is pure and unimpeded so that he sees and knows the entire world. He demonstrates the manifestation of the
great miracles of a buddha’s samādhi, but the great śrāvakas do not see those great miracles manifested by the samādhi and
wisdom of the Tathāgata. Nor do they see that great assembly of the great bodhisattvas.

By analogy, it is like when a bhikṣu in the center of an assembly of many beings rests in the samādhi of the
pervasion of earth or rests in the samādhi pervaded by water or the samādhi pervaded by fire, pervaded by air, pervaded by
blue, pervaded by yellow, pervaded by red, pervaded by white, pervaded by devas, pervaded by the bodies of various beings, pervaded by all sounds and voices, or pervaded by all
perceptions. That assembly of many beings does not see a mass of water, does not see the light of fire, does not see the
pervasion by the bodies of various beings, and so on up to not seeing the pervasion by all perceptions. It only sees him
practicing and resting in the samādhis. In the same way, when the Tathāgata manifests inconceivable miracles that are the
range of a buddha’s samādhi, the great śrāvakas do not see or know them. The bodhisattvas who are following the path of the tathāgatas see and comprehend that
range of activity of the tathāgatas.

For example, as soon as a man who creates ointments smears it on his two eyes, an entire multitude of beings cannot
see his body, but he can see the bodies of the entire multitude of beings. Whether he is walking, sitting, or standing, he
sees the entire multitude of beings. In that same way, the Tathāgata has transcended the world, has passed beyond the range of
perception of all beings, and has attained the range of omniscient wisdom but can be perceived by the vision of the wisdom of
the bodhisattvas. He can see all beings, but the great śrāvakas do not see the miracle of the Tathāgata.

For example, a deity who accompanies a human for his entire life is always following him. The deity sees the human,
but the human does not see the deity. In the same way, the Tathāgata has attained the range of perception of the wisdom of
omniscience, and he manifests miracles in the middle of the great gathering of the assembly of bodhisattvas, but the great
śrāvakas do not see and do not know of the Tathāgata’s great manifestation of miracles or the miracle of the assembled circle
of bodhisattvas.

Consider, for example, a bhikṣu who has reached the perfection of power over his entire mind and rests in a meditation in which all
perception and sensation has ceased. Through his being without perception or sensation,
his six senses do not experience anything. He has not attained nirvāṇa, and worldly events are continuing and present, but
through the power and might of being in that meditation, he does not perceive them and does not see them. In the same way,
the great śrāvakas were present in Jetavana, and they had
all the six sensory faculties, but they did not see, did not perceive, and did not know of the manifestation of miracles and
supremacy from the samādhi of the Tathāgata. Why is that? The range of activity of the Buddha is profound, vast, immeasurable,
difficult to see, and difficult to understand. The Buddha’s range of activity is inconceivable and is inaccessible to the
śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. Therefore, the great śrāvakas were assembled in Jetavana and were present at the feet of the
Bhagavat, but they did not see the Buddha’s miracles or the great gathering of bodhisattvas. They also did not see or perceive
the accumulation in Jetavana of the qualities and adornments of countless, innumerable pure world realms, because they were
not worthy of it.

At that time, the bodhisattva Vairocanapraṇidhānanābhiraśmiprabha recited these verses:

“See the inconceivable enlightenment,

The buddhahood of the supreme being!

The Jina has manifested the miracles

Of a buddha in this Jetadhvaja. {1}

“There appears the self-arising,

Incalculable power of transformation

That the world, not knowing the way

Of the Dharma, is ignorant of. {2}

“There are the profound,

Immeasurable, inconceivable

Miracles of the Dharma kings

That the world does not fathom. {3}

“The buddhas have infinite splendor

And are adorned by characteristics.

The Dharmas that the buddhas produce

Are without characteristics. {4}

“In the grove that is named Jeta

The Jina demonstrates miracles

That are without center or edge

And difficult to describe in words. {5}

“See the assembly of great beings,

Of bodhisattvas, who have assembled

From countless millions of realms

Wishing to look upon the Jina. {6}

“The entire world is unable

To know or think of that

Fulfillment of prayers

And that unimpeded conduct. {7}

“The pratyekabuddhas

And the śrāvakas do not know

Anything about their conduct

Or the range of their minds. {8}

“Those with great wisdom, the bodhisattvas,

Are invincible and undefeatable,

Banners of heroism, unadulterated,

And they have reached the level of wisdom. {9}

“They have great renown

And have attained immeasurable samādhis.

They demonstrate miracles that pervade

The entire domain of phenomena.” {10}

Then the bodhisattva Duryodhanavīryavegarāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the ten directions
and recited these verses:

“See those who are born from the sugatas,

They who bring happiness to the world,

Who have the essence of merit, great wisdom,

And who have realized the conduct of a bodhisattva. {11}

“They are learned, with infinite knowledge.

Their minds are in a perfect state of meditation.

They have the range of a vast wisdom

That is profound and without center or limit. {12}

“See the numerous oceans

Of they who have no dwelling, no basis,

Who are assembled from the ten directions

And seated upon lotus seats {13}

“In the great forest named Jeta

That is beautified by many adornments,

That is completely filled with bodhisattvas

And is the hermitage of the Sugata. {14}

“They are without basis, without acquisition,

Without elaboration, without foundation,

With unimpeded minds, stainless,

Focused on the essence of phenomena. {15}

“They are banners of wisdom,

Great heroes who have vajra minds.

They are unshakable and teach nirvāṇa

Within unceasing qualities.
{16}

“They have gathered from numerous millions

Of realms beyond number in the ten directions

And have arrived before the Buddha

And are free from dualistic perception. {17}

“They see these miracles

Of the self-arisen Lion of the Śākyas,

And it is through his blessing

That these bodhisattvas have gathered. {18}

“The offspring of the jinas, they who have attained perfection,

Do not distinguish between the Buddha’s Dharmas

On the level of the essence of phenomena

But make distinctions merely in terms of terminology. {19}

“They are established in the ultimate conclusion

Of the indivisibility of the essence of phenomena,

But they make distinctions between phenomena

Through producing unceasing words.” {20}

Then the bodhisattva Samantaśrīsamudgatatejorāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the ten
directions and recited these verses:

“See the vast circle of wisdom

Of the one who is supreme among beings.

He knows when it is timely and untimely

And then teaches the Dharma to beings. {21}

“He completely defeats all opposition

From gathered assemblies of tīrthikas.

He demonstrates miraculous acts

According to the wishes of beings. {22}

“The Sugata does not dwell in a direction;

The Buddha does not go to a realm.

The great Muni is always both

Ascertainable and unascertainable. {23}

“The sun moving through the sky

Demarcates the number of days.

Thus the Teacher, wise with knowledge,

Demarcates the three times without impediment. {24}

“On the night of a full moon

The moon’s disk is the brightest light.

In that way, the Lord

Full of white Dharma is seen. {25}

“Just as the disk of the sun

Moves through the sky

Without being stopped—

Thus are the Buddha’s miracles. {26}

“Just as space is not dependent

On the worlds in the directions,

In that way, the buddha miracles

Of the Lamp of the World are to be known. {27}

“Just as in the world the earth

Is the support for all beings,

In that way, in the world the Dharma wheel

Of the Lamp of the World is a support. {28}

“Just as the wind, without impediment,

Moves swiftly through the sky,

In that way, the Buddha’s nature

Moves through the world realms. {29}

“Just as the numbers of worlds

Are based on accumulations of water,

In that way, the buddhas of the three times

Are based on accumulations of wisdom.” {30}

Then the bodhisattva Asaṅgaśrīgarbharāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the ten directions and
recited these verses:

“Just like high mountains and cliffs

That are made of vajras,

The Buddha, the protector of all worlds,

Is the highest in the world. {31}

“Just as the great water of the ocean

Is immeasurable and unpolluted,

In that way, the sight of the Buddha

Dispels the thirst of the world. {32}

“Just as Mount Meru

Is higher than the ocean’s water,

In that way, the Lamp of the World

Is higher than the ocean of phenomena. {33}

“Just as the vast ocean

Is the source of all jewels,

The Self-Arisen One’s wisdom

Is unending instantaneous knowledge. {34}

“The Guide’s wisdom is profound,

Incalculable, and immeasurable;

Therefore, the Buddha demonstrates

Immeasurable, inconceivable miracles. {35}

“Just as a skilled magician

Manifests the qualities of illusions,

In that way, the Buddha, who has the power

Of knowledge, manifests miracles. {36}

“Just as a pure wish-fulfilling jewel

Fulfills the wishes that are made,

In that way, the Jina fulfills

The pure aspirations of beings. {37}

“Just as a shining jewel

Shines with lights,

In that way, pure omniscience

Illuminates the aspirations of beings. {38}

“Just as a jewel with eight facets

Remains facing all directions,

In that way, the unimpeded Lamp

Illuminates the realm of phenomena. {39}

“Just as the bright water-purifying jewel

Makes turbid water clear,

In that way, the sight of the Buddha

Purifies the senses of the world.” {40}

Then the bodhisattva Dharmadhātupraṇidhisunirmitacandrarāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the
ten directions and recited these verses:

“Just as looking through a sapphire transforms

A direction in this world into the color of the sapphire,

In the same way, seeing the Buddha

Transforms beings into the color of enlightenment. {41}

“The Buddha manifests immeasurable

Miracles of various kinds,

Within each single atom,

That purify the bodhisattvas. {42}

“They are marvelous, profound,

Infinite, difficult to accomplish,

In the scope of the wisdom of the wise,

And inaccessible to the world. {43}

“For the consummation of the bodhisattvas

There is the perfected display,

The purification of the Buddha’s activity

That teaches entering the realm of the Dharma. {44}

“The Jina manifests

In countless buddha realms

That are completely filled

By buddhas encircled by the wise. {45}

“The Teacher with dominion over all Dharma teachings,

The supreme one of the Śākyas, has appeared.

These miracles of his, which are

Beyond measure, have occurred. {46}

“You see this immeasurable
variety

Of the activities of the constant one.

He who has immeasurable splendor

Manifests infinite miracles. {47}

“The Lord of the World teaches

The Jina’s children in the essence of the Dharma,

And they become those who have

The unimpeded range of wisdom in all Dharmas. {48}

“The lord of humans through his powers

Turns the wheel of the Dharma,

Manifesting hundreds of miracles

And purifying the entire world. {49}

“In the domain of the supreme among beings

There is the purified circle of knowledge,

The great nāgas with enormous wisdom,

Who bring liberation from the entire world.” {50}

Then the bodhisattva Dharmārciṣmattejorāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the ten directions and
recited these verses:

“The śrāvakas of the supreme ṛṣi

Who appear in the three times

Are without the knowledge

Of the footsteps the Sugata takes.
{51}

“The entirety of the pratyekabuddhas

Free of error, who appear in the three times,

Are also without the knowledge

Of the footsteps the Protector takes. {52}

“It goes without saying that all beings,

Obscured by the darkness of ignorance

And like dogs tied to a leash,

Have no knowledge of the Guide. {53}

“The Jina cannot be known.

He cannot be measured by any measure.

The Buddha has unimpeded knowledge.

He has transcended the path of words. {54}

“The constant one has the light of the full moon,

And he is beautified by his features.

For countless kalpas he performs

Unimpeded miraculous actions. {55}

“Though one contemplates with a focused mind

The Buddha in this and that way

For countless millions of kalpas,

He will remain indescribable. {56}

“One will not completely understand

A single aspect of the self-arisen qualities.

Even when the Buddha is gazed upon,

The Buddha’s Dharmas are inconceivable. {57}

“All such fields of activity as those,

Which are difficult to see, will appear

To those who have the aspiration,

To those whose minds delight in them. {58}

“Those who maintain an unstained, wise mind

And have an overpowering, great accumulation

Enter into this way

Of infinite merit and wisdom. {59}

“Those with vast aspirations,

Vast motivation, and vows

Will reach the field of activity of the jinas

And attain vast enlightenment.” {60}

Then the bodhisattva Sarvamāramaṇḍalavikiraṇajñānadhvajarāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into
the ten directions and recited these verses:

“They have bodies of unimpeded wisdom,

And therefore the self-arisen ones have no body.

The scope of their wisdom is inconceivable,

And therefore one cannot conceive of them. {61}

“A buddha’s body is obtained

Through inconceivable acts of goodness,

And therefore it is unstained by the three worlds

And beautified by a supreme being’s features and signs. {62}

“He completely illuminates the world

And is purified of the realm of phenomena.

He is the gateway to the enlightenment of buddhahood

And is the great source of all wisdom. {63}

“Unsullied and pristine,

Free of all clinging,

A sun for the world

Radiating rays of wisdom, {64}

“Eliminating the terrors of existence

Through purification of the three realms,

And bringing bodhisattvas to perfection,

He is the source of the enlightenment of buddhahood. {65}

“Although he manifests infinite colors,

He is devoid of all colors.

He manifests the countless, endless

Colors because of all beings. {66}

“There is no one who can fully

Understand the Buddha’s wisdom,

Which in each instant purifies

The enlightenment of buddhahood. {67}

“The unceasing teaching of wisdom

Is by its nature unchanging.

In a single instant it describes

All the jinas of the three times. {68}

“The wise one who is dedicated to enlightenment,

Constantly forsaking all other activity,

Although his mind is called mind,

In his mind no mind arises. {69}

“The qualities of buddhahood

That the buddhas manifest

Are inconceivable, are a field beyond description,

Are profound, and are beyond the scope of words.” {70}

Then the bodhisattva Vairocanapraṇidhānaketudhvaja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the ten
directions and recited these verses:

“Those who are pure and with unconfused recollection,

Who possess the Dharma with complete certainty,

Who have inconceivable understanding,

Are an unending ocean of enlightenment. {71}

“Their minds have certainty concerning this.

This is their realm of practice.

Their wisdom is unshakable.

They have eliminated doubt. {72}

“They do not become disheartened.

They do not become despondent.

They maintain the aspiration

Of devotion to the Buddha’s Dharma. {73}

“They have the deepest faith,

And they develop what is truly superior.

They delight in the wisdom

That has no object and no fixation. {74}

“They are filled with virtuous qualities

Created during millions of kalpas.

All of that is completely given away

By these unequaled seekers of wisdom. {75}

“Although they are active within saṃsāra,

They are not based within saṃsāra.

They have realized the Buddha’s Dharma

And so delight in the Buddha’s field of activity. {76}

“Whatever worldly good fortune there is

That occurs within the realms of beings,

The resolute ones renounce it all,

And they remain in the Buddha’s good fortune. {77}

“The world remains fruitless,

Continuously in bondage.

Those whose conduct is free from attachment

Are continuously fixed on benefiting beings. {78}

“Their unequaled conduct

Is inconceivable for all beings.

They who think of the world’s happiness

Bring an end to suffering. {79}

“They have compassion for the whole world

And have the pure wisdom of enlightenment.

They are a light for the world

And bring liberation to the entire world.” {80}

Then the bodhisattva Sarvāvaraṇavikiraṇajñānavikrāntarāja, through the blessing of the Buddha, looked into the ten
directions and recited these verses:

“Even the word buddha is a great rarity

For thousands of millions of
kalpas,

Let alone seeing a supreme one

Who eliminates all doubts. {81}

“He has gained the realization of all Dharmas.

He is the object of veneration for the three worlds.

He brings purification to all beings.

He is a light for the world that brings joy when seen. {82}

“One will never have enough

Of seeing the form body

Of the supreme blameless being,

Even in a quintillion kalpas. {83}

“The bodhisattvas
are continually gazing

At the form body of the lord of humans.

They have no attachment, and they dedicate

Their own virtues to enlightenment for the benefit of others. {84}

“The form body of the great Muni

Is this gateway to the enlightenment of buddhahood,

From which comes unimpeded and

Unceasing discriminating knowledge. {85}

“The supreme great Muni illuminates

Countless, innumerable beings,

Brings them into the Mahāyāna,

And prophesies their supreme enlightenment. {86}

“He illuminates an infinite world,

A realm that has the nature of great merit,

A domain of wisdom that has arisen and appeared,

And he multiplies accumulated merit. {87}

“He cuts through the net of suffering

And purifies the aggregation of wisdom.

Those who please the Jina

Have no fear of the lower realms. {88}

“On seeing the supreme two-legged being,

An extremely vast motivation develops.

The incalculable power of wisdom

Creates an illuminating radiance. {89}

“Those who see the Buddha, the supreme human,

Will certainly attain supreme enlightenment.

They will have certainty, thinking,

‘I shall become a tathāgata.’ ” {90}

Then the bodhisattva Dharmadhātupraṇidhitalanirbheda, through the blessing of the
Buddha, looked into the ten directions and recited these verses:

“Having seen the Muni who is the foremost Śākya,

Who possesses a perfection of infinite qualities,

Those with minds that make dedications

Are purified within the Mahāyāna. {91}

“The constant ones who have great compassion,

Who turn the wheel of the Dharma,

The tathāgatas

Appear for the sake of all beings. {92}

“How could all beings

Be able to repay the buddhas,

Who for trillions of kalpas

Have been dedicated to benefiting beings? {93}

“It is better to be cooked for ten million kalpas

In the three unendurable lower existences

Than to not see the Teacher,

Who dispels all attachment. {94}

“However great the aggregation of suffering

That exists within the minds of all beings,

One can endure the experience of all of it,

But not being deprived of seeing the Buddha. {95}

“It is better to remain for a long time

In all these different states of being

That are in the lower existences in this world

Than to be deprived of hearing the Buddha. {96}

“It is better to remain for countless kalpas

In each of the hell realms

Than to remain far from the supreme enlightenment

That has been attained by infinite jinas. {97}

“For what reason would one wish to remain

For a long time in the lower realms?

One would do so as a cause of seeing

The lord of jinas, which increases wisdom. {98}

“All suffering is eliminated

Through seeing the Jina, the Lord of the World,

And there is the realization of the wisdom

Of the field of activity of the perfect buddhas. {99}

“By seeing the Buddha, the supreme human,

All obscurations are brought to an end.

It causes the increase of immeasurable merit

Through which enlightenment is attained. {100}

“Seeing the Buddha eliminates

The doubts and uncertainties of beings,

And both worldly and unworldly

Wishes are completely fulfilled.” {101}

Chapter 2

Samantabhadra

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.

What were those ten ways?

1. The teaching of the entire succession of buddhas and succession of buddha realms in the atoms of all
the buddha realms that are included within the entire realm of phenomena.

2. The teaching of describing the qualities of a tathāgata until the end of future kalpas in all the buddha realms to
the ends of the element of space.

3. The teaching that describes the appearance of tathāgatas in all the buddha realms and the ocean of gateways to
enlightenment that have no middle or edge.

4. The teaching of the saṅghas of bodhisattvas, the circles of the assemblies of the tathāgatas, who are facing the
bodhimaṇḍas in all the buddha realms to the ends of the
element of space.

5. The teaching of emanations that are like the bodies of the buddhas of the three times that are emanated from all
the pores in one instant of mind and pervade the realm of phenomena.

6. The teaching of the ocean of buddha realms in the ocean of directions being blessed as having the same ground and
having one body pervading them.

7. The teaching of the power of buddha manifestations appearing on all supporting surfaces in all three times.

9. The teaching of the power of an entire ocean of the prayers of the buddhas of the three times being expressed from
all pores and causing the appearance of bodhisattvas.

10. The teaching of the power of buddhas, lion thrones, assembled circles of bodhisattvas, the adornment of the bodhimaṇḍa, and the turning of the
different Dharma wheels being as extensive as the realm of phenomena.

“Oh jinaputras, the teachings on this samādhi of the gaping lion, such as these ten teachings,
are as numerous as the atoms in uncountable buddha realms.

“Oh jinaputras, that is the field of activity of the wisdom of the tathāgatas.”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra, in order to teach an aspect of the meaning of the Tathāgata’s samādhi of
the gaping lion, through the blessing of the Buddha looked upon the Tathāgata’s face, looked upon the
ocean of the circle of the assembly, looked upon the inconceivable field of activity of the Buddha and the manifestations of
the Tathāgata’s samādhi, which have no center or limit, looked at his entry into inconceivable numbers of world realms, looked
at the nature of the illusory manifestations of inconceivable wisdom, looked upon the inconceivable equality of the buddhas of
the three times, looked upon all his speech, definitions, and ways of the Dharma, which have no center or limit, and recited
these verses:

“On each body hair there is an ocean of the realms of jinas

As numerous as the atoms in all realms.

There, buddhas are seated on their buddha thrones,

Surrounded by assemblies of bodhisattvas. {1}

“There appears an ocean of many realms on each body hair,

In each of which appears a guide at the foot of the supreme tree,

Seated upon a lotus seat on the bodhimaṇḍa,

Filling the vastness of the realm of phenomena. {2}

“On each single body hair reside jinas

As numerous as the atoms in all the realms.

They are encircled by assemblies of bodhisattvas

And all teaching good conduct. {3}

“A jina resides in each supreme realm

With as many unending clouds of bodhisattvas,

Who filled all infinite realms, having come

From all of the ten directions without exception. {4}

“Bodhisattvas, shining with an ocean of qualities,

As numerous as the atoms in ten million realms,

Who filled the realm of phenomena’s ten directions,

Have all appeared as the assembly of the teachers. {5}

“Throughout all realms appear the images

Of an ocean of the kings of Dharma, the wisdom of the jinas.

All who are maintaining good conduct

Have come to be the assemblies of all the buddhas. {6}

“Those who maintain the delightful conduct of bodhisattvas,

Who dwell throughout all infinite realms,

Those heroes who listen to clouds of the Dharma,

Practice that conduct for ten million kalpas in each realm. {7}

“The bodhisattvas who are practicing their conduct

Are radiant with the practice of an ocean of Dharma.

They engage in the entire ocean of prayers

And remain within the field of conduct of buddhahood. {8}

“They who have originated from this and that Dharma of the jinas

Have the knowledge of completely good conduct.

They enter into the extensive miraculous appearance

Of oceans of the excellent qualities of the buddhas. {9}

“The sugatas pervade the entirety of the realm of phenomena,

Continuously emanating clouds of bodies

As numerous as the atoms in all realms,

Bringing a rain of Dharma that leads to enlightenment.” {10}

Then the Bhagavat, in order to further establish those bodhisattvas in this samādhi of
the gaping lion, emanated from the
ūrṇā hair between his eyebrows a great ray of light called illumination of the three times focused on all the
entrances into the realm of the Dharma, and he was accompanied by an entourage of light rays as numerous as the
atoms in countless buddha realms. They illuminated all the infinite buddha realms in all the oceans of world realms in the ten
directions.

Then those bodhisattvas who were assembled in Jetavana saw all the buddha realms that were included within the realm
of phenomena, which extended to the limits of space, and the buddha realms that were in the atoms of all buddha realms that
were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms. In these buddha realms, which
had different names and colors, different levels of purification, different kinds of grounds, and
different kinds of appearances, there were those who had come to a bodhimaṇḍa, were seated upon a bodhisattva’s lion throne,
were being offered to by the lords of the world, and were encircled by a supreme assembly of bodhisattvas and were attaining
the highest, complete enlightenment of buddhahood.

They saw in countless buddha realms some who were turning the wheel of the Dharma with an extent of speech that
filled the vastness of the realm of phenomena. They saw some who were in the abodes of the devas; some who were in the abodes
of the nāgas; some who were in the abodes of the yakṣas; some who were in the abodes of the asuras; some who were in the
abodes of the garuḍas; some who were in the abodes of the kinnaras; some who were in the abodes of the mahoragas; some who
were in the abodes of lords of humans; some who were in the villages, towns, market towns, districts, countries, and capitals
in the world of humans; with various miraculous powers,
various conducts, various bodies; demonstrating various entrances to samādhi; with the various clairvoyances of samādhi;
appearing in various families and castes; manifesting various colors; having various kinds of asuras; emanating various
networks of light rays; having various extents of voice, various humans that are being spoken to, and various audiences for
their teaching; and teaching the Dharma to the gathered assemblies with various words, expressions, and definitions.

They saw the arising of the images of the miracles of the samādhis of tathāgatas in as many world realms as there are
throughout the realm of phenomena and as far as the limits of space, that are present in the ten directions, that are all
around in the infinite directions, that are in the entire ocean of directions, that are in the directions of
various gateways into the Dharma, that are conceived to be in the various directions, that are assembled in the various
directions, that are divided among the various directions, that belong to the various directions, that are included within the
ocean of the various directions, which means in the eastern direction, 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, in the upward direction and the downward direction, in the directions of groups of realms, in the
directions of groups of
beings, in the directions of the conceived categories of beings, in the directions of the furthest past, in the ten directions
of the present, in the directions that are focused on a very fine hair tip located within the entire expanse of space, in the
directions of the succession of atoms in all realms, in
the directions that are included within directions, in the directions where the creation of various kinds of karma is
accomplished, in the directions where space, which has no
middle or edge, is perceived as being in a single hair tip, in the minds of beings where the three times are united in the state
of equality and all beings are within a state of equality, where there is no differentiation between the perceptions of all
beings, and where there is the equality of all sounds. They saw within the groups of beings the approach of the forms of the
tathāgatas before the assemblies that directly perceive them. They saw the sameness of wisdom within all kalpas. They saw in
all the realms how equally everywhere there was the perception of the appearance before them of the forms of the tathāgatas in
accordance with the aspirations of all beings. They saw their teaching of all the Dharmas of the buddhas so that there was a
continuous guiding of all beings. They saw the miraculous activities of the tathāgatas.

The Bhagavat Vairocana, through the four methods of gathering pupils and through their corresponding previous
practice of good actions, had adopted all of them as pupils. They were ripened through teaching, hearing, remembering, and reverence.

They had in the past developed the aspiration to attain the highest supreme enlightenment. When they had come before
this and that tathāgata, they had been adopted as their pupils because of their roots of merit.

In that way, through having the corresponding roots of merit and because they were adopted as pupils through the
methods of ripening them for omniscience, they saw and perceived the miracles of the samādhi of the Bhagavat Vairocana, which
are vast, extending to the limits of space. Some perceived the Dharma body. Some perceived the form body. Some perceived his past bodhisattva accomplishment. Some
perceived his completion of the perfections. Some perceived the display of his pure field of conduct. Some perceived the
miracles of the bodhisattva level. Some perceived the miracles of enlightenment. Some perceived miracles that were not
different from the samādhi practiced by a buddha. Some perceived the strengths and fearlessnesses of the tathāgatas. Some
perceived the ocean of the realization of a buddha, and so on, perceiving an ocean of a buddha’s miracles as numerous as the
incalculable number of atoms in ten buddha realms. They perceived an ocean
of buddha miracles through various aspirations, various paths, various gateways, various entries, various ingresses, various
ways, various observances, various directions, various vessels, various regions, various worlds, various attainments, various
accumulations, various miracles, and various methods.

The bodhisattvas perceived the ocean of miracles of the Bhagavat Vairocana through various samādhis, which were the
bodhisattva samādhi the display of the entire realm of phenomena, the bodhisattva samādhi the
radiance of the range of the unimpeded wisdom of all three times, the bodhisattva samādhi the
radiance of the wisdom that is inseparable from the basis of the realm of phenomena, the bodhisattva samādhi
the radiance of the sky, the bodhisattva samādhi expansion through the attainment of the
Buddha’s ten strengths, the bodhisattva
samādhi the expanding prowess of the display of the fearlessness of buddhahood, the bodhisattva samādhi
the essence of the extent of all ways in the realm of phenomena, the bodhisattva samādhi
the moon that pervades the entire realm of phenomena with unimpeded sound, and the bodhisattva
samādhi the light of the adornment of the equality of the realm of phenomena.

The bodhisattvas perceived the ocean of miracles of the Bhagavat Vairocana through various samādhis, which were the
bodhisattva samādhi the banner of the unimpeded methods of the king of the Dharma, the bodhisattva
samādhi the vision of an ocean of buddhas in all objects of perception, the bodhisattva samādhi the banner of the appearance of bodies that are not
different from the existences in all worlds, the bodhisattva samādhi the entry into the field that is
not different

from the bodies of the Tathāgata, the bodhisattva samādhi the essence of compassion for the
continuing suffering in all worlds, the bodhisattva samādhi the blessing based upon the foundation of
all phenomena, the bodhisattva samādhi the appearance of the domain of tranquility in absolute
peace, the bodhisattva samādhi the appearance of the complete manifestation of unimpeded nondependent
manifestations, the bodhisattva samādhi the blessing that completely unites all realms,
the bodhisattva samādhi the attainment of the outer form of enlightenment in all buddha realms, the
bodhisattva samādhi the conduct

of the power over the senses among all beings, the bodhisattva samādhi
the unimpeded domain of conduct that is superior among all beings, the bodhisattva samādhi the
blessing that comes from the birth of the tathāgatas, the bodhisattva samādhi the comprehension of
the attainment