大方廣佛華嚴經

The great bodhisattva Samantabhadra again addressed the bodhisattvas:

Children of the Buddha! How should a great bodhisattva understand the realm of the Tathagata, the Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened One?

A great bodhisattva, through unobstructed wisdom, knows that all realms of the world are realms of the Tathagata. The realms of all three periods of time, the realms of all lands, the realms of all dharmas, the realms of all sentient beings, the realm of true suchness without differentiation, the realm of the Dharma-realm without obstruction, the realm of ultimate reality without bounds, the realm of space without measure, and the realm of no realm—all are realms of the Tathagata.

Children of the Buddha! Just as all realms of the world are immeasurable, so too are the realms of the Tathagata immeasurable. Just as all realms of the three periods of time are immeasurable, so too are the realms of the Tathagata immeasurable. Even as the realm of no realm is immeasurable, so too are the realms of the Tathagata immeasurable. Just as the realm of no realm exists nowhere, so too are the realms of the Tathagata: they exist nowhere.

Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should know that the realm of mind is the realm of the Tathagata. Just as the realm of mind is immeasurable, boundless, neither bound nor liberated, so too is the realm of the Tathagata immeasurable, boundless, neither bound nor liberated. Because such-and-such thoughts and discriminations arise, such-and-such immeasurable manifestations appear.

Children of the Buddha! It is like a great Dragon King who sends down rain according to his mind, yet that rain comes neither from within nor from without.

The realm of the Tathagata is also thus. According to such-and-such thoughts and discriminations, such-and-such immeasurable manifestations appear, yet throughout the ten directions they come from nowhere.

Children of the Buddha! Just as the waters of the great ocean all arise through the power of the Dragon Kings’ minds, so too does the ocean of all-knowledge of the Buddha-Tathagatas arise entirely from the Tathagatas’ great vows of old.

Children of the Buddha! The ocean of all-knowledge is immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable, and inexpressible. Yet I shall now briefly offer an analogy; the assembly should listen attentively.

In this Jambudvipa, two thousand five hundred rivers flow into the great ocean. In western Aparagodaniya, five thousand rivers flow into the great ocean. In eastern Purvavideha, seven thousand five hundred rivers flow into the great ocean. In northern Uttarakuru, ten thousand rivers flow into the great ocean. Thus, throughout the four continents, twenty-five thousand rivers continuously flow into the great ocean, and the volume of their waters is exceedingly vast.

Within the great ocean, the Dragon King Tenfold Radiance also sends down rain whose volume is twice that of the rivers. The Dragon King Hundredfold Radiance then sends down rain whose volume is twice that of the preceding rainfall. There are also the Dragon King Great Adornment, the Dragon King Manasvin, the Dragon King Thunderclap, the Dragon King Nanda, the Dragon King Upananda, the Dragon King Immeasurable Radiance, the Dragon King Continuous Cascade, the Dragon King Great Victory, and the Dragon King Great Vigor.

There are eight billion such great Dragon Kings, all of whom send rain into the great ocean, each successively producing twice as much as the preceding one. The prince of the Dragon King Sagara, named Jambudhvaja, sends rain into the great ocean that is again twice as abundant as that of the preceding Dragon King.

The waters flowing from the palace of the Dragon King Tenfold Radiance into the great ocean are twice as abundant as the preceding rainfall. The waters flowing from the palace of the Dragon King Hundredfold Radiance into the great ocean are again twice as abundant. And so on, through the distinct palaces of all eight billion great Dragon Kings: from each, waters flow into the great ocean, successively doubling in abundance.

The Dragon King Sagara sends rain into the great ocean in a quantity greater than all the foregoing. The waters flowing from the palace of the Dragon King Sagara into the great ocean are again twice as abundant. These waters are deep blue, the color of vaidurya, and flow forth at appointed times; for this reason, the tides of the great ocean never fail to occur at the proper time.

Children of the Buddha! Thus, in the great ocean the waters are immeasurable, the precious jewels are immeasurable, the sentient beings are immeasurable, and the vast earth that rests upon it is also immeasurable.

Yet this immeasurable great ocean, when compared with the immeasurable ocean of wisdom of the Tathagata, does not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part, or even one upanishad part of it. An analogy is established merely in accordance with the minds of sentient beings. The realm of the Buddha, however, cannot be reached through analogy.

Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should know that the Tathagata’s ocean of wisdom is immeasurable, because from the first arising of the aspiration for enlightenment, his cultivation of bodhisattva practices has never ceased.

One should know that the Tathagata’s treasury of jewels is immeasurable, because the Dharmas constituting the factors of enlightenment and the lineage of the Three Jewels never cease.

One should know that the sentient beings dwelling therein are immeasurable, because all learners and those beyond learning among the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas partake of it.

One should know that the grounds of dwelling are immeasurable, because bodhisattvas dwell therein from the First Ground, the Ground of Joy, through the ultimate Ground of Unobstructed Consummation.

Children of the Buddha! In order to enter immeasurable wisdom and benefit all sentient beings, a great bodhisattva should understand the realm of the Tathagata, the Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened One, in this way.

The great bodhisattva Samantabhadra, wishing to elucidate this meaning further, spoke these verses:

As the realm of mind is boundless and immeasurable,

So too is the realm of all Buddhas.

As the realm of mind arises from thought,

Thus should the Buddha’s realm be contemplated.

As a dragon, without leaving its palace,

Through the awesome power of its mind sends down great rain,

Though the rainwater has nowhere it comes from or goes to,

According to the dragon’s mind, all is fulfilled.

The Muni possessed of the Ten Powers is also thus:

He comes from nowhere and goes nowhere.

If one possesses a pure mind, he manifests his body,

As vast as the Dharma-realm, entering every pore.

As the ocean’s precious jewels are boundless and immeasurable,

So too are its sentient beings and the vast earth.

The nature of its waters is of one flavor, alike and undifferentiated;

All born therein receive benefit.

The Tathagata’s ocean of wisdom is also thus:

Everything within it is immeasurable.

Learners and those beyond learning dwell upon the various grounds;

All receive benefit therein.

Children of the Buddha! How should a great bodhisattva understand the conduct of the Tathagata, the Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened One?

A great bodhisattva should know that unobstructed conduct is the conduct of the Tathagata and that the conduct of true suchness is the conduct of the Tathagata.

Children of the Buddha! True suchness is unborn in the past, unmoving in the future, and unarisen in the present. The conduct of the Tathagata is also thus: unborn, unmoving, and unarisen.

Children of the Buddha! The Dharma-realm is neither measurable nor immeasurable, because it is formless. Likewise, the conduct of the Tathagata is neither measurable nor immeasurable, because it is formless.

Children of the Buddha! Suppose a bird were to fly through space for a hundred years. Neither the region through which it had flown nor the region through which it had not yet flown could be measured, because the realm of space has no boundary. Likewise, with regard to the Tathagata’s conduct, even if someone were to spend hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of kalpas discerning and expounding it, neither what had been explained nor what had yet to be explained could be measured, because the Tathagata’s conduct has no bounds.

Children of the Buddha! The Tathagata, the Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened One, abides in unobstructed conduct. Though he abides nowhere, he universally manifests deeds for all sentient beings, enabling those who behold them to transcend all obstacles upon the path.

Children of the Buddha! It is like the King of Garuda Birds flying through the sky, circling without moving onward. With pure eyes he observes the palaces of the dragons, then exerts his mighty strength and beats his two wings, cleaving the waters of the ocean into two, and seizes dragons whose lives are nearing their end to devour them.

The Tathagata, the Supremely and Perfectly Enlightened One, is also thus. Abiding securely in unobstructed conduct, he uses the pure Buddha-eye to observe all sentient beings throughout the Dharma-realm. When he sees those who have previously planted roots of goodness that have now matured, he employs the mighty power of the Ten Powers and beats the two wings of shamatha and vipashyana, cleaving in two the ocean waters of craving, birth, and death. He takes them into the Buddhadharma, enables them to extinguish all delusive thoughts, conceptual proliferations, and frivolous discourse, and establishes them in the Tathagata’s unobstructed, nondiscriminating conduct.

Children of the Buddha! Just as the sun and moon are without peer, each traversing space alone and benefiting sentient beings without thinking from where it came or to where it goes.

The Buddhas, the Tathagatas, are likewise. Their nature is originally quiescent and without discrimination, yet they manifest journeying throughout the Dharma realm. Wishing to benefit all sentient beings, they perform Buddha-work without cease, while never giving rise to conceptual proliferation or discrimination such as, “I came from there and am now going over there.”

Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should employ such immeasurable skillful means and immeasurable natures and characteristics to see and know the practices of the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One.

The great bodhisattva Samantabhadra, wishing to clarify this meaning once more, spoke these verses:

Just as true suchness neither arises nor ceases,

Has no location and cannot be seen,

So are the practices of the Great Benefactor:

Beyond the three times, they cannot be fathomed.

The Dharma realm is neither a realm nor not a realm,

Neither measurable nor immeasurable;

So too are the practices of the One of Great Merit:

Neither measured nor measureless, for he has no body.

Suppose a bird flies for a trillion years;

The emptiness before and behind it never differs.

Though the Tathagata’s practices be expounded for many kalpas,

What has been told and what remains untold cannot be measured.

The king of eagles surveys the great ocean from on high,

Parts the waters, seizes a dragon, and devours it;

The One of the Ten Powers rescues those with roots of goodness,

Freeing them from the ocean of peril and dispelling their afflictions.

Just as the sun and moon travel through empty space,

Shining upon all without discrimination,

So the World-Honored One journeys throughout the Dharma realm,

Teaching and transforming sentient beings without stirring a thought.

Children of the Buddha! How should a great bodhisattva understand the Tathagata’s attainment of Perfect Enlightenment?

A great bodhisattva should know that when the Tathagata attains Perfect Enlightenment, regarding all meanings there is nothing he observes; regarding the equality of all dharmas there is no doubt or confusion. There is no duality, no characteristic, no activity, no cessation, no measure, and no boundary. Far removed from the two extremes, he abides in the Middle Way. He transcends all written words and verbal expressions and knows the thoughts, conceptions, faculties, dispositions, preferences, afflictions, and habitual defilements of all sentient beings. In brief, he clearly knows all dharmas throughout the three times.

Children of the Buddha! Just as the great ocean can reflect all the forms and physical appearances of sentient beings throughout the four continents under heaven, and therefore all beings together call it the great ocean,

The bodhi of all Buddhas is likewise: it universally reveals the faculties, dispositions, and preferences of all sentient beings, yet there is nothing revealed. Therefore, it is called the bodhi of all Buddhas.

Children of the Buddha! The Buddha’s bodhi cannot be proclaimed by any written word, reached by any sound, or expressed by any language. It is revealed through skillful means only in accordance with what is appropriate.

Children of the Buddha! When the Tathagata attains Perfect Enlightenment, he obtains a body equal in measure to all sentient beings, a body equal in measure to all dharmas, a body equal in measure to all lands, a body equal in measure to all three times, a body equal in measure to all Buddhas, a body equal in measure to all languages, a body equal in measure to true suchness, a body equal in measure to the Dharma realm, a body equal in measure to the realm of empty space, a body equal in measure to the realm of non-obstruction, a body equal in measure to all vows, a body equal in measure to all practices, and a body equal in measure to the quiescent realm of nirvana.

Just as the body he obtains is thus, so too are the speech and mind he obtains. In this way, he obtains immeasurable and countless pure threefold activities.

Children of the Buddha! When the Tathagata attains Perfect Enlightenment, within the Tathagata’s body he universally sees all sentient beings attaining Perfect Enlightenment. He even universally sees all sentient beings entering nirvana, all sharing a single nature.

This single nature is precisely the absence of all natures. Which natures are absent? There is no nature of characteristics, no nature of exhaustion, no nature of arising, no nature of cessation, no nature of self, no nature of non-self, no nature of sentient beings, no nature of non-sentient beings, no nature of bodhi, no nature of the Dharma realm, no nature of empty space, and likewise no nature of attaining Perfect Enlightenment.

Because he knows that all dharmas are without nature, he attains omniscience and, with uninterrupted great compassion, rescues sentient beings.

Children of the Buddha! Just as, within empty space, all worlds may come into being or be destroyed while empty space itself neither increases nor decreases, because empty space is originally unborn,

The bodhi of all Buddhas is likewise. Whether Perfect Enlightenment is attained or not attained, it neither increases nor decreases, because bodhi is originally without characteristics, without non-characteristics, neither one nor many.

Children of the Buddha! Suppose a person could conjure minds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and each mind in turn conjured Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, all without color, form, or characteristic. Suppose this conjuring continued without cease for kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

Children of the Buddha! What do you think? How many conjured minds and conjured Buddhas would that person have in all?

The bodhisattva Wondrous Virtue of the Tathagata Nature’s Arising said: “As I understand the meaning of what you have said, conjuring and not conjuring are identical and no different. Why, then, ask how many there are?”

The bodhisattva Samantabhadra said: “Excellent! Excellent! It is exactly as you have said.

“Suppose that, within a single thought, all sentient beings attained Perfect Enlightenment. Attaining and not attaining Perfect Enlightenment would be identical and no different, because bodhi has no characteristics. Since it has no characteristics, it neither increases nor decreases.

“Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should know this: attaining Perfect Enlightenment is identical with bodhi—one characteristic, namely no characteristic. When the Tathagata attains Perfect Enlightenment, through the skillful means of the single characteristic, he enters the samadhi of Skillfully Awakened Wisdom. Having entered it, within one vast body attaining Perfect Enlightenment, he manifests bodies equal in number to all sentient beings abiding within that body. Just as one vast body attains Perfect Enlightenment, so too do all vast bodies attain Perfect Enlightenment.

“Children of the Buddha! The Tathagata has immeasurable gateways for attaining Perfect Enlightenment. Therefore, one should know that the Tathagata manifests immeasurable bodies. Because they are immeasurable, it is said that the Tathagata’s body is an immeasurable realm equal to the realm of sentient beings.

“Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should know that within a single pore of the Tathagata’s body are bodies of Buddhas equal in number to all sentient beings, because the Tathagata’s attainment of Perfect Enlightenment is ultimately without arising or cessation. Just as one pore pervades the Dharma realm, so too do all pores. One should know that there is not even the slightest place where the Buddha’s body is absent, because when the Tathagata attains Perfect Enlightenment, there is nowhere he does not reach. In accordance with beings’ capacities and strengths, beneath the bodhi tree at the place of enlightenment, upon the lion throne, he manifests many bodies attaining Perfect Enlightenment.

“Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should know that within one’s own mind, in thought after thought, there are always Buddhas attaining Perfect Enlightenment, because all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, do not attain Perfect Enlightenment apart from this mind. As it is with one’s own mind, so too is it with the minds of all sentient beings: in all of them there are always Tathagatas attaining Perfect Enlightenment, vast and all-pervasive, present everywhere, never departing, never ceasing, and never resting, entering the inconceivable Dharma gateway of skillful means.

“Children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva should understand the Tathagata’s attainment of Perfect Enlightenment in this way.”

The great bodhisattva Samantabhadra, wishing to clarify this meaning once more, spoke these verses:

Perfect Enlightenment clearly knows all dharmas;

Without duality and free from duality, all are equal.

Its intrinsic nature is pure, like empty space;

It makes no distinction between self and non-self.

Just as the ocean reflects the bodies of sentient beings,

And for this reason is called the great ocean,

Bodhi universally reflects the activities of every mind;

Therefore, it is called Perfect Enlightenment.

Just as worlds come into being and are destroyed,

While empty space neither increases nor decreases,

All Buddhas manifest within the world,

Yet bodhi, of one characteristic, is forever without characteristics.

Just as a person conjures minds that conjure Buddhas,

Conjuring and not conjuring are no different in nature,

So when all sentient beings attain bodhi,

Attainment and non-attainment neither increase nor decrease.

The Buddha has a samadhi called Skillful Awakening;

Beneath the bodhi tree he enters this concentration,

Emitting immeasurable light rays, as numerous as sentient beings,

He awakens all beings, as lotus blossoms open.

Like the kalpas, lands, and sentient beings of the three times

Whatever their thoughts, faculties, and desires,

Bodies equal in number all appear;

Therefore the Rightly Awakened One is called immeasurable.

Children of the Buddhas! How should great bodhisattvas understand the way in which the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, turns the Dharma wheel?

Great bodhisattvas should understand it thus: Through the sovereign power of mind, the Tathagata turns the Dharma wheel without arising or turning, because he knows that all dharmas are eternally unarisen. Through the three turnings, he ends what must be ended and turns the Dharma wheel, because he knows that all dharmas are free from extreme views. Free from both the subtle and the non-subtle limits of desire, he turns the Dharma wheel, because he enters the boundless realm of space of all dharmas.

Without verbal expression, he turns the Dharma wheel, because he knows that all dharmas are inexpressible. In ultimate quiescence, he turns the Dharma wheel, because he knows that the nature of all dharmas is nirvana. Through all written characters and every language, he turns the Dharma wheel, because the Tathagata’s voice reaches everywhere.

Knowing sounds to be like echoes, he turns the Dharma wheel, because he comprehends the true nature of all dharmas. Emitting every sound within a single sound, he turns the Dharma wheel, because ultimately there is no master. Without omission and without exhaustion, he turns the Dharma wheel, because he is unattached both inwardly and outwardly.

Children of the Buddhas! Just as all written characters and languages could be spoken throughout future kalpas without ever being exhausted, so too is the Buddha’s turning of the Dharma wheel: through all written characters it is established and revealed, never ceasing and never ending.

Children of the Buddhas! The Tathagata’s Dharma wheel enters all languages and written characters, yet abides nowhere. It is like written characters entering universally into all matters, all words, all calculations and numbers, and all worldly and supramundane domains, yet abiding nowhere.

The voice of the Tathagata is likewise: it enters universally into all places, all sentient beings, all dharmas, all karma, and all retributions, yet abides nowhere.

The various languages of all sentient beings never depart from the Tathagata’s Dharma wheel, because the true characteristic of verbal sounds is itself the Dharma wheel.

Great bodhisattvas should understand that the Tathagata turns the Dharma wheel in this way.

Furthermore, children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas who wish to understand the Tathagata’s turning of the Dharma wheel should understand the source from which the Tathagata’s Dharma wheel arises.

Children of the Buddhas! In accordance with the immeasurably diverse mental activities, desires, and inclinations of all sentient beings, the Tathagata emits an equal number of sounds and turns the Dharma wheel.

Children of the Buddhas! The Tathagata has a samadhi called Ultimate Unimpeded Fearlessness. After entering this samadhi, through each and every body and each and every mouth with which he attains Perfect Enlightenment, he emits verbal sounds equal in number to all sentient beings. Within each verbal sound are fully present all verbal sounds, each distinct from the others, by which he turns the Dharma wheel and causes all sentient beings to rejoice.

One who understands that the Tathagata turns the Dharma wheel in this way should be known to accord with all the Buddha-Dharma. One who does not understand it in this way does not accord with it.

Children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas should understand that the Buddha turns the Dharma wheel in this way, universally entering the realms of immeasurable sentient beings.

The great bodhisattva Samantabhadra, wishing to elucidate this meaning once more, spoke these verses:

The Tathagata’s Dharma wheel has nothing that is turned;

Throughout the three times, there is no arising and nothing attained.

Just as written characters are never exhausted throughout time,

So too is the Dharma wheel of the Ten Powers.

Just as written characters enter everywhere yet never arrive,

So too is the Dharma wheel of the Rightly Awakened One.

It enters all verbal sounds, yet there is nowhere it enters,

And it can cause all sentient beings to rejoice.

The Buddha has a samadhi called Ultimate;

Only after entering this concentration does he teach the Dharma.

To all sentient beings, immeasurable and boundless,

He universally proclaims the Dharma in speech, enabling them to awaken.

Within each verbal sound he further proclaims

Immeasurable verbal sounds, all distinct from one another.

The Sovereign One of the World makes no distinctions,

Yet, according to their inclinations, enables all to hear.

Written characters arise from neither within nor without;

Nor are they lost, and they form no accumulation.

Yet for sentient beings he turns the Dharma wheel—

Such sovereign mastery is exceedingly wondrous.

Children of the Buddhas! How should great bodhisattvas understand the way in which the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, enters nirvana?

Great bodhisattvas who wish to understand the Tathagata’s great nirvana must clearly understand its fundamental intrinsic nature. As true suchness is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. As the limit of reality is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana.

As the Dharma realm is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. As empty space is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. As the nature of dharmas is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana.

As the limit of freedom from desire is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. As the limit of signlessness is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. As the limit of the nature of self is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana.

As the limit of the nature of all dharmas is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. As the limit of true suchness is nirvana, so too is the Tathagata’s nirvana. This is because nirvana has neither birth nor emergence.

If a dharma has neither birth nor emergence, then it has no cessation.

Children of the Buddhas! The Tathagata does not tell bodhisattvas that the Buddhas ultimately enter nirvana, nor does he manifest such an event for bodhisattvas. This is because he wishes bodhisattvas to see all Tathagatas constantly present before them and, within a single thought, to see the perfectly complete physical forms of the past and future just as they see those of the present, without conceiving them as either dual or nondual. This is because great bodhisattvas have forever abandoned conceptual attachment.

The Buddha-Tathagatas appear in the world because they wish to cause sentient beings to cherish and delight in them. They manifest nirvana because they wish sentient beings to yearn for and revere them. In truth, however, the Tathagata neither appears in the world nor enters nirvana, because the Tathagata perpetually abides in the pure Dharma realm and manifests in accordance with the minds of sentient beings.

Children of the Buddhas! It is like the sun rising and illuminating all worlds. In every vessel containing pure water, the sun’s reflection appears. It pervades all places without coming or going. If one vessel is broken, the sun’s reflection no longer appears within it. This is not the sun’s fault; it is because the vessel containing the water has been broken.

The Tathagata’s wisdom is likewise: it appears throughout the Dharma realm, neither before nor after. The Tathagata appears within the pure minds of all sentient beings. When the mind is constantly pure, one constantly sees the Buddha’s body. If the mind is defiled and broken, one does not see the Tathagata.

Children of the Buddhas! If there are sentient beings who should be liberated through nirvana, the Tathagata manifests nirvana for their sake. In truth, however, the Tathagata is neither born nor lost and does not pass into cessation.

It is like the element of fire, which throughout all worlds can produce flame. At times, a fire in one place is extinguished, but this does not mean that all fires throughout all worlds are extinguished.

The Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, is likewise: he performs the works of a Buddha throughout all worlds. When his work in one world has been completed, he manifests entry into nirvana. How could this mean that all Buddha-Tathagatas throughout all worlds have passed into cessation?

Great bodhisattvas should understand the great nirvana of the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, in this way.

Furthermore, children of the Buddhas! It is like a skilled magician who understands magical arts. Through the power of illusion, throughout all the lands, cities, towns, and villages of a great trichiliocosm, he manifests illusory bodies and, through the power of illusion, sustains them for as long as an entire kalpa. When his illusory work in one place has been completed, he conceals his body so that it no longer appears there. Yet he does not conceal his body in every place.

The Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, is likewise: he skillfully understands immeasurable wisdom, expedient means, and various magical arts. He manifests bodies throughout the entire Dharma realm and sustains them continually to the end of future time. In a certain place, when his work in accordance with the minds of sentient beings has been completed, he manifests entry into nirvana. How could one conclude, merely because the Buddha enters nirvana in one place, that all Buddhas have passed into cessation?

Great bodhisattvas should understand the great nirvana of the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, in this way.

Furthermore, O children of the Buddha! When the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, manifests entry into nirvana, he enters the Immovable Samadhi. Having entered this samadhi, from each and every Buddha-body he emits immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of great rays of light. Each ray of light reveals innumerable lotus flowers. Each lotus flower has an ineffable number of stamens made of wondrous jewels. Each stamen has a lion throne, and upon each throne sits a Tathagata in the lotus posture. The number of these Buddha-bodies equals the number of all sentient beings. Each is fully adorned with every kind of supreme and wondrous merit and arises from the power of original vows.

When sentient beings whose wholesome roots have matured see these Buddha-bodies, they all receive transformation and guidance. Yet those Buddha-bodies abide ultimately throughout the bounds of the future, teaching and liberating all sentient beings according to what is appropriate, never missing the proper time.

O children of the Buddha! The body of the Tathagata has no fixed location. It is neither real nor unreal. Solely through the power of the Buddhas’ original vows, whenever sentient beings are ready to be liberated, it appears.

A great bodhisattva should understand the great nirvana of the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, in this way.

O children of the Buddha! The Tathagata abides in the immeasurable, unobstructed, ultimate Dharma realm; the realm of space; true suchness; Dharma-nature; non-arising; non-ceasing; and the limit of reality, yet manifests at the proper time for sentient beings. Sustained by his original vows, he never rests. He never abandons any sentient being, any realm, or any dharma.

The great bodhisattva Samantabhadra, wishing to clarify this meaning once more, spoke these verses:

The sun emits its radiance, illuminating the world;

When an empty vessel leaks its water, the reflection disappears.

The Most Excellent World-Honored One is also thus:

Beings without faith see him enter cessation.

Just as the element of fire pervades the fires of the world,

Yet in a certain town or city a fire may sometimes go out,

So the Most Excellent World-Honored One pervades the Dharma realm,

Yet where his teaching work is complete, he manifests entry into cessation.

A magician manifests bodies throughout all realms;

When his work in a place is done, he conceals his body.

The Tathagata, having completed his transformative work, does likewise;

In other lands, the Buddha is constantly seen.

The Buddha has a samadhi called Immovable;

Having transformed sentient beings, he enters this concentration.

In a single thought, his body emits immeasurable light;

The light reveals lotuses, and within the flowers are Buddhas.

Countless Buddha-bodies pervade the Dharma realm;

Sentient beings possessed of merit are then able to see them.

Thus each of these countless bodies

Is fully endowed with lifespan and adornments.

As the nature of things is unborn, the Buddha appears in the world;

As the nature of things is unceasing, the Buddha enters nirvana.

All words and analogies come to an end;

The complete meaning is beyond all comparison.

O children of the Buddha! How should a great bodhisattva understand the wholesome roots planted through seeing, hearing, and drawing near to the Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One?

A great bodhisattva should know that all wholesome roots planted through seeing, hearing, and drawing near to the Tathagata are never in vain, for they produce inexhaustible wisdom of enlightenment; free one from all obstacles and adversities; lead one with certainty to the ultimate state; are never false or deceptive; bring all vows to fulfillment; never exhaust practices involving conditioned phenomena; accord with the wisdom of the unconditioned; give rise to Buddha-wisdom; continue throughout the bounds of the future; accomplish the supreme practices of omniscience in all its aspects; and lead to the stage of effortless wisdom.

O children of the Buddha! Suppose a man were to swallow a small piece of vajra. It could never be digested, but would inevitably pierce through his body and emerge outside, because vajra cannot remain together with a defiled body of flesh.

A small wholesome root planted in relation to the Tathagata is just the same. It will inevitably pierce through all afflictions and conditioned practices and reach the ultimate wisdom of the unconditioned, because this small wholesome root cannot remain together with conditioned practices and afflictions.

O children of the Buddha! Suppose dry grass were piled as high as Mount Sumeru. If a tiny spark were cast into it, the entire heap would inevitably burn away, for fire has the power to burn.

A small wholesome root planted in relation to the Tathagata is just the same. It will inevitably burn away all afflictions and ultimately lead to nirvana without remainder, for this small wholesome root possesses an ultimate nature.

O children of the Buddha! On the Snow Mountain there is, for example, a king of medicinal trees called Good Eon. Whoever sees it has their eyes purified. Whoever hears of it has their ears purified. Whoever smells it has their nose purified. Whoever tastes it has their tongue purified. Whoever touches it has their body purified. Even earth taken from around its roots can be used to cure illness.

The Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, is also thus, for he can bestow every benefit upon sentient beings. Whoever sees the Tathagata’s physical body has their eyes purified. Whoever hears the Buddha’s name has their ears purified.

Whoever smells the fragrance of the Tathagata’s moral discipline has their nose purified. Whoever tastes the flavor of the Tathagata’s Dharma has their tongue purified, becomes endowed with the broad and long tongue-mark, and understands the language of the Dharma. Whoever is touched by the Tathagata’s light has their body purified and ultimately attains the unsurpassed Dharma-body.

Whoever recollects the Tathagata attains the pure Buddha-Recollection Samadhi. Whoever makes offerings to ground over which the Tathagata has passed, or to a stupa or shrine dedicated to the Buddha, also becomes fully endowed with wholesome roots, eliminates every calamity and affliction, and attains the bliss of sages and saints.

O children of the Buddha! I now tell you: Although some sentient beings, obscured by karmic hindrances, see or hear the Buddha without giving rise to loving faith, they nevertheless plant wholesome roots that are not in vain, and will ultimately enter nirvana.

A great bodhisattva should understand that all wholesome roots planted through seeing, hearing, and drawing near to the Tathagata in this way cause one to abandon every unwholesome dharma and become fully endowed with wholesome dharmas.

O children of the Buddha! The Tathagata employs every analogy to explain many matters, yet no analogy can adequately express this Dharma, for it is inconceivable and beyond the paths of mind and intellect. The Buddhas and bodhisattvas merely speak in analogies according to the minds of sentient beings so as to bring them joy; such analogies are not ultimate.

This Dharma gateway is called the secret treasury of the Tathagata; it is called that which no worldling can know; it is called entry into the Tathagata’s seal; it is called opening the gate of great wisdom; it is called revealing the lineage-nature of the Tathagata; it is called bringing all bodhisattvas to accomplishment; it is called that which no being in any world can destroy; it is called single-minded accordance with the realm of the Tathagata; it is called that which can purify the realms of all sentient beings; and it is called the exposition of the ultimate, inconceivable Dharma of the Tathagata’s fundamental true nature.

O children of the Buddha! The Tathagata does not teach this Dharma gateway to other sentient beings. He teaches it only to bodhisattvas who advance toward the Mahayana, only to bodhisattvas established in the inconceivable vehicle. This Dharma gateway does not come into the hands of any other sentient beings, with the sole exception of great bodhisattvas.

O children of the Buddha! It is like a Wheel-Turning Sage King who possesses seven treasures. Through these seven treasures, his status as a Wheel-Turning King is made manifest. These seven treasures do not come into the hands of any other being, but only into those of the crown prince born of the First Consort, who is perfectly endowed with all the marks of a Sage King. If the Wheel-Turning Sage King has no crown prince endowed with these virtuous marks, then within seven days after the Sage King’s death, all the treasures disappear.

Likewise, this sutra does not come into the hands of other sentient beings, but only into those of the true children of the Tathagata, the Dharma King, who are born into the family of the Tathagata and have planted the Tathagata’s wholesome roots. If there were no such true children, this Dharma gateway would soon disappear. Those of the two vehicles cannot even hear this sutra, much less uphold, read, recite, transcribe, analyze, or explain it. Only bodhisattvas are capable of doing so.

For these reasons, when great bodhisattvas hear this Dharma gateway, they should rejoice greatly and bow before it with reverence and respect. For when a great bodhisattva believes in and delights in this sutra, that bodhisattva quickly attains unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

O children of the Buddha! Suppose a bodhisattva, throughout immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, practices the six paramitas and cultivates the factors of enlightenment. If that bodhisattva has not yet heard this Dharma-gate of the Tathagata’s inconceivable great awesome virtue, or, having heard it, does not believe, understand, accord with, or enter it, then that bodhisattva cannot be called a true bodhisattva, for that bodhisattva has not been born into the family of the Tathagata.

If one hears this Dharma-gate of the Tathagata’s immeasurable, inconceivable, unobstructed wisdom and, having heard it, believes, understands, accords with, awakens to, and enters it, know that this person has been born into the family of the Tathagata, accords with the states of all Tathagatas, fully possesses the Dharma of bodhisattvas, abides in the state of wisdom that knows all modes, leaves far behind all worldly phenomena, brings forth all the practices of the Tathagata, thoroughly comprehends the Dharma-nature of bodhisattvas, harbors no doubt or delusion concerning the Buddha’s mastery, abides in the Dharma attained without a teacher, and deeply enters the Tathagata’s unobstructed state.

O children of the Buddha! After hearing this Dharma, a great bodhisattva can know immeasurable dharmas with the wisdom of equality; can leave all discriminations behind with an upright mind; can, through supreme aspiration and delight, behold the Buddhas directly; can, through the power of directed thought, enter the equality of the realm of space; can, through mastery of mindfulness, journey throughout the boundless Dharma-realm; can, through the power of wisdom, perfect all virtues; can, through spontaneous wisdom, leave behind all worldly defilements; can, with the bodhi-mind, enter all worlds throughout the ten directions; can, through the power of great contemplation, know that the Buddhas of the three times share a single essential nature;

and can, through the wisdom of dedicating roots of goodness, universally enter the Dharma in this manner: entering without entering, grasping at no single dharma, and constantly contemplating all dharmas through a single dharma.

O children of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva who accomplishes such virtues swiftly attains spontaneous wisdom without a teacher through only a small measure of effort.

The great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

Those who behold, hear, and make offerings to the Tathagatas

Thereby gain virtues boundless and immeasurable;

Throughout conditioned existence these will never be exhausted,

Until afflictions are extinguished and all suffering left behind.

Just as a person who swallows a small piece of vajra

Cannot digest it, and it must pass out again,

So the virtue of making offerings to the One of the Ten Powers

Destroys afflictions and leads to vajra wisdom.

Suppose dry grass were piled as high as Mount Sumeru:

A tiny spark cast upon it would burn it all away.

A small measure of virtue from making offerings to the Buddha

Will assuredly sever afflictions and lead to nirvana.

In the Snow Mountains is a medicine called Excellent Vision;

Seeing, hearing, smelling, or touching it dispels every illness.

If anyone sees or hears the One of the Ten Powers,

That person gains supreme virtue and reaches the Buddha’s wisdom.

At that time, through the Buddha’s spiritual power and because the Dharma is thus, throughout the ten directions ten ineffable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of worlds quaked in six ways: the east rose and the west sank; the west rose and the east sank; the south rose and the north sank; the north rose and the south sank; the edges rose and the center sank; and the center rose and the edges sank. There were eighteen characteristics of quaking: shaking, pervasive shaking, universally pervasive shaking; surging, pervasive surging, universally pervasive surging; rising, pervasive rising, universally pervasive rising; trembling, pervasive trembling, universally pervasive trembling; roaring, pervasive roaring, universally pervasive roaring;

striking, pervasive striking, and universally pervasive striking.

There rained down clouds of flowers surpassing those of the heavens; clouds of canopies, standards, banners, fragrances, garlands, aromatic ointments, ornaments, great radiant mani jewels, praises sung by bodhisattvas, and the diverse bodies of ineffably many bodhisattvas. There also rained down clouds of the attainment of perfect enlightenment, clouds inconceivably adorning and purifying worlds, and clouds of the sounds and speech of the Buddha filling boundless worlds.

Just as the Tathagata’s spiritual power manifested in this manner throughout this four-continent world, causing the bodhisattvas to rejoice exceedingly, so too did it manifest throughout all worlds in the ten directions.

At that time, in each of the ten directions, beyond worlds as numerous as the dust motes in eighty ineffable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands, there appeared Tathagatas as numerous as the dust motes in eighty ineffable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands, all bearing the same name, Samantabhadra. They manifested before Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and said:

“Excellent, O child of the Buddha! Through the awesome power of the Buddha and in accord with the Dharma-nature, you are able to expound the inconceivable Dharma of the Tathagata’s manifestation.

“O child of the Buddha! We Buddhas throughout the ten directions, as numerous as the dust motes in eighty ineffable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands and all bearing the same name, Samantabhadra, also teach this Dharma.

“O child of the Buddha! In this Dharma assembly there are now great bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust motes in one hundred thousand lands who have attained all bodhisattva spiritual powers and samadhis. We Buddhas all bestow predictions upon them that, after one more lifetime, they will attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

“Moreover, beings as numerous as the dust motes in Buddha-lands have generated the bodhi-mind. We Buddhas also bestow predictions upon them that, in future ages, after passing through kalpas as numerous as the dust motes in ineffably many Buddha-lands, they will all attain Buddhahood and bear the same name: Buddha of the Supreme State.

“We Buddhas all protect and uphold this Dharma so that bodhisattvas of the future may hear it. Just as beings are taught and transformed throughout this four-continent world, so too are beings taught and transformed throughout the hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of innumerable, immeasurable worlds in the ten directions, extending even to all worlds throughout ineffably ineffable Dharma-realms and realms of space.”

At that time, through the spiritual power of the Buddhas of the ten directions, through the power of Vairocana’s vows, because the Dharma is thus, through the power of roots of goodness, because the wisdom arising in the Tathagata never departs from the mind, because the Tathagata responds to conditions without ever missing the proper time, because bodhisattvas are awakened in accordance with the proper time, because practices cultivated in the past are never lost, because bodhisattvas are enabled to attain the vast practices of Samantabhadra, and because all mastery of wisdom is revealed, bodhisattvas from each of the ten directions, from beyond worlds as numerous as the dust motes in ten ineffable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands, came together to this place.

They filled the entire Dharma-realm throughout the ten directions, manifested the vast adornments of bodhisattvas, cast forth great nets of radiance, shook all worlds throughout the ten directions, shattered all the palaces of the maras, dispelled all the sufferings of the evil destinies, revealed all the Tathagata’s awesome virtues, chanted praises of the immeasurable distinctions among the Tathagata’s Dharmas and virtues, universally rained down every kind of rain, manifested immeasurably diverse bodies, and received immeasurable Buddha-Dharmas.

Through the Buddha’s spiritual power, they all said:

“Excellent, O child of the Buddha! You are able to teach this indestructible Dharma of the Tathagata.

“O child of the Buddha! We bodhisattvas are all named Samantabhadra. We have all come here from the World of Universal Radiance, from the presence of the Tathagata Sovereign Universal Banner. This Dharma is taught in all those worlds. Its passages are the same as here, its principles and meanings are the same as here, its exposition is the same as here, and its definitive purport is the same as here, with neither addition nor omission.

“Through the Buddha’s spiritual power and because we have attained the Dharma of the Tathagata, we bodhisattvas have come here to bear witness for you.

“Just as we have come here, so too is it throughout all four-continent worlds in all worlds of the ten directions, pervading the realm of space and the Dharma-realm.”

At that time, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, empowered by the Buddha’s spiritual might, contemplated the entire assembly of bodhisattvas. Wishing once again to elucidate the vast awesome virtue of the Tathagata’s manifestation; the Tathagata’s true Dharma, which cannot be obstructed; the truth that immeasurable roots of goodness are never in vain; the truth that whenever Buddhas appear in the world they necessarily possess all supreme Dharmas; their skill in contemplating the minds of beings and teaching the Dharma according to what is appropriate, never missing the proper time; their bringing forth immeasurable Dharma-radiance in bodhisattvas; all the sovereign adornments of the Buddhas;

and the truth that the single, undifferentiated body of all Tathagatas arises from the great practices of the past, he spoke these verses:

All the practices of every Tathagata—

No analogy in the world can ever equal them.

In order that sentient beings may awaken and understand,

What is no analogy is presented as an analogy,

To reveal such profound and subtle Dharma,

Difficult to hear even in hundreds of thousands of myriad kalpas.

Only those diligent, wise, and disciplined

Can hear this secret and profound meaning.

If, upon hearing this Dharma, one gives rise to joy,

That person has formerly made offerings to innumerable Buddhas,

Has received the Buddhas’ empowering protection and acceptance,

And is praised and constantly honored with offerings by devas and humans.

This is the foremost Dharma that saves the world;

This can rescue and deliver all beings;

This can bring forth the path of purity.

You should uphold it and never be heedless.