大方廣佛華嚴經

Chapter 39: ENTRY INTO THE DHARMA REALM (Part 20)

At that time, the youth Sudhana respectfully circumambulated the great bodhisattva Maitreya many times to the right, then said:
—May the Noble One open the door of the tower and allow me to enter.
Thereupon, Bodhisattva Maitreya went before the door of the tower and snapped his fingers. The door immediately opened, and the Bodhisattva told Sudhana to enter.
Sudhana entered the tower with immense joy, and the door immediately closed behind him.
The youth Sudhana saw that the tower was as boundlessly vast as space. Countless precious substances formed its floor; it contained countless palaces, countless gates, countless windows, countless flights of steps, countless balustrades, and countless pathways, all made of the seven treasures. Countless standards, countless banners, and countless canopies were arrayed everywhere.

Countless jeweled necklaces, countless pearl necklaces, countless strings of red pearls, and countless strings of lion pearls hung down throughout it. Countless crescent-shaped ornaments, countless silken streamers, and countless jeweled nets adorned it. Countless jeweled bells sounded as the wind stirred them.

Countless beautiful celestial flowers were scattered about. Countless garlands of celestial jewels were suspended there. Countless precious censers provided adornment.

Countless powders of pure gold were strewn about. Countless precious mirrors were hung there. Countless jeweled lamps were lit.

Countless precious garments were spread out. Countless jeweled curtains were suspended. Countless precious seats were arranged, each covered with countless precious silks.

There were countless statues of maidens made of Jambunada gold and countless images made from various jewels. Everywhere stood countless images of bodhisattvas fashioned from wondrous treasures. Countless birds sang with harmonious voices.

Countless precious blue lotuses, countless precious golden lotuses, countless precious red lotuses, and countless precious white lotuses adorned it. Countless jeweled trees stood in orderly rows. Countless mani jewels emitted brilliant light.
He also saw within it immeasurable hundreds of thousands of beautiful towers, all adorned as described above. Each tower was spacious, magnificent, and beautiful, as unobstructed as space. They neither obstructed nor intermingled with one another.
From one place, Sudhana saw every place; and in every place, he saw in the same way.
Seeing that the Tower of Vairocana’s Adorned Treasury possessed countless such realms of mastery, Sudhana’s heart overflowed with immeasurable joy and delight. His body and mind became gentle and pliant; he abandoned all conceptions, removed every obstruction, extinguished every delusion, forgot nothing he saw, remembered everything he heard, and kept his thoughts free from confusion. He entered the gateway of unobstructed liberation, directing his mind everywhere, seeing everywhere, and paying homage everywhere.
The instant he bowed his head, through the spiritual power of Bodhisattva Maitreya, Sudhana saw his own body present throughout all the towers and fully beheld inconceivable realms of mastery.
He saw how Bodhisattva Maitreya first aroused the aspiration, what name he then bore, the lineage into which he was born, the spiritual benefactor who awakened him and caused him to plant such roots of goodness, the length of his life, the kalpa in which he lived, the Buddha he encountered in such an adorned land, the practices he cultivated, and the vows he made.
He clearly saw all those Buddha-Tathagatas, their assemblies, their lifespans, and how long Maitreya attended and made offerings to them.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya first attain the Samadhi of Loving-Kindness, because of which he had thereafter been called the Loving One.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya cultivate wondrous practices and completely perfect all the paramitas.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya attain patience, abide upon the bhumis, accomplish pure lands, preserve the Buddha-Dharma, serve as a great Dharma master, and attain patience with the non-arising of dharmas.
At times he saw when, where, and by which Buddha Bodhisattva Maitreya received the prediction of his enlightenment.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya become a wheel-turning king and exhort beings to abide in the path of the ten wholesome actions; become a world-protecting deity and benefit beings; become Shakra and admonish beings concerning the five desires; become the king of the Yama Heaven and praise the practice of heedfulness; become the king of the Tushita Heaven and extol the merit of bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth; become the king of the Heaven of Delight in Transformation and expound all the Buddha-Dharma to the celestial hosts; become a Mara king and teach that all dharmas are impermanent; become a Brahma king and explain that the meditative absorptions possess immeasurable joy and bliss;

or become an asura king, enter the ocean of great wisdom, understand that dharmas are like illusions, and constantly teach the asura hosts to eliminate all pride and arrogance.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya emit brilliant light in the realm of Yama to relieve the sufferings of hell; at times he saw him give food and drink in the realm of hungry ghosts to relieve their hunger and thirst; and at times he saw him employ skillful means in the animal realm to tame beings.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya teach the Dharma to an assembly of the World-Protecting Heavenly Kings; to an assembly of the Heavenly Kings of the Trayastrimsha Heaven; to an assembly of the Heavenly Kings of the Yama Heaven; to an assembly of the Heavenly Kings of the Tushita Heaven; to an assembly of the Heavenly Kings of the Heaven of Delight in Transformation; to an assembly of the Heavenly Kings of the Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Transformations; to an assembly of the Great Brahma Heavenly Kings; to assemblies of dragon kings, yaksha kings, rakshasa kings, gandharva kings, kinnara kings, asura kings and danava kings, garuda kings and mahoraga kings; to other assemblies of human and nonhuman beings; to assemblies of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas;

or to assemblies ranging from newly aspiring bodhisattvas to bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth who abided at the stage of consecration.

At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya extol the merits of the First Bhumi through the Tenth Bhumi; extol the complete perfection of all the paramitas; extol the Dharma gateways for entering the various kinds of patience; extol the gateways of great samadhis; extol profound and wondrous gateways of liberation; extol the realms of samadhi and spiritual powers; extol the practices of bodhisattvas; extol the great vows; join bodhisattvas who practiced with him in extolling skillful means for benefiting beings; or join bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth in extolling the gateway of consecration of all Buddhas.

At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya, throughout hundreds of thousands of years, walking in meditation, reading and reciting scriptures, copying them, diligently seeking and contemplating their meaning, and teaching the Dharma to assemblies; entering the four dhyanas and the four immeasurable states of mind; entering the totalities and the liberations; or entering samadhi and, through the power of skillful means, manifesting spiritual transformations.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya enter the samadhi of transformation and manifest from every pore of his body clouds of countless transformational bodies: clouds of bodies of celestial hosts; clouds of bodies of dragon hosts; clouds of bodies of the eight classes of beings; clouds of bodies of Shakra, Brahma, world-protecting deities, wheel-turning sage-kings, lesser kings, princes, great ministers, officials and their retinues, elders, and householders; clouds of bodies of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas; or clouds of bodies of all beings.

He also emitted wondrous voices extolling the Dharma gateways of bodhisattvas: the gateway of the merits of bodhicitta; the gateway of the merits of the perfection of giving; and onward through the offerings of the perfection of wisdom. He extolled the methods of attraction, the dhyanas, the immeasurable states of mind, the samadhis, right contemplation, spiritual powers, higher knowledges, dharanis, eloquence, truths, wisdoms, tranquility, insight, liberations, conditions, bases, teachings, and Dharma gateways.

He extolled the foundations of mindfulness, right efforts, bases of spiritual power, faculties, powers, seven factors of enlightenment, Noble Eightfold Path, vehicles of shravakas, vehicles of pratyekabuddhas, vehicles of bodhisattvas, bhumis, kinds of patience, practices, vows, and all such gateways of merit.
At times, within those pores, he also saw Tathagatas surrounded by great assemblies. He clearly saw the birthplaces, lineages, bodily forms, lifespans, lands, numbers of kalpas, names, beneficial teachings, and the duration of the True Dharma of these Buddhas, as well as all the distinctions among their seats of enlightenment and assemblies.
Moreover, within the towers of this Adorned Treasury, each of which was lofty, spacious, and supremely adorned, he saw hundreds of thousands of kotis of Tushita heavens among the hundred kotis of four-continent worlds within the great trichiliocosm. In each Tushita Heaven, Bodhisattva Maitreya descended in spirit and was born, where Shakra, Brahma, and the Heavenly Kings reverently held him in their arms.
As a newborn, the Bodhisattva took seven steps, gazed throughout the ten directions, and uttered a majestic proclamation. He appeared as a youth dwelling in the palace and roaming the royal gardens. Seeking omniscience, he renounced the household life and practiced austerities.

He manifested accepting milk-rice, went to sit at the seat of enlightenment, subdued Mara’s armies, attained complete and perfect enlightenment, contemplated the Bodhi tree, and, at Brahma’s request, turned the Dharma wheel. He ascended to the heavenly palace to teach the Dharma. His kalpas and lifespan, the adornment of his assemblies, his purification and adornment of lands, his practices and vows, his skillful teaching and complete accomplishment of beings, the distribution of his relics, and the preservation of his teachings were all different.
Sudhana also saw his own body in the presence of those Buddha-Tathagatas and saw all their assemblies. He clearly remembered every Buddha-work without forgetting and comprehended them without obstruction.
He also heard all the nets, bells, and musical instruments in all those towers proclaim countless subtle and wondrous Dharma sounds. Some spoke of bodhisattvas arousing bodhicitta; some spoke of cultivating the paramitas; some spoke of vows and bhumis; some spoke of reverently making offerings to Tathagatas; some spoke of adorning Buddha lands; and some spoke of the different teachings given by the Buddhas.
He also heard that, in a certain place, a certain bodhisattva heard a certain Dharma gateway and was exhorted by a certain spiritual benefactor to arouse bodhicitta; that in a certain land and kalpa, before a certain Buddha and within a certain great assembly, he heard such merits of that Buddha, aroused the aspiration, made vows, and planted such vast roots of goodness; that after cultivating bodhisattva practices for a certain number of kalpas, he would attain perfect enlightenment at a certain time; that he would bear such a name, possess such a lifespan, adorn such a land, fulfill such vows, teach beings in such a manner, and have such assemblies of shravakas and bodhisattvas;

and that after he entered nirvana, the True Dharma would remain in the world for a certain number of kalpas and benefit immeasurable beings in such ways.
At times he heard that, in a certain place, a certain bodhisattva cultivated giving, moral discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom, thus cultivating the paramitas.
At times he heard that, in a certain place, a certain bodhisattva, seeking the Dharma, relinquished his royal throne, jewels, wife and children, retinue, and possessions, even giving away his hands, feet, head, eyes, and body without regret.
At times he heard that, in a certain place, a certain bodhisattva preserved the True Dharma, served as a great Dharma master, extensively bestowed the gift of Dharma, raised the banner of Dharma, blew the conch of Dharma, beat the drum of Dharma, poured down showers of Dharma, built stupas and shrines for Buddhas, made Buddha images, and bestowed every kind of happiness upon beings.
At times he heard that, in a certain place and kalpa, a Tathagata attained complete and perfect enlightenment, possessed such a land, such an assembly, and such a lifespan, taught the Dharma in such a way, fulfilled such vows, and taught immeasurable beings in such a manner.
Hearing countless subtle and wondrous Dharma sounds such as these, Sudhana’s body and mind became joyful, gentle, and pliant. He immediately attained immeasurable gateways of dharani, gateways of eloquence, dhyanas, kinds of patience, vows, perfections, spiritual powers, higher knowledges, liberations, and gateways of samadhi.
He also saw reflected within the precious mirrors the assemblies at the seats of enlightenment of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, shravakas, and pratyekabuddhas; pure worlds, defiled worlds, and worlds both pure and defiled; worlds with Buddhas and worlds without Buddhas; small worlds, medium worlds, great worlds, Indra’s-net worlds, inverted worlds, upright worlds, level worlds, worlds inhabited by hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals, and worlds filled with human and celestial beings.
Within such worlds, he saw countless assemblies of great bodhisattvas, walking or sitting while performing various practices. Some aroused great compassion and pitied beings; some composed treatises to benefit beings; some received, retained, copied, or recited scriptures; some asked questions or gave answers; and some, at the three periods of the day, repented, dedicated merit, and made vows.
Sudhana also saw that all the jeweled pillars emitted great nets of light from royal mani jewels, some blue, some yellow, some red, some white, some crystal-colored, some rock-crystal-colored, some sapphire-colored, some rainbow-colored, some the color of Jambunada gold, and some formed from light of every color.
He also saw precious images and figures of maidens made of Jambunada gold. Some held clouds of flowers, clouds of garments, standards, banners, or canopies; some held fragrant ointments or powdered incense; some held nets of supreme and wondrous mani jewels; some let down golden chains; some wore precious necklaces; some raised their arms bearing ornaments; and some bowed their heads, removed their mani crowns, inclined their bodies, and gazed without blinking.
He also saw pearl necklaces constantly producing fragrant water possessing the eight qualities, while necklaces of vaidurya emitted hundreds of thousands of rays that shone simultaneously. The standards, banners, precious canopies, and jeweled nets were all adorned with precious jewels.
He also saw blue, golden, red, and white lotuses, each producing immeasurable flowers, some as large as a fist, some as large as an arm, and some as large as a wheel. Within every flower appeared many kinds of ornamental images: images of men, women, boys, and girls; images of Shakra, Brahma, world-protecting deities, devas, dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras, and mahoragas; and images of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas. All these colored images bowed with palms joined in reverence.
He also saw the Tathagata seated in full lotus posture, his body adorned with all thirty-two marks.
He further saw that upon the pure vaidurya floor, countless colored images appeared within every step: images of worlds, bodhisattvas, Tathagatas, and magnificently adorned towers.
Upon the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits of the jeweled trees, he saw colored half-length images: half-length images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas; of the eight classes of devas, dragons, and other beings; of the Four World-Protecting Heavenly Kings; and of wheel-turning kings, lesser kings, princes, great ministers, eminent elders, and the fourfold assembly.
Some of these half-length colored images held garlands, jeweled necklaces, or various ornaments; some bowed with palms joined in reverence, gazing single-mindedly without looking away; some sang praises; and some entered samadhi. Their bodies were adorned with excellent marks and emitted many kinds of multicolored light: golden light, silver-white light, coral-colored light, tushara-colored light, sapphire-colored light, Vairocana-jewel-colored light, light the color of all jewels, and champaka-flower-colored light.
He also saw countless rays of light from the sun, moon, and stars radiate from the crescent-shaped ornaments of the tower and illuminate the ten directions.
He also saw that the four walls of the tower were adorned at every step with precious jewels.
Within each jewel appeared images of Bodhisattva Maitreya cultivating the bodhisattva path throughout many kalpas: giving away his head, eyes, hands, feet, lips, tongue, teeth, gums, ears, nose, blood, flesh, skin, bones, and marrow, even his nails and hair; or giving away his wife and children, cities, towns, villages, realm, and royal throne, freely giving whatever was requested; enabling prisoners to be released, the bound to be freed, the sick to be healed, and those on wrong paths to be shown the right path.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya serve as a navigator who conveyed beings across the great ocean; as a king of horses who rescued beings from calamities; as a great sage skilled in expounding treatises; as a wheel-turning king who exhorted beings to cultivate the ten wholesome actions; as a king of physicians skilled in curing diseases; as a filial son devoted to his parents; as one who drew near to spiritual benefactors; as a shravaka, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattva, or Tathagata who taught and tamed all beings; or as a Dharma master who honored and practiced the Buddha’s teachings, received, retained, read, and recited them, contemplated them according to principle, built Buddha stupas, and made Buddha images.

He either personally made offerings or encouraged others to make offerings, anointing with fragrances, scattering flowers, and bowing in reverence. He practiced such deeds continuously without interruption.
At times he saw Bodhisattva Maitreya seated upon a lion throne, teaching the Dharma and exhorting beings to abide in the ten wholesome actions, single-mindedly take refuge in the Three Jewels, receive and uphold the five precepts and the eight precepts, leave the household life, hear the Dharma, receive, retain, read, and recite it, and practice in accordance with the Dharma. He even saw colored images of Bodhisattva Maitreya cultivating the paramitas throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of countless kalpas.
He also saw all the spiritual benefactors whom Bodhisattva Maitreya had formerly revered and served, each adorned with every merit.
He also saw Bodhisattva Maitreya draw near to and make offerings to each spiritual benefactor, respectfully practice their teachings, and eventually abide at the stage of consecration.
At that time, those spiritual benefactors said to the youth Sudhana:
—How rare it is, youth, that you have come here! Behold the inconceivable deeds of Bodhisattva Maitreya without becoming weary or fatigued.
Then, because he had attained the power of unfailing memory; because he had attained pure eyes that saw throughout the ten directions; because he had attained unobstructed wisdom skilled in contemplation; because he had attained the sovereign wisdom of bodhisattvas; and because he had entered the vast understanding of bodhisattvas who had entered the ground of wisdom, Sudhana saw within every object in all the towers immeasurable, inconceivable realms of mastery such as these.
It was like a person who, in a dream, sees cities, towns, villages, palaces, gardens, mountains, forests, rivers, ponds, garments, food and drink, and all other necessities; or sees himself, his parents, brothers, relatives on both sides of the family, and other kin; or sees the great ocean, Mount Sumeru, all the palaces of the heavenly realms, and the affairs of the four continents, including Jambudvipa; or sees his own body become hundreds of thousands of yojanas tall, with dwellings and garments proportionate to it, and experiences immeasurable periods of day and night without sleeping or resting while enjoying every happiness.

Upon awakening, he knows these were dream scenes, yet can remember them clearly without forgetting. In the same way, through the sustaining spiritual power of Bodhisattva Maitreya, because he knew that all dharmas within the three realms are like dreams; because he had extinguished beings’ inferior conceptions; because he had attained vast, unobstructed understanding; because he abided in the supreme realm of bodhisattvas; and because he had entered inconceivable wisdom of skillful means, Sudhana beheld such realms of mastery.
It was like a person approaching death who sees the signs of the retribution he will undergo according to his karma. One who has committed evil karma sees all the painful realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals; or sees hell guards holding weapons, angrily cursing him, binding and seizing him, and leading him away; and also hears cries, lamentations, and wailing; or sees rivers of ashes, cauldrons of boiling water, mountains of knives, and forests of swords, into which he is driven to suffer.
One who has performed good deeds sees heavenly palaces, immeasurable hosts of devas, celestial maidens adorned with garments, and beautiful palaces, gardens, and groves.
Although the body has not yet died, the power of karma causes one to see such things. In the same way, through the inconceivable power of bodhisattva practices and karma, Sudhana saw every adorned realm.
It was like a person possessed by a spirit who sees various things and can answer whatever people ask.
In the same way, because he was sustained by the wisdom of bodhisattvas, Sudhana saw all the adornments and could answer any question about them.
It was like a person possessed by a dragon who believes himself to be a dragon and enters a dragon palace, and within a brief time believes that many days, months, and years have passed.
In the same way, because he abided in the wisdom of bodhisattvas and was sustained by Bodhisattva Maitreya, Sudhana perceived a brief period as immeasurable kalpas.
It was like the Brahma palace called Adorned Treasury, within which all the phenomena of the great trichiliocosm appear without intermingling.
In the same way, within this tower Sudhana universally saw all adorned realms and their many distinctions without their intermingling.
It was like a bhikshu who enters the meditation on a totality: while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, the realm corresponding to the meditation he has entered appears before him. In the same way, when Sudhana entered this tower, all realms clearly appeared.
It was like a person in the sky who sees a gandharva city with all its adornments and clearly perceives and knows them without obstruction.
It was like the palace of a yaksha spirit and the palace of a human occupying the same place without intermingling, each being seen differently according to karma.
It was like all the colored images of worlds reflected within the great ocean.
It was like an illusionist who uses the power of illusion to manifest illusory phenomena.
In the same way, through the awesome spiritual power of Bodhisattva Maitreya, through the power of inconceivable illusory wisdom, through the ability to know all dharmas by means of illusory wisdom, and through his attainment of the sovereign power of bodhisattvas, Sudhana saw all the sovereign, adorned realms within the tower.
At that time, Bodhisattva Maitreya withdrew his spiritual power from the tower, snapped his fingers, and said to Sudhana:
—Good man, emerge from samadhi! Such is the nature of dharmas: bodhisattvas know that the characteristics of all dharmas appear through the convergence of causes and conditions. Their intrinsic nature is thus: like illusions, dreams, reflections, and images, they possess no true accomplishment.
Upon hearing the snap of his fingers, the youth Sudhana immediately emerged from samadhi.
Bodhisattva Maitreya said:
—Good man, within the inconceivable sovereign liberation of bodhisattvas, you experienced the joy and bliss of bodhisattva samadhi. You were able to see palaces adorned with every supreme and wondrous thing, manifested through the sustaining spiritual power of bodhisattvas, flowing forth from the aids to the path, and revealed through their vows and wisdom. You saw bodhisattva practices, heard the bodhisattva Dharma, knew the virtues of bodhisattvas, and understood the vows of Tathagatas.
Sudhana said:
—Noble One, this was due to the wondrous power of the awesome spiritual support and mindful care of my spiritual benefactor. Noble One, what is the name of this gateway of liberation?
Bodhisattva Maitreya said:
—Good man, this gateway of liberation is called the Treasury of Wisdom Adorned by Entry into All Realms of the Three Times Without Forgetfulness.
Good man, within this gateway of liberation are countless gateways of liberation realized by bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth.
Sudhana asked:
—Where have these adornments gone?
Bodhisattva Maitreya replied:
—They have gone whence they came.
Sudhana asked:
—Whence did they come?
Bodhisattva Maitreya replied:
—They came from the spiritual power and wisdom of bodhisattvas and abided through the spiritual power and wisdom of bodhisattvas. They have nowhere to go and nowhere to abide. They are neither accumulated nor permanent and are free from everything.
Good man, when a dragon king causes rain, the rain does not come from his body or mind and is not accumulated anywhere, yet it is not unseen. Merely through the power of the dragon king’s thought, rain pours down throughout the world. Such a realm is inconceivable.
Good man, in the same way, the adornments within this tower are neither inside nor outside, yet they are not unseen. Merely through the spiritual power of bodhisattvas and the power of your roots of goodness, you were able to see them thus.
Good man, it is like the illusions produced by an illusionist: they come from nowhere and go nowhere. Although they neither come nor go, through the power of illusion they are clearly seen.
In the same way, these adornments came from nowhere and go nowhere. Although they neither come nor go, they appeared thus through long cultivation of the power of inconceivable illusory wisdom and through the power of great vows made in the past.
Sudhana said:
—Noble One, from what place have you come here?
Bodhisattva Maitreya replied:
—Good man, bodhisattvas neither come nor go, yet thus they come. They neither depart nor remain, yet thus they come. They have no location, grasping, loss, arising, abiding, transference, movement, or origination; no attachment, defilement, karma, or retribution; no arising or cessation, annihilation or permanence—yet thus they come.
Good man, bodhisattvas come from the abode of great compassion because they wish to tame all beings.
They come from the abode of great loving-kindness because they wish to rescue all beings. They come from the abode of pure moral discipline because they take birth wherever appropriate. They come from the abode of great vows because they are sustained by the power of vows made in the past. They come from the abode of spiritual powers because they manifest appropriately in every place. They come from the abode of immovability because they never depart from any Buddha. They come from the abode of neither accepting nor rejecting because they do not compel body and mind to come and go. They come from the abode of skillful wisdom because they accord with all beings. They come from the abode of manifested transformations because they transform and appear like reflected images.
Nevertheless, good man, you ask from what place I have come. Good man, I have come here from the village of my birth in the land of Malati.
Good man, that land has a village called Dwelling Houses. In that village lives the son of an elder named Gopala. I remained there to guide him into the Buddha-Dharma. I was also born there to teach the Dharma to all the people who were ready to be guided. Furthermore, I remained there to teach the Mahayana Dharma to my parents and brahmin relatives, enabling them to turn toward and enter it. From there, I have come here.
Sudhana said:
—Noble One, what are the birthplaces of bodhisattvas?
Bodhisattva Maitreya replied:
—Good man, bodhisattvas have ten kinds of birthplace:
Bodhicitta is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which bodhisattvas are born.
The profound mind is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which spiritual benefactors are born.
The bhumis are a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for they are the home from which the gateways of the paramitas are born.
Great vows are a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for they are the home from which wondrous practices are born.
Great compassion is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which the four methods of attraction are born.
Contemplation according to principle is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which the perfection of prajna is born.
The Mahayana is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which skillful means are born.
Wisdom of skillful means is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which patience with the non-arising of dharmas is born.
The cultivation of all dharmas is a bodhisattva’s birthplace, for it is the home from which all Tathagatas of the past, present, and future are born.
Good man, a great bodhisattva takes the perfection of prajna as mother, skillful means as father, the perfection of giving as wet nurse, the perfection of moral discipline as foster mother, the perfection of patience as adornment, the perfection of diligence as guardian, the perfection of dhyana as cleanser, spiritual benefactors as teachers, all factors of enlightenment as companions, all wholesome dharmas as relatives, all bodhisattvas as siblings, bodhicitta as home, practice according to principle as family tradition, the bhumis as dwelling places, the kinds of patience as clan, great vows as family instruction, the fulfillment of all practices as conformity with family tradition, encouragement to arouse the Mahayana aspiration as continuation of the family vocation,

the sprinkling of Dharma water upon bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth as investiture as crown prince, and the accomplishment of bodhi as purification of the lineage.
Good man, in this way bodhisattvas transcend the ranks of ordinary beings, enter the station of bodhisattvas, are born into the family of the Tathagata, and abide within the lineage of the Buddhas. They can cultivate all practices, prevent the Three Jewels from being interrupted, skillfully preserve the bodhisattva lineage, and purify the bodhisattva family. Their birth is honored and free from fault, and all worlds—devas and humans, Maras and Brahmas, shramanas and brahmins—revere and praise them.
Good man, after great bodhisattvas are born into such a noble family, because they know all dharmas to be like reflected images, they neither despise nor reject the world; because they know all dharmas to be like transformations, they do not become attached to conditioned realms of existence; because they know all dharmas to be without self, their minds never weary of teaching beings; because great loving-kindness and compassion are their essential nature, they embrace beings without knowing fatigue; because they thoroughly understand samsara to be like a dream, they pass through all kalpas without fear; because they know all skandhas to be like illusions, they manifest taking birth without aversion;

because they know all dhatus and ayatanas to be identical with the Dharma realm, they do not destroy any realm of experience; because they know all perceptions to be like mirages, they enter the various realms of existence without giving rise to delusion or confusion; because they realize all dharmas to be like illusions, they enter the realms of Mara without becoming defiled or attached; because they know the Dharma body, no affliction can deceive them; and because they have attained mastery, they comprehend all realms without obstruction.
Good man, my body is born throughout the entire Dharma realm. I manifest bodily forms corresponding to the different appearances of all beings; languages and voices corresponding to those of all beings; names corresponding to those of all beings; and conduct appropriate to all beings, thereby conforming to the world to teach and tame them. I manifest births corresponding to those of all pure beings; deeds corresponding to the activities of all ordinary beings; thoughts corresponding to the thoughts of all beings; and vows corresponding to the vows of all bodhisattvas, thus manifesting my body throughout the Dharma realm.
Good man, to guide those who practiced together with me in the past but have now retreated from bodhicitta; to teach my parents and relatives; and to teach the brahmins, enabling them to abandon pride in their lineage and be born into the lineage of the Tathagata, I was born into a brahmin family in the village of Kuta, in the land of Malati, here in Jambudvipa.
Good man, within this great tower, I employ many skillful means to teach and tame beings according to their aspirations.
Good man, I do this to accord with the minds of beings; to bring every accomplishment to the devas who practice together with me in the Tushita Palace; to manifest the bodhisattva’s transformations and adornments of merit and wisdom, which transcend the entire desire realm, and cause them to abandon sensual pleasures; to enable them to know that all conditioned things are impermanent; to enable them to know that whenever the devas flourish, decline must follow; to manifest, as the time of my descent approaches, the Dharma gateway of great wisdom and discuss it with bodhisattvas bound to only one more birth; to teach those who practice together with me; and to teach those left behind by the Tathagata Shakyamuni, causing them to be born in the Tushita Heaven when their lives end.
Good man, when I fulfill my original vows, accomplish omniscience, and realize unsurpassed bodhi, you and the great Bodhisattva Manjushri will both see me.
Good man, you should go to the spiritual benefactor Manjushri and ask: How does a bodhisattva train in bodhisattva conduct? How does a bodhisattva enter the gateway of Samantabhadra’s conduct? What is its accomplishment? What is its vastness? What is its accordance? What is its purity? What is its perfection?
Manjushri will analyze and explain these matters for you. Why? Because the great vows of Manjushri are not possessed by immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of other bodhisattvas.
Good man, Manjushri possesses vast practices and boundless great vows, ceaselessly producing all the merits of bodhisattvas.
Manjushri has always been the mother of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas and the teacher of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of bodhisattvas. He has taught and brought immeasurable beings to accomplishment. His name resounds throughout the worlds of the ten directions. He always serves as a Dharma teacher in every assembly of the Buddhas and is praised by all Tathagatas. He abides in profound and wondrous wisdom, sees all dharmas as they truly are, comprehends all realms of liberation, and perfects the practices of Samantabhadra.
Good man, Manjushri is your spiritual benefactor. He enabled you to be born into the family of the Tathagata, nurtured all your roots of goodness, brought forth all the aids to the path, and caused you to encounter true spiritual benefactors who enabled you to cultivate every merit, enter the entire net of vows, and abide in all great vows. He expounded all the secret Dharma teachings of bodhisattvas for you, revealed all the inconceivable practices of bodhisattvas, and in the past was born and practiced together with you.
Therefore, you must go to Manjushri without becoming weary. Manjushri will explain every merit for you. Why? Because all your previous encounters with spiritual benefactors, your hearing of bodhisattva practices, and your entry into gateways of liberation replete with great vows were due to the spiritual power of Manjushri. Manjushri has brought them all to ultimate perfection everywhere.
Then the youth Sudhana bowed at the feet of Bodhisattva Maitreya, circumambulated him countless times, gazed at him earnestly, and took his leave.