大方廣佛華嚴經

Children of the Buddhas! The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions:

The unobstructed function concerning sentient beings.

The unobstructed function concerning lands.

The unobstructed function concerning dharmas.

The unobstructed function concerning bodies.

The unobstructed function concerning vows.

The unobstructed function concerning realms.

The unobstructed function concerning wisdom.

The unobstructed function concerning spiritual powers.

The unobstructed function concerning divine might.

The unobstructed function concerning powers.

What is the great bodhisattva’s unobstructed function concerning sentient beings?

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning sentient beings:

Knowing that all sentient beings are devoid of sentient being: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all sentient beings are sustained solely by conceptual attachment: an unobstructed function.

Teaching the Dharma to all sentient beings without ever missing the proper time: an unobstructed function.

Universally manifesting throughout all realms of sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Placing all sentient beings within a single pore without crowding them: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting worlds in all other directions for all sentient beings, enabling them all to behold those worlds: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting for all sentient beings the celestial bodies of Shakra, Brahma Kings, and the Four Heavenly Kings: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting for all sentient beings the serene deportment of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting the practices of bodhisattvas for all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting for all sentient beings the Buddhas, their physical bodies adorned with excellent marks, their powers of omniscience, and their attainment of Perfect Enlightenment: an unobstructed function.

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning lands:

Making all lands into one land: an unobstructed function.

Causing all lands to enter a single pore: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all lands are inexhaustible: an unobstructed function.

Sitting cross-legged with one body that pervades all lands: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting all lands within one body: an unobstructed function.

Causing all lands to quake without frightening sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Using the adornments of all lands to adorn one land: an unobstructed function.

Using the adornments of one land to adorn all lands: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting one Tathagata and one assembly throughout all Buddha-lands for sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

All lands—small lands, medium lands, great lands, vast lands, deep lands, upward-facing lands, downward-facing lands, inclined lands, and upright lands—are immeasurably diverse throughout all directions. Universally manifesting these lands to all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning dharmas:

Knowing that all dharmas enter one dharma and that one dharma enters all dharmas, without contradicting sentient beings’ understanding: an unobstructed function.

Bringing forth all dharmas from prajnaparamita and explaining them to others so that all attain awakening: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all dharmas transcend written words, yet enabling sentient beings to awaken to and enter them all: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all dharmas enter a single characteristic, yet being able to expound their immeasurable characteristics: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all dharmas transcend speech, yet being able to teach others boundless Dharma-gates: an unobstructed function.

Skillfully turning the universal wheel of syllables with respect to all dharmas: an unobstructed function.

Causing all dharmas to enter one Dharma-gate without conflict, and expounding them throughout ineffable kalpas without exhausting them: an unobstructed function.

Causing all dharmas to enter the Buddha-Dharma, enabling all sentient beings to comprehend and awaken: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all dharmas have no boundary: an unobstructed function.

Knowing that all dharmas are boundless and unobstructed, like an illusory net with immeasurable distinctions, and expounding them for sentient beings throughout immeasurable kalpas without ever exhausting them: an unobstructed function.

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning bodies:

Causing the bodies of all sentient beings to enter one’s own body: an unobstructed function.

Causing one’s own body to enter the bodies of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Causing all Buddha-bodies to enter one Buddha-body: an unobstructed function.

Causing one Buddha-body to enter all Buddha-bodies: an unobstructed function.

Causing all lands to enter one’s own body: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting for sentient beings one body that pervades all dharmas of the three times: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting within one body boundless bodies entering samadhi: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting within one body as many bodies as there are sentient beings attaining Perfect Enlightenment: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting the body of one sentient being within the bodies of all sentient beings, and manifesting the bodies of all sentient beings within the body of one sentient being: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting the Dharma-body within the bodies of all sentient beings, and manifesting the bodies of all sentient beings within the Dharma-body: an unobstructed function.

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning vows:

Taking the vows of all bodhisattvas as one’s own vows: an unobstructed function.

Through the power of the vows by which all Buddhas attain bodhi, manifesting oneself attaining Perfect Enlightenment: an unobstructed function.

In accordance with the sentient beings to be liberated, oneself attaining unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment: an unobstructed function.

Throughout all boundless kalpas, never ceasing one’s great vows: an unobstructed function.

Transcending the body of consciousness, not clinging to the body of wisdom, and freely manifesting all bodies through vows: an unobstructed function.

Relinquishing one’s own body to fulfill the vows of others: an unobstructed function.

Universally teaching and transforming all sentient beings without abandoning one’s great vows: an unobstructed function.

Practicing the bodhisattva practices throughout all kalpas without ever ceasing one’s great vows: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting the attainment of Perfect Enlightenment within a single pore and, through the power of vows, pervading all Buddha-lands; in ineffable, ineffably many worlds, manifesting this in the same way for each and every sentient being: an unobstructed function.

Speaking a single phrase of Dharma throughout the entire Dharma-realm, raising great clouds of the true Dharma, flashing the lightning of liberation, sounding the thunder of the true Dharma, and raining down the ambrosial essence, thereby using the power of great vows to moisten all realms of sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning realms:

Abiding in the realm of the Dharma-realm without abandoning the realm of sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in the realm of Buddhas without abandoning the realm of maras: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in the realm of nirvana without abandoning the realm of birth and death: an unobstructed function.

Entering the realm of omniscience without cutting off the realm of the bodhisattva lineage: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in the realm of tranquility without abandoning the realm of distraction: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in a realm like empty space—neither departing nor arriving, free from conceptual proliferation, devoid of characteristics, devoid of intrinsic nature, and beyond speech—without abandoning the realm of conceptual proliferation of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in the realm of the various wisdom-powers and liberations without abandoning the realms of all places and directions: an unobstructed function.

Entering the realm where no boundary of sentient beings exists, without abandoning the teaching and transformation of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in the realm of tranquil meditative concentration, liberation, spiritual powers, higher knowledge, and wisdom, while manifesting birth in all worlds: an unobstructed function.

Abiding in the realm of the Tathagata, adorning all practices and attaining Perfect Enlightenment, while manifesting the serene deportment of all shravakas and pratyekabuddhas: an unobstructed function.

The great bodhisattva has ten unobstructed functions concerning wisdom:

Inexhaustible eloquence: an unobstructed function.

Never forgetting any dharani: an unobstructed function.

Being able to know with certainty and speak with certainty concerning the faculties and dispositions of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

In a single thought, knowing with unobstructed wisdom the mental activities of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Knowing the afflictions, desires, inclinations, latent tendencies, and habitual propensities of all sentient beings, and administering medicine according to what is appropriate for each: an unobstructed function.

Being able, in the space of a single thought, to enter the Ten Powers of the Tathagata: an unobstructed function.

Knowing with unobstructed wisdom all kalpas of the three times and the sentient beings within them: an unobstructed function.

Manifesting the attainment of Perfect Enlightenment in every thought, displaying it to sentient beings without interruption: an unobstructed function.

Through contemplation of one sentient being, knowing the karma of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

In the speech of a single sentient being, they understand the speech of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of unobstructed functions of spiritual powers:

In a single body, they manifest the bodies of all worlds: an unobstructed function.

In the assembly of a single Buddha, they hear and receive the Dharma teachings spoken in the assemblies of all Buddhas: an unobstructed function.

Within a single thought of one sentient being, they accomplish ineffable unsurpassed bodhi and awaken the minds of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

With a single sound, they manifest the diverse forms of speech of all worlds, enabling all sentient beings to understand them clearly: an unobstructed function.

In a single thought, they completely manifest all the many diverse karmic results throughout all past kalpas, enabling sentient beings to see and know them: an unobstructed function.

From a single mote of dust, they bring forth vast Buddha lands adorned with immeasurable splendor: an unobstructed function.

They cause all worlds to be perfectly adorned: an unobstructed function.

They universally enter all three periods of time: an unobstructed function.

They emit the great radiance of the Dharma, manifesting the bodhi of all Buddhas and the practices and vows of all sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

They skillfully protect all devas, nagas, the eight classes of beings, Shakra, Brahma kings, the Four Heavenly Kings, shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, all the Tathagatas’ Ten Powers, and the bodhisattvas’ roots of goodness: an unobstructed function.

If bodhisattvas attain these unobstructed functions of spiritual powers, they can universally enter all Buddha-Dharmas.

Great bodhisattvas have ten unobstructed functions of spiritual might:

They place ineffable worlds within a single mote of dust: an unobstructed function.

Within a single mote of dust, they universally manifest all Buddha lands throughout the Dharma realm: an unobstructed function.

They place the waters of all the great oceans within a single pore and carry them throughout the worlds of the ten directions without troubling or harming sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

They contain ineffable worlds within their own bodies and manifest all deeds performed through the power of spiritual penetrations: an unobstructed function.

With a single hair, they bind innumerable Vajra Mountains and Iron Ring Mountains, carry them, and travel through all worlds without causing sentient beings to become frightened: an unobstructed function.

They make ineffable kalpas into a single kalpa and a single kalpa into ineffable kalpas, manifesting within them the diverse processes of formation and destruction without causing sentient beings to become frightened: an unobstructed function.

In all worlds, they manifest floods, fires, windstorms, and various kinds of destruction without afflicting sentient beings: an unobstructed function.

When all worlds are destroyed by the three calamities, they can protect all the necessities of sentient beings, preventing them from being damaged, destroyed, or deficient: an unobstructed function.

With one hand, they hold inconceivable worlds and cast them beyond ineffable worlds without causing sentient beings to conceive thoughts of fear: an unobstructed function.

They teach that all lands are identical to empty space, enabling sentient beings to awaken and understand: an unobstructed function.

Great bodhisattvas have ten unobstructed functions of power:

The unobstructed function of the power of sentient beings, because they teach, transform, tame, and never abandon them.

The unobstructed function of the power of lands, because they manifest ineffable adornments with which to adorn them.

The unobstructed function of the power of dharmas, because they cause all bodies to enter a single body.

The unobstructed function of the power of kalpas, because their cultivation never ceases.

The unobstructed function of the power of the Buddhas, because they awaken those who slumber.

The unobstructed function of the power of practice, because they embrace all bodhisattva practices.

The unobstructed function of the power of the Tathagata, because they liberate all sentient beings.

The unobstructed function of the power of having no teacher, because they awaken by themselves to all dharmas.

The unobstructed function of the power of all-knowing wisdom, because through all-knowing wisdom they attain perfect enlightenment.

The unobstructed function of the power of great compassion, because they never abandon any sentient being.

The foregoing are the ten kinds of unobstructed functions of great bodhisattvas. If bodhisattvas attain these ten kinds of unobstructed functions, then with respect to unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment, whether they wish to attain it or do not wish to attain it, they may do so freely and without obstruction. Although they attain perfect enlightenment, they still do not cease the bodhisattva practices. Why is this? Because great bodhisattvas make vast vows, enter the boundless gateways of unobstructed function, and skillfully manifest them.

Disciples of the Buddha! Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of spiritual play:

They transform the bodies of sentient beings into the bodies of lands without destroying the bodies of sentient beings. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

They transform the bodies of lands into the bodies of sentient beings without destroying the bodies of lands. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

Within the body of a Buddha, they manifest the bodies of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas without diminishing the body of the Buddha. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

Within the bodies of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, they manifest the body of a Buddha without augmenting the bodies of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

Within the body that practices the bodhisattva path, they manifest the body that attains perfect enlightenment without discontinuing the body that practices the bodhisattva path. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

Within the body that has attained perfect enlightenment, they manifest the body that cultivates the bodhisattva practices without diminishing the body that has attained perfect enlightenment. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

Within the realm of nirvana, they manifest bodies undergoing birth and death without becoming defiled by or attached to birth and death. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

Within the realm of birth and death, they manifest nirvana without ultimately entering nirvana. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

They enter samadhi while manifesting all activities of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, yet never depart from the proper absorption of samadhi. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

In the presence of a single Buddha, they hear and retain the Dharma. Without moving their bodies, through the power of samadhi they manifest bodies within ineffable assemblies of Buddhas, yet neither divide their bodies nor emerge from meditative absorption. They hear and retain the Dharma continuously and without interruption. Thus, thought after thought, from each of these bodies in samadhi arise ineffable and yet more ineffable bodies in samadhi. Continuing successively in this way, all kalpas might come to an end, yet the bodhisattvas’ bodies in samadhi could never be exhausted. This is a kind of spiritual play of bodhisattvas.

These are the ten kinds of spiritual play. If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed spiritual play of great wisdom.

Disciples of the Buddha! Great bodhisattvas have ten spheres of realization:

They manifest the gateways of the boundless Dharma realm and enable sentient beings to enter them. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

They manifest the immeasurable wondrous adornments of all worlds and enable sentient beings to enter them. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

They conjure and manifest the realms of all sentient beings, skillfully awakening and enlightening them all. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

From the body of the Tathagata, they manifest the body of a bodhisattva, and from the body of a bodhisattva, they manifest the body of the Tathagata. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

Within empty space, they manifest worlds, and within worlds, they manifest empty space. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

Within the realm of birth and death, they manifest the realm of nirvana, and within the realm of nirvana, they manifest the realm of birth and death. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas. From the speech of a single sentient being, they bring forth the languages of all Buddha-Dharmas. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

They manifest boundless bodies as a single body and manifest a single body as all the various bodies. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

With a single body, they pervade the entire Dharma realm. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

In a single thought, they cause all sentient beings to arouse the aspiration for bodhi, and all manifest immeasurable bodies that attain complete, perfect enlightenment. This is a sphere of realization of bodhisattvas.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed sphere of great wisdom.

Disciples of the Buddha! Great bodhisattvas have ten powers:

The power of the profound mind, because it is unmixed with any worldly disposition.

The power of the increasingly supreme profound mind, because they never abandon any Buddha-Dharma.

The power of skillful means, because all their practices are brought to ultimate perfection.

The power of wisdom, because they know all activities of the mind.

The power of vows, because they bring all aspirations to complete fulfillment.

The power of practice, because it continues without ceasing throughout the limits of the future.

The power of the vehicles, because they can bring forth all vehicles without abandoning the Great Vehicle.

The power of miraculous transformation, because within every pore they manifest all pure worlds and the appearance of all Tathagatas in the world.

The power of bodhi, because they cause all sentient beings to arouse the resolve to attain Buddhahood without interruption.

The power to turn the Dharma wheel, because every sentence of Dharma they speak accords with the dispositions, desires, and inclinations of all sentient beings.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the unsurpassed ten powers and omniscience of all Buddhas.

Children of the Buddha! Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of fearlessness:

Great bodhisattvas are able to hear and retain all forms of speech. They think: “Suppose immeasurable and boundless numbers of sentient beings were to come from the ten directions and question me concerning hundreds of thousands of great teachings. Among all their questions, I would not find even the slightest one difficult to answer.” Because they see no difficulty, their minds attain fearlessness, ultimately reaching the other shore of great fearlessness. In accordance with whatever they are asked, they can give decisive answers, dispelling the questioners’ doubts without the least timidity. This is the first fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas receive the Tathagata’s anointment of unobstructed eloquence and ultimately reach the other shore of all written characters and spoken sounds, revealing their mysteries. They think: “Suppose immeasurable and boundless numbers of sentient beings were to come from the ten directions and ask me about immeasurable teachings. Among all their questions, I would not find even the slightest one difficult to answer.” Because they see no difficulty, their minds attain fearlessness, ultimately reaching the other shore of great fearlessness. In accordance with whatever they are asked, they can answer, dispel doubts, and remain unafraid. This is the second gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas know that all dharmas are empty, apart from self and what belongs to a self; that there is no action, no agent, no knower, no living being, no nurturer, and no pudgala. They are apart from the skandhas, ayatanas, and dhatus, and are completely liberated from all views and attachments. Their minds are like empty space.

They think: “I do not see even the slightest characteristic of a sentient being that could be harmed or afflicted by my body, speech, or mind.” Why is this? Because great bodhisattvas have transcended self and what belongs to a self, they do not perceive even the slightest nature or characteristic in any dharma. Because they do not perceive it, their minds attain fearlessness, ultimately reaching the other shore of great fearlessness.

They are steadfast and courageous, and no one can obstruct them. This is the third gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas are sustained by the power of the Buddhas, upheld by the power of the Buddhas, and abide in the dignified conduct of a Buddha. Their deeds are genuine and unchanging. They think: “I do not see even the slightest aspect of my conduct that would cause sentient beings to conceive a wish to reproach me.” Because they do not see any, their minds attain fearlessness, and they peacefully expound the Dharma amid the great assembly. This is the fourth gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

The bodies, speech, and minds of great bodhisattvas are all pure, immaculate, gentle, and free from evil. They think: “I do not see even the slightest aspect of the three karmas of body, speech, and mind that deserves reproach.” Because they do not see any, their minds attain fearlessness, and they can cause sentient beings to abide in the Buddha-Dharma. This is the fifth gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas are always followed and guarded by vajra-wielding guardian spirits, devas, nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, Shakra, Brahma kings, the Four Heavenly Kings, and others. All Tathagatas constantly protect and remain mindful of them, never abandoning them. Great bodhisattvas think: “I do not see any demon, non-Buddhist practitioner, or person holding wrong views who could come and obstruct my bodhisattva practices.” Because they do not see any, their minds attain fearlessness, ultimately reaching the other shore of great fearlessness, and with joyful resolve they practice the bodhisattva conduct. This is the sixth gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas have accomplished the foremost faculty of mindfulness; their minds never forget, and they have received the Buddha’s affirmation. They think: “The Tathagata has taught the written characters, phrases, and teachings through which bodhi is attained. In these I do not find even the slightest part that I have forgotten.” Because they do not find any, their minds attain fearlessness; they receive and retain all the true Dharma of the Tathagata and practice the bodhisattva conduct. This is the seventh gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas have thoroughly mastered both wisdom and skillful means, and have brought all the powers of a bodhisattva to perfection. They constantly teach and transform all sentient beings. Out of compassion for sentient beings, they always bind their minds of aspiration firmly to the Buddha’s bodhi.

To bring sentient beings to maturity, they manifest birth in an age defiled by the afflictions, in noble families, with complete retinues; whatever they desire is fulfilled according to their wishes, and they are joyful and delighted. They think: “Although I gather together with these retinues, there is not even the slightest thing to which I might become attached and thereby neglect the cultivation of meditation, liberation, the gateways of samadhi, dharanis, eloquence, and the bodhisattva path.” Why is this?

Because great bodhisattvas have attained mastery over all dharmas and reached the other shore, and they vow that their practice of the bodhisattva conduct shall never be interrupted. They do not see any worldly object that could confuse or disturb the bodhisattva path. Because they do not see any, their minds attain fearlessness, ultimately reaching the other shore of great fearlessness.

Through the power of their great vows, they manifest birth in all worlds. This is the eighth gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas never forget the mind of omniscience. They ride the Great Vehicle and practice the bodhisattva conduct. Through the mighty power of the great mind of omniscience, they manifest all the serene forms of conduct of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. They think: “I do not see myself ever seeking even the slightest measure of liberation through the Two Vehicles.” Because they do not see this, their minds attain fearlessness and reach the other shore of unsurpassed great fearlessness. They can universally manifest the paths of all vehicles and ultimately perfect the impartial Great Vehicle. This is the ninth gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

Great bodhisattvas accomplish all pure and wholesome dharmas, fully possess roots of goodness, perfect spiritual powers, ultimately abide in the Buddha’s bodhi, and fulfill all bodhisattva practices. In the presence of all Buddhas, they receive the prediction of omniscience and the anointment of consecration, while constantly exhorting and teaching sentient beings to practice the bodhisattva path. They think: “I do not see even a single sentient being who should be brought to maturity for whom I am unable to manifest a Buddha’s mastery in order to bring that being to maturity.” Because they do not see any, their minds attain fearlessness, ultimately reaching the other shore of great fearlessness.

They never cease the bodhisattva conduct and never abandon the bodhisattva vows. According to the needs of all sentient beings who should be taught and transformed, they manifest the realm of a Buddha in order to teach and transform them. This is the tenth gateway of fearlessness of great bodhisattvas.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the unsurpassed great fearlessness of all Buddhas, yet they do not relinquish the fearlessness of bodhisattvas.

Children of the Buddha! Great bodhisattvas have ten distinctive qualities:

Without being taught by others, great bodhisattvas naturally practice the six paramitas. They always delight in great giving and are never miserly; they constantly uphold pure precepts and never violate them; they fully possess patience, and their minds remain unmoved; they possess great diligence and never regress; they skillfully enter all meditative concentrations and are never distracted; and they skillfully cultivate wisdom, completely eliminating wrong views. This is the first distinctive quality: without being taught by others, they follow the path of the paramitas and practice the Six Perfections.

Great bodhisattvas are able universally to embrace and care for all sentient beings. They bestow material wealth and the true Dharma upon them; maintain right mindfulness before them; speak gentle and loving words with kindly expressions; rejoice in their hearts; teach the true meaning in accordance with reality; enable them to awaken to the Buddha’s bodhi; and, without aversion or resentment, impartially benefit everyone. This is the second distinctive quality: without being taught by others, they follow the path of the Four Means of Embracing and diligently embrace and care for all sentient beings.

Great bodhisattvas are skillful in dedication: they dedicate merit without seeking rewards; they dedicate it toward the Buddha’s bodhi; they dedicate it without greedily clinging to any worldly meditative concentration or samadhi; they dedicate it for the benefit of all sentient beings; and they dedicate it so that the Tathagata’s wisdom will never be interrupted. This is the third distinctive quality: without being taught by others, they generate roots of goodness for sentient beings and seek the wisdom of a Buddha.

The great bodhisattva reaches the ultimate other shore of skillful means. His mind constantly looks back upon all sentient beings. He does not grow weary of the mundane realms of foolish ordinary beings, nor delight in the path of liberation of the Two Vehicles, nor crave his own peace and happiness.

He applies himself solely to skillfully teaching and liberating beings. He can enter and emerge from meditative concentrations and liberations, attaining mastery of all samadhis. He journeys back and forth through birth and death as though strolling in a garden, never for a moment giving rise to weariness.

He may dwell in the palace of Mara, or become a heavenly sovereign, a Brahma King, or a lord of the world. Wherever sentient beings exist, there is no place in which he does not manifest a body. He may renounce the household life among followers of non-Buddhist paths, yet always remains entirely free from all wrong views.

He manifests mastery of all worldly forms of writing, incantations, arts, seals, calculations, numbers, singing, dancing, and entertainments; there is not one field in which he is not accomplished. At times he manifests as a beautiful woman, foremost in the world in wisdom and ability. Concerning both worldly and supramundane dharmas, he can skillfully ask questions and expound teachings, and his questions, answers, and resolutions of doubts are all complete.

He has also thoroughly penetrated all worldly and supramundane matters and reached their other shore. All sentient beings continually come to behold him. Although he manifests the deportment of a shravaka or pratyekabuddha, he never loses the Mahayana mind.

Although in every thought he manifests the attainment of perfect awakening, he never ceases the practices of a bodhisattva. This is the fourth unique quality: without being taught by another, he reaches the ultimate other shore of skillful means.

The great bodhisattva skillfully knows the path on which provisional and ultimate truth are practiced together, and his sovereign wisdom reaches perfection. Thus, while abiding in nirvana, he manifests birth and death. Knowing that there are no sentient beings, he diligently performs the work of teaching and transforming them.

Having reached ultimate quiescence, he manifests the arising of afflictions. While abiding in the firm and subtle wisdom of the one Dharma-body, he universally manifests the innumerable bodies of sentient beings. Though constantly absorbed in profound meditative concentration, he manifests the enjoyment of sensual pleasures.

Though always far removed from the three realms, he does not abandon sentient beings. Though always delighting in the joy of Dharma, he manifests maidens singing and dancing. Though adorning his own body with excellent marks and characteristics, he manifests receiving a poor, lowly, and ugly body.

Though always accumulating wholesome qualities without any evil transgression, he manifests birth in the hells, among animals, and among hungry ghosts. Though he has reached the other shore of the Buddha's wisdom, he still does not relinquish the wisdom-body of a bodhisattva. The great bodhisattva accomplishes immeasurable wisdom such as this.

Even shravakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot know it, much less all sentient beings who share their path. This is the fifth unique quality: without being taught by another, he practices provisional and ultimate truth together.

The great bodhisattva's three kinds of karma—body, speech, and mind—follow wisdom in all their activity and are entirely pure. Thus, endowed with great loving-kindness, he forever abandons the intention to kill, and so forth, until, endowed with right understanding, he is free from wrong views. This is the sixth unique quality: without being taught by another, the three kinds of karma—body, speech, and mind—follow wisdom in all their activity.

The great bodhisattva is endowed with great compassion and never abandons sentient beings. On behalf of all sentient beings, he undergoes suffering: the suffering of the hells, the suffering of animals, and the suffering of hungry ghosts. Because he benefits sentient beings, he never becomes weary, but devotes himself solely to liberating them all. He is never intoxicated by or attached to the objects of the five desires. For the sake of sentient beings, he constantly and diligently eliminates every kind of suffering. This is the seventh unique quality: without being taught by another, he always possesses a mind of great compassion.

The great bodhisattva is always one whom sentient beings delight to behold. Brahma Kings, Shakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and all other sentient beings never tire of seeing him. Why is this? Because throughout the distant past, the great bodhisattva has performed pure karma without fault. Therefore, sentient beings delight to see him and never grow weary of doing so. This is the eighth unique quality: without being taught by another, he is one whom all sentient beings delight to behold.

The great bodhisattva is adorned with the great vow for all-knowledge, and his aspiration is firm. Even when among ordinary beings, shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, or amid dangers and hardships, he never loses the wondrous, precious, radiant, and pure mind of all-knowledge. It is like a precious jewel called Pure Adornment: even when placed in mire, its radiant color does not change, and it can cause all turbid water to become settled and clear.

So too, although the great bodhisattva dwells among foolish ordinary beings in their impurity and defilement, he never loses the precious, pure mind that seeks all-knowledge. Moreover, he can cause those unwholesome sentient beings to leave behind the defilements of affliction and deluded views and attain the precious mind that seeks all-knowledge. This is the ninth unique quality: without being taught by another, he does not lose the precious jewel of all-knowledge when dwelling amid dangers and hardships.

The great bodhisattva accomplishes wisdom that personally realizes its own realm. Without a teacher, he awakens by himself, attains ultimate mastery, and reaches the other shore. He places the stainless silk of Dharma upon his head, yet does not cease drawing near to spiritual friends and always delights in honoring the Tathagatas. This is the tenth unique quality: without being taught by another, he attains the supreme Dharma, never parts from spiritual friends, and never ceases honoring the Buddhas.

These are the ten unique qualities of bodhisattvas. If bodhisattvas abide in these qualities, they attain the vast, unsurpassed, unique qualities of the Tathagata.

Disciples of the Buddha! The great bodhisattva has ten kinds of karma:

The karma concerning all worlds, because he can adorn and purify them all.

The karma concerning all Buddhas, because he can make offerings to them all.

The karma concerning all bodhisattvas, because he plants roots of goodness together with them.

The karma concerning all sentient beings, because he can teach and transform them all.

The karma concerning the entire future, because he embraces everything throughout the utmost reaches of the future.

The karma of all spiritual powers, because without leaving one world, he reaches all worlds everywhere.

The karma of all radiance, because he emits boundless colors of light, and within each ray is a lotus throne upon which a bodhisattva sits in the full lotus posture. By this, he manifests them.

The karma of ensuring that the lineage of the Three Jewels is never severed, because after a Buddha enters parinirvana, he safeguards and upholds that Buddha's Dharma.

The karma of all transformations, because in all worlds he expounds the Dharma, teaching and transforming sentient beings.

The karma of all empowering blessings, because in a single thought, according to the wishes of sentient beings, he manifests for each of them and causes all their aspirations to be completely fulfilled.

If bodhisattvas abide in these qualities, they attain the vast and unsurpassed karma of the Tathagata.

Disciples of the Buddha! The great bodhisattva has ten bodies:

The body that does not come, because he does not undergo birth in any world.

The body that does not go, because it cannot be found in any world.

The body that is not ultimately real, because all worlds attain reality as it truly is.

The body that is not false, because he manifests in the world according to reality as it truly is.

The inexhaustible body, because it is never cut off throughout the utmost reaches of the future.

The adamantine body, because none of the maras of sentient beings can destroy it.

The immovable body, because maras and followers of non-Buddhist paths cannot shake it.

The body endowed with excellent marks, because he manifests the pure marks produced by a hundred merits.

The signless body, because the characteristics of all dharmas are ultimately signless.

The universally reaching body, because it is one body with the Buddhas of the three times.

If bodhisattvas abide in these qualities, they attain the unsurpassed and inexhaustible body of the Tathagata.

The great bodhisattva has ten kinds of bodily karma:

The bodily karma whereby a single body fills all worlds.

The bodily karma whereby he can manifest before all sentient beings.

The bodily karma whereby he can take birth among every class of beings.

The bodily karma of journeying throughout all worlds.

The bodily karma of reaching all assemblies of the Buddhas.

The bodily karma whereby, with one hand, he can cover all worlds everywhere.

The bodily karma whereby, with one hand, he can crush all the encircling vajra mountains of all worlds into particles of dust.

The bodily karma whereby, within his own body, he manifests the formation and destruction of all Buddha-lands and reveals them to sentient beings.

The bodily karma whereby a single body contains the entire realm of sentient beings.

Bodily action manifests throughout all Buddha-lands within the body, purifies all sentient beings, and then manifests the attainment of enlightenment therein.

If bodhisattvas abide in this Dharma, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed Buddha-activity and are able to awaken all sentient beings.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva also has ten bodies:

The body of paramitas, because all are rightly cultivated.

The body of the four means of embracing, because no sentient being is abandoned.

The body of great compassion, because it bears immeasurable suffering on behalf of all sentient beings without weariness or aversion.

The body of great loving-kindness, because it rescues and protects all sentient beings.

The body of merit and virtue, because it benefits all sentient beings.

The body of wisdom, because it is of one nature with the bodies of all Buddhas.

The Dharma-body, because it has forever transcended birth among the various classes of beings.

The body of skillful means, because it is present in every place.

The body of spiritual power, because it manifests all spiritual transformations.

The body of bodhi, because it attains perfect enlightenment at will and at the appropriate time.

If bodhisattvas abide in this Dharma, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed body of great wisdom.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva has ten kinds of speech:

Gentle speech, because it brings peace and security to all sentient beings.

Ambrosial speech, because it brings cool refreshment to all sentient beings.

Undeceiving speech, because every word spoken is true.

Truthful speech, because even in dreams no falsehood is spoken.

Vast speech, because it is revered by all Shakras, Brahma Kings, Four Heavenly Kings, and others.

Profound speech, because it reveals the Dharma-nature.

Steadfast speech, because its exposition of the Dharma is inexhaustible.

Upright speech, because its words are easy to understand.

Varied speech, because it is manifested according to the occasion.

Speech that awakens all sentient beings, because it enables them to understand clearly in accordance with their aspirations and inclinations.

If bodhisattvas abide in this Dharma, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed wondrous speech.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva has ten practices for purifying verbal karma:

Purifying verbal karma by delighting in listening to the voice of the Tathagata.

Purifying verbal karma by delighting in hearing the virtues of bodhisattvas proclaimed.

Purifying verbal karma by not speaking words that sentient beings dislike hearing.

Purifying verbal karma by speaking truthfully and remaining far removed from the four faults of speech.

Purifying verbal karma by joyfully and exuberantly praising the Tathagata.

Purifying verbal karma by loudly extolling at the stupas of the Tathagatas the true virtues of the Buddhas.

Purifying verbal karma by imparting the true Dharma to sentient beings with a profoundly pure mind.

Purifying verbal karma by praising and extolling the Tathagata with music and song.

Purifying verbal karma by listening to the true Dharma in the presence of the Buddhas without begrudging body or life.

Purifying verbal karma by dedicating oneself to serving all bodhisattvas and Dharma masters in order to receive the wondrous Dharma.

If a great bodhisattva employs these ten practices to purify verbal karma, ten kinds of protection are attained:

The protection of all the hosts of devas, led by their Heavenly Kings.

The protection of all the hosts of nagas, led by their Naga Kings.

The protection of all the hosts of yakshas, led by their Yaksha Kings.

The protection of all the hosts of gandharvas, led by their Gandharva Kings.

The protection of the hosts led respectively by the Asura Kings, Garuda Kings, Kinnara Kings, Mahoraga Kings, and Brahma Kings. Each king, together with his own retinue, protects this bodhisattva.

The protection of all Dharma masters, led by the Tathagata, the Dharma King.

Disciples of the Buddha! Having attained this protection, a great bodhisattva is able to accomplish ten great deeds:

Causing all sentient beings to rejoice.

Being able to travel to all worlds.

Being able to understand clearly all faculties and dispositions.

Purifying all resolute understandings.

Eliminating all afflictions.

Abandoning all habitual tendencies.

Illuminating and purifying all aspirations and inclinations.

Increasing all profound intentions.

Pervading the entire Dharma-realm.

Causing all nirvanas to be clearly seen everywhere.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva has ten minds:

A mind like the great earth, because it can sustain and nurture the roots of goodness of all sentient beings.

A mind like the great ocean, because the boundless and immeasurable Dharma-waters of the Buddhas’ great wisdom all flow into it.

A mind like Mount Sumeru, king of mountains, because it establishes all sentient beings in immeasurable supramundane roots of goodness.

A mind like the king of mani jewels, because its aspirations and inclinations are pure and undefiled.

A mind like vajra, because it decisively penetrates all dharmas.

A mind like the vajra-encompassing mountains, because neither maras nor followers of non-Buddhist paths can move it.

A mind like the lotus, because no worldly dharma can defile it.

A mind like the udumbara flower, because it is difficult to encounter throughout all kalpas.

A mind like the pure sun, because it can dispel the obstructions of darkness.

A mind like empty space, because it cannot be measured.

If bodhisattvas abide herein, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed mind of great purity.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva makes ten resolutions:

The resolution: I shall liberate all sentient beings.

The resolution: I shall cause all sentient beings to eliminate their afflictions.

The resolution: I shall cause all sentient beings to eradicate their habitual tendencies.

The resolution: I shall eliminate every mind of doubt and uncertainty.

The resolution: I shall extinguish the suffering and distress of all sentient beings.

The resolution: I shall eliminate all evil destinies and adversities.

The resolution: I shall reverently follow all Tathagatas.

The resolution: I shall skillfully train in all the practices studied by bodhisattvas.

The resolution: At the tip of every hair throughout all worlds, I shall manifest all Buddhas attaining perfect enlightenment.

The resolution: In every world, I shall beat the great Dharma drum, enabling sentient beings to awaken and understand in accordance with their faculties and inclinations.

If bodhisattvas abide herein, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed mind that initiates great and effective deeds.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva has ten all-pervasive minds:

A mind pervading all empty space, because it brings forth a vast resolve.

A mind pervading the entire Dharma-realm, because it penetrates the boundless.

A mind pervading all three times, because it clearly knows them all in a single thought.

A mind pervading every appearance of every Buddha, because it clearly knows their entry into the womb, birth, renunciation of the household life, attainment of enlightenment, turning of the Dharma-wheel, and entrance into nirvana.

A mind pervading all sentient beings, because it clearly knows their faculties, inclinations, and habitual tendencies.

A mind pervading all wisdom, because it accords with and clearly knows the Dharma-realm.

A mind pervading all that is boundless, because it knows the distinctions among illusory and delusive phenomena.

A mind pervading all that is unborn, because the intrinsic nature of dharmas cannot be apprehended.

A mind pervading all that is unobstructed, because it abides neither in one’s own mind nor in the minds of others.

A mind pervading all mastery, because in a single thought it universally manifests the attainment of Buddhahood.

If bodhisattvas abide herein, they attain the unsurpassed, all-pervasive adornment of immeasurable Buddha-Dharmas.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva has ten faculties:

The faculty of joy, because upon seeing all Buddhas, one’s faith remains indestructible.

The faculty of aspiration, because all Buddha-Dharmas that one hears are completely understood and awakened to.

The faculty of non-retrogression, because every undertaking is brought to completion.

The faculty of steadfast abiding, because all bodhisattva practices are continued without interruption.

The subtle faculty, because it enters the wondrous principle of prajnaparamita.

The faculty of unceasing effort, because it brings the affairs of all sentient beings to completion.

The vajra-like faculty, because it realizes and knows the nature of all dharmas.

The faculty of vajra light and flame, because it universally illuminates all realms of the Buddhas.

The faculty without differentiation, because all Tathagatas share one body.

The unobstructed, consummate faculty, because it deeply penetrates the Tathagata’s ten powers of wisdom.

If bodhisattvas abide herein, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed faculty of perfectly complete great wisdom.

Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva has ten profound minds:

A profound mind unstained by any worldly dharma.

A profound mind unmixed with any path of the Two Vehicles.

A profound mind that thoroughly understands the Buddha’s bodhi.

A profound mind that accords with the path of the wisdom of all modes.

A profound mind unmoved by any demon or non-Buddhist adherent.

A profound mind that purely cultivates the perfect wisdom of all Tathagatas.

A profound mind that receives and retains all Dharma teachings it has heard.

A profound mind unattached to any place of birth.

A profound mind endowed with all subtle wisdom.

A profound mind that cultivates all Buddha-Dharmas.

If bodhisattvas abide in these, they attain the unsurpassed purity of the profound mind of omniscience.

Children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of increasingly supreme profound mind:

An increasingly supreme profound mind of non-retrogression, because it accumulates all roots of goodness.

An increasingly supreme profound mind free from doubt and uncertainty, because it understands the esoteric words of all Tathagatas.

An increasingly supreme profound mind of right retention, because great vows and great practices flow forth from it.

An increasingly supreme and most excellent profound mind, because it enters deeply into all Buddha-Dharmas.

An increasingly supreme profound mind of mastery, because it is sovereign over all Buddha-Dharmas.

An increasingly supreme and vast profound mind, because it enters all Dharma gates universally.

An increasingly supreme and foremost profound mind, because all that it undertakes is accomplished.

An increasingly supreme and sovereign profound mind, because it is adorned with all samadhis, spiritual powers, and transformations.

An increasingly supreme and steadfastly abiding profound mind, because it embraces and upholds its original vows.

An increasingly supreme and unceasing profound mind, because it brings all sentient beings to maturity.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the unsurpassed purity of the increasingly supreme profound mind of all Buddhas.

Children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas have ten forms of diligent cultivation:

They diligently cultivate giving, because they relinquish and give everything without seeking recompense.

They diligently cultivate moral discipline, because they practice the ascetic disciplines and austerities, have few desires, know contentment, and are free from deceit.

They diligently cultivate patience, because, having relinquished conceptions of self and others, they patiently endure all suffering and affliction and never give rise to anger or harmful intent.

They diligently cultivate vigor, because their three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind are never scattered, and in all they undertake they never retreat until reaching the ultimate end.

They diligently cultivate meditative concentration, because through liberating samadhis they manifest spiritual powers and wholly abandon retinues, sensual pleasures, afflictions, disputes, and contention.

They diligently cultivate wisdom, because they cultivate and accumulate all merit and virtue without weariness or aversion.

They diligently cultivate great loving-kindness, because they know that sentient beings lack inherent nature.

They diligently cultivate great compassion, because they know that all dharmas are empty and universally undergo suffering in the place of all sentient beings without weariness or aversion.

They diligently cultivate awakening to the Tathagata’s Ten Powers, because they comprehend them without obstruction and reveal them to sentient beings.

They diligently cultivate the irreversible Dharma wheel, because they turn it so that it reaches the minds of all sentient beings.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed diligent cultivation of great wisdom.

Children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of resolute understanding:

Supreme resolute understanding, because they plant revered roots of goodness.

Adorned resolute understanding, because it produces all kinds of adornments.

Vast resolute understanding, because their minds are never base or inferior.

Quiescent resolute understanding, because they can enter the extremely profound Dharma-nature.

Universal resolute understanding, because the mind they arouse reaches everywhere.

Capable resolute understanding, because they can receive the empowering support of the Buddhas.

Firm resolute understanding, because they subdue and destroy all demonic karma.

Clear and discerning resolute understanding, because they clearly know all karmic retribution.

Immediately present resolute understanding, because they can manifest spiritual powers at will.

Resolute understanding that perpetuates and causes flourishing, because they receive predictions of awakening in the presence of all Buddhas.

Sovereign resolute understanding, because they become Buddhas at will and at the appropriate time.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed resolute understanding.

Children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of resolute understanding by which they know all worlds:

They know all worlds as entering a single world.

They know a single world as entering all worlds.

They know that all worlds, a single body of a Tathagata, and a single lotus seat each pervade everywhere.

They know that all worlds are like empty space.

They know that all worlds are endowed with the adornments of the Buddhas.

They know that bodhisattvas fill all worlds.

They know all worlds as entering a single pore.

They know all worlds as entering the body of a single sentient being.

They know that all worlds, a single Buddha’s bodhi tree, and a single site of a Buddha’s enlightenment each pervade everywhere.

They know that a single voice pervades all worlds, enabling every sentient being to understand it individually and give rise to joy.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed resolute understanding of vast Buddha-lands.

Children of the Buddhas! Great bodhisattvas have ten kinds of resolute understanding by which they know the realm of sentient beings:

They know that the fundamental nature of the entire realm of sentient beings is unreal.

They know the entire realm of sentient beings as entering the body of a single sentient being.

They know the entire realm of sentient beings as entering the body of a bodhisattva.

They know the entire realm of sentient beings as entering the matrix of the Tathagata.

They know the body of a single sentient being as entering and pervading the entire realm of sentient beings.

They know that the entire realm of sentient beings is capable of becoming vessels for the Dharma of the Buddhas.

They know how to manifest for all sentient beings, in accordance with their inclinations, the bodies of Shakra, Brahma King, and the Four Heavenly Kings.

They know how to manifest for all sentient beings, in accordance with their inclinations, the tranquil deportment of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

They know how to manifest for all sentient beings a bodhisattva’s body adorned with merit and virtue.

They know how to manifest for all sentient beings the Tathagata’s body, endowed with excellent marks and tranquil deportment, in order to awaken them.

If bodhisattvas abide in these dharmas, they attain the Tathagata’s unsurpassed resolute understanding of great awe-inspiring power.