大方廣佛華嚴經

O disciples of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva’s dedication of merit that is indestructible?

This great bodhisattva acquires indestructible faith in the Buddhas of the three times, because he is able to serve all Buddhas fully; he also acquires indestructible faith in all bodhisattvas, even those bodhisattvas who have first aroused the aspiration to seek the unsurpassed path, because he vows to cultivate all bodhisattva roots of goodness without weariness; he acquires indestructible faith in all Buddha-Dharmas, because he has formed a profound resolve and aspiration; he acquires indestructible faith in all the Buddha’s teachings, because he safeguards and preserves them; he acquires indestructible faith in all sentient beings, because with impartial loving-kindness he regards sentient beings and universally dedicates roots of goodness for their benefit;

he acquires indestructible faith in all pure wholesome dharmas, because he universally gathers boundless roots of goodness; he acquires indestructible faith in the path of dedication practiced by all bodhisattvas, because he fulfills all supreme vows; he acquires indestructible faith in bodhisattva Dharma teachers, because he regards bodhisattvas as Buddhas; he acquires indestructible faith in the sovereign spiritual powers of all Buddhas, because he deeply believes that the Buddhas are inconceivable; and he acquires indestructible faith in the skillful means of all bodhisattvas, because he embraces immeasurable and innumerable practices.

When the great bodhisattva abides in such indestructible faith, he skillfully plants immeasurable and boundless roots of goodness in relation to Buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, sravakas, the Buddha-Dharma, the Buddha’s teachings, sentient beings, and so forth. He thereby increases the bodhi mind, expands great loving-kindness and compassion, contemplates with impartiality, follows and cultivates the practices of the Buddhas, gathers all pure roots of goodness into the true meaning, accumulates practices of merit and virtue, performs great giving, cultivates all virtues, and regards the three times as equal.

The great bodhisattva dedicates such roots of goodness and merit toward omniscience, vowing always to behold the Buddhas, draw near to good spiritual friends, dwell together with bodhisattvas, remain ever mindful of omniscience, receive and uphold the Buddha’s teachings and diligently safeguard them, teach and bring all sentient beings to maturity, constantly dedicate his mind to the supramundane path, make offerings to and serve all Dharma teachers, clearly understand all dharmas and remember them without forgetfulness, and cultivate the great vows until they are all fulfilled.

Thus the great bodhisattva accumulates roots of goodness, perfects roots of goodness, increases roots of goodness, reflects upon roots of goodness, guards and remains mindful of roots of goodness, discerns roots of goodness, cherishes roots of goodness, cultivates roots of goodness, and abides in roots of goodness.

Having accumulated such roots of goodness, the great bodhisattva uses the dependent rewards arising from these roots of goodness to practice the bodhisattva path, beholding immeasurable Buddhas in every thought and serving and making offerings to them.

With innumerable precious jewels, flowers, garlands, garments, canopies, banners and pennants, ornaments, innumerable fragrant ointments, powdered incense, blended incense, burning incense, substances for anointing the ground, innumerable forms of service, profound faith, loving delight, purity of mind, reverence, praise, homage, innumerable jeweled seats, flower seats, incense seats, garland seats, sandalwood seats, cloth seats, vajra seats, mani seats, precious lion seats, and seats of precious colors; with innumerable promenades strewn with flowers, jewels, incense, garlands, garments, and colored silks; with innumerable promenades planted with precious tala trees and adorned with jeweled railings and overarching nets of jeweled bells;

with innumerable jeweled palaces, flower palaces, garland palaces, incense palaces, sandalwood palaces, palaces of wondrous treasuries of fragrance, vajra palaces, and mani palaces, all more precious and beautiful than those in the heavenly realms; with innumerable jeweled trees, incense trees, trees bearing precious garments, trees of music, trees of wondrous sounds, trees bearing ornaments, trees hung with precious silks, and trees bearing jeweled necklaces; with innumerable trees adorned with flowers, incense, banners, pennants, and canopies, shading all the palaces;

and also with innumerable ornamented eaves, innumerable ornamented gates and windows, innumerable ornamented towers and pavilions, innumerable ornamented crescent-shaped structures, innumerable ornamented curtains, innumerable overarching golden nets, innumerable fragrances diffusing everywhere, and innumerable precious carpets spread upon the ground—with all these he reverently makes offerings to all Buddhas throughout immeasurable, innumerable, inexpressibly inexpressible kalpas, continually making offerings without regression or rest.

After each Tathagata enters nirvana, the bodhisattva likewise makes offerings to the relics, wishing to cause sentient beings to arouse pure faith, gather roots of goodness, depart from all suffering, attain extensive understanding, adorn themselves with great adornments, bring their cultivation to consummation, know that the appearance of Buddhas in the world is exceedingly difficult to encounter, fully acquire the Tathagata’s immeasurable powers of wisdom, adorn and make offerings to the stupas and shrines of the Buddhas, and preserve the Buddha-Dharma.

Even if one were to speak for innumerable kalpas about the bodhisattva’s offerings to the Buddhas presently abiding in the world and to the relics of Buddhas, one could not fully know them. The bodhisattva cultivates these immeasurable merits entirely to bring all sentient beings to maturity. He neither regresses nor ceases, neither grows weary nor clings; he is free from conceptual thought and has no dependence, having utterly severed every basis of dependence.

He remains far removed from self and possessions of self, seals all gateways of karma with the Dharma seal of suchness, realizes the unborn Dharma, abides where the Buddhas abide, contemplates the unborn nature, and seals all realms of experience. Mindfully protected by the Buddhas, he arouses the mind of dedication: dedication corresponding with the Dharma-nature; dedication through skillful means that enters the unconditioned Dharma and brings all endeavors to fulfillment; dedication through skillful means that abandons attachment; dedication through skillful means that abides in immeasurable forms of skillfulness; dedication that completely transcends all realms of conditioned existence subject to outflows; dedication that skillfully cultivates without abiding in characteristics;

dedication that universally gathers all roots of goodness; dedication that universally purifies all vast bodhisattva practices; dedication that arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi; dedication that abides equally in all roots of goodness; and dedication that fulfills the mind of unsurpassed faith and understanding.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates roots of goodness in this way, although he follows the course of birth and death, he does not change. In seeking omniscience, he never regresses. Within the three realms his mind is neither disturbed nor confused, and ultimately he is able to liberate all sentient beings. He is not defiled by conditioned dharmas and does not lose unobstructed wisdom. The bodhisattva’s practices arise from inexhaustible causes and conditions; no worldly dharma can shake him. He completely purifies and fulfills all paramitas and ultimately is able to perfect the powers of omniscience.

Thus the bodhisattva leaves behind all delusion and darkness, perfects the bodhi mind, reveals the radiance of wisdom, increases pure dharmas, dedicates merit toward the supreme path, and fulfills all practices. With pure intention he skillfully discerns and understands that all dharmas appear according to the mind. He knows that karma is like an illusion, its results like reflected images, practices like magical transformations, and dharmas arising from causes and conditions like echoes.

All bodhisattva practices are like shadows. He brings forth the pure and unattached Dharma-eye, beholds the vast realm of nonaction, realizes the nature of quiescent extinction, understands the nonduality of dharmas, attains the true characteristic of dharmas, and fulfills the bodhisattva practices. Unattached to any characteristic, he skillfully performs deeds of cooperation, never abandons pure wholesome dharmas, leaves behind all attachments, and abides in the practice of nonattachment.

Thus the bodhisattva reflects skillfully and without confusion, does not oppose any dharma, does not undermine the causes of karma, clearly perceives reality, skillfully dedicates merit, and knows the Dharma-nature. Through the power of skillful means, he brings karmic results to the other shore. By wisdom he contemplates all dharmas and attains wisdom and spiritual powers; without deliberate action, he performs all deeds rooted in goodness with sovereign mastery according to his mind.

The great bodhisattva dedicates roots of goodness in this way because he wishes to liberate all sentient beings, ensure that the lineage of the Buddhas is never severed, forever transcend the deeds of Mara, behold the boundlessness of all-knowledge, and maintain joyful faith in it without forsaking it. He also wishes to transcend all realms of perception and eliminate every defilement. He further vows that all sentient beings will attain pure wisdom, enter profound skillful means, escape the phenomena of birth and death, acquire the Buddha’s roots of goodness, forever put an end to all deeds of Mara, universally seal all karma with the seal of equality, directly resolve to enter the wisdom of all modes, and accomplish all supramundane dharmas.

This is the great bodhisattva’s second dedication, the Indestructible Dedication.

When the great bodhisattva abides in this dedication, he beholds innumerable Buddhas, accomplishes immeasurable sublime and pure dharmas, attains a mind of universal equality toward sentient beings, has no doubts concerning any dharma, and receives the empowering protection of the spiritual powers of all Buddhas. He subdues the hosts of Mara and forever transcends the deeds of Mara; accomplishes noble birth and perfects the mind of bodhi; attains unobstructed wisdom and understanding not dependent upon others; skillfully elucidates the meanings of all dharmas; can enter all lands according to the power of his thought; and universally illuminates sentient beings, causing them all to become pure.

The great bodhisattva gathers roots of goodness through the power of this Indestructible Dedication.

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner, relying upon the spiritual power of the Buddha, contemplated throughout the ten directions and then spoke these verses:

The bodhisattva has attained an indestructible resolve

And cultivates every wholesome deed;

Thus he is able to delight the Buddhas—

In this way, the wise make dedication.

He makes offerings to boundlessly many Buddhas,

Practices giving and moral discipline, and masters the faculties;

Wishing to benefit all sentient beings,

He causes them all to become universally pure.

All the most exquisite incense and flowers,

Immeasurably varied and splendid garments,

Jeweled canopies and every ornament—

He offers them to all the Tathagatas.

Making offerings to the Buddhas in this way

Throughout immeasurable, countless, inconceivable kalpas,

He remains reverent, respectful, and ever joyful,

Never once giving rise to weariness.

With single-minded concentration he recollects the Buddhas,

The brilliant lamps within all worlds;

All the Tathagatas throughout the ten directions

Appear directly before him as though seen with his own eyes.

Throughout inconceivable and immeasurable kalpas,

His mind never tires of practicing every kind of giving;

For hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of kalpas,

He cultivates wholesome deeds in precisely this way.

After those Tathagatas enter nirvana,

He tirelessly makes offerings to their relics;

Using every kind of sublime ornament,

He constructs immeasurably many stupas and shrines

And creates immeasurably many images of the Buddhas.

He adorns them with jewels, gold, and silver;

Lofty and majestic, they resemble great mountains,

And number immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis.

Having made offerings with a pure and reverent mind,

He again gives rise to the joyful resolve to bring benefit;

Throughout inconceivable kalpas in the world,

He rescues sentient beings and causes them to attain liberation.

He clearly knows that sentient beings are all deluded conceptions,

And toward them all he makes no discriminations;

Yet he skillfully knows the faculties of sentient beings

And brings universal benefit to them all.

The merits cultivated by the bodhisattva

Are vast, supreme, and beyond compare;

He fully understands that their essential nature has no existence,

And with this certainty dedicates them all.

With supreme wisdom he contemplates all dharmas,

And sees that not a single dharma arises within them;

Cultivating dedication through such skillful means,

His immeasurable merit can never be exhausted.

Through these skillful means he causes the mind to become pure

And entirely equal to all Tathagatas;

Because the power of these skillful means is inexhaustible,

His merit is likewise inexhaustible.

He brings forth the unsurpassed mind of bodhi,

Which depends upon nothing in any world;

It reaches universally throughout the worlds of the ten directions

And is everywhere entirely unobstructed.

All Tathagatas appear in the world

Because they wish to guide and awaken the minds of sentient beings;

They contemplate the nature of those minds,

Yet, when sought ultimately, it cannot be found.

All dharmas, without exception,

Enter suchness and have no inherent nature;

With the pure eye he thus makes dedication

And opens the prison of birth and death in the world.

He causes all lands to become pure,

Yet makes no discriminations concerning those lands;

He knows the nature of all lands to be nonexistent,

Yet causes minds to become joyful and pure.

He depends upon nothing in any single Buddha-land;

All Buddha-lands are likewise so.

Nor is he tainted by or attached to conditioned dharmas,

For he knows that their Dharma-nature has no place of dependence.

Through this he cultivates and accomplishes all-knowledge;

Through this he is adorned with unsurpassed wisdom;

Through this all Buddhas are delighted—

This is the bodhisattva’s practice of dedication.

The bodhisattva single-mindedly recollects the Buddhas,

Their unsurpassed wisdom and skillful means;

Just as the Buddhas depend upon nothing whatsoever,

So do I vow to cultivate and accomplish this merit.

He single-mindedly rescues and protects all beings,

Causing them to abandon and transcend every evil deed;

Bringing benefit to sentient beings in this way,

He concentrates and reflects upon what has never been before.

He abides in the Dharma that guards the ground of wisdom

And does not grasp the nirvana of other vehicles;

He vows only to attain the unsurpassed path of Buddhahood—

In this way the bodhisattva skillfully dedicates.

He does not grasp the language of sentient beings;

All conditioned phenomena are false and illusory.

Although he does not rely upon the course of language,

Neither does he grasp at the absence of verbal expression.

All Tathagatas throughout the ten directions

Completely comprehend all dharmas without exception;

Although they know that all dharmas are empty and quiescent,

They do not give rise to the thought of abiding in emptiness.

With a single adornment he adorns all things,

Yet makes no discriminations among any dharmas;

Thus he reveals and awakens all multitudes of beings:

All things lack inherent nature and nothing can be apprehended.

Disciples of the Buddha! What is the bodhisattva’s Dedication Equal to All Buddhas?

This great bodhisattva accords with and trains in the path of dedication practiced by all Buddhas of the three periods of time.

While training in this path of dedication, when this bodhisattva encounters any of the six sense objects—forms, sounds, fragrances, flavors, tangible objects, or dharmas—whether pleasant or unpleasant, he gives rise to neither attraction nor aversion. His mind attains mastery, remains free from error, vast and pure, joyful and delighted, and apart from all sorrow and affliction; his mind is gentle and his faculties cool and refreshed.

When the great bodhisattva attains such peace and happiness, he again voices a dedication to the Buddhas, thinking:

May the roots of goodness I am presently cultivating increase the happiness of the Buddhas: the happiness of abiding in the inconceivable state of Buddhahood; the happiness of the Buddhas’ incomparable samadhis; the happiness of immeasurable great loving-kindness and compassion; the happiness of the liberation of all Buddhas; the happiness of boundless great spiritual powers; the happiness of great mastery, supremely honored; the happiness of immeasurable powers, ultimate and vast; the happiness of quiescence, transcending all cognition; the happiness of constantly abiding in right concentration and unobstructed dwelling; and the happiness of practicing the nondual and unchanging conduct.

After the great bodhisattva has dedicated these roots of goodness to the Buddhas, he again dedicates them to bodhisattvas. That is, he causes those who have not attained perfection to attain perfection; causes those whose minds are not yet pure to become pure; causes those who have not yet perfected the paramitas to perfect them; causes them to abide in the vajra mind of bodhi, attain non-retrogression in all-knowledge, never abandon great diligence, and guard the gateway of bodhi. He dedicates all roots of goodness so that sentient beings may relinquish pride, bring forth the mind of bodhi, completely fulfill their vows, abide in the bodhisattva’s abode, acquire the bodhisattva’s keen and lucid faculties, cultivate roots of goodness, and realize the Buddha’s wisdom of all modes.

After the great bodhisattva has dedicated roots of goodness to bodhisattvas in this way, he again dedicates them to all sentient beings, vowing that whatever roots of goodness they possess, even those as slight as a finger snap, will enable them all to see the Buddha, hear the Dharma, and revere the Sangha. May those roots of goodness be entirely free from obstruction; may their recollection of the Buddha be perfected, their recollection of the Dharma be endowed with skillful means, and their recollection of the Sangha be reverent; may they never cease seeing the Buddha; may their minds become pure and attain the Buddha-Dharma; may they gather immeasurable virtues, purify their spiritual powers, abandon thoughts that doubt the Dharma, and abide in accordance with the Buddha’s teaching.

This bodhisattva likewise dedicates merit on behalf of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

He further vows that all sentient beings shall forever leave behind the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, the realm of animals, the realm of King Yama, and all other places of evil and suffering; increase their resolve for unsurpassed bodhi; single-mindedly and diligently seek the wisdom of all modes; forever abandon slander of the true Dharma of the Buddhas; attain the bliss of a Buddha; purify body and mind; and realize all-wisdom.

All the roots of goodness possessed by the great bodhisattva are brought forth by great vows, rightly brought forth, accumulated and rightly accumulated, increased and rightly increased, and made vast and complete.

Though the great bodhisattva lives at home together with wife and children, he never abandons the resolve for bodhi even momentarily. With right mindfulness, he contemplates the sphere of the wisdom of all modes, liberating himself and others and enabling them to reach ultimate attainment. By skillful means, he guides and transforms his own family, enabling them to enter the wisdom of bodhisattvas and bringing them to maturity and liberation. Although living together with them, he harbors no attachment. Because of his fundamental great compassion, he manifests as dwelling in the household; because of loving-kindness, he accords with his wife and children, yet he remains entirely unobstructed upon the bodhisattva’s path of purity.

Although the great bodhisattva lives at home and conducts worldly affairs, he never abandons the aspiration for all-wisdom even momentarily. Whether putting on clothing, eating food, taking medicines, bathing, turning or looking about, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down; whether acting through body, speech, or mind; whether asleep or awake, and so forth—the bodhisattva’s mind always inclines toward the path of unsurpassed awakening. He concentrates his mindfulness and contemplates it, never leaving it even for a moment.

Wishing to benefit all sentient beings, the bodhisattva abides in immeasurable great vows for bodhi, gathers countless vast roots of goodness, diligently practices every wholesome deed, and universally saves beings of every kind. He remains far removed from all arrogance and heedlessness, is certain to reach the stage of all-wisdom, and never turns his mind toward any other path. He constantly contemplates the bodhi of all Buddhas, forever abandons all defiled dharmas, practices everything studied by bodhisattvas, and remains unobstructed upon the path to all-wisdom.

He dwells on the ground of wisdom, delights in recitation and study, and gathers roots of goodness with immeasurable wisdom. His mind neither cherishes nor delights in anything worldly, nor is it attached to the practices he himself performs. He single-mindedly receives and upholds the teachings of the Buddhas.

In this way, the bodhisattva dwelling at home gathers all roots of goodness, causes them to increase, and dedicates them to the unsurpassed bodhi of the Buddhas.

At that time, even when the bodhisattva gives an animal a mere handful or single grain of food, he vows: “I shall cause these beings to escape the karmic retribution of animal existence and attain benefit, peace, happiness, ultimate liberation, and permanent freedom from the ocean of suffering. They shall forever end painful sensations, entirely eliminate the skandha of suffering, and forever put an end to the perception of suffering, the accumulation of suffering, painful practices, the causes of suffering, the root of suffering, and all places of suffering. May those sentient beings all be liberated from every suffering.”

The bodhisattva thus single-mindedly remembers all sentient beings. Taking this root of goodness as foremost, he dedicates it on their behalf to the wisdom of all modes.

From the moment the bodhisattva first brings forth the resolve for bodhi, he gathers sentient beings everywhere and cultivates roots of goodness, dedicating them all so that beings may forever escape birth and death; attain the unobstructed bliss of the Tathagatas; emerge from the ocean of afflictions; cultivate the Buddha path; possess loving-kindness that pervades everywhere and the vast power of compassion; enable all beings everywhere to attain the bliss of quiescence; preserve their roots of goodness; draw near to the Buddhadharma; leave the realm of Mara and enter the realm of the Buddhas; end the lineage of worldliness and plant the seed of Buddhahood; and abide in the Dharma of equality throughout the three periods of time.

All roots of goodness accumulated in the past, to be accumulated in the future, or being accumulated in the present are dedicated in this way.

The bodhisattva further reflects: “Just as the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past reverently made offerings to the Buddhas, liberated sentient beings, and diligently cultivated all roots of goodness, dedicating them without attachment—that is, without relying upon form, being defiled by sensation, engaging in inverted perception, giving rise to volitional formations, or following consciousness; abandoning the six sense objects; not abiding in worldly dharmas; delighting in the supramundane path; knowing that all dharmas are like empty space, coming from nowhere, neither arising nor ceasing, without true substantiality and without attachment; remaining far removed from all discriminating views and attachments; unmoving, unchanging, never lost or destroyed;

abiding in ultimate reality, which is without characteristics, free from characteristics, and solely of one characteristic—so shall I do.”

Thus the bodhisattva deeply enters the nature of all dharmas, constantly delights in cultivating the universal gateways of roots of goodness, and beholds all assemblies of the Buddhas.

“Just as all Tathagatas of the past dedicated their roots of goodness, so too shall I dedicate mine: understanding the Dharma in this way, realizing the Dharma in this way, and relying upon the Dharma in this way to bring forth the resolve and cultivate, without contradicting the characteristics of dharmas. I know that all practices are like illusions, shadows, the moon reflected in water, and images in a mirror, appearing through the conjunction of causes and conditions, until the ultimate stage of Tathagatahood is attained.”

The bodhisattva further reflects: “Just as the Buddhas of the past, while cultivating bodhisattva practices, dedicated their roots of goodness in this way, so too do all Buddhas of the present and future.”

“Now I too should bring forth the resolve just as the Buddhas brought forth the resolve, and dedicate all roots of goodness: the foremost dedication, the excellent dedication, the supremely excellent dedication, the lofty dedication, the unsurpassed dedication, the unequaled dedication, the dedication equal to the unequaled, the incomparable dedication, the peerless dedication, the honored dedication, the wondrous dedication, the impartial dedication, the upright dedication, the dedication of great merit, the vast dedication, the wholesome dedication, the pure dedication, the dedication that leaves evil behind, and the dedication that does not follow evil.”

After the bodhisattva has rightly dedicated his roots of goodness in this way, he perfects pure karma of body, speech, and mind; abides in the bodhisattva’s abiding; is free from all faults; cultivates wholesome karma; leaves behind evil in body, speech, and mind; has a mind free from transgression; cultivates all-wisdom; abides in the vast mind; knows that all dharmas are without an agent; abides in supramundane Dharma and is undefiled by worldly dharmas; clearly discerns and understands immeasurable kinds of karma; perfects skillful means in dedicating merit; and entirely uproots all foundations of attachment.

Disciples of the Buddha! This is the great bodhisattva’s third dedication of merit, the Dedication Equal to All Buddhas.

The great bodhisattva who abides in this stage of dedication deeply enters the karmic practices of all Tathagatas, advances toward the supremely wondrous merit of the Tathagatas, and deeply enters the sphere of pure wisdom. He never departs from the practices and deeds of all bodhisattvas, skillfully discerns subtle skillful means, deeply enters the Dharma realm, and well understands the successive stages of bodhisattva cultivation. He enters the lineage of the Buddhas and, through subtle skillful means, clearly discerns and understands immeasurable and boundless dharmas. Although he manifests a body born into the world, he remains unattached to worldly dharmas.

At that time, Bodhisattva Vajra Banner, empowered by the Buddha’s spiritual might, contemplated throughout the ten directions and then spoke these verses:

Those great bodhisattvas

Cultivate the dedications of the Buddhas of the past,

And also train in the practices of the Buddhas

Of the present and the future.

All the joys attained within the various realms,

Praised by all Buddhas,

With clear, pure, and vast vision,

They dedicate to great wisdom.

The bodhisattva’s bodily faculties and their various pleasures,

And likewise those of the eye, ear, nose, and tongue—

Those immeasurable, sublime, and wondrous joys

Are all dedicated to the Supreme One.

All wholesome dharmas of the worlds

And all attainments of the Buddhas

Are gathered there without remainder,

And they rejoice in them all to benefit sentient beings.

The world’s rejoicing is of immeasurable kinds;

They cause it to be dedicated for sentient beings.

May all beings fully attain

The joys of the Teacher of Gods and Humans.

In all lands, before all Buddhas,

Whatever joys are seen and known

May all beings attain them in their entirety.

Become a great radiant lamp illuminating the world.

The sublime and wondrous joys attained by bodhisattvas

Are all dedicated to the multitudes of beings.

Although they dedicate them for the sake of beings,

They form no attachment to the dedication.

Bodhisattvas who cultivate this dedication

Bring forth immeasurable great compassion.

As the Buddhas cultivated the virtue of dedication,

May my practice be completely perfected.

As all Tathagatas have accomplished

The wondrous joy of the path of omniscience,

And as for my deeds in the world,

The immeasurable joy of bodhisattva practices,

Manifesting entry into the various realms in peace and joy,

Always guarding the faculties in the joy of quiescence—

I dedicate them all to the multitudes of beings,

So that all may cultivate and attain the unsurpassed stronghold.

It is not body, speech, mind, or karma,

Yet neither does it exist separately apart from these.

Only through skillful means is the darkness of delusion extinguished;

Thus is unsurpassed wisdom cultivated and attained.

Bodhisattvas cultivate all practices

And amass immeasurable, supreme merit;

Following the Tathagata, they are born into the Buddha’s family,

And, serene and undistracted, rightly dedicate it.

All worlds throughout the ten directions,

And all the beings therein, they wholly embrace;

They dedicate all their roots of goodness to them,

Vowing that they may be replete with secure and peaceful joy.

They do not seek benefit for themselves,

But wish to bring peace and joy to all.

Never, even briefly, do they give rise to conceptual proliferation;

They contemplate only that all dharmas are empty and without self.

The immeasurable Tathagatas of the ten directions

See and know all true disciples of the Buddha,

Who dedicate all their roots of goodness,

Aspiring swiftly to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

All sentient beings in the world

They equally embrace, omitting none.

Through all the wholesome karma that I cultivate,

May those beings swiftly attain Buddhahood.

The immeasurable and boundless great vows

Proclaimed by the unsurpassed Guides—

May all disciples of the Buddha be purified,

And may their aspirations all be fulfilled according to their wishes.

Contemplating all worlds throughout the ten directions,

They bestow all merit upon sentient beings.

May they all be endowed with wondrous adornments—

Thus do bodhisattvas cultivate dedication.

Their minds do not conceive distinctions among dharmas,

But always clearly comprehend the nonduality of dharmas.

Whether dharmas are dual or nondual,

Ultimately they form no attachment to either.

All worlds throughout the ten directions

Are but the discriminative conceptions of sentient beings.

In conception and non-conception, nothing can be apprehended;

Thus do they clearly comprehend all conceptions.

When that bodhisattva’s body has been purified,

The mind is purified and free from faults;

The karma of speech is purified and without error;

Know that the purified mind is undefiled.

With one mind and right mindfulness, they recollect the Buddhas of the past;

They also recollect the Buddhas of the future,

And recollect the present World-Honored Ones;

Bodhisattvas learn all the Dharma of the Buddhas.

All Buddhas throughout the three times

Possess lucid wisdom and unobstructed minds.

Wishing to benefit all sentient beings,

Bodhisattvas gather their practices and dedicate them.

Foremost wisdom, vast wisdom,

Unfailing wisdom, undeluded wisdom,

True, impartial wisdom, pure wisdom—

Thus spoke the One of supremely excellent wisdom.

Disciples of the Buddha, what is the great bodhisattva’s dedication reaching all places?

When cultivating all roots of goodness, this great bodhisattva reflects: “May the power of the merit of these roots of goodness reach all places.

“Just as ultimate reality reaches everywhere without exception—reaching all things, all worlds, all sentient beings, all lands, all dharmas, all space, all time, all conditioned and unconditioned things, and all words, speech, and sounds—

“May these roots of goodness likewise reach everywhere: reaching all places of all Tathagatas; making offerings to all Buddhas throughout the three times; reaching the Buddhas of the past, whose vows and practices were perfectly fulfilled; the Buddhas of the future, fully endowed with adornments; and the Buddhas of the present, whose lands, bodhimandas, and assemblies pervade all space and the Dharma-realm.

“May I, through the great awesome power of faith and understanding, through vast and unobstructed wisdom, and through the dedication of all roots of goodness, offer to the Buddhas offerings such as those of the devas throughout immeasurable and boundless worlds.”

The great bodhisattva further reflects: “The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, pervade all space and the Dharma-realm. Their deeds and activities bring forth ineffable worlds throughout the ten directions, ineffable Buddha-lands and Buddha-realms, worlds of every kind, immeasurable worlds, revolving worlds, inclined worlds, downward-facing worlds, and upward-facing worlds.

“In all such worlds, the present Buddhas abide in the world and manifest transformations through their spiritual powers.

“In those worlds are bodhisattvas who, through the power of supreme understanding and for the sake of beings fit to be taught and transformed, universally reveal the immeasurable sovereign spiritual powers of the Tathagatas: the Dharma-body that reaches everywhere without distinction and equally enters throughout the entire Dharma-realm; the body of the tathagatagarbha, neither born nor extinguished; and, through skillful means, the universal manifestation in the world of realization of the true nature of dharmas. This is because they transcend all things, because they have attained unobstructed and irreversible power, and because they are born within the vast, virtuous nature of the Tathagata’s unobstructed knowledge and vision.”

Disciples of the Buddha, the great bodhisattva takes all the roots of goodness he has planted and vows that, in the presence of such Buddhas, he will offer beautiful flowers, fragrant incense, garlands, canopies, banners, pennants, garments, lamps, and all other adornments to the Buddhas. He likewise makes such offerings before images and stupas of the Buddhas.

He dedicates these roots of goodness in this way: undistracted dedication, single-minded dedication, freely resolved dedication, reverent dedication, unmoving dedication, nonabiding dedication, unsupported dedication, dedication without a conception of sentient beings, dedication with a mind free from contention, and dedication with a quiescent mind.

The great bodhisattva further reflects: “Throughout all space, to the utmost reaches of time, and in all kalpas, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, attain omniscience and realize bodhi, bearing immeasurably diverse names. Whenever they manifest the attainment of perfect enlightenment, they all abide throughout the future. All Buddhas adorn their bodies with the adornments of the Dharma-realm; their bodhimandas and assemblies pervade all lands throughout the Dharma-realm; and whenever they appear in the world, they perform the work of the Buddhas.

“To all such Buddhas and Tathagatas, I universally dedicate all my roots of goodness. May I offer innumerable fragrant canopies, fragrant garlands, fragrant pennants, fragrant curtains, fragrant nets, fragrant images, fragrant lights, fragrant flames, fragrant clouds, fragrant seats, fragrant promenades, fragrant dwellings, fragrant worlds, fragrant mountains, fragrant seas, fragrant rivers, fragrant trees, fragrant garments, fragrant lotus flowers, fragrant palaces, and so forth, each in innumerable quantities.

I shall also offer boundlessly many garland canopies, up to and including boundlessly many garland palaces; unequaled canopies of scented paste, up to and including unequaled palaces of scented paste; incalculable canopies of powdered incense, up to and including incalculable palaces of powdered incense; inestimable canopies of garments, up to and including inestimable palaces of garments; inconceivable jeweled canopies, up to and including inconceivable palaces of jeweled canopies; immeasurable bright lamps, up to and including immeasurable palaces of bright lamps; ineffably many canopies of adornments; and ineffably ineffable canopies of mani jewels, up to and including ineffably ineffable palaces of mani jewels.

“Within each and every such realm are innumerable balustrades, innumerable palaces, innumerable towers and pavilions, innumerable doorways and gates, innumerable windows, innumerable crescent-shaped ornaments, innumerable pure jewels, and innumerable adornments.”

With such offerings, he reverently presents them to all the Buddhas described above.

May all worlds be purified, may all beings attain liberation and abide on the Ten Grounds, and may they attain unobstructed illumination of the Dharma within all dharmas. May all beings endowed with roots of goodness be fully trained; may their minds become vast and immeasurable, pervading the realm of space; may they pass through all lands without arriving anywhere; may they enter all lands and practice wholesome dharmas; may they always behold the Buddhas and cultivate roots of goodness; may they accomplish the Great Vehicle without attachment to any dharma; may they possess every virtue and establish immeasurable practices; may they universally enter the boundless Dharma-realm; may they accomplish the spiritual powers of the Buddhas and attain the wisdom of the Buddhas.

Just as selflessness universally encompasses all dharmas, so too do my roots of goodness universally encompass all Buddha-Tathagatas, because offerings are made to them all without omission; they encompass all immeasurable Dharma, because it can all be realized without obstruction; they encompass the entire assembly of bodhisattvas, because ultimately they all share the same roots of goodness; they encompass all bodhisattva practices, because through the power of their original vows they are all perfected; they encompass all bodhisattvas’ illuminations of the Dharma, because all dharmas are thoroughly understood without obstruction; they encompass the great spiritual powers of the Buddhas, because immeasurable roots of goodness are accomplished;

they encompass all the powers and fearlessnesses of the Buddhas, because an immeasurable resolve is awakened and everything is perfected; they encompass all the samadhis, eloquence, and dharanis of bodhisattvas, because they can skillfully illuminate and understand the nonduality of dharmas; they encompass all the skillful means of the Buddhas, because the great spiritual powers of the Tathagatas are manifested; they encompass the eight aspects of attaining the Way displayed by the Buddhas of the three times, because reverence and offerings are extended universally to them all; they encompass all worlds throughout the ten directions, because Buddha-lands are adorned and purified to ultimate perfection;

they encompass all vast kalpas, because within them bodhisattva practices are cultivated without interruption; they encompass all classes of beings, because birth is manifested among them all; they encompass the entire realm of sentient beings, because the practices of Samantabhadra are fulfilled; they encompass all afflictions and habitual tendencies, because skillful means are used to purify them all; they encompass all the immeasurable differences in the faculties and dispositions of beings, because they are all clearly known; they encompass all the understandings, inclinations, and desires of beings, because beings are enabled to abandon defilement and attain purity;

they encompass all deeds performed to teach and transform beings, because bodies are manifested according to the needs of those who are to be liberated; they encompass all classes of beings who should be liberated, because they enter the realms of all beings; and they encompass the wisdom-nature of all Tathagatas, because they preserve and uphold all the teachings of the Buddhas.

When a great bodhisattva dedicates roots of goodness in this way, the bodhisattva employs nonattainment as a skillful means, making no distinction of recompense within karma and no distinction of karma within recompense. Although making no distinctions, the bodhisattva universally enters the Dharma-realm. Although doing nothing, the bodhisattva continually abides in roots of goodness.

Although nothing arises, the bodhisattva diligently cultivates supreme dharmas. Without regarding dharmas as real, the bodhisattva is nevertheless able to enter deeply into all dharmas. Without abiding in any dharma, the bodhisattva sees and knows all dharmas.

Whether acting or not acting, nothing can be apprehended. The bodhisattva knows that the nature of all dharmas is never autonomous. Although seeing all dharmas, there is nothing seen.

Although knowing everything universally, there is nothing grasped.

The bodhisattva thoroughly understands such a realm, knows that all dharmas are rooted in causes and conditions, beholds the Dharma-body of the Buddhas, clearly understands that the world is like a magical transformation, and comprehends that sentient beings are but one dharma, without dual nature. Without abandoning the sphere of karma, the bodhisattva skillfully reveals the unconditioned Dharma within the realm of the conditioned, yet does not destroy the characteristics of the conditioned; and reveals conditioned dharmas within the realm of the unconditioned, yet does not discriminate the characteristics of the unconditioned.

Contemplating in this way that all dharmas are ultimately quiescent and extinguished, the bodhisattva accomplishes all pure roots of goodness and awakens the resolve to rescue and protect sentient beings. With wisdom penetrating the ocean of all dharmas, the bodhisattva always delights in cultivating dharmas that are free from delusion. Having fully accomplished supramundane merit and virtue, the bodhisattva no longer trains in worldly dharmas, attains the pure eye of wisdom free from every darkness of delusion, and skillfully cultivates the path of dedication through expedient means.

A great bodhisattva who dedicates roots of goodness in this way pleases the Buddhas, adorns and purifies all Buddha-lands, teaches, transforms, and brings all sentient beings to maturity, fully receives and upholds the entire Buddhadharma, becomes the supreme field of merit for all beings, serves as a wise guide for all who practice the Way, and is a radiant sun illuminating all worlds. Every root of goodness extends throughout the Dharma-realm, is able to rescue and protect all beings, and enables them all to become pure and replete with merit and virtue.

When a great bodhisattva makes such dedications, the bodhisattva is able to preserve all Buddha-lineages, bring all sentient beings to maturity, ensure that no practice or deed is ever destroyed, clearly know all dharmas, impartially contemplate the nonduality of all dharmas, travel universally throughout the worlds of the ten directions, thoroughly understand ultimate reality free from desire, accomplish pure faith and understanding, and fully develop keen and luminous faculties.

This is the great bodhisattva’s fourth dedication, the Dedication Reaching All Places.

When a great bodhisattva abides in this dedication, the bodhisattva attains bodily action that reaches all places, because bodies can be manifested responsively throughout all worlds; attains verbal action that reaches all places, because the Dharma is taught in all worlds; attains mental action that reaches all places, because all the teachings of the Buddhas are received and upheld; attains the spiritual power of unhindered travel that reaches all places, because the bodhisattva responds and goes wherever the minds of sentient beings require; attains wisdom born of direct realization that reaches all places, because all dharmas can be universally and thoroughly understood;

attains dharani and eloquence that reach all places, because the bodhisattva accords with the minds of all beings and causes them to rejoice; attains entry into the Dharma-realm that reaches all places, because all worlds are universally entered within a single pore; attains a universally penetrating body that reaches all places, because the bodhisattva enters the body of every sentient being; attains universal vision of kalpas that reaches all places, because within each and every kalpa all Buddhas are constantly beheld; and attains universal vision in every thought that reaches all places, because in each and every thought all Buddhas appear directly before the bodhisattva.

Having attained the Dedication Reaching All Places, a great bodhisattva is able to dedicate roots of goodness in this way.

At that time, through the awesome power of the Buddha, Vajra Banner Bodhisattva contemplated throughout the ten directions and then spoke these verses:

All worlds, both internal and external,

Bodhisattvas never cling to any of them;

Yet they do not abandon practices benefiting beings—

Thus do the Great Ones cultivate wisdom.

All lands throughout the ten directions

Are wholly without dependence or abiding;

They grasp neither life nor any other dharma,

Nor do they falsely give rise to discriminations.

All beings within the lands of the ten directions

They encompass completely, omitting none;

Contemplating that their essential nature has no existence,

They skillfully dedicate all toward reaching every place.

They universally encompass conditioned and unconditioned dharmas,

Yet give rise to no deluded thoughts concerning them;

They likewise contemplate all worldly dharmas—

Thus the World-Illuminating Lamps attain awakening.

The deeds and practices cultivated by bodhisattvas

Differ as superior, middling, and lesser;

Yet all their roots of goodness are dedicated

To all the Buddhas throughout the ten directions.

Bodhisattvas dedicate them toward the further shore;

Following the Buddhas in training, they accomplish all.

Always skillfully contemplating with wondrous wisdom,

They become complete in the supreme human dharmas.

They universally dedicate their pure roots of goodness,

Never abandoning the constant benefiting of beings;

They enable each and every sentient being

To become an unsurpassed World-Illuminating Lamp.

Never do they discriminate or cling to sentient beings,

Nor do they deludedly conceive or recollect dharmas;

Though they have no defiling attachment to the world,

They never abandon any living being.

Bodhisattvas always delight in the Dharma of quiescent cessation

And, following it, reach the realm of nirvana;

Yet they do not forsake the path of sentient beings—

Thus do they attain such subtle and wondrous wisdom.

The bodhisattva never discriminates among karmic actions,

Nor does he cling to their various fruits and recompenses.

All worlds arise from conditions;

Without departing from causes and conditions, he beholds all dharmas.

He deeply enters all such realms,

Yet gives rise to no discrimination within them.

As a Tamer and Guide of sentient beings,

He clearly understands this and skillfully dedicates the merit.