大方廣佛華嚴經

24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: VERSES OF PRAISE IN THE TUSHITA HEAVEN

(Chinese Edition, First Section, Fascicle 23)

At that time, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, beyond worlds as numerous as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha-lands in each of the ten directions, there came from every direction a great bodhisattva, each accompanied by bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha-lands, and they assembled together:

Vajra Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Jewel World of the Buddha Inexhaustible Banner; Steadfast Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Bliss World of the Buddha Wind Banner; Valiant Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Silver World of the Buddha Liberation Banner; Radiant Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Gold World of the Buddha Majestic Deportment Banner; Wisdom Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Mani World of the Buddha Auspicious Radiance Banner; Jewel Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Vajra World of the Buddha Eternal Banner; Diligence Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Padma World of the Buddha Supremely Victorious Banner; Stainless Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Utpala World of the Buddha Sovereign Banner;

Constellation Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Chandana World of the Buddha Brahma Banner; and Dharma Banner Bodhisattva came from the Wondrous Fragrance World of the Buddha Contemplation Banner.

When the bodhisattvas arrived before the Buddha and had bowed at his feet, each, according to the direction from which he had come, manifested a lion throne called Wondrous Treasury of Jewels and sat upon it in the lotus posture.

The bodies of all the bodhisattvas emitted hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of countless pure lights, arising from great vows free from all evil faults and revealing the pure, sovereign Dharma of all Buddhas.

Because the bodhisattvas possessed the power of vows capable of universally rescuing and protecting all sentient beings, all beings throughout the worlds delighted in seeing them. All who saw the bodhisattvas gained benefit and were tamed.

These bodhisattvas had all accomplished immeasurable merits and virtues. They traveled throughout all Buddha-lands without obstruction; saw the pure, unsupported Dharma-body; manifested immeasurable bodies by means of the body of wisdom; journeyed throughout the ten directions to serve all Buddhas; entered the immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable, sovereign Dharmas of all Buddhas; abided in immeasurable gateways to omniscience; skillfully understood all dharmas through the light of wisdom; attained fearless eloquence among all dharmas and expounded the Dharma without exhaustion; opened the gateways of dharani through great wisdom; and, with pure wisdom-eyes, deeply entered the Dharma-realm, their realm of wisdom boundless and ultimately pure like empty space.

In all the Tushita celestial palaces throughout the worlds of the ten directions were bodhisattvas equal in number and identical in name; the worlds and the Buddhas were likewise identical to those here.

At that time, the Blessed One emitted from his two knees hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of rays of light, illuminating all worlds throughout the Dharma-realm and the realm of empty space.

The bodhisattvas in those lands all saw the Buddha’s spiritual transformations here, and the bodhisattvas in this land all saw the transformations of all those Buddhas.

All these assemblies of bodhisattvas had, together with Vairocana Tathagata, planted roots of goodness and cultivated the bodhisattva practices since ancient times. They had all awakened to and entered the profound liberation and sovereignty of the Buddhas; attained the impartial body of the Dharma-realm; entered all worlds without abiding anywhere; beheld immeasurable Buddhas and went forth to honor and serve them all; traveled throughout the Dharma-realm in a single thought with sovereign freedom and without obstruction; possessed minds as pure as priceless jewels; were constantly protected and kept in mind by immeasurable, countless Buddhas, who also bestowed spiritual power upon them;

reached the ultimate, foremost shore and continually abided in unsurpassed enlightenment with pure mindfulness; entered the state of omniscience in every thought; freely placed the small within the great and the great within the small; attained unobstructed penetration and the body of a Buddha; abided together with the Buddhas; attained omniscience and bodies born from omniscience; were all able to follow and enter the sphere of conduct of every Tathagata and proclaim immeasurable gateways of wisdom and Dharma; reached the far shore of the great wisdom of the Vajra Banner; attained vajra samadhi and severed all doubts and delusions; attained the sovereign spiritual powers of the Buddhas; universally entered all lands throughout the ten directions;

taught, transformed, and tamed hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of countless sentient beings; and, although unattached to any enumeration, were able to cultivate, study, and ultimately accomplish the skillful establishment of all dharmas.

These bodhisattvas had all accomplished hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of ineffable, immeasurable, pure, inexhaustible treasuries of merit and virtue such as these.

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

The Tathagata does not appear in the world,

Nor does he enter nirvana;

Through the power of his great original vows,

He manifests the sovereign Dharma.

This Dharma is inconceivable;

The mind’s conditions cannot reach it.

Only wisdom that has reached the far shore

Can behold the Buddha’s realm.

The physical body is not the Buddha,

Nor is sound the Buddha;

Yet without departing from form and sound,

One beholds the Buddha’s spiritual power.

Those of inferior wisdom cannot know

The true realm of the Buddha;

Only after long cultivating pure practices

Can one behold the Buddha’s realm.

Perfect Enlightenment comes from nowhere,

And in departing goes nowhere;

The wondrous, pure physical body

Is manifested through spiritual power.

Throughout immeasurable worlds,

He manifests the body of the Tathagata

And extensively expounds the wondrous Dharma,

While his mind abides in nothing and clings to nothing.

His wisdom is without bounds,

Completely comprehending all dharmas;

He universally enters every Dharma-realm

And manifests his sovereign power.

Sentient beings and all dharmas

He comprehends without obstruction;

He universally manifests all forms and images,

Pervading every land.

Those who seek omniscience

And wish swiftly to attain unsurpassed enlightenment

Must, with a wondrous and pure mind,

Cultivate the practices of bodhi.

If anyone beholds the Tathagata’s

Awesome spiritual power such as this,

They should make offerings to the Supremely Honored One

And harbor no doubt.

Steadfast Banner Bodhisattva, empowered by the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and then spoke these verses:

The Buddha is supreme and peerless,

Most profound and ineffable,

Transcending the paths of language,

Pure as empty space.

Contemplate the Guiding Master’s

Sovereign spiritual powers:

Though he has departed from discrimination,

He enables those who discriminate to see him.

The Buddha expounds

The wondrous and most profound Dharma;

For the sake of these causes and conditions,

He manifests this peerless body.

This is the sphere of action

Of the Buddhas’ great wisdom;

Those who wish to understand it clearly

Should draw near to the Buddha.

With mental karma ever pure,

They make offerings to all Tathagatas,

Never harboring weariness or fatigue,

And are able to enter the Buddha’s path.

Endowed with inexhaustible merit and virtue,

They firmly abide in the mind of bodhi;

Thereby they dispel the net of doubt

And contemplate the Buddha without weariness.

Only those who thoroughly comprehend all dharmas

Are true disciples of the Buddha;

Such people can clearly understand

The sovereign power of all Buddhas.

The vast wisdom that has been taught

Is the foundation of all dharmas;

Therefore, one should give rise to aspiration

And resolve to seek unsurpassed enlightenment.

If anyone reveres the Buddha

And remembers to repay the Buddha’s kindness,

That person never departs

From the Buddha’s abiding place.

How could any person of wisdom,

Who constantly sees and hears the Buddha,

Fail to cultivate pure vows

Upon the path trodden by the Buddha?

Valiant Banner Bodhisattva, empowered by the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and then spoke these verses:

Just as clear and luminous eyes

See forms in the light of day,

So too does a pure mind,

Through the Buddha’s power, behold the Buddha.

Just as, through the power of diligence,

One may reach the deepest source of the ocean,

So too, through the power of wisdom,

One may behold immeasurable Buddhas.

Just as in fertile fields

All that is planted flourishes,

So too does a pure mind

Bring forth all Buddha-dharmas.

Just as one who finds a treasury of jewels

Forever escapes the suffering of poverty,

A bodhisattva who attains the Buddha-Dharma

Has a stainless and pure mind.

Just as the agada medicine

Can neutralize every poison,

So too can the Buddha-Dharma

Destroy all afflictions of the kleshas.

True good and wise spiritual friends,

Those praised by the Tathagata,

Through that awesome spiritual power

Are able to hear the Buddha-Dharma.

Even if for countless kalpas

One offered precious wealth to the Buddha,

If one did not know the Buddha’s true characteristic

Nor is it called an offering.

Immeasurable forms and colors

Adorn the body of the Buddha.

Yet it is not within forms and colors

That the Buddha can be seen.

The Tathagata, the Perfectly Enlightened One,

Is quiescent and ever unmoving,

Yet can manifest bodies everywhere,

Filling the realms of the ten directions.

Just as the realm of space

Neither arises nor ceases,

The Buddha-Dharma is likewise thus,

Ultimately without arising or cessation.

Bodhisattva Banner of Radiance, relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

In the human and heavenly realms,

Throughout all worlds,

The Tathagata is seen everywhere,

His wondrous form-body pure and clear.

Just as a single thought

Can give rise to various thoughts,

So too, one Buddha-body

Universally manifests all Buddhas.

Bodhi is not a dual dharma,

Nor does it possess any marks,

Yet amid dualistic dharmas

It manifests a body adorned with marks.

Knowing the Dharma-nature to be empty and quiescent,

Arising like an illusion,

His sphere of practice is forever inexhaustible;

Thus does the Guiding Teacher manifest.

All Buddhas of the three times

Have Dharma-bodies that are wholly pure;

According to those who should be liberated,

They universally manifest wondrous form-bodies.

The Tathagata does not think,

“I manifest my body in this way.”

He manifests naturally,

Never making distinctions.

The Dharma-realm is without differentiation

And has no place of reliance,

Yet within the world

It manifests immeasurable bodies.

The Buddha-body is not a transformation,

Nor is it not a transformation;

Within the untransforming Dharma,

It manifests bodies of transformation.

Perfect enlightenment cannot be fathomed,

Being like the Dharma-realm and empty space,

Profound and vast, without shore or bottom,

Utterly beyond the path of language.

The Tathagata skillfully comprehends

The practice of the path in every place;

Throughout all lands of the Dharma-realm,

Wherever he goes, he is unobstructed.

Bodhisattva Banner of Wisdom, relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

If anyone can faithfully accept

Unobstructed omniscience

And cultivate the practices of bodhi,

That person’s mind is immeasurable.

Throughout all lands,

He universally manifests immeasurable bodies,

Yet those bodies dwell nowhere

And do not abide in any dharma.

Each and every Tathagata

Manifests bodies through spiritual power;

Even through inconceivable numbers of kalpas,

They could never all be counted.

Though the number of all beings

Throughout the three times might be fully known,

The number of the Buddha’s manifestations

Could never be known.

At times he manifests one or two bodies,

Or even immeasurable bodies,

Appearing throughout the realms of the ten directions,

Yet in truth there is no duality.

Just as the bright full moon

Appears throughout all streams and waters,

Though its reflections are immeasurable,

The moon itself remains undivided.

Such is unobstructed wisdom,

Accomplishing perfect enlightenment;

It manifests throughout all realms,

Yet the Buddha’s essence remains undivided.

Neither one nor two,

Nor yet immeasurable,

According to those who should be transformed and liberated,

He manifests immeasurable bodies.

The Buddha-body is not of the past,

Nor is it of the future;

Within a single thought it manifests birth,

Attainment of the Way, and nirvana.

It manifests forms like illusions,

Neither born nor arisen;

The Buddha-body is likewise thus,

Manifesting without birth.

Bodhisattva Jeweled Banner, relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

The Buddha-body is inherently immeasurable,

Yet skillfully manifests finite bodies;

According to what beings are able to see,

Thus does the Guiding Teacher manifest.

The Buddha-body has no location,

Yet fills every place;

Like boundless empty space,

Thus it is inconceivable.

It is not an object grasped by the mind,

Nor does the mind arise within it;

In the realm of all Buddhas,

There is ultimately no arising or cessation.

Like what is seen by clouded eyes,

It is neither within nor without;

The world’s vision of the Buddhas

Should be understood in the same way.

For the benefit of sentient beings,

The Buddha appears in the world;

Beings perceive that he appears,

Yet in truth there is no appearance.

The Buddha cannot be seen by means of lands,

Nor by day and night;

Years, months, or a single kshana—

All should be understood likewise.

Sentient beings say,

“On that day the Buddha attained the Way;

The Tathagata attained bodhi.”

In truth, it does not belong to time.

The Tathagata is free from discrimination,

Beyond time and space;

The Tathagatas of the three times

All appear in this same way.

Just as the radiant sun

Does not unite with the darkness of night,

Yet day and night are spoken of,

So too is the Buddha-Dharma.

All kalpas of the three times

Do not unite with the Tathagata,

Yet Buddhas of the three times are spoken of;

So too is the Buddha-Dharma.

Bodhisattva Banner of Vigor, relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

All the Guiding Teachers

Are identical in body and identical in meaning;

Throughout the realms of the ten directions,

They manifest according to what is fitting.

Contemplate the Muni:

His deeds are exceedingly wondrous.

They fill the entire Dharma-realm,

Leaving nothing outside them.

The Buddha-body is not within,

Nor is it without;

Through spiritual power it becomes manifest—

Such is the Dharma of the Guiding Teacher.

According to the various kinds of sentient beings

And the karma accumulated in former lives,

Bodies of all such kinds

Are manifested, each unlike the others.

The bodies of all Buddhas are thus,

Immeasurable and beyond enumeration;

Apart from the Greatly Enlightened Ones,

No one can conceive of them.

Just as the self is inconceivable,

Beyond the reach of mental karma,

The Buddha is likewise inconceivable,

Not manifested by mental karma.

Just as inconceivable lands

Are seen as pure and adorned,

The inconceivable Buddha is likewise thus,

Fully manifesting all wondrous marks.

Just as all dharmas

Arise through causes and conditions,

Seeing the Buddha is likewise thus,

Necessarily dependent upon wholesome and unwholesome karma.

Just as a wish-fulfilling jewel

Can satisfy the hearts of beings,

The Dharma of all Buddhas is likewise thus,

Fulfilling every aspiration.

In immeasurable lands,

The Guiding Teacher appears in the world;

In accordance with the power of vows,

He responsively manifests throughout the ten directions.

Bodhisattva Banner Free from Defilement, relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

The Tathagata has no abiding place,

Yet abides in every realm;

He reaches all realms

And is seen in every place.

The Buddha accords with the minds of sentient beings

And universally manifests all bodies,

Attaining the Way, turning the Dharma-wheel,

And entering nirvana.

The Buddhas are inconceivable;

Who can conceive of the Buddha?

Who can behold the Perfectly Enlightened One?

Who can manifest the Supremely Excellent One?

All dharmas are suchness;

The Buddha’s realm is likewise thus.

There is not even a single dharma

Within suchness that arises or ceases.

Sentient beings falsely discriminate:

“This is Buddha; this is the world.”

Those who comprehend the Dharma-nature

See neither Buddha nor world.

The Tathagata universally appears before beings,

Causing them to rejoice in faith;

Yet the Buddha’s essence cannot be apprehended,

And there is likewise nothing seen.

If, while dwelling in the world,

One wholly abandons attachment,

With an unobstructed and joyful heart,

One awakens to the Dharma.

The sovereign manifestation of spiritual power—

This itself is called the Buddha;

Yet throughout all worlds,

When sought, he can never be found.

If one can know in this way

The mind, thought, and all dharmas,

Seeing and knowing them all completely,

One will swiftly become a Tathagata.

Through language are revealed

The sovereign powers of all Buddhas;

Perfect enlightenment transcends language,

Yet is provisionally spoken of through language.

Bodhisattva Banner of Dharma, relying upon the Buddha’s spiritual power, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

One should rather forever endure in full

All the sufferings of the world

Than ever depart from the Tathagata

Or leave the Sovereign One.

If there are sentient beings

Who have not yet aroused the mind of bodhi,

Upon hearing the Buddha’s name,

They will certainly attain perfect enlightenment.

If a wise person

In a single thought arouses the mind for the Way,

That person will certainly become the Unsurpassed One;

Take care never to give rise to doubt.

The Tathagata, the Sovereign One,

Is difficult to encounter through immeasurable kalpas;

If one gives rise to a single thought of faith,

One will swiftly realize the unsurpassed Way.

Even if, in every thought,

One makes offerings to immeasurable Buddhas,

If one has not yet known the true Dharma,

It is not called making offerings.

If one hears such a Dharma,

From which all Buddhas are born,

Though beset by immeasurable suffering,

One will not abandon the practices of bodhi.

Upon hearing even once the great wisdom,

The Dharma entered by the Buddhas,

One will throughout the Dharma-realm

Become a Guiding Teacher of the three times.

Though one may journey until the end of the future,

Traveling throughout all Buddha-realms,

If one does not seek this wondrous Dharma,

One will never attain bodhi.

Since beginningless time, sentient beings

Have ceaselessly wandered through birth and death,

Not comprehending the true Dharma

Therefore, the Buddhas appear in the world.

The dharmas cannot be destroyed,

Nor can anyone destroy them;

Their sovereign, great radiance

Appears everywhere throughout the world.

25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: THE TEN DEDICATIONS

(The Latter Part of the Chinese Edition, from Scroll 23 through the End of Scroll 33)

At that time, through the spiritual power of the Buddha, Vajra Banner Bodhisattva entered the Bodhisattva Wisdom-Light Samadhi.

After he had entered this samadhi, in each of the ten directions, beyond worlds as numerous as the dust motes in one hundred thousand Buddha-lands, Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes in one hundred thousand Buddha-lands, all bearing the same name Vajra Banner, appeared before the Bodhisattva and praised him in unison, saying:

“Excellent! You are able to enter this Bodhisattva Wisdom-Light Samadhi!

“Good man! The Buddhas of the ten directions, as numerous as the dust motes in one hundred thousand Buddha-lands, employ their spiritual power together to aid and protect you. This is also due to the awesome power of the original vows of Vairocana Tathagata.

It is also because you have attained pure wisdom and because the wholesome roots of the bodhisattvas have grown increasingly supreme that you are enabled to enter this samadhi and expound the Dharma: so that the bodhisattvas may attain pure fearlessness; so that they may perfect unobstructed eloquence; so that they may enter the unobstructed grounds of wisdom; so that they may abide in the great mind of all-wisdom; so that they may accomplish inexhaustible wholesome roots; so that they may fully possess unobstructed wholesome dharmas; so that they may enter the universal gateway of the Dharma Realm; so that they may manifest the spiritual powers of all Buddhas; so that their recollection and knowledge of the past may remain unbroken;

so that they may receive the Buddhas’ protection and preserve their faculties; so that they may extensively expound all dharmas through immeasurable gateways; so that, having heard them, they may fully understand, accept, uphold, and never forget them; so that they may gather in all the wholesome roots of the bodhisattvas; so that they may perfect the world-transcending dharmas that aid the Path; so that the wisdom of all modes may remain unbroken; so that they may bring forth great vows; so that they may explain the true meaning; so that they may clearly know the Dharma Realm; so that all bodhisattvas may attain complete joy; so that they may cultivate the equal wholesome roots of all Buddhas; and so that they may preserve the Buddha-nature of beings.

“What Dharma shall you expound? You shall expound the Ten Dedications of the bodhisattvas.

“Good man! Relying upon the spiritual power of the Buddha, you should expound this Dharma: so that you may receive the Buddha’s mindful protection; abide in the house of the Buddha; increase world-transcending merit and virtue; attain the radiance of dharani; enter the Buddha-Dharma without obstruction; cause great light to illuminate the Dharma Realm universally; gather pure and faultless dharmas; abide in the vast realm of wisdom; and attain unobstructed Dharma-light.”

The Buddhas then bestowed upon Vajra Banner Bodhisattva immeasurable wisdom and unobstructed eloquence. They bestowed upon him skillful means for discerning phrases and meanings; unobstructed Dharma-light; a body equal to that of the Tathagata; immeasurable, pure, and distinct voices; the bodhisattvas’ inconceivable Samadhi of Skillful Contemplation; steadfast wisdom for dedicating wholesome roots; skillful means perfected through contemplating all dharmas; and eloquence in all places for expounding all dharmas without interruption.

Why was this so? It was because, through the power of his wholesome roots, he had entered this samadhi and thereby naturally attained these qualities.

The Buddhas all extended their right hands and rubbed the crown of Vajra Banner Bodhisattva’s head.

After the Buddhas had rubbed the crown of his head, Vajra Banner Bodhisattva emerged from samadhi and addressed the assembly of bodhisattvas, saying: “Disciples of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva possesses inconceivable great vows that pervade the Dharma Realm and enable him to rescue and protect all sentient beings. He therefore cultivates and studies the dedications of the Buddhas of the three periods of time.

“Disciples of the Buddha! How many kinds of dedication does a great bodhisattva practice?

“A great bodhisattva practices the following ten kinds of dedication, which are alike expounded by the Buddhas of the three periods of time:

“First, the Dedication of Rescuing and Protecting All Sentient Beings While Transcending the Mark of Sentient Beings.

“Second, the Indestructible Dedication.

“Third, the Dedication Equal to All Buddhas.

“Fourth, the Dedication Reaching All Places.

“Fifth, the Dedication of the Treasury of Inexhaustible Merit and Virtue.

“Sixth, the Dedication of Entering the Wholesome Roots of Universal Equality.

“Seventh, the Dedication of Equally Conforming with All Sentient Beings.

“Eighth, the Dedication According with the Characteristic of Suchness.

“Ninth, the Dedication of Unbound and Unattached Liberation.

“Tenth, the Dedication of Entering the Immeasurability of the Dharma Realm.

“Disciples of the Buddha! What is the great bodhisattva’s Dedication of Rescuing and Protecting All Sentient Beings While Transcending the Mark of Sentient Beings?

“This great bodhisattva practices dana paramita, purifies the paramita of giving, cultivates kshanti paramita, brings forth virya paramita, enters dhyana paramita, abides in prajna paramita, and cultivates great loving-kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, great equanimity, and immeasurable wholesome roots such as these.

“While cultivating these wholesome roots, he reflects: ‘May these wholesome roots universally benefit all sentient beings, causing them all to become pure and reach the ultimate state, forever transcending the immeasurable sufferings and afflictions of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, King Yama’s realm, and so forth.’

“When planting wholesome roots, the great bodhisattva dedicates his wholesome roots in this way: ‘I shall be a home for all sentient beings, so that they may escape every kind of suffering. I shall be a refuge that rescues and protects all sentient beings, so that they may all attain liberation from afflictions. I shall be a place of reliance for all sentient beings, so that they may all transcend fear.

I shall be a destination for all sentient beings, so that they may reach all-wisdom. I shall be a place of peace and security for all sentient beings, so that they may attain ultimate peace and security. I shall be a light for all sentient beings, so that they may attain the light of wisdom that dispels the darkness of delusion.

I shall be a torch for all sentient beings, so that the darkness of ignorance may be destroyed for them. I shall be a lamp for all sentient beings, so that they may abide in ultimate purity. I shall be a guide for all sentient beings, leading them into the true and genuine Dharma.

I shall be a great guide for all sentient beings, bestowing upon them great and unobstructed wisdom.’

“The great bodhisattva dedicates his wholesome roots in this way, equally benefiting all sentient beings and ultimately causing them all to attain all-wisdom.

“The great bodhisattva directs benefits toward those who are not his friends just as he does toward his own friends. Because the great bodhisattva has entered the equal nature of all dharmas, he does not regard any sentient being as not being his friend. Even if a sentient being harbors resentment and seeks to harm the bodhisattva, the bodhisattva still loves and cherishes that being and never becomes angry or resentful.

“This bodhisattva serves universally as a good and wise friend to all sentient beings, expounding the Right Dharma and enabling them to cultivate it.

“Just as all poisons cannot corrupt the great ocean, so too is this bodhisattva.

“All foolish and ignorant people—those who are ungrateful, wrathful and malicious, arrogant, deluded and benighted, and who do not understand wholesome dharmas—may use every means to oppress and harm him, yet these evil people cannot disturb or unsettle this bodhisattva’s mind.

“It is as when the sun appears in the world: it does not conceal itself and cease shining merely because some are born blind. Nor does it conceal itself and cease shining because it is obscured by mist, the hand of an asura, the Jambudvipa tree, high cliffs, deep ravines, dust, smoke, clouds, or fog. Nor does it conceal itself and cease shining because the seasons change.”

The great bodhisattva is likewise. Possessing great merit and virtue, with a profound and expansive mind, he contemplates with right mindfulness and never retreats or yields. Wishing to perfect merit and wisdom, he resolves upon the supreme Dharma, causes the light of Dharma to shine universally, and perceives all meanings.

He attains mastery of wisdom in all Dharma gateways, constantly cultivates wholesome dharmas for the benefit of sentient beings, and never mistakenly gives rise to a mind that would harm them. Though sentient beings may be wicked, hold wrong views, and be difficult to tame, he does not abandon the cultivation of dedication. He adorns himself solely with the armor of great vows, always rescues and protects sentient beings, and never turns back.

He does not retreat from the bodhisattva practice or abandon the path to bodhi because sentient beings are ungrateful. He does not forsake all true wholesome roots because he dwells among ordinary and foolish beings. Nor does he become weary because sentient beings constantly commit evils and offenses that are difficult to endure.

It is like the sun, which does not hide itself and cease shining merely because something obstructs its light.

The great bodhisattva does not cultivate wholesome roots and dedicate them to unsurpassed bodhi merely to rescue and protect a single sentient being, but rather to rescue and protect all sentient beings universally. He does not give rise to great vows, cultivate wholesome roots, and dedicate them to unsurpassed bodhi merely to purify one Buddha-land, have faith in one Buddha, behold one Buddha, or understand one Dharma, but rather to purify all Buddha-lands universally, have faith in all Buddhas universally, behold all Buddhas universally, and understand all Buddha-Dharmas.

Taking all Buddha-Dharmas as conditions for arising, the great bodhisattva brings forth an expansive mind and a mind of non-retrogression. Throughout immeasurable kalpas, he cultivates this precious mind, rare and difficult to attain, until it becomes entirely equal to that of all Buddhas.

Contemplating his wholesome roots in this way, the great bodhisattva, with pure faith, steadfast great compassion, a profound mind, a joyful mind, a pure mind, a supremely excellent mind, a gentle and yielding mind, a loving and compassionate mind, a sympathetic mind, a mind that gathers in and protects, a beneficial mind, and a mind that brings peace and happiness, makes a true and universal dedication for sentient beings, not merely an empty verbal one.

When dedicating his wholesome roots, the great bodhisattva reflects: “Through these wholesome roots of mine, may all species and all sentient beings attain purity and perfect merit and virtue, unobstructed, indestructible, and inexhaustible. May they always be honored, maintain right mindfulness without forgetting, attain decisive wisdom, possess immeasurable knowledge, and be adorned with the perfect merit and virtue of all three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind.”

The great bodhisattva further reflects: “Through these wholesome roots, may all sentient beings serve and make offerings to all Buddhas without ever neglecting them; may they give rise to pure and indestructible faith in the Buddhas; hear the true Dharma, put an end to all doubts, retain it in memory without forgetting, and practice in accordance with the Dharma; revere all Buddhas; attain purity of bodily karma; abide in immeasurable, vast wholesome roots; forever leave poverty behind; fully possess the seven noble treasures; always follow the Buddhas in study and practice; accomplish immeasurable, supremely wondrous wholesome roots; awaken to equality and abide in omniscience; regard sentient beings equally with unobstructed vision;

adorn their bodies with the excellent marks and characteristics, free from every blemish; speak words that are subtle and sublime; perfect merit and virtue; tame all their faculties; accomplish the ten powers; fully possess a wholesome mind; abide nowhere; and enable all sentient beings to attain the bliss of Buddhahood and abide where the Buddhas abide.”

The great bodhisattva sees sentient beings creating evil karma, undergoing much suffering, and being so obstructed that they cannot behold the Buddha, hear the Dharma, or know the Sangha. The bodhisattva then reflects:

“I shall enter those evil destinies and undergo the sufferings in place of those sentient beings, enabling them to attain liberation.”

When the bodhisattva undergoes suffering in place of sentient beings in this way, he becomes ever more diligent. He neither abandons nor avoids it, is neither startled nor afraid, and never becomes weary. This accords with his original vow: he is determined to take responsibility for sentient beings and enable them to attain liberation. The bodhisattva reflects: “All sentient beings dwell amid the sufferings and tribulations of birth, aging, sickness, and death. They flow and turn according to their karma, and through wrong views and ignorance they lose all wholesome dharmas. I must rescue them and enable them to escape.”

Moreover, sentient beings are entangled in the net of craving and covered by the canopy of delusion. Attached to the conditioned realms, they follow them incessantly and will not relinquish them. They enter the cage of affliction, perform the deeds of Mara, exhaust both merit and wisdom, constantly harbor doubts, fail to perceive a place of peace and security, and do not know the path of escape. They revolve endlessly in samsara and are continually submerged in the muddy mire of suffering.

Seeing sentient beings in this condition, the bodhisattva gives rise to a mind of great compassion and a mind intent on benefiting them. Wishing to enable all sentient beings to attain liberation, he dedicates all his wholesome roots. He makes this dedication with an expansive mind, as the bodhisattvas of the three periods make dedication in their practice, and in accordance with the teachings of the Great Dedication Sutra. He vows that all sentient beings may universally attain purity and ultimately accomplish omniscience in all its modes.

The bodhisattva further reflects: “My practice is intended to enable all sentient beings to attain the stage of unsurpassed wisdom. I do not seek liberation for myself, but only to rescue all sentient beings, enabling them all to attain omniscience, transcend the cycle of birth and death, and escape all suffering.”

The bodhisattva further reflects: “For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall undergo every kind of suffering, enabling them to emerge from the pit of suffering that is birth and death. For the sake of all sentient beings, throughout all future kalpas, I shall undergo every suffering in every destiny in every world, while still always cultivating wholesome roots for sentient beings. I would rather undergo all suffering alone, redeeming with my own body all sentient beings in the evil destinies and enabling them to attain liberation, than allow sentient beings to fall into the evil destinies of the hells, the realm of animals, the realm of hungry ghosts, or the realm of King Yama.”

The bodhisattva further reflects: “I vow to protect all sentient beings and never abandon them. This is a truthful vow, neither false nor deceptive. Why is this?

I brought forth the mind of bodhi to rescue and deliver all sentient beings, not to seek the unsurpassed path for myself. Nor do I cultivate the bodhi practice in order to enjoy blessings and pleasures within the three realms. Why is this?

Because all worldly blessings and pleasures are suffering, belong to the domain of Mara, and are constantly reproached by the Buddhas. Only fools crave and cling to them, and all suffering and calamity arise from them. The evil destinies of the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals; the realm of King Yama; anger, enmity, lawsuits, mutual humiliation, and so forth—all arise from craving and attachment to the five desires.

Those who crave the five desires become estranged from the Buddhas and are obstructed even from rebirth in the heavens, how much more from attaining unsurpassed bodhi.”

Contemplating the world in this way, the bodhisattva sees that, through craving a small measure of sensual pleasure, beings undergo immeasurable suffering. Therefore, he never seeks bodhi or practices the bodhisattva path for the sake of the objects of the five desires. He brings forth the resolve to cultivate solely for the peace and happiness of all sentient beings, perfects his great vows, and severs the bonds of suffering that fetter sentient beings, enabling them to attain liberation.

The bodhisattva further reflects: “I must dedicate my wholesome roots in this way so that all sentient beings may attain ultimate happiness, beneficial happiness, happiness beyond sensation, tranquil happiness, unmoving happiness, immeasurable happiness, happiness that is neither abandoned nor subject to retrogression, imperishable happiness, and the happiness of omniscience.”

The bodhisattva further reflects: “For all sentient beings, I shall become a tamer and guide, a commander of the divine hosts. I shall hold aloft the torch of great wisdom, point out the safe and secure path, and enable them to leave all dangers behind. Through skillful means, I shall enable them to understand the true meaning. Upon the ocean of birth and death, I shall be a skilled and wise shipmaster who conveys all sentient beings to the other shore.”

O sons of the Buddha! When a great bodhisattva dedicates all roots of goodness in this way, this is precisely to rescue and protect all sentient beings according to their needs, enabling them to escape birth and death, make offerings to all Buddhas, attain unobstructed wisdom, leave all maras behind, distance themselves from unwholesome companions, draw near to good spiritual friends and bodhisattvas, eliminate transgressions, accomplish pure karma, and fully perfect the vast practices, vows, and immeasurable roots of goodness of bodhisattvas.

After the great bodhisattva has rightly dedicated these roots of goodness, he reflects: “It is not because there are many sentient beings throughout the four continents that many suns appear; the rising of a single sun is sufficient to illuminate all sentient beings everywhere. Moreover, sentient beings do not possess light of their own by which to distinguish day from night or to stand, walk, and carry out their activities; they depend entirely upon the rising of the sun. Yet that sun is only one.”

In the same way, when a great bodhisattva cultivates roots of goodness and dedicates them, he reflects: “Those sentient beings cannot even save themselves; how could they save others? I alone must resolutely form the aspiration to cultivate roots of goodness and dedicate them in this way: wishing to universally liberate all sentient beings, to illuminate all sentient beings everywhere, to guide all sentient beings, to awaken all sentient beings, to care for all sentient beings, to gather in and accept all sentient beings, to bring all sentient beings to accomplishment, to cause all sentient beings to rejoice, to cause all sentient beings to be joyful and delighted, and to cause all sentient beings to dispel their doubts.”

The great bodhisattva further reflects: “I should be like the sun, illuminating all universally without seeking repayment for kindness. Even if some sentient beings maliciously harm me, I shall accept and endure it all and shall never abandon my vows on that account. I shall not abandon all sentient beings because of one evil sentient being.

I alone shall cultivate roots of goodness and dedicate them so that sentient beings everywhere may attain peace and happiness. Although my roots of goodness may be few, because I embrace all sentient beings, I dedicate them extensively with a joyful mind. If one possesses roots of goodness but does not wish to benefit all sentient beings, this cannot be called dedication.

Only when any single root of goodness takes all sentient beings universally as its object is it called dedication. Dedication establishes sentient beings in the unattached nature of Dharma. Dedication sees sentient beings as unmoving and unchanging.

Dedication neither relies upon nor grasps at the act of dedication. Dedication does not grasp the characteristics of roots of goodness. Dedication does not discriminate the essential nature of karma and its results.

Dedication does not cling to the characteristics of the five skandhas. Dedication does not destroy the characteristics of the five skandhas. Dedication does not grasp karma.

Dedication does not seek recompense. Dedication is not defiled by causes and conditions. Dedication does not discriminate the arising of causes and conditions.

Dedication does not grasp any location. Dedication does not grasp illusory phenomena. Dedication does not grasp the characteristics of sentient beings, the characteristics of worlds, or the characteristics of mind and thought.

Dedication does not give rise to inverted mind, inverted perception, or inverted views. Dedication does not grasp the course of language. Dedication contemplates the true nature of all dharmas.

Dedication contemplates the equal nature of all sentient beings. Dedication seals all roots of goodness with the seal of the Dharma realm. Dedication contemplates all dharmas as free from craving and desire.

One understands that all dharmas are unplanted, and that roots of goodness are likewise. One contemplates all dharmas as nondual, unborn, and undying; dedication is likewise. By dedicating roots of goodness in this way, one cultivates pure antidotal practices.

All roots of goodness accord with supramundane Dharma and do not create dualistic characteristics. One does not cultivate all-knowledge as identical with karma, nor does one dedicate toward all-knowledge apart from karma. All-knowledge is not identical with karma, yet neither is all-knowledge attained apart from karma.

This is because pure karma is like an image in a mirror; its result is likewise like an image in a mirror—pure and luminous, free from self and possessions of self, and from all agitated conceptual thought and discrimination. Understanding this, one skillfully dedicates all roots of goodness.”

When the bodhisattva dedicates in this way, he constantly liberates sentient beings without ceasing and does not abide in the characteristics of dharmas. Although he knows that all dharmas are without karma and without karmic results, he is nevertheless skillfully able to bring forth every kind of karma and result without contradiction. Thus does the bodhisattva skillfully cultivate dedication through expedient means.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates in this way, he is free from every fault and is praised by all Buddhas.

This is the great bodhisattva’s first dedication: the dedication of rescuing and protecting all sentient beings while transcending the characteristics of sentient beings.

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

Practicing through inconceivable kalpas,

Firmly diligent, with an unobstructed mind,

Wishing to benefit all living beings,

They constantly seek all the virtues of the Buddhas.

Unsurpassed by anyone in the world,

They cultivate and purify the mind until it shines brightly;

They form the resolve to save all conscious beings everywhere—

Such ones skillfully enter the treasury of dedication.

Courageous and diligent, replete with strength,

Their wisdom is penetrating and their intent is pure;

They universally save all living beings,

While their patient hearts remain steadfast and unmoved.

Their minds abide well, incomparable to any,

Their intentions always pure and filled with joy;

Thus, for the sake of others, they diligently practice,

Like the great earth, which receives and sustains all.

They do not seek pleasure for themselves,

But wish only to rescue and protect sentient beings;

Thus they bring forth the mind of great compassion

And swiftly enter the unobstructed stage.

Throughout all worlds in the ten directions,

They gather in and accept every sentient being;

To rescue them, they skillfully establish their minds—

Thus they cultivate and study all dedications.

They practice giving with the greatest joy,

Uphold the pure precepts without transgression,

Advance courageously and diligently, their minds unmoved,

And dedicate everything to the Buddha’s all-knowledge.

Their minds are vast and boundless;

Their power of patience abides firm and unwavering;

Their profound meditative concentration always illumines clearly;

Their subtle and wondrous wisdom is inconceivable.

Throughout all worlds in the ten directions,

They fully cultivate practices of purity;

All virtues such as these they dedicate

To bring peace and happiness to sentient beings.

The great beings diligently cultivate wholesome deeds,

Immeasurable, boundless, beyond all reckoning;

They use them all to benefit sentient beings,

Causing them to abide in unsurpassed wisdom.

Universally, for the sake of all sentient beings,

They dwell in the hells for countless kalpas,

Yet never give rise to weariness,

Courageously, resolutely, and constantly dedicating.

They seek neither forms, sounds, fragrances, nor flavors,

Nor do they desire exquisite tangible sensations;

Only to rescue and liberate all living beings

Do they constantly seek supreme, unsurpassed wisdom.

With wisdom pure as empty space,

They cultivate the boundless practices of great beings;

Whatever practices the Buddhas have performed,

These beings always cultivate and study in the same way.

The great beings journey throughout all worlds

And are able to bring security to all living beings,

Causing everyone everywhere to rejoice;

They practice the bodhisattva path without weariness or contentment.

They eradicate every poisonous state of mind

And contemplate and cultivate unsurpassed wisdom;

They do not seek peace and happiness for themselves,

But vow only that sentient beings may be freed from suffering.

These beings perfect their dedication;

Their minds are always pure and free from every poison.

The Buddhas of the three times entrust the Dharma to them,

And they abide in the unsurpassed city of the great Dharma.

They have never been defiled by forms;

Nor are they defiled by feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness.

Their minds are forever liberated from the three realms,

And they dedicate every virtue.

All sentient beings known and seen by the Buddhas

They gather in completely, leaving none behind;

They vow to enable them all to attain liberation,

And practice for their sake with the greatest joy.

Thought after thought, their minds always abide

In vast wisdom incomparable to any;

Free from delusion, with right mindfulness, ever quiescent,

All their karma is pure.

Like those bodhisattvas dwelling in the world,

They are defiled by neither internal nor external dharmas;

Like the wind moving unobstructed through empty space,

The great beings employ their minds in the same way.

All their bodily actions are pure;

All their words are free from fault;

Their minds always turn for refuge to the Tathagata.

Thus they may cause all Buddhas to rejoice.

Throughout the immeasurable lands of the ten directions,

Wherever all Buddhas journey and arrive,

There they behold the Great Compassionate One,

Whom all people reverently honor and serve.

Their minds are ever pure, free from all faults;

They enter all worlds without fear.

Having abided in the Buddha’s unsurpassed path,

They become a great Dharma pool for the three realms.

With diligence they contemplate all dharmas,

In accord, reflecting on existence and nonexistence.

Thus they proceed directly to ultimate truth

And enter the most profound state beyond contention.

Through this they cultivate and perfect the steadfast path,

Which no sentient being can destroy.

They skillfully comprehend the nature of all dharmas,

Throughout the three times, without attachment.

Thus they dedicate merit toward the other shore,

Causing all beings to be freed from defilement,

Forever separated from all bases of dependence,

And to enter the ultimate state of nondependence.

The languages of all sentient beings

Differ according to their various kinds.

The bodhisattvas can fully discern and expound them,

Yet their minds remain unattached and unobstructed.

The bodhisattvas cultivate dedication in this way;

The merit and skillful means thereof are ineffable.

Thus, throughout the worlds of the ten directions,

They cause all Buddhas to offer praise.