大方廣佛華嚴經

16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN: PURE CONDUCT

(Chinese Edition, First Part of Scroll 17)

At that time, the godling Right Mind addressed Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva, saying: “O Buddha-child! In all worlds, bodhisattvas, following the Tathagata’s teachings, dye their robes and leave the household life. How do they attain pure conduct and proceed from the bodhisattva stage to the path of unsurpassed bodhi?”

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva said: “O Buddha-child! When a great bodhisattva cultivates pure conduct, he should take ten dharmas as objects of contemplation and direct his attention to observing them.

“These are the ten dharmas: body, bodily karma, speech, verbal karma, mind, mental karma, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and precepts.

“He should contemplate thus: Is the body pure conduct? And so forth, is observance of the precepts pure conduct?

“If the body were pure conduct, one should know that pure conduct would then be unwholesome, contrary to Dharma, turbid, foul-smelling, impure, repulsive, perverse, defiled, a corpse, and a mass of worms.

“If bodily karma were pure conduct, then pure conduct would be walking, standing, sitting, and lying down; looking this way and that; bending, stretching, lowering, and raising the body.

“If spoken language were pure conduct, then pure conduct would be sound, breath, lips, tongue, and throat; exhalation and inhalation, restraint and release; high and low tones, clear and muffled sounds.

“If verbal karma were pure conduct, then pure conduct would be greeting and making inquiries; speaking briefly or extensively; speaking figuratively or directly; words of praise or blame; definitive words, conventional words, and explicit words.

“If mind were pure conduct, then pure conduct would be initial thought, sustained examination, discrimination, recollection, and reflection; illusions and dreams.

“If mental karma were pure conduct, then pure conduct would be thoughts of cold, heat, hunger, thirst, suffering, pleasure, sorrow, and joy.

“If the Buddha were pure conduct, then is form the Buddha? Or are feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness the Buddha? Are the excellent marks or spiritual powers the Buddha? Are karmic practices or their results the Buddha?

“If the Dharma were pure conduct, then is quiescent cessation or nirvana the Dharma? Is non-arising or non-origination the Dharma? Is the inexpressible the Dharma, or are non-discrimination, non-activity, non-aggregation, non-conformity, and non-attainment the Dharma?

“If the Sangha were pure conduct, then is one progressing toward stream-entry or one who has attained the fruit of stream-entry the Sangha? Is one progressing toward once-returning or one who has attained the fruit of once-returning the Sangha? Is one progressing toward non-returning or one who has attained the fruit of non-returning, one progressing toward the unborn state or one who has attained the fruit of the unborn state, the Sangha? Are the three knowledges or the six spiritual powers the Sangha?

“If the precepts were pure conduct, then is the ordination platform the precepts, or is the inquiry into purity the precepts? Is instruction in proper deportment or the threefold karman the precepts? Is the preceptor or the acharya the precepts? Is shaving the head the precepts, or wearing the kasaya, begging for alms, or right livelihood?

“Contemplating in this way, there is nothing grasped in the body, nothing attached to in cultivation, and nothing in the dharmas wherein one abides. The past has ceased, the future has not yet arrived, and the present is empty and quiescent. There is no agent who creates karma and no recipient who undergoes its result. This life does not move into the next, nor is the next life a transformation of this one. Thus, among all these, which dharma is called pure conduct? Whence does pure conduct come? To whom does it belong? What is its essence? By whom is it performed? Does it exist? Does it not exist? Is it form? Is it not form? Is it feeling? Is it not feeling? Is it perception? Is it not perception? Is it formation? Is it not formation? Is it consciousness? Is it not consciousness?

“Contemplating in this way, because the dharma of pure conduct cannot be apprehended; because the dharmas of the three times are all empty and quiescent; because the mind neither grasps nor clings; because the mind is unobstructed; because conduct is nondual; because skillful means are freely mastered; because dharmas are received without characteristics; because dharmas are contemplated as having no characteristics; because the equality of the Buddha-Dharma is known; and because all Buddha-Dharmas are fulfilled—this is called pure conduct.

“Furthermore, one should cultivate ten dharmas, namely, the Tathagata’s ten powers of wisdom. One should contemplate each power of wisdom. Each power contains immeasurable meanings, all of which must be thoroughly investigated. After hearing them, one should give rise to a mind of great loving-kindness and compassion, contemplate sentient beings without abandoning them, reflect upon all dharmas without ever ceasing, perform unsurpassed deeds without seeking their rewards, and clearly know that all realms are like illusions and dreams, like shadows and echoes, and like magical transformations.

“If a bodhisattva accords with such contemplative practice, he does not give rise to dualistic views regarding any dharma, and all Buddha-Dharmas swiftly become manifest before him. At the very first arousal of the mind, he immediately attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Knowing that all dharmas are none other than the mind’s own nature, he perfects the wisdom-body of awakening without depending upon another.

17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE MERIT OF THE INITIAL AROUSAL OF THE MIND

(Chinese Edition, Latter Part of Scroll 17)

At that time, Shakra, Lord of the Gods, addressed Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva, saying:

“O Buddha-child! How much merit does a bodhisattva gain upon first arousing the mind of bodhi?”

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva said:

“This meaning is extremely profound: difficult to express, difficult to know, difficult to discern, difficult to believe and understand, difficult to realize, difficult to practice, difficult to penetrate, difficult to contemplate, difficult to measure, and difficult to comprehend.

“Nevertheless, through the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, I shall explain it to you.

“O Buddha-child! Suppose a person were to offer all manner of desirable things to the sentient beings in innumerable worlds throughout the ten directions for an entire kalpa, and afterward teach them to accept and uphold the five pure precepts. What do you think? Would that person’s merit be great?”

Shakra replied: “Apart from the Buddha, no one could measure that person’s merit.”

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva said: “O Buddha-child! Compared with the merit of a bodhisattva’s initial arousal of the mind, that person’s merit would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, one hundred-thousandth, one hundred-millionth, or one part in a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis; nor would it equal one numerical fraction, one kala fraction, one calculated fraction, or one analogous fraction; indeed, it would not equal even one upanishad fraction.

“Suppose a person were to offer all manner of desirable things to the sentient beings in ten innumerable worlds throughout the ten directions for a full hundred kalpas, and afterward teach them all to cultivate the ten wholesome deeds. Suppose this person were to make such offerings for a full hundred thousand kalpas and then teach them to abide in the four immeasurable minds; to make offerings for a full koti of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the four formless concentrations; to make offerings for a full hundred kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the fruit of stream-entry; to make offerings for a full thousand kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the fruit of arhatship;

and to make offerings for a full hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the state of a pratyekabuddha.

“O Buddha-child! What do you think? Would that person’s merit be great?”

Shakra replied: “Apart from the Buddha, no one could measure that person’s merit.”

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva said: “O Buddha-child! Compared with the merit of a bodhisattva’s initial arousal of the mind, that person’s merit would not equal one hundredth, one thousandth, one hundred-thousandth, one hundred-millionth, or one part in a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis; nor would it equal one numerical fraction, one kala fraction, one calculated fraction, or one analogous fraction; indeed, it would not equal even one upanishad fraction.

“Suppose a person were to offer all manner of desirable things to the sentient beings in ten innumerable worlds throughout the ten directions for a full hundred kalpas, and afterward teach them all to cultivate the ten wholesome deeds. Suppose this person were to make such offerings for a full thousand kalpas and then teach them the four dhyanas; to make such offerings for a full hundred thousand kalpas and then teach them the four immeasurable minds; to make offerings for a full koti of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the four formless concentrations; to make offerings for a full hundred kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the fruit of stream-entry; to make offerings for a full thousand kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the fruit of once-returning;

to make offerings for a full hundred thousand kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the fruit of non-returning; and to make offerings for a full hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas and then teach them to abide in the state of a pratyekabuddha.

“O Buddha-child! What do you think? Would that person’s merit be great?”

Shakra replied: “Only the Buddha could know that person’s merit.”

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva said: “O Buddha-child! Compared with the merit of a bodhisattva’s initial arousal of the mind, that person’s merit would not equal one hundredth; indeed, it would not equal even one upanishad fraction.”

Why is this so? O Buddha’s children! When all Buddhas first arouse the aspiration, they do not arouse the bodhi-mind merely to offer all desirable things to the beings in ten countless worlds throughout the ten directions for a hundred kalpas, or even for a hundred thousand nayutas of kalpas.

Nor do they arouse the bodhi-mind merely to teach those beings to cultivate the five precepts, the ten wholesome deeds, the four dhyanas, and the four formless attainments, or even to establish them in the fruition of arhatship and pratyekabuddhahood. Rather, they do so to ensure that the lineage of the Tathagata will never be severed; to pervade all worlds; to liberate all beings in all worlds; to fully comprehend the formation and destruction of all worlds; to fully comprehend the defilement and purity of beings in all worlds; to fully comprehend the inclinations, afflictions, and habitual tendencies of all beings; to fully comprehend the death here and rebirth elsewhere of all beings; to fully comprehend the faculties, dispositions, and skillful means of all beings;

to fully comprehend the mental activities of all beings; to attain the wisdom that fully comprehends beings throughout the three periods of time; and to fully comprehend the realm of equality of all Buddhas.

For all these reasons, they arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

O Buddha’s children! Suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could pass beyond countless worlds to the east and continue traveling in this way for countless kalpas. The number of worlds through which this person had passed would be difficult for anyone to know.

A second person, in a single thought, could pass beyond all the worlds through which the first person had passed during countless kalpas, and this person too would continue traveling in this way for countless kalpas.

Proceeding successively in this manner, there would be a tenth person. The other nine directions would likewise each have such persons. Thus, throughout the ten directions there would be one hundred persons in all. The limits of the number of worlds through which these one hundred persons had passed could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the meritorious roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

O Buddha’s children! Why is this so? It is because the bodhi-mind aroused by a bodhisattva has no limits.

That is, the bodhisattva wishes to fully comprehend all worlds throughout the ten directions; to know that subtle worlds are coarse worlds and that coarse worlds are subtle worlds; that upright worlds are inverted worlds and inverted worlds are upright worlds; that small worlds are great worlds and great worlds are small worlds; that broad worlds are narrow worlds and narrow worlds are broad worlds; that one world is ineffably many worlds and ineffably many worlds are one world; that ineffably many worlds enter into one world and one world enters into ineffably many worlds; that defiled worlds are pure worlds and pure worlds are defiled worlds;

to know all the differences in the nature of worlds within the tip of a single hair, and the single essential nature of one hair-tip throughout all worlds; to know that all worlds arise from within a single world; to know that all worlds are devoid of intrinsic nature; and, in a single thought, to know all the vast worlds completely and without obstruction.

For these reasons, the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

Again, by way of analogy: suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the numbers of kalpas of formation and destruction in countless worlds to the east, and who would continue knowing them, thought after thought, for countless kalpas.

A second person, in the space of a single thought, could know all the numbers of kalpas that the first person had known during countless kalpas, and would then continue knowing them, thought after thought, for countless kalpas.

Proceeding successively in this manner, the number would increase until there was a tenth person; and the other nine directions would likewise each have such persons.

Thus, there would be one hundred persons in all. The limits of the numbers of kalpas of formation and destruction of all worlds throughout the ten directions known by these one hundred persons could still be ascertained.

Yet no one could know the limits of the meritorious roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration.

Why is this so? It is because a bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi merely to know the formation and destruction of that many worlds. Rather, the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration in order to fully comprehend, without omission or remainder, the formation and destruction of all worlds.

That is, the bodhisattva wishes to know that long kalpas are short kalpas and short kalpas are long kalpas; that long and short kalpas are equal; that one kalpa is equal to countless kalpas and countless kalpas are likewise equal to one kalpa; that a kalpa in which a Buddha appears is equal to a kalpa in which no Buddha appears and a kalpa in which no Buddha appears is likewise equal to one in which a Buddha appears; that within a kalpa of one Buddha there are ineffably many Buddhas, and within a kalpa of ineffably many Buddhas there is one Buddha; that finite kalpas are equal to infinite kalpas and infinite kalpas are equal to finite kalpas; that kalpas having an end are equal to endless kalpas and endless kalpas are likewise equal to kalpas having an end;

that ineffably many kalpas are equal to a single thought and a single thought is equal to ineffably many kalpas; and that all kalpas enter into non-kalpa and non-kalpa enters into all kalpas.

In order to know, within a single thought, all the numbers of kalpas of formation and destruction of every world throughout the three periods of past, future, and present, the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

This is called the spiritual power of wisdom, adorned by the great vows made at the first arousal of the aspiration, which fully comprehends all kalpas.

Again, by way of analogy: “Suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the differing understandings of all beings in countless worlds to the east, and who would continue fully knowing them, thought after thought, for countless kalpas.

A second person, in the space of a single thought, could know the understandings of all beings that the first person had known throughout countless kalpas. Proceeding successively in this manner, there would be a tenth person. The other nine directions would likewise each have such persons.

The limits of the distinct understandings of all beings throughout the ten directions could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the meritorious roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration.

Why is this so? It is because a bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know that many understandings of that many beings, but rather to know the understandings of all beings in all worlds.

That is, a bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi in order to know all the boundless varieties of understanding; to know that the differing understandings of one being are equal to the understandings of countless beings; to attain the wisdom of skillful means that fully comprehends ineffably many differing understandings; to fully comprehend each and every differing understanding of all beings, completely and without omission; to fully comprehend wholesome and unwholesome understandings of the past, present, and future; to fully comprehend understandings that are similar and dissimilar; to fully comprehend that all understandings are one understanding and one understanding is all understandings; to know the Tathagata’s power of understanding;

to fully comprehend the distinctions among superior understanding, unsurpassed understanding, understanding with remainder, understanding without remainder, equal understanding, unequal understanding, dependent understanding, independent understanding, shared understanding, unshared understanding, limited understanding, limitless understanding, differentiated understanding, undifferentiated understanding, wholesome understanding, unwholesome understanding, worldly understanding, and supramundane understanding; to attain unobstructed mastery of all subtle understandings, great understandings, immeasurable understandings, and understandings of right states;

to use immeasurable skillful means to fully comprehend all realms of beings throughout the ten directions, knowing in each being such understandings as pure understanding, subtle understanding, and coarse understanding; and to fully comprehend profound and esoteric understanding, skillful understanding, discriminative understanding, spontaneous understanding, understanding arising according to causes, and understanding arising according to conditions.

In order to attain all that has been described above, the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

Again, by way of analogy: suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the differing faculties and dispositions of all beings in countless worlds to the east, and who would continue knowing them, thought after thought, for countless kalpas.

The second person, in a single thought, could fully know everything the first person had known throughout innumerable kalpas concerning the faculties and dispositions of sentient beings.

Proceeding successively in this manner to the tenth person, it would be the same throughout the other nine directions.

The limits of what those one hundred persons could know throughout innumerable kalpas concerning the diverse faculties and dispositions of all the sentient beings in all those worlds could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the merit and roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know those faculties and dispositions, but precisely because the bodhisattva wishes to know completely the diverse faculties and dispositions of all sentient beings in all worlds. To speak more extensively, it is because the bodhisattva wishes to know completely the entire web of faculties and dispositions that the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

Again, for example, suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the inclinations of all sentient beings in innumerable worlds to the East, and who, thought after thought, continued to know them in this way throughout innumerable kalpas. This could be successively extended to a tenth person. It would be the same throughout the other nine directions. The limits of the inclinations of these sentient beings throughout the ten directions could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the merit and roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know the inclinations of those many sentient beings, but precisely because the bodhisattva wishes to know all the inclinations of all sentient beings in all worlds.

Again, for example, suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the skillful means of all sentient beings in innumerable worlds to the East. This could be successively extended in the same way to a tenth person. It would be the same throughout the other nine directions.

The limits of the various skillful means of those sentient beings throughout the ten directions could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the merit and roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know the many skillful means of those sentient beings throughout the ten directions, but precisely to know completely the skillful means of all sentient beings in all worlds.

Again, for example, suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the diverse minds of all sentient beings in innumerable worlds to the East. Extending this even to the diverse minds of all sentient beings in worlds throughout the ten directions, their limits could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the merit and roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know that many diverse minds, but precisely to know completely the diverse minds of all sentient beings in all worlds.

Again, for example, suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the diverse karma of all sentient beings in innumerable worlds to the East. Extending this even to the diverse karma of all sentient beings in worlds throughout the ten directions, its limits could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the merit and roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know the diverse karma of those many sentient beings, but precisely to know clearly and completely the diverse karma of all sentient beings in all worlds throughout the three times.

Again, for example, suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, could know the afflictions of sentient beings in innumerable worlds to the East. Successively extending this to a tenth person and throughout the other nine directions, their limits could still be known.

Yet no one could know the limits of the merit and roots of goodness of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to know the afflictions of those many sentient beings, but precisely to know clearly and completely the diverse afflictions of sentient beings in all worlds.

That is, the bodhisattva wishes to know clearly and completely the light and heavy afflictions, their seeds and their active manifestations, the immeasurable afflictions of all sentient beings, their various distinctions, and the various modes of inquiry and examination used as antidotes to cleanse all defilements.

The bodhisattva wishes to know completely the afflictions that depend upon ignorance and that with which each affliction is associated, in order to sever the fetters and afflictions of all beings.

The bodhisattva wishes to know completely the afflictions belonging to the categories of greed, anger, delusion, and their equal combination, in order to sever the root afflictions.

The bodhisattva wishes to know completely the afflictions of self, the afflictions of what belongs to self, and the affliction of conceit in self, in order to awaken fully to all afflictions.

The bodhisattva wishes to know completely the root afflictions and subsidiary afflictions arising from inverted discrimination, as well as the sixty-two views arising from the view of a personal self, in order to subdue all afflictions.

The bodhisattva wishes to know completely the afflictions of the hindrances and the afflictions of obstructions, in order to arouse the mind of great compassion and the mind of rescue and protection, sever all afflictions, and cause the nature of all-wisdom to become pure.

It is in order to attain these things that the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

Again, for example, suppose there were a person who, in the space of a single thought, respectfully made offerings of all kinds of food and drink of the finest flavors, clothing, flowers, incense, banners, canopies, Sangha monasteries, supremely exquisite palaces, jeweled curtains, ornamented lion seats, and wondrous treasures to innumerable Buddhas in the East and to the sentient beings in innumerable worlds, continually throughout innumerable kalpas, and who also encouraged those sentient beings to make offerings to the Buddhas together. After those Buddhas entered nirvana, that person would build lofty, spacious, and magnificent stupas to enshrine the Buddhas’ relics and images, continuing to do so throughout innumerable kalpas. It would be the same throughout the other nine directions.

O Child of the Buddha! In your view, would the merit of this person be great?

The Lord of the Devas replied, “Only the Buddha could know that merit.”

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva said, “Compared with the merit of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment, that merit does not equal even one hundredth part, nor even one upanishad part.

Extending this successively in the same manner to the tenth person, all the merit from the offerings made by all those persons would not equal even one upanishad part of the merit of a bodhisattva who has first aroused the aspiration for enlightenment.

Why is this? Because the bodhisattva does not arouse the aspiration merely to make offerings to that many Buddhas, but precisely to make offerings to all Buddhas throughout the ten directions and the three times.

Having aroused this aspiration, the bodhisattva can know all past Buddhas from the time they first attained perfect enlightenment until they entered nirvana; can have faith in all the roots of goodness of all future Buddhas; and can know all the wisdom of all present Buddhas.

Whatever merit the Buddhas of the three times possess, this bodhisattva can believe in it, receive it, know it, cultivate it, attain it, realize it, completely accomplish it, and become equal in nature with all Buddhas.

Why is this? This bodhisattva arouses the aspiration so that the lineage of the Buddhas will not be severed; to pervade all worlds; to liberate all sentient beings; to know clearly the formation and destruction of all worlds; to know clearly the defilement and purity of all sentient beings; to know clearly the purity of the three realms in all worlds; to know clearly the inclinations, afflictions, and habitual tendencies of all sentient beings; to know clearly the death here and rebirth elsewhere of all sentient beings; to know clearly the faculties, dispositions, and skillful means of all sentient beings; to know clearly the mental activities of all sentient beings; and, through wisdom, to know clearly the three times of all sentient beings.

For these reasons, the bodhisattva arouses the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi.

Because they have generated this resolve, they are constantly remembered by all Buddhas of the three times and will attain unsurpassed bodhi. They immediately receive the wondrous Dharma bestowed by all Buddhas of the three times. They immediately become equal in essential nature to all Buddhas of the three times. They have cultivated the practices that aid the path of all Buddhas of the three times. They adorn the distinctive qualities of Buddhahood possessed by all Buddhas of the three times. They fully attain the wisdom with which all Buddhas of the three times expound the Dharma.

Why is this so? Because one who generates such resolve will attain Buddhahood.

Therefore, know that this person is the same as the Buddhas of the three times, equal to the realm of the Buddhas, equal to the merit and virtue of the Buddhas, and attains the true wisdom of the Buddhas, in which one body and immeasurable bodies are ultimately equal.

At the very moment this resolve is first generated, one is praised in unison by all Buddhas throughout the ten directions; one can immediately expound the Dharma in all worlds to teach, transform, and tame sentient beings; one can immediately cause all worlds to quake; one can immediately illuminate all worlds; one can immediately extinguish the sufferings of the evil destinies in all worlds; one can immediately adorn and purify all lands; one can immediately manifest the attainment of Buddhahood in all worlds; one can immediately cause all sentient beings to rejoice; one can immediately enter the nature of the entire Dharma realm; and one can immediately attain the radiant wisdom of all Buddhas.

This bodhisattva who has first generated the resolve does not seek to attain merely some small portion of anything in the three times—such as Buddhas, the Dharma of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, the Dharma of bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, the Dharma of pratyekabuddhas, shravakas, the Dharma of shravakas, the world, worldly dharmas, the supramundane, supramundane dharmas, sentient beings, or the dharmas of sentient beings—but seeks only to attain omniscience in all its aspects, with a mind unattached to any Dharma realm.

At that time, through the Buddha’s spiritual power, worlds throughout the ten directions, numbering as many as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha lands, quaked in six ways. Celestial flowers, celestial incense, celestial garlands, celestial garments, celestial jewels, celestial ornaments, celestial music, celestial radiance, and celestial sounds rained down.

Then, throughout the ten directions, beyond worlds numbering as many as the dust motes in ten Buddha lands, there were Buddhas numbering as many as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha lands, all bearing the name Dharma Wisdom. They each manifested before Bodhisattva Dharma Wisdom and said:

“Excellent! Excellent, Dharma Wisdom! You are now able to expound this Dharma. Buddhas in worlds throughout the ten directions, likewise numbering as many as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha lands, also expound this Dharma.

“When you expound this Dharma, bodhisattvas numbering as many as the dust motes in ten thousand Buddha lands generate the resolve for unsurpassed bodhi. All the Buddhas in those worlds bestow predictions upon them: after more than a thousand ineffable, boundless kalpas, they will appear in the world and attain Buddhahood together in a single kalpa. They will all bear the name Tathagata Pure Mind, though their worlds will differ.

“All the Buddhas in those worlds will protect and uphold this Dharma, enabling bodhisattvas of future times who have not heard it to hear it.

“Just as this Dharma is expounded here in the Saha world upon the summit of Mount Sumeru, enabling sentient beings to hear the Dharma and receive transformation, so too is this Dharma expounded in all worlds throughout the ten directions—hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas, immeasurable and boundless, extending throughout the Dharma realm and the realm of empty space—to teach and transform sentient beings. The bodhisattvas who expound this Dharma are all named Dharma Wisdom.

Through the Buddha’s spiritual power and the Buddha’s power of vows, they expound this Dharma in order to reveal the Buddhadharma, to illuminate all with the light of wisdom, to proclaim and elucidate the true meaning, to enable beings to realize the Dharma-nature, to cause all those in the assembly to rejoice, to reveal the causes of the Buddhadharma, to attain the equality of all Buddhas, and to understand the nonduality of the Dharma realm.”

At that time, Bodhisattva Dharma Wisdom universally contemplated all the assemblies in the worlds of the ten directions. Wishing to bring all sentient beings to accomplishment, to completely remove the fruits of their karma, to reveal the pure Dharma realm to them all, to uproot the foundations of their defilements, to increase their vast faith and understanding, to enable them all to clearly know the immeasurable faculties and dispositions of sentient beings, to enable them all to know the equality of the dharmas of the three times, to enable them all to contemplate the realm of nirvana, and to increase his own pure roots of goodness, he relied upon the Buddha’s awesome power and spoke these verses:

For the welfare of the world, they generate the great resolve;

That resolve extends throughout all ten directions,

Embracing sentient beings, lands, and dharmas of the three times,

And the supreme ocean of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

To the utmost reaches of empty space, throughout the Dharma realm,

Wherever any worlds may exist,

They go everywhere, just as all Buddhadharmas do;

Generating such resolve, they never regress.

Their compassionate mindfulness of sentient beings never ceases;

Free from every harmful affliction, they universally bring benefit.

Their radiance illumines the world and becomes its refuge;

The inconceivable Ten Powers protect and remember them.

They enter all lands throughout the ten directions

And manifest bodies of every form and appearance.

Like the Buddha’s merit and wisdom, vast and boundless,

They follow and cultivate the causes without attachment.

Some lands face upward, some incline, and some face downward;

Coarse or wondrous, vast, and of immeasurable kinds.

Once bodhisattvas generate the great resolve,

They can reach them all without obstruction.

The bodhisattvas’ supreme practices are ineffable;

They diligently cultivate them all while abiding nowhere.

Seeing every Buddha, their hearts rejoice,

And they enter universally the profound ocean of the Buddha’s Dharma.

They pity all beings within the five destinies

And cause them to cast off defilement and become wholly pure.

They perpetuate the lineage of Buddhas without interruption

And utterly demolish the palaces of Mara, leaving none remaining.

Already abiding in the Tathagata’s nature of equality,

They skillfully cultivate the wondrous path of expedient means.

They give rise to faith in the realm of the Buddhas

And receive the Buddha’s anointment, their minds unattached.

Mindful of repaying the Buddha’s kindness,

Their minds are like vajra and cannot be obstructed.

They can clearly illuminate the Buddha’s deeds

And naturally cultivate the practices of bodhi.

The various kinds of beings have immeasurably different perceptions;

Their karma, its fruits, and their minds are likewise not the same,

As are their faculties and dispositions of every different kind;

Once they generate the resolve, they see them all clearly.

Their minds are vast, pervading the Dharma realm,

Without dependence or change, like empty space.

They advance toward the Buddha’s wisdom without grasping,

Clearly realizing ultimate reality, free from discrimination.

Knowing sentient beings’ minds, they conceive no notion of beings;

Comprehending all dharmas, they conceive no notion of dharmas.

Though they discern universally, they make no distinctions;

They travel throughout kotis of nayutas of lands.

The wondrous Dharma treasuries of immeasurable Buddhas—

By contemplating them in accord, they can enter them all.

They know every faculty and practice of sentient beings;

Those who reach such a state are like the Buddhas.

They are constantly aligned with vast, pure vows

And delight in making offerings to Buddhas without regression.

Gods and humans behold them without ever growing weary;

They are constantly protected and remembered by the Buddhas.

Their minds are pure and have no dependence;

Though contemplating profound dharmas, they do not cling to them.

Contemplating in this way for immeasurable kalpas,

They remain unattached throughout the three times.

Their resolve is steadfast and difficult to restrain;

They reach the Buddha’s bodhi without obstruction.

Resolutely seeking the wondrous path, they dispel delusion

And travel throughout the Dharma realm without weariness.

They know that dharmas and language are all quiescent;

They enter only true suchness, beyond divergent interpretations.

They contemplate every realm of the Buddhas in accord

And comprehend the three times with unobstructed minds.

Bodhisattvas newly generating the vast resolve

Can travel universally throughout the lands of the ten directions.

The immeasurable, ineffable Dharma gates

Are all clearly illumined by the light of their wisdom.

Their vast great compassion in liberating beings is beyond compare;

Their loving-kindness pervades all, equal to empty space.

Yet they make no distinctions among sentient beings;

Thus purified, they journey through the world.

They comfort all sentient beings throughout the ten directions;

Everything they do is true and genuine.

Always with pure minds, their words never differ;

They are constantly aided and protected by all Buddhas.

They remember everything that has occurred in the past

And discern everything that will occur in the future.

They enter universally the worlds of the ten directions

To liberate sentient beings and lead them forth.

Bodhisattvas are replete with wondrous wisdom-light;

They skillfully comprehend causes and conditions without doubt.

They completely eliminate all delusion

And thus journey throughout the Dharma realm.

They demolish all the palaces of the Demon King.

The veils of blindness of all beings are entirely removed;

Free from all discriminations, their minds remain unmoved,

And they skillfully comprehend the realm of the Tathagata.

The net of doubts concerning the three times has been wholly cast off;

Toward the Tathagata they give rise to pure faith.

Through faith they attain immovable wisdom;

Through purified wisdom they understand true reality.

To enable sentient beings to attain liberation,

They benefit them universally until the end of future time.

Ever diligent amid hardship, their minds never weary;

Even the hells they peacefully endure.

Their merit and wisdom, immeasurable, are fully complete;

They clearly know the faculties and inclinations of sentient beings,

And likewise know all their karmic practices;

According to their preferences, they teach them the Dharma.

Clearly knowing that all is empty and without self,

They never abandon compassionate mindfulness of sentient beings.

With a single wondrous voice of great compassion,

They enter all worlds and expound the teaching.

They emit great radiance of many colors,

Illuminating all beings and dispelling darkness.

Within the light, bodhisattvas sit upon lotus blossoms

And proclaim the pure Dharma to the assemblies.

At the tip of a single hair they reveal all lands,

Each completely filled with great bodhisattvas.

Though the wisdom of the assembled multitudes differs,

They clearly discern the minds of all sentient beings.

Through ineffably many worlds of the ten directions,

In a single thought they journey everywhere,

Benefiting beings and making offerings to the Buddhas,

And asking the Buddhas about the profound meaning.

They regard all Tathagatas as their fathers

And cultivate the practices of awakening for the benefit of beings.

With skillful wisdom they penetrate the treasury of Dharma

And enter profound wisdom without attachment.

In accord with contemplation, they expound the Dharma-realm;

Even through immeasurable kalpas, they could never exhaust it.

Though their wisdom skillfully enters that which has no abiding place,

They neither weary nor become attached.

Born into the family of the Buddhas of the three times,

They realize the Tathagata’s wondrous Dharma-body.

For all living beings they universally manifest various forms,

Just as a magician creates all manner of things.

They may appear to have newly begun cultivating supreme practices;

They may manifest birth and renunciation;

They may appear beneath the tree attaining bodhi;

Or, for the sake of beings, manifest entry into nirvana.

Bodhisattvas abide in rare and wondrous dharmas,

The realm of Buddhas, not of the Two Vehicles.

All conceptions of body, speech, and mind have been eliminated,

Yet they can manifest all things according to what is fitting.

The Buddha-dharmas attained by bodhisattvas

Would drive sentient beings mad were they to conceive of them.

Their wisdom enters the limit of reality, their minds unobstructed,

And they universally manifest the Tathagata’s sovereign powers.

In this world none can equal them;

How much less those lacking their supreme practices.

Though they have not yet perfected all-knowing wisdom,

They have already attained the Tathagata’s sovereign power.

They already abide in the ultimate path of the One Vehicle

And deeply enter the most sublime and supreme Dharma.

They skillfully know when the time is right or not right for beings,

And manifest spiritual powers for their benefit.

Their emanated bodies fill all lands;

They emit pure radiance that dispels the world’s darkness,

Like a Dragon King raising a great cloud

And universally pouring down wondrous rain that thoroughly saturates all.

They contemplate sentient beings as illusions and dreams,

Continually wandering in cyclic existence through the power of karma.

Moved by great compassion, they rescue them all

And teach them the unconditioned, pure nature of Dharma.

The immeasurable power of the Buddhas is likewise thus,

Like boundless, immeasurable space.

To enable sentient beings to attain liberation,

They diligently cultivate for koṭis of kalpas without weariness.

They contemplate and reflect upon wondrous virtues

And the foremost, unsurpassed practices of mastery.

They never abandon any supreme practice,

But single-mindedly aspire to bring forth all-knowing wisdom.

With one body they manifest immeasurable bodies,

Filling every world throughout the cosmos.

Their minds are pure and free from discrimination;

Inconceivable in a single thought—such is their power.

They make no distinctions among the worlds

And entertain no deluded conceptions regarding any dharma.

They deeply contemplate all dharmas yet grasp none,

Ever rescuing sentient beings, though none are delivered.

All worlds are merely the power of conception,

Within which manifold distinctions appear.

Knowing the perilous and profound realm of conception,

They manifest spiritual powers to bring liberation.

Just as a magician possesses sovereign power,

So too are the miraculous transformations of bodhisattvas.

Their bodies pervade the Dharma-realm and empty space,

And all beings behold them according to their minds.

Discerning subject and object, they transcend both;

Defilement and purity have no destination.

Whether bondage or liberation, wisdom forgets them all;

They aspire only to bestow universal joy upon living beings.

All worlds are merely the power of conception;

Entering them with wisdom, their minds are fearless.

They contemplate all dharmas in the same way

And, searching throughout the three times, find nothing attainable.

They can enter the entire span of the past,

Can enter the entire span of the future,

And can enter every place in the present;

Ever diligently contemplating, they find no abiding place.

They accord with nirvana, the quiescent Dharma,

Abiding without contention and without dependence.

Their minds equal the limit of reality, beyond compare;

They are wholly directed toward bodhi and never retreat.

Sovereign in supreme practices, they neither retreat nor fear;

They abide in bodhi, unwavering and unmoved.

Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the worlds,

To the very limits of the Dharma-realm, are all clearly illumined.

Those who wish to attain the foremost, most excellent path,

The king of liberation and all-knowing wisdom,

Should swiftly give rise to the mind of bodhi,

Forever end all outflows, and benefit living beings.

The pure mind directed toward bodhi

Possesses vast virtues beyond description.

For the benefit of living beings, I shall praise and recount them;

Disciples of the Buddha, listen carefully.

Were immeasurable worlds all reduced to dust,

Within every mote of dust would be immeasurable lands,

And in every land the Buddhas would be immeasurable;

All can be clearly seen, yet nothing is grasped.

They skillfully know sentient beings without forming concepts of beings;

They skillfully know language without forming concepts of language.

Their minds are unobstructed in relation to all worlds;

They clearly comprehend them all without attachment.

Their minds are as vast as empty space;

They thoroughly understand all matters of the three times.

Every doubt and uncertainty is eliminated,

And they rightly contemplate the Buddha-Dharma without grasping.

Through immeasurable lands in the ten directions,

In a single thought they travel, their minds unattached.

They fully comprehend all the sufferings of the world

And abide in the true reality of non-arising.

To the abodes of immeasurably many inconceivable Buddhas,

They journey to those assemblies and bow before the Buddhas.

Always serving as leaders, they ask the Tathagatas

About the vows and practices cultivated by bodhisattvas.

Their minds constantly recollect the Buddhas of the ten directions,

Yet have no dependence and grasp nothing.

They constantly encourage sentient beings to plant roots of goodness

And adorn lands, causing them to become pure.

All sentient beings throughout the three realms

They contemplate with unobstructed vision.

Their manifold habitual tendencies, faculties, and understandings,

Immeasurable and boundless, are all clearly seen.

They clearly know all the inclinations of sentient beings

And accordingly teach the Dharma as is fitting.

They thoroughly comprehend both defilement and purity,

And enable those beings to attain countless samadhis.

Bodhisattvas can enter them all in a single thought;

Within them, conceptions, cognition, and objects of cognition

Are all skillfully and clearly known, and they attain mastery.

Bodhisattvas who attain this vast wisdom

Swiftly reach bodhi without obstruction.

Wishing to benefit all living beings,

They proclaim everywhere the Dharma of great beings.

They skillfully know the long and short kalpas of the worlds,

The months, half-months, days, and nights.

Though lands are distinct, their nature is equal;

They constantly and diligently contemplate without negligence.

They travel universally to all worlds of the ten directions,

Yet grasp neither direction nor location.

They adorn and purify every land without exception,

Yet do not discriminate them as adorned and purified.

Whether the circumstances of sentient beings are possible or impossible,

And whatever differences exist in their karma or its results,

They contemplate in accord with reality and enter the Buddha’s powers;

All of these they clearly know.

All the faculties and dispositions in every world,

The various karmic practices leading into the three realms,

Those of sharp, middling, and inferior faculties—

All such things they contemplate.

Pure and impure forms of knowledge and understanding,

Superior, inferior, and middling, they clearly perceive.

The destinations reached through sentient beings’ practices

And their continuity throughout the three realms, they can fully explain.

Meditative absorptions, liberations, and samadhis,

Whose causes of defilement and purity are each distinct,

Together with the differing sufferings and joys of former lives—

Cultivating the Buddha’s powers purely, they can perceive them all.

Sentient beings’ karma and afflictions perpetuate the various destinies;

By ending those destinies, they attain quiescence.

No outflowing dharma ever arises again;

They also clearly know those habitual seeds.

The Tathagata has completely eliminated all afflictions;

The radiance of great wisdom illuminates the worlds.

Regarding the Buddha’s Ten Powers, bodhisattvas,

Though not yet having realized them, harbor no doubt.

Within a single pore, a bodhisattva

Recollects immeasurable lands throughout the ten directions,

Some of which are defiled, or worldly.

All the various karmic practices are clearly known.

Within a single mote of dust are countless lands,

Countless Buddhas and disciples of the Buddhas;

The lands are distinct and never intermingled—

As with one, so all are clearly seen.

Within a single pore are seen the ten directions,

All worlds throughout the realm of space;

There is no place where a Buddha is not present,

And all such Buddha lands are pure.

Within a pore are seen the Buddha lands,

And there are also seen all sentient beings;

The six destinies throughout the three times are each distinct,

With days, nights, hours, and months, with bondage and liberation.

Bodhisattvas possessed of such great wisdom

Single-mindedly advance toward the throne of the Dharma King;

They contemplate in accord with the states in which Buddhas dwell,

And thereby attain boundless great joy.

Bodhisattvas emanate countless koṭis of bodies

To make offerings to all the Tathagatas;

Their miraculous transformations are supremely incomparable,

And they can abide wherever Buddhas practice.

They cherish and praise countless Buddhas,

And savor all the treasuries of Dharma;

Seeing Buddhas, hearing Dharma, they diligently cultivate,

Their hearts rejoicing as though drinking ambrosia.

Having attained the Tathagata’s supreme samadhi,

They skillfully enter all dharmas and increase in wisdom;

Their faith remains unmoved like Mount Sumeru,

And they become a treasury of merit for all beings.

Their loving-kindness extends broadly to all sentient beings.

They vow that all may swiftly attain all-knowing wisdom,

While ever free from attachment and without reliance,

Apart from all afflictions and dwelling in freedom.

With vast wisdom they compassionately regard sentient beings,

Embracing them all as equal to themselves;

They know emptiness, signlessness, and the absence of true existence,

Yet in their cultivation their minds are never indolent.

The measure of merit in a bodhisattva’s resolve

Could not be exhausted by praise throughout koṭis of kalpas,

For from it arise all the Tathagatas,

As well as the fruits of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

If one bestowed happiness for countless kalpas

Upon all sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions,

Exhorting them to uphold the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds,

The four dhyanas, the four immeasurable minds, and all states of concentration;

And if, throughout many further kalpas, one bestowed happiness,

Enabling them to end afflictions and become arhats—

Though such merit would be immeasurable,

It would not equal the merit of arousing the resolve.

If one also taught koṭis of beings to become pratyekabuddhas,

Attaining the wondrous path and practice free from contention,

And compared this with the resolve for bodhi,

No calculation or analogy could equal it.

In a single thought one may traverse lands numerous as dust motes,

And journey thus without cease for countless kalpas;

The number of those lands could still be calculated,

But the merit of arousing the resolve cannot be known.

The number of kalpas in the past, future, and present,

Boundless and immeasurable as they are,

Could still be known,

But the merit of arousing the resolve cannot be measured.

Through the resolve for bodhi extending throughout the ten directions,

All discriminations whatsoever are fully known;

In a single thought, the three times are completely understood,

For the benefit of countless sentient beings.

The aspirations, understandings, and skillful means

Of all beings in the worlds of the ten directions,

Even to the bounds of the realm of space, could all be measured,

But the merit of arousing the resolve is difficult to fathom.

The bodhisattva’s aspiration pervades the ten directions;

With loving-kindness, the bodhisattva benefits all beings everywhere,

Causing them all to cultivate the merits of Buddhahood;

Therefore, the power of this resolve knows no bounds.

The desires, understandings, and inclinations of sentient beings,

Their faculties, dispositions, skillful means, and distinct practices,

Are all clearly known within a single thought—

The mind is equal to the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom.

All the deluded karma of every sentient being,

Continuing throughout the three realms without a moment’s cessation—

Even the bounds of these could still be known,

But the merit of arousing the resolve is inconceivable.

Arousing the resolve enables one to leave karmic afflictions behind

And make offerings to all the Tathagatas;

When karma and delusion have been abandoned and their continuity ended,

One attains liberation everywhere within the equality of the world.

In a single thought one makes offerings to boundless Buddhas,

And also to innumerable sentient beings,

Using fragrant flowers and beautiful garlands,

Banners, pennants, jeweled canopies, and fine garments;

Delicious food, jeweled seats, and places for walking meditation,

And all manner of magnificently adorned palaces;

Vairocana’s wondrous precious pearls

And wish-fulfilling maṇi jewels radiating brilliant light.

If, thought after thought, one made such offerings

Throughout ineffably countless kalpas,

Though that person’s accumulation of merit would be vast,

It would not equal the great merit of arousing the resolve.

All the analogies that have been stated

Cannot equal the resolve for bodhi,

For all the Tathagatas of the three times

Arise from this very resolve.

The aroused resolve is unobstructed and without bounds;

Should one seek to measure it, no measure could be found.

The vow for the wisdom of all-knowing wisdom will surely be fulfilled,

And all sentient beings will be completely delivered.

The vast resolve is equal to empty space,

And engenders merits equal to the Dharma realm;

Its practices pervade all and do not differ from suchness;

Entirely free from attachment, it is equal to the Buddha.

It enters all Dharma gates,

Traverses all lands,

Penetrates every sphere of wisdom,

And accomplishes every merit.

All acts of relinquishment continue without cease;

All categories of precepts are purified without attachment;

One becomes replete with unsurpassed, great merit,

Ever diligent and energetic, never retreating.

Entering profound dhyana concentration, one constantly contemplates,

And corresponds with vast wisdom;

This is the most excellent bodhisattva,

From whom arise all the paths of Samantabhadra.

All the Tathagatas of the three times

Adorn themselves alike with samadhis, dharanis,

Spiritual powers, and miraculous transformations.

Sentient beings throughout the ten directions are boundless in number,

And worlds and empty space are likewise so;

The aroused resolve is immeasurable, surpassing even those numbers,

And therefore can give rise to all Buddhas.

The resolve for bodhi is the root of the ten powers,

And also the root of the four kinds of eloquence and the fearlessnesses,

As well as the eighteen distinctive qualities of a Buddha;

All are attained through arousing the resolve.

The dignified marks adorning the physical bodies of all Buddhas,

Even the equality of their wondrous Dharma body,

And their unattached wisdom, worthy of offerings—

All are attained through arousing the resolve.

All vehicles of pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas,

The samadhi bliss of the four dhyanas in the form realm,

And the four states of concentration in the formless realm

All have the aroused resolve as their root.

All the sovereign joys of gods and humans,

And every kind of happiness among all classes of beings,

Together with diligence, concentration, wisdom, faculties, and powers—

All arise from the initial resolve.

When, from its causes, the vast resolve arises,

One can then cultivate the practices of the six paramitas,

Exhorting sentient beings to freely practice what is right

And enjoy happiness within the three realms.

Abiding in the unobstructed true meaning of Buddha wisdom,

One unfolds all wondrous practices

And enables countless sentient beings

To end delusion and karma and advance toward nirvana.

Wisdom shines brilliantly like the pure sun;

All practices are complete like the full moon;

Merit is ever abundant like the great ocean,

Undefiled and unobstructed like empty space.

One universally makes boundless vows of merit,

Bestowing happiness upon all sentient beings;

Until the end of the future, one practices in accordance with these vows,

Ever diligently cultivating to deliver sentient beings.

Immeasurable great vows are inconceivable;

One vows that all sentient beings may become pure.

Emptiness, signlessness, wishlessness, and nonreliance

Are all clearly revealed through the power of these vows.

Understanding that the intrinsic nature of dharmas is like empty space,

And that all is quiescent, extinguished, and equal,

One teaches sentient beings countless ineffable Dharma gates

Without attachment.

All the Tathagatas in the worlds of the ten directions

Join in praising the initial arousal of the resolve;

This resolve is adorned with immeasurable virtues

And reaches the other shore, equal to the Buddha.

Even if one spoke of its merits for as many kalpas

As there are sentient beings, they could not be exhausted,

For it abides within the great household of the Tathagata,

And no worldly dharma can serve as its analogy.

Those who wish to know all the Buddha Dharmas

Should swiftly arouse the resolve for bodhi;

This resolve is supreme among all merits,

And will surely attain the Tathagata’s unobstructed wisdom.

The mental activities of sentient beings could be counted and known,

The dust motes in all lands could also be counted,

And the limits of empty space could be measured,

But the merit of arousing the resolve cannot be measured.

It gives rise to all Buddhas of the three times,

Accomplishes every happiness in the world,

Increases all supreme merits,

And forever ends all doubts and delusions.

It reveals every wondrous realm,

Completely removes all obstacles,

Accomplishes all pure lands,

And gives rise to all the wisdom of the Tathagatas.

Those who wish to see all Buddhas throughout the ten directions,

Who wish to bestow an inexhaustible treasury of merit,

And who wish to extinguish all the sufferings of sentient beings,

Should swiftly arouse the resolve for bodhi.