大方廣佛華嚴經

What is the great bodhisattva’s dedication of merit called the Treasury of Inexhaustible Merits?

O children of the Buddhas! This great bodhisattva dedicates all the roots of goodness produced by repenting and eliminating grave karmic hindrances; the roots of goodness produced by reverently paying homage to the Buddhas of the three times; the roots of goodness produced by entreating the Buddhas to teach the Dharma; the roots of goodness produced by diligently cultivating upon hearing the Buddha teach the Dharma and awakening to the vast, inconceivable realm; the roots of goodness produced by rejoicing in the roots of goodness of all Buddhas and all sentient beings; the roots of goodness produced by diligently cultivating the inexhaustible roots of goodness of the Buddhas of the three times;

the roots of goodness produced by rejoicing upon knowing how the Buddhas of the three times attained Buddhahood, taught the Dharma, and trained sentient beings; and all the roots of goodness produced by rejoicing in the Buddhas of the three times, from their initial arousing of the aspiration through their attainment of Buddhahood and entry into nirvana, and through the abiding and final extinction of the True Dharma.

These immeasurable and vast roots of goodness contemplate the realms of ineffably many Buddhas, the realms of bodhisattvas, and even the unobstructed realm of bodhi. All the roots of goodness accumulated, believed and understood, rejoiced in, perfected, accomplished, cultivated, realized, cognized, embraced and upheld, and increased are entirely dedicated to adorning all Buddha lands.

Such are the practices of the Buddhas throughout all worlds during boundlessly many past kalpas: immeasurable and innumerable clusters of worlds, known by the wisdom of the Buddhas and known by bodhisattvas, patiently accepted by those of great resolve; Buddha lands manifested through the pure karma and practices that brought them forth, in accordance with sentient beings and through the spiritual power of the Tathagatas; formed by the world-transcending pure karma of the Buddhas; and brought forth by the wondrous practices of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

Within them, the Buddhas attain enlightenment and manifest sovereign spiritual powers. Within them also, throughout the utmost reaches of future time, all Buddhas, the Tathagatas, will attain Buddhahood and acquire the pure adornments of merit of all Buddha lands. Extending throughout the dharma-dhatu and the realm of space—boundless, shoreless, uninterrupted, and inexhaustible—they all arise from the wisdom of the Tathagatas and are adorned with immeasurable wondrous treasures.

There are all adornments of incense, adornments of flowers, adornments of garments, adornments of treasuries of merit, adornments of Buddha powers, and adornments of Buddha lands.

These are the dwelling places of the Tathagatas. They are places where inconceivable pure assemblies, sharing the same affinities and practices, dwell together and will attain perfect enlightenment in the future.

These places are brought to accomplishment by the Buddhas. The world cannot see them; only the pure eyes of bodhisattvas can behold them.

These bodhisattvas possess great awe-inspiring virtue, having planted roots of goodness in past lives. They know that all dharmas are like illusions and transformations; universally perform the pure deeds of bodhisattvas; enter inconceivable samadhis with sovereign mastery; possess skillful means and are able to perform the work of Buddhas; and emit the Buddha’s light, illuminating the world everywhere without limit.

Are not all those of the present likewise adorning worlds in this way? Their immeasurable forms and immeasurable hues of light are all formed through merit. They possess immeasurable fragrances, immeasurable treasures, immeasurable trees, innumerable adornments, innumerable palaces, and innumerable sounds.

In accordance with spiritual friends with whom they formed affinities in past lives, they manifest all inexhaustible adornments of merit, namely, all adornments of incense, adornments of flower garlands, adornments of treasures, adornments of banners, adornments of precious colored silks, adornments of jeweled railings, adornments of innumerable golden nets, adornments of innumerable rivers, adornments of innumerable clouds, and innumerable kinds of wondrous music.

There are all the Buddha lands known and proclaimed by the Buddhas, namely: adorned Buddha lands, pure Buddha lands, impartial Buddha lands, beautiful Buddha lands, awe-inspiring Buddha lands, vast Buddha lands, blissful Buddha lands, indestructible Buddha lands, inexhaustible Buddha lands, immeasurable Buddha lands, unmoving Buddha lands, fearless Buddha lands, luminous Buddha lands, harmonious Buddha lands, delightful Buddha lands, universally illuminating Buddha lands, magnificently adorned Buddha lands, radiant Buddha lands, exquisitely beautiful Buddha lands, foremost Buddha lands, excellent, supremely excellent, most excellent, and ultimately excellent Buddha lands, and lofty, unsurpassed, unequaled, incomparable, and matchless Buddha lands beyond analogy.

However many adornments there are in all Buddha lands throughout the three times, the great bodhisattva arouses the resolve to dedicate his own roots of goodness toward them. He vows: May all the adornments of all lands throughout the three times be used to adorn a single world, and may they all be accomplished, all be purified, all be cultivated, all be manifested, all be made beautiful, and all be sustained.

As one world is adorned in this way, so too are all worlds throughout the dharma-dhatu and the realm of space adorned in the same way.

The great bodhisattva further dedicates his roots of goodness thus: May all the Buddha lands that I cultivate be filled with great bodhisattvas. These bodhisattvas are true in essential nature and penetrating in wisdom. They can skillfully discern all worlds and realms of sentient beings, penetrate deeply into the dharma-dhatu and the realm of space, abandon delusion, accomplish mindfulness of the Buddha, possess true and inconceivable mindfulness of the Dharma, and possess immeasurable and universally pervasive mindfulness of the Sangha.

They also remain mindful of the practice of relinquishment. The sun of Dharma is full, and the light of their wisdom shines everywhere. Their vision is unobstructed.

Arising from non-attainment, they bring forth all Buddhadharmas. They are foremost masters of roots of goodness for the great assembly. They arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi, abide in the Buddha’s power, advance toward the Buddha’s wisdom, destroy the deeds of Mara, purify sentient beings, penetrate deeply into the nature of dharmas, forever transcend inverted views, and ensure that none of their great vows and roots of goodness is in vain.

May assemblies of great bodhisattvas such as these fill the lands that I cultivate.

Bodhisattvas born in such places and possessing such virtues constantly perform the work of Buddhas. They attain the pure radiance of the Buddha’s bodhi and possess wisdom of the dharma-dhatu. They manifest spiritual powers whereby a single body pervades the dharma-dhatu.

Possessing great wisdom, they enter the sphere of activity of omniscience and can discern the meanings of the phrases of immeasurable and boundless dharma realms. Although unattached to any land, they can appear universally throughout all Buddha lands. Their minds are like space, depending on nothing, yet they can discern the entire dharma-dhatu.

They can skillfully enter and emerge from extremely profound and inconceivable samadhis, reach the Buddha’s wisdom, dwell in Buddha lands, and attain the Buddha’s powers. They reveal and expound innumerable teachings without fear. Following the roots of goodness of the Buddhas of the three times, they universally illuminate the realm of Buddhadharma.

They can receive and uphold all Buddhadharmas, understand innumerable languages, and skillfully proclaim inconceivably diverse sounds. They enter the unsurpassed state of the Buddha’s sovereign mastery, travel throughout all worlds in the ten directions without obstruction, and practice the Dharma that is free from contention, dependence, and discrimination. They cultivate and expand the bodhi-mind and attain skillful wisdom that thoroughly understands the meanings of words and phrases, enabling them to reveal and expound the teachings in proper sequence.

May great bodhisattvas such as these adorn the lands that I cultivate.

O sons of the Buddha! The great bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness to all Buddhas through skillful means; dedicates them to all bodhisattvas through skillful means; dedicates them to all Tathagatas through skillful means; dedicates them to the Buddha’s enlightenment through skillful means; dedicates them to all great vows through skillful means; dedicates them to all essential paths of liberation through skillful means; dedicates them to the purification of the realms of all sentient beings through skillful means; dedicates them so that, in all worlds, Buddhas may always be seen appearing in the world through skillful means; dedicates them so that the immeasurable lifespans of the Tathagatas may always be seen through skillful means;

and dedicates them so that the Buddhas may always be seen throughout the Dharma realm turning the unobstructed, irreversible Dharma wheel through skillful means.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness in this way, because the bodhisattva enters all Buddha lands universally, all Buddha lands become pure; because the bodhisattva reaches throughout all realms of sentient beings, all bodhisattvas become pure; and because the bodhisattva vows that Buddhas will appear in all worlds universally, Buddha-bodies appear in every Buddha land throughout the entire Dharma realm.

Through such incomparable dedication, the great bodhisattva reaches the wisdom of the Buddhas. The bodhisattva’s mind is as vast as space, without boundary or measure, and enters the inconceivable. The bodhisattva knows that all karma and its corresponding retributions are entirely quiescent and extinguished; the mind is always impartial and without bounds and can enter the entire Dharma realm.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates merit in this way, the bodhisattva does not distinguish between self and what belongs to self; does not distinguish the Buddha Dharma; does not distinguish between lands and their purification and adornment; does not distinguish between sentient beings and their training; does not distinguish between karma and its retribution; does not cling to thought or that from which thought arises; does not destroy cause; does not destroy effect; does not grasp phenomena; does not grasp dharmas; does not hold that samsara has distinctions; does not hold that nirvana is eternally quiescent; does not hold that the Tathagata realizes the realm of Buddhahood; and does not regard even the slightest dharma as abiding together with another dharma.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates merit in this way, the bodhisattva universally bestows all roots of goodness upon sentient beings, assuredly bringing them to maturity and teaching and transforming them impartially, without characteristics, without conditions, without calculation, and without falsity, utterly transcending all discrimination, grasping, and attachment.

Having dedicated merit in this way, the great bodhisattva acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness. Namely, through recollecting the Buddhas of the three times, the bodhisattva acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; through recollecting all bodhisattvas, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; through purifying Buddha lands, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; through purifying the realms of sentient beings, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; through deeply entering the Dharma realm, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; through cultivating immeasurable states of mind coextensive with the realm of space, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; through profoundly understanding the realm of the Buddhas, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness;

through diligently cultivating the practices of bodhisattvas, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness; and through comprehending the three times, acquires inexhaustible roots of goodness.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates all roots of goodness in this way, the bodhisattva understands that within the realm of sentient beings there are no sentient beings; understands that all dharmas have no lifespan; knows that all dharmas have no agent; awakens to the absence of self in all dharmas; understands that all dharmas are without anger, resentment, or contention; contemplates that all dharmas arise from conditions and have no abiding place; knows that all things have no support; understands that all lands have no place of abiding; contemplates that all bodhisattva practices also have no location; and sees that all realms are without possession.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates merit in this way, the bodhisattva’s eyes never see an impure Buddha land, nor do they see sentient beings as having differing characteristics. There is not the slightest dharma that wisdom can enter, nor is there the slightest wisdom that enters a dharma. The bodhisattva understands that the Tathagata’s body is not like empty space, for it is perfected through immeasurable wondrous dharmas and all virtues, and because, in every place, it causes sentient beings to gather roots of goodness and become fully endowed with them.

In each thought, this great bodhisattva attains ineffably ineffable sixteen grounds, becomes fully endowed with all merit, accomplishes pure roots of goodness, and becomes a field of merit for all sentient beings.

This great bodhisattva accomplishes the wish-fulfilling treasury of virtues, for all desirable necessities are obtained in abundance whenever they are needed. Wherever this bodhisattva sets foot, the bodhisattva can purify and adorn all Buddha lands and cause ineffably ineffable sentient beings to become completely pure, because the bodhisattva gathers merit and cultivates all practices.

When the great bodhisattva dedicates merit in this way, the bodhisattva cultivates all bodhisattva practices, possesses supreme merit and incomparable physical characteristics, and has awe-inspiring power and radiance surpassing the world. Neither Mara nor the hosts of Mara can oppose the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva is fully endowed with roots of goodness, accomplishes great vows, and has a mind as expansive as omniscience. In a single thought, the bodhisattva can pervade immeasurable Buddha lands. With immeasurable powers of wisdom, the bodhisattva can comprehend all realms of the Buddhas, attains profound faith and understanding with regard to all Buddhas, abides in boundless wisdom, and possesses the mind of enlightenment, vast as the Dharma realm and ultimate as empty space.

This is called the great bodhisattva’s fifth dedication: the Dedication of the Treasury of Inexhaustible Virtues.

The great being who abides at this stage of dedication attains the following ten inexhaustible treasuries:

The inexhaustible treasury of seeing Buddhas, because within a single pore the bodhisattva sees innumerable Buddhas appearing in the world.

The inexhaustible treasury of entering the Dharma, because through the power of the Buddhas’ wisdom the bodhisattva contemplates all dharmas as entering into one dharma.

The inexhaustible treasury of recollection and retention, because the bodhisattva receives and retains all Buddha Dharmas without forgetting or losing them.

The inexhaustible treasury of definitive wisdom, because the bodhisattva skillfully knows all the secret skillful means of the Buddha Dharma.

The inexhaustible treasury of understanding meanings and purports, because the bodhisattva skillfully knows the ultimate bounds, principles, and purports of all dharmas.

The inexhaustible treasury of boundless awakening and understanding, because with wisdom like empty space the bodhisattva comprehends all dharmas of the three times.

The inexhaustible treasury of merit, because the bodhisattva fulfills the aspirations of all sentient beings without exhaustion.

The inexhaustible treasury of courageous wisdom and awakening, because the bodhisattva can entirely eliminate the ignorance of all sentient beings.

The inexhaustible treasury of definitive eloquence, because the bodhisattva expounds all Buddha Dharmas impartially, enabling sentient beings to understand them clearly.

The inexhaustible treasury of the ten powers and fearlessness, because the bodhisattva fully accomplishes the bodhisattva practices, attains freedom from defilement, and reaches unobstructed omniscience.

The bodhisattva Vajra Banner, empowered by the Buddha’s awe-inspiring might, contemplated throughout the ten directions and spoke these verses:

The bodhisattva accomplishes the power of a profound mind,

And gains universal mastery over all dharmas;

Thus, through merit from exhortation, entreaty, and sympathetic joy,

With unobstructed skillful means, the bodhisattva dedicates it well.

All Tathagatas throughout the three times

Purify and adorn Buddha lands throughout the worlds;

All virtues are fully perfected—

The dedication to pure lands is likewise thus.

All Buddha Dharmas throughout the three times

Are each carefully contemplated by the bodhisattva;

Gathering them all within the mind, leaving none behind,

The bodhisattva thus adorns all Buddha lands.

Throughout all kalpas of the three times,

One may praise the virtues of a single Buddha land;

Though the number of those kalpas may be exhausted,

The virtues of that Buddha land can never be exhausted.

So it is with all Buddha lands:

Though the number of those kalpas may be exhausted,

The virtues of those Buddha lands can never be exhausted.

All such Buddha lands

The bodhisattva sees entirely, leaving none unseen;

The bodhisattva uses them all to adorn a single Buddha land,

And does the same with every Buddha land.

Those sons of the Buddha whose minds are pure

Are all born through transformation from the Buddha Dharma;

All virtues adorn their minds,

And they fill every Buddha land.

Those bodhisattvas are all fully endowed

With immeasurable marks and excellent characteristics adorning their bodies;

Their eloquence expounds the Dharma throughout the worlds,

Like the great ocean, inexhaustible.

The bodhisattvas securely abide in all samadhis;

All their practices are fully perfected.

Their minds are pure, with none to equal them;

Their radiance shines throughout the lands of the ten directions.

Not one of such Buddha lands remains unfilled;

They are all completely filled with these bodhisattvas,

Who have never cherished a thought of the shravaka vehicle,

Nor do they seek the path of the pratyekabuddha.

The bodhisattva’s mind is thus purified,

Dedicating roots of goodness universally to all beings,

Wishing that all may accomplish the true path

And fully comprehend all Buddha-Dharmas.

All demonic foes throughout the ten directions

Are utterly vanquished by the bodhisattva’s awesome power;

None surpasses the bodhisattva’s courageous wisdom,

Resolutely cultivating the ultimate Dharma.

By the power of this great vow, the bodhisattva

Dedicates everything without obstruction,

Entering the treasury of inexhaustible merit,

Forever inexhaustible throughout past, future, and present.

The bodhisattva skillfully contemplates all conditioned dharmas,

Clearly penetrating that their nature has no autonomy.

Having known the nature of all dharmas to be thus,

The bodhisattva does not falsely grasp karma or its results.

There is no form-dharma and no formless dharma,

Nor any dharma of perception or non-perception;

Dharmas of existence and nonexistence are all empty—

Clearly knowing that nothing whatsoever is attained.

All dharmas arise through causes and conditions;

Their essential nature neither exists nor does not exist.

Yet as for causes, conditions, and arising,

There is ultimately no attachment to them.

In all the words spoken by sentient beings,

Ultimately, nothing whatsoever can be attained.

Clearly knowing that names and characteristics are all discriminations,

The bodhisattva understands that all dharmas are without self.

Just as the nature of sentient beings is originally quiescent,

So does the bodhisattva clearly know all dharmas,

Comprehending the three periods without anything omitted,

And decisively knowing all karma to be equal.

With such wisdom, the bodhisattva makes dedication.

According to what is awakened to and understood, meritorious karma arises;

These marks of merit accord with that understanding—

How could anything therein be attained?

Making dedication in this way, the mind is undefiled

And never measures or calculates the nature of dharmas;

Clearly knowing that the nature of dharmas is entirely without inherent nature,

The bodhisattva neither abides in the world nor departs from it.

All meritorious practices and wholesome karma

Are entirely dedicated to all sentient beings.

The bodhisattva fully penetrates their true nature,

Casting away every discrimination.

All false views and attachments

Are entirely eliminated, with none remaining;

Free from every affliction’s burning torment, the bodhisattva is ever cool and refreshed,

Abiding on the stage of unobstructed liberation.

The bodhisattva does not destroy any dharma,

Nor does the bodhisattva annihilate the nature of dharmas;

Understanding all dharmas to be like shadows and echoes,

The bodhisattva is unattached to anything whatsoever.

The bodhisattva clearly knows that all sentient beings throughout the three periods

Arise entirely through the conjunction of causes and conditions,

And also knows their inclinations and habitual tendencies,

Without destroying or annihilating any dharma.

The bodhisattva fully understands that the nature of karma is not karma,

Yet does not contradict the characteristics of dharmas;

Nor does the bodhisattva deny karmic results,

But teaches that the nature of dharmas arises through conditions.

The bodhisattva clearly knows that sentient beings have no arising,

And that no sentient being undergoes transmigration;

No real sentient being can be spoken of—

They are provisionally described only in accordance with worldly convention.

What is the great bodhisattva’s dedication that steadfastly accords with all roots of goodness?

Disciples of the Buddha! This bodhisattva may become a sovereign ruling a great kingdom, possessing great awesome virtue and renown throughout the realm. All adversaries submit, and every command issued accords with the true Dharma. Holding a single parasol that shades the ten directions, the sovereign travels throughout the lands without obstruction, the head bound with stainless silk, sovereign over all dharmas, and all who behold this sovereign willingly submit. There is no need for punishment; beings are transformed solely through virtue. By means of the four methods of attraction, the sovereign gathers in sentient beings. As a Wheel-Turning King, the sovereign provides for everyone.

The great bodhisattva abides in such sovereign merit. The bodhisattva has a vast retinue that no one can obstruct or disrupt. Free from faults, the bodhisattva is never wearisome to behold; adorned with merit and virtue, the bodhisattva’s excellent marks are perfect and complete.

The bodhisattva attains a firm Narayana body endowed with great strength that no one can overcome, and attains purified karma, free from all karmic obstructions. The bodhisattva fully practices every kind of giving, whether giving food, vehicles, clothing, garlands, various kinds of incense, beds and seats, houses, lamps and torches, medicines, precious vessels, fine horses, or excellent elephants, giving all with joy.

If someone comes asking for the sovereign’s throne, or asks for parasols, banners, precious objects, ornaments, the royal crown, luminous pearls, or even the throne itself, the bodhisattva is ready to give them without regret.

Upon seeing someone imprisoned, the bodhisattva immediately relinquishes wealth, family, or even the bodhisattva’s own body to secure that person’s release. Upon seeing someone condemned to death, the bodhisattva relinquishes the bodhisattva’s own body to die in that person’s place. If anyone comes asking for any part of the bodhisattva’s body—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, flesh, bones, marrow, head, face, hands, feet, internal organs, and so forth—the bodhisattva gladly gives it away.

Or, when seeking a rare and unprecedented Dharma teaching, the bodhisattva casts the body into a fiery pit. Or, to protect and uphold the true Dharma, the bodhisattva endures every kind of painful torment with the body. Or, when seeking the true Dharma, even so little as a single word, the bodhisattva is able to relinquish all possessions. The bodhisattva constantly teaches sentient beings through the true Dharma, causing them to cultivate wholesome conduct and abandon evil. Upon seeing someone engaged in killing, the bodhisattva rescues that person with a loving-kindness mind, causing that person to forsake evil karma.

Upon seeing the Tathagata attain complete and perfect awakening, the bodhisattva proclaims and praises this everywhere so that all may know of it, or gives land on which to build Sangha halls and temple buildings, making offerings to and reverently serving the Buddha for the sake of sentient beings.

When the great bodhisattva practices giving in this way, the bodhisattva gives rise to a mind that skillfully gathers in and accepts beings, and dedicates everything universally.

That is, the bodhisattva skillfully gathers in form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness, steadfastly according with all roots of goodness; skillfully gathers in necessities, steadfastly according with all roots of goodness; and skillfully gathers in charitable giving, steadfastly according with all roots of goodness.

The great bodhisattva gives wealth, possessions, body, and life in ways immeasurable and boundless in number, and dedicates those roots of goodness as follows:

When giving food, the bodhisattva’s mind is pure regarding the gift, without craving or attachment, stinginess, or reluctant clinging, and prays that all sentient beings may obtain the food of wisdom; that their minds may become unobstructed; that, clearly understanding the nature of food, they may have no craving or attachment; that they may delight only in the liberating food of Dharma joy; that they may perfect wisdom and, through the steadfast Dharma, gather in roots of goodness; and that, with pure Dharma bodies and wisdom bodies, they may journey freely. Out of loving-kindness, the bodhisattva becomes a field of merit for sentient beings and manifests the reception of solid food. This is the great bodhisattva’s dedication of roots of goodness when giving food.

When the great bodhisattva gives drink, the bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness as follows:

May all sentient beings drink the water of the Dharma’s flavor, diligently cultivate and perfect the bodhisattva path, end the thirst of worldly craving, constantly seek the Buddha’s wisdom, leave the objects of desire, and attain the bliss of Dharma joy. May their bodies arise from the Dharma of quiescence, and may they constantly use samadhi to discipline and gather in their minds. May they enter the ocean of wisdom, raise great clouds of Dharma, and pour down great rains of Dharma. This is the great bodhisattva’s dedication of roots of goodness when giving drink.

When the great bodhisattva gives pure foods and drinks of the finest flavor, which can harmonize and strengthen the body’s four great elements, make the skin fresh and lustrous, sharpen the faculties and senses, fortify the internal organs, prevent poisoning and disease, continually bring peace and happiness, and keep the mind pure and joyful, the bodhisattva dedicates these roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings be fully endowed with the supreme flavor of amrita. May all beings attain the flavor of Dharma-wisdom and clearly understand the functions of karma in relation to every flavor. May all beings attain immeasurable flavors of the Dharma, thoroughly understand the Dharma-realm, and abide within the citadel of the great Dharma of ultimate reality.

May all beings become great clouds of Dharma throughout all Dharma-realms, raining down the Dharma-rain to teach, transform, and discipline all beings. May all beings attain the flavor of supreme wisdom, with unsurpassed Dharma-joy filling their bodies and minds. May all beings neither crave nor cling to any exquisite flavor, remain undefiled by any worldly flavor, and constantly and diligently cultivate all Buddha-Dharmas.

May all beings attain the one flavor of the Dharma and clearly understand that all Buddha-Dharmas are without difference. May all beings attain the most excellent flavor and never regress from all-knowledge. May all beings enter the Buddhas’ equal flavor of the Dharma and be able to discern every kind of faculty and disposition.

May all beings increase the flavor of the Dharma and always be fully endowed with the unobstructed Buddha-Dharma. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving exquisite flavors, so that all beings may diligently cultivate merit and virtue and be fully endowed with an unobstructed body of wisdom.

When the great bodhisattva gives vehicles, he dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings be fully endowed with all-knowledge and ride the vehicle of the Great Vehicle, the indestructible vehicle, the most excellent vehicle, the supreme vehicle, the swift vehicle, the vehicle of great power, the vehicle fully endowed with merit and virtue, the world-transcending vehicle, and the vehicle that gives rise to immeasurable bodhisattvas. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving vehicles.

When the great bodhisattva gives clothing, he dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings obtain the garments of moral shame and dread of wrongdoing to cover their bodies; abandon deviant paths and evil dharmas; have smooth, delicate skin and radiant complexions; accomplish the Buddha’s foremost bliss; and attain wisdom of all modes. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving clothing.

The great bodhisattva constantly makes offerings of many kinds of beautiful, fragrant flowers to the Buddhas presently dwelling in the world and to halls and stupas enshrining Buddhas. He also makes offerings to those who expound the Dharma, the Sangha of bhiksus, bodhisattvas, good and wise spiritual friends, practitioners of the Sravaka and Pratyekabuddha paths, parents, teachers and elders, and even the poor, destitute, orphaned, and solitary.

When giving, the bodhisattva dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings attain the Buddhas’ flower of samadhi, which can cause all dharmas to blossom. May all beings become like the Buddha, so that all who behold them rejoice without weariness. May all beings’ minds remain unmoved and undisturbed, and may everything they perceive be harmonious and agreeable.

May all beings fully perform vast and pure karmic practices. May all beings always remember their good friends, their hearts never changing or wavering. May all beings be like agada medicine, capable of eliminating every poison of affliction.

May all beings fulfill their great vows and become unsurpassed Dharma Kings. May all beings radiate the light of wisdom and dispel the darkness of ignorance. May all beings be fully endowed with awakened wisdom.

May all beings encounter good and wise spiritual friends and fully accomplish all roots of goodness. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving beautiful flowers, so that beings may attain pure and unobstructed wisdom.

When giving flower garlands, the great bodhisattva dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings be pleasing to behold; may all who see them cherish, respect, befriend, and long for them; may all who see them be freed from sorrow, attain joy, abandon evil, always draw near to the Buddhas, and attain all-knowledge. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving flower garlands.

When giving various kinds of incense, the great bodhisattva dedicates as follows:

May all beings be fully endowed with the fragrance of moral discipline and attain moral conduct that is neither deficient, mixed, defiled, nor a cause for regret; may they attain moral conduct free from fetters, feverish affliction, and transgression; and may they attain boundless discipline, world-transcending discipline, and the bodhisattva paramita of moral discipline. May all beings, through this moral conduct, accomplish the Buddhas’ body of moral discipline. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving various kinds of incense, so that all beings may perfectly fulfill the unobstructed aggregate of moral discipline.

When the great bodhisattva gives fragrant ointments, he dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of generosity and be able to relinquish all their possessions. May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of moral discipline and attain the Tathagata’s ultimate pure discipline.

May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of patience and abandon every harmful and malicious thought. May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of diligence and constantly wear the armor of diligence in the Great Vehicle. May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of samadhi and abide in the right concentration directly present before the Buddhas.

May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of wisdom and, in a single thought, become unsurpassed Kings of Wisdom. May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of Dharma and attain fearlessness with respect to the unsurpassed Dharma. May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of virtue and accomplish the fragrance of great merit and virtue.

May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of bodhi, attain the Buddha’s Ten Powers, and reach the other shore. May all beings be universally permeated by the fragrance of pure, wholesome dharmas and forever put an end to all unwholesome dharmas. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving fragrant ointments.

When giving beds and seats, the great bodhisattva dedicates everything as follows:

May all beings obtain the beds and seats of devas and realize great wisdom. May all beings obtain the beds and seats of sages and saints, abandon ordinary conceptions, and abide with the mind of bodhi. May all beings obtain beds and seats of peace and bliss and be freed from all the sufferings and afflictions of birth and death.

May all beings obtain ultimate beds and seats and behold the Buddha’s sovereign spiritual powers. May all beings obtain beds and seats of equality and constantly cultivate all wholesome dharmas throughout their lives. May all beings obtain the most excellent beds and seats, be fully endowed with pure karma, and remain unsurpassed by anything in the world.

May all beings obtain secure beds and seats and realize the true Dharma, ultimately and completely. May all beings obtain pure beds and seats and cultivate the Tathagata’s pure wisdom. May all beings securely abide upon their beds and seats and always be accompanied and protected by good and wise spiritual friends.

May all beings obtain lion seats and always lie on their right sides as does the Buddha. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving beds and seats, so that beings may cultivate right mindfulness and skillfully guard their faculties.

When the great bodhisattva gives rooms and dwellings, he dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all beings securely abide in pure Buddha-lands, diligently cultivate every merit and virtue, abide within the realm of exceedingly profound samadhi, relinquish all objects of attachment, clearly understand that every dwelling place is without inherent existence, transcend the world and enter all-knowledge, embrace the Buddha’s dwelling place, abide upon the ultimate path and in a place of peace and bliss, always abide in the foremost pure roots of goodness, and never abandon the Buddha’s unsurpassed dwelling place. These are the great bodhisattva’s dedications of roots of goodness when giving rooms and dwellings, made for the benefit of all beings as he contemplates how to rescue and protect them according to the manner in which they should be liberated.

When the great bodhisattva gives dwellings, he dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all sentient beings always obtain wholesome benefit and have joyful, peaceful minds. May all sentient beings dwell in reliance upon the Buddha, dwell in reliance upon great wisdom, dwell in reliance upon spiritual friends, dwell in reliance upon that which is honored and supreme, dwell in reliance upon wholesome conduct, dwell in reliance upon great loving-kindness, dwell in reliance upon great compassion, dwell in reliance upon the six paramitas, dwell in reliance upon the great aspiration for bodhi, and dwell in reliance upon the bodhisattva path.

In this way, when the great bodhisattva gives dwellings, he dedicates the roots of goodness so that all merit may be purified—ultimately purified—and so that wisdom, the path, the Dharma, moral discipline, aspirations, faith and understanding, and all merits of spiritual powers may be purified.

When the great bodhisattva gives various kinds of lamps—ghee lamps, oil lamps, jeweled lamps, mani lamps, resin lamps, flame lamps, agarwood lamps, sandalwood lamps, all kinds of fragrant lamps, and lamps of immeasurable colors shining brilliantly—and, wishing to benefit and embrace all sentient beings, he dedicates these roots of goodness as follows:

May all sentient beings obtain immeasurable light that universally illuminates the true Dharma of all Buddhas. May all sentient beings obtain pure light by which they behold the most subtle forms in the world. May all sentient beings obtain light free from subtle defilements and clearly know that the realm of sentient beings is empty and has no inherent existence.

May all sentient beings obtain boundless light, their bodies emitting wondrous radiance that universally illuminates everything. May all sentient beings obtain universally illuminating light and never regress in their resolve toward the Buddhadharma. May all sentient beings obtain the Buddha’s pure light and appear throughout all realms.

May all sentient beings obtain unobstructed light, a single radiance illuminating the entire Dharma realm. May all sentient beings obtain uninterrupted light, its radiance illuminating all Buddha-lands without cessation. May all sentient beings obtain the light of the banner of wisdom, illuminating the entire world.

May all sentient beings obtain light of immeasurable colors, illuminating all realms and manifesting spiritual powers. In this way, when the great bodhisattva gives various kinds of lamps, he dedicates the roots of goodness without obstruction, enabling all sentient beings everywhere to abide in roots of goodness.

When giving medicines, the great bodhisattva dedicates the roots of goodness as follows:

May all sentient beings ultimately escape all afflictions. May all sentient beings forever leave behind the body subject to illness and attain the body of the Tathagata. May all sentient beings become excellent medicine that eradicates every unwholesome illness.

May all sentient beings become agada medicine and abide on the stage of non-retrogression. May all sentient beings become the medicine of the Tathagata, capable of extracting every poisoned arrow of affliction. May all sentient beings draw near to sages and saints, eradicate afflictions, and cultivate pure conduct.

May all sentient beings become Medicine Kings who permanently eliminate all illnesses and prevent their recurrence. May all sentient beings become indestructible medicinal trees capable of healing every kind of being. May all sentient beings obtain the light of omniscience and extract the arrows of every illness.

May all sentient beings skillfully understand the medicines of the world and use them to treat the sick. Wishing to benefit all sentient beings, the bodhisattva thus dedicates the roots of goodness when giving medicines.

When the great bodhisattva takes vessels made of the seven precious substances, fills them with precious things, and gives them as offerings to all Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the noble Sangha; makes offerings to practitioners of the shravaka and pratyekabuddha paths, to parents and teachers; and even gives them to the poor, destitute, orphaned, and solitary—without attachment to any gift or recipient—he dedicates all roots of goodness as follows:

May all sentient beings become boundless treasuries like empty space, possessing vast power of mindfulness and able to receive and retain in their entirety, without forgetting or omitting anything, all scriptures of the world and beyond the world. May all sentient beings become pure vessels capable of awakening to the exceedingly profound true Dharma of all Buddhas. May all sentient beings become unsurpassed precious vessels capable of receiving and retaining in their entirety the Buddhadharma of the three times.

May all sentient beings perfect the vast Dharma vessel of the Tathagata and, with indestructible faith, embrace the bodhi teachings of the Buddhas of the three times. May all sentient beings become supreme vessels adorned with precious things and abide in the greatly majestic and virtuous aspiration for bodhi. May all sentient beings become vessels serving as the foundation of all merit and possess pure faith and understanding regarding the Tathagata’s immeasurable wisdom.

May all sentient beings become vessels that enter the Tathagata’s omniscience and attain ultimate, unobstructed liberation. May all sentient beings obtain the vessel of bodhisattva conduct and enable all kinds of beings to abide in omniscience. May all sentient beings perfect the supreme merit and Buddha-nature of the Buddhas of the three times and be able to receive and retain the Dharma voices of all Buddhas.

May all sentient beings become vessels that contain every Buddha assembly and place of awakening throughout the Dharma realm, serving as leaders who praise the Buddhas and entreat them to turn the Dharma wheel. Wishing all sentient beings to perfect the conduct of Samantabhadra, the bodhisattva thus dedicates the roots of goodness when giving vessels: