大方廣佛華嚴經

Disciples of the Buddha! What is the great bodhisattva’s great samadhi of spiritual powers for successively traveling throughout the lands of the Buddhas?

This great bodhisattva passes through countless worlds to the east, and then through worlds numbering as many as the dust motes in countless worlds, entering this samadhi in each of those worlds. He may enter it for a kshana, for a brief moment, or continuously. He may enter it in the morning, at noon, or in the evening; in the early night, at midnight, or late at night.

He may enter it for one day, five days, half a month, or one month; for one year, a hundred years, or a thousand years; for a hundred thousand years, a koti of years, a hundred thousand kotis of years, or a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of years. He may enter it for one kalpa, a hundred kalpas, a hundred thousand kalpas, or a hundred thousand nayutas of kotis of kalpas. He may enter it for countless kalpas, measureless kalpas, boundless kalpas, or unequaled kalpas; for innumerable kalpas, unreckonable kalpas, inconceivable kalpas, immeasurable kalpas, ineffable kalpas, or ineffably ineffable kalpas.

Whether long or short, the Dharmas and durations differ in many ways.

Regarding all these things, the bodhisattva does not give rise to discrimination, become defiled or attached, regard them as different, regard them as not different, regard them as universal, or regard them as separate.

Although free from discrimination, the bodhisattva employs the skillful means of spiritual powers to emerge from samadhi. He neither forgets nor loses any Dharma, but reaches the ultimate end.

It is like the sun traveling in its circuit and shining without pause by day or night. The rising of the sun is called day, and the setting of the sun is called night. Yet the sun is not born during the day, nor does it perish at night.

The great bodhisattva enters the samadhi of spiritual powers in countless worlds. Having entered samadhi, he clearly sees those countless worlds in the same way.

This is the great bodhisattva’s third great samadhi: skillful wisdom in spiritual powers for successively traveling throughout the lands of the Buddhas.

Disciples of the Buddha! What is the great bodhisattva’s great samadhi of the practice of purifying body and mind?

This great bodhisattva knows that the number of bodies of the Buddhas equals the number of beings. Seeing measureless Buddhas exceeding the number of dust motes in countless worlds, the bodhisattva offers to each Buddha various fragrances, flowers, parasols, jewels, ornaments, treasuries of mani jewels, and even the four requisites—all supremely wondrous, vast, and surpassing those of the heavenly realms.

Before each Buddha, the bodhisattva is respectful and reverent, bows his head in homage, requests the Buddha-Dharma, praises the Buddhas’ equality, and extols their vast merit. He enters the great compassion of the Buddhas and attains their equal, unobstructed power. Within a single thought, he seeks the wondrous Dharma from all Buddhas everywhere. Yet in all the characteristics of the Buddhas’ appearance in the world and entry into extinction, there is nothing attained.

It is like a distracted mind cognizing its object: when the mind arises, it does not know from which object it arises; when the mind ceases, it does not know upon which object it ceases.

Likewise, this great bodhisattva never discriminates the characteristics of the Tathagata’s appearance in the world or entry into nirvana.

Disciples of the Buddha! It is like a mirage at midday: it is not born from clouds, not born from a pond, does not abide upon the earth or beneath the water, is neither existent nor nonexistent, neither wholesome nor unwholesome, neither clear nor turbid, cannot be used for drinking or washing, cannot be polluted, is neither substantial nor insubstantial, and has neither flavor nor no flavor. Due to causes and conditions, the appearance of water is manifested. Because consciousness discriminates it from afar as resembling water, the perception of water arises; when one draws near, there is no water, and the perception of water disappears by itself.

This great bodhisattva is likewise. The characteristics of the Tathagata’s appearance in the world and entry into nirvana are both unattainable. Whether the Buddhas are conceived as possessing characteristics or being without characteristics, both are discriminations of the conceptual mind.

Disciples of the Buddha! This samadhi is called the Practice of the Pure Profound Mind. Having entered this samadhi, the great bodhisattva emerges from it, and after emerging does not lose what was attained.

It is like someone awakening from sleep and remembering a dream. Although upon awakening the dream realm no longer exists, the person can still remember it without forgetting.

Likewise, the great bodhisattva enters samadhi, sees the Buddha, and hears the Dharma. After emerging from samadhi, he remembers without forgetting. He then teaches the Dharma he heard to all the assemblies at the place of enlightenment, adorns all lands of the Buddhas, clearly illuminates measureless meanings and purports, purifies every Dharma gateway, lights the torch of great wisdom, increases the lineage of the Buddhas, fully possesses fearlessness, exercises inexhaustible eloquence, and reveals and expounds the exceedingly profound Dharma treasury.

This is the great bodhisattva’s fourth great samadhi: skillful wisdom in the practice of the pure profound mind.

Disciples of the Buddha! What is the great bodhisattva’s samadhi of knowing the treasury of past adornments?

This great bodhisattva knows the appearance of past Buddhas. Namely, he knows the sequence of lands within the sequence of kalpas; the sequence of kalpas within the sequence of lands; the sequence of the Buddhas’ appearances within the sequence of kalpas; the sequence of teachings within the sequence of the Buddhas’ appearances; the sequence of mental aspirations within the sequence of teachings; the sequence of faculties and dispositions within the sequence of mental aspirations; the sequence of subduing within the sequence of faculties and dispositions; the sequence of the Buddhas’ lifespans within the sequence of subduing; and the successive numerical quantities of kotis of nayutas of years within the sequence of lifespans.

Disciples of the Buddha! Because this great bodhisattva attains such boundless wisdom of sequences, he knows the Buddhas of the past, the lands of the past, the Dharma gateways of the past, the kalpas of the past, the Dharmas of the past, the minds of the past, the understandings of the past, the beings of the past, the afflictions of the past, the forms of conduct of the past, and the purities of the past.

Disciples of the Buddha! This samadhi is called the Treasury of Past Purity. Within a single thought, he can enter a hundred kalpas, a thousand kalpas, a hundred thousand kalpas, a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of kalpas, countless kalpas, measureless kalpas, boundless kalpas, unequaled kalpas, innumerable kalpas, unreckonable kalpas, inconceivable kalpas, immeasurable kalpas, ineffable kalpas, or ineffably ineffable kalpas.

Disciples of the Buddha! When the great bodhisattva enters this samadhi, he does not extinguish the present, nor does he take the past as an object.

When this great bodhisattva emerges from samadhi, he receives from the Tathagata ten inconceivable Dharma-anointments. He attains them, purifies them, perfects them, enters them, realizes them, fulfills them, upholds them, and equally understands the purity of the three wheels.

These are the ten: first, eloquent speech that does not contradict the meaning; second, inexhaustible teaching of Dharma; third, flawless instructional language; fourth, uninterrupted joyful eloquence; fifth, a mind without fear; sixth, words that are resolute and true; seventh, being a refuge for beings; eighth, delivering beings from the three realms; ninth, supreme roots of goodness; and tenth, mastery of the wondrous Dharma.

These are the ten Dharma-anointments. If a bodhisattva enters this samadhi, he obtains them immediately upon emerging.

It is like the kalala when it enters the womb: within a single thought, consciousness is immediately reborn.

Likewise, when the great bodhisattva emerges from this samadhi, within a single thought he obtains these ten Dharmas from the Tathagata.

This is called the great bodhisattva’s fifth great samadhi: skillful wisdom that knows the treasury of past adornments.

Disciples of the Buddha! What is the great bodhisattva’s great samadhi of the treasury of wisdom-light?

Abiding in this samadhi, the great bodhisattva can know the future Buddhas in all kalpas and all worlds—whether already spoken of or not yet spoken of, whether already predicted or not yet predicted—and their various differing names: countless names, measureless names, boundless names, unequaled names, innumerable names, unreckonable names, inconceivable names, immeasurable names, and ineffable names. They will appear in the world, deliver beings, become Dharma Kings, perform Buddha-work, proclaim blessings and benefits, praise wholesome meanings, explain the meaning of the pure aspects, eliminate all evils, establish merit, reveal the truth of the ultimate meaning, enter the position of anointment, and attain All-Wisdom.

Those Buddhas will perfect their practices, perfect their vows, enter perfect wisdom, possess perfect assemblies, fully possess perfect adornments, gather perfect merit, awaken to perfect Dharma, attain perfect fruits, fully possess perfect marks, and accomplish perfect enlightenment. This bodhisattva clearly knows all these matters concerning those Buddhas: their names, surnames, clans, lineages, skillful means, spiritual powers and transformations, maturation of beings, and entry into nirvana.

Within a single thought, this bodhisattva can enter one kalpa, a hundred kalpas, a thousand kalpas, a hundred thousand kalpas, or a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of kalpas. He can enter kalpas numbering as many as the dust motes in Jambudvipa, in a four-continent world, in a small thousandfold world, in a medium thousandfold world, or in a great thousandfold world. He can enter kalpas numbering as many as the dust motes in a hundred Buddha-lands, a hundred thousand Buddha-lands, a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands, countless Buddha-lands, measureless Buddha-lands, boundless Buddha-lands, unequaled Buddha-lands, innumerable Buddha-lands, unreckonable Buddha-lands, inconceivable Buddha-lands, immeasurable Buddha-lands, or ineffable Buddha-lands,

even up to kalpas numbering as many as the finest dust motes in ineffably ineffable Buddha-lands.

This bodhisattva can clearly know through wisdom all the kalpas of all future worlds, however numerous they may be. Because he clearly knows them, his mind further enters ten kinds of gateways of retention. These are the ten:

By entering the retention of the Buddha, he is protected and kept in mind by Buddhas numbering as many as the dust motes in ineffably many Buddha-lands.

By entering the retention of the Dharma, he attains ten kinds of dharani-light and inexhaustible eloquence.

By entering the retention of Practice, he gives rise to all supreme and perfect vows.

By entering the retention of Power, no one can obstruct or subdue him.

By entering the retention of Wisdom, he practices the Buddha-Dharma without obstruction.

By entering the retention of Great Compassion, he turns the pure and irreversible Dharma wheel.

By entering the retention of skillful, differentiated phrases, he turns the wheel of all written symbols and purifies the grounds of all Dharma gateways.

By entering the Dharma-retention of the Lion’s Birth, he opens the lock upon the Dharma gate and emerges from the mire of craving and desire.

By entering the retention of the Power of Knowledge, he constantly cultivates bodhisattva practices without rest.

By entering the retention of the Power of Spiritual Friends, he causes boundless beings all to become pure.

By entering the retention of the Power of Nonabiding, he enters ineffably ineffable vast kalpas.

By entering the retention of the Power of Dharma, he knows through unobstructed skillful wisdom that the intrinsic nature of all Dharmas is pure.

Disciples of the Buddha! Once the great bodhisattva abides in this samadhi, he can skillfully abide throughout ineffably ineffable kalpas; skillfully abide in ineffably ineffable lands; skillfully know ineffably ineffable kinds of beings; skillfully know ineffably ineffable distinctions among the characteristics of beings; skillfully know ineffably ineffable similarities and differences in karmic results; skillfully know ineffably ineffable distinctions in faculties, vigor, habitual tendencies, continuities, and practices; skillfully know ineffably ineffable measureless kinds of defiled and pure thought; skillfully know ineffably ineffable kinds of Dharma meanings and measureless written symbols, words, and explanations;

skillfully know ineffably ineffable Buddhas’ appearance in the world, lineages, times, manifested signs, teaching of Dharma, performance of Buddha-work, and entry into nirvana; skillfully know ineffably ineffable boundless gateways of wisdom; and skillfully know ineffably ineffable spiritual powers and measureless transformations.

Disciples of the Buddha! It is like the rising sun illuminating every kind of thing in the world—cities, towns, palaces, houses, mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, gardens, forests, flowers, fruits, and so forth—which those with clear eyes can see distinctly. The sunlight is equal and makes no distinctions, and it can enable the bodhisattva skillfully to know ineffably ineffable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of differing characteristics.

Disciples of the Buddha! When the great bodhisattva understands in this way, he enables beings to attain ten kinds of non-vacuity. These are the ten:

First, seeing him is not in vain, because it causes beings to generate roots of goodness.

Second, hearing him is not in vain, because it brings beings to maturity.

Third, dwelling together with him is not in vain, because it subdues the minds of beings.

Fourth, being inspired by him is not in vain, because it causes beings to practice in accordance with his words and penetrate the meanings of all Dharmas.

Fifth, his practice is not in vain, because it purifies boundless worlds.

Sixth, drawing near to him is not in vain, because in the presence of ineffably ineffable Buddhas he resolves the doubts of ineffably ineffable beings.

Seventh, his undertakings are not in vain, because, according to what beings have in mind, he enables them to perform supreme offerings and fulfill their vows.

Eighth, his skillful Dharma is not in vain, because it causes all beings to abide in pure wisdom, liberation, and unobstructed understanding.

Ninth, his rain of Dharma is not in vain, because, according to the faculties and dispositions of ineffably ineffable beings, he skillfully reveals the practice of All-Wisdom and causes them to abide on the Buddha path.

Tenth, his appearance is not in vain, because he manifests boundless characteristics and causes all beings to be illuminated.

Disciples of the Buddha! When the great bodhisattva abides in this samadhi and attains these ten kinds of non-vacuity, the heavenly kings all come and bow at his crown; the dragon kings raise great fragrant clouds; the yaksha kings bow at his feet; the asura kings respectfully make offerings; the garuda kings stand reverently around him; the Brahma kings all come to make requests; the gandharva kings constantly attend him; the kinnara kings and mahoraga kings praise him together; and the human kings reverently serve and make offerings to him.

This is the great bodhisattva’s sixth great samadhi: skillful wisdom in the treasury of wisdom-light.

Disciples of the Buddha! What is the great bodhisattva’s samadhi of clearly knowing

the Buddha-adornments of all worlds?

Why is this samadhi called Clearly Knowing the Buddha-Adornments of All Worlds?

Disciples of the Buddha! Abiding in this samadhi, the great bodhisattva can successively enter the worlds of the east and successively enter the worlds of the south, west, north, southeast, southwest, northwest, northeast, above, and below. He sees the Buddhas appear in the world.

He also sees all those Buddhas’ spiritual powers, transformations, vast awesome virtue, supreme sovereignty, and great lion’s roars. He sees the practices cultivated by the Buddhas, their various adornments, and their transformations through spiritual powers. He also sees the assemblies of the Buddhas gathering—their pure assemblies, vast assemblies, assemblies of a single characteristic, assemblies of many characteristics, places of assembly, settled assemblies, matured assemblies, disciplined assemblies, and majestic assemblies.

This bodhisattva clearly sees all such things. He also sees assemblies whose size equals Jambudvipa, a four-continent world, a small thousandfold world, a medium thousandfold world, or a great thousandfold world. He also sees assemblies filling hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands, countless Buddha-lands, Buddha-lands numbering as many as the dust motes in a hundred Buddha-lands, Buddha-lands numbering as many as the dust motes in a thousand Buddha-lands, Buddha-lands numbering as many as the dust motes in a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands, Buddha-lands numbering as many as the dust motes in countless Buddha-lands, measureless Buddha-lands, boundless Buddha-lands, unequaled Buddha-lands, innumerable Buddha-lands, unreckonable Buddha-lands,

inconceivable Buddha-lands, immeasurable Buddha-lands, or ineffable Buddha-lands, even up to assemblies filling Buddha-lands numbering as many as the dust motes in ineffably ineffable Buddha-lands.

He also sees the Buddhas within those assemblies at the places of enlightenment manifesting various appearances, times, lands, transformations, spiritual powers, adornments, forms of sovereignty, bodily dimensions, and activities.

This great bodhisattva also sees his own body going to those assemblies; sees himself teaching Dharma; sees himself receiving the Buddhas’ words; sees himself skillfully knowing dependent arising; sees his body abiding in space; sees his body abiding in the Dharma-body; sees his body giving rise to no defiled attachment; sees his body not abiding in discrimination; sees his body free from weariness; sees his body universally entering all wisdoms; sees his body universally knowing all meanings; sees his body universally entering all grounds; sees his body universally entering all kinds of existence; sees his body universally knowing skillful means; sees his body going universally before the Buddhas; sees his body universally entering all powers;

sees his body universally entering true suchness; sees his body universally entering noncontention; and sees his body universally entering all Dharmas.

While seeing in this way, this bodhisattva does not discriminate lands, beings, Buddhas, or Dharmas; does not become defiled by or attached to the body and bodily karma; and does not cling to mind or thought.

It is like all Dharmas, which do not discriminate their own nature or sounds, yet do not abandon their own nature, nor lose their names.

The great bodhisattva is likewise: he does not abandon his practices and acts in accord with the world, yet remains unattached to either of these matters.

Disciples of the Buddha! The great bodhisattva sees the Buddhas possessing measureless colors of light and measureless forms and characteristics, all perfectly accomplished, equal, and pure. Each is manifest before him, distinctly realized and known.

He may see a Buddha’s body with many lights; see a halo extending one fathom; see light blazing like the sun; see subtle and wondrous colored light; see a pure color; see a golden color; see the color of vajra; see an azure color; see boundless colors; or even see a Buddha’s body the color of a great blue mani jewel.

He may see a Buddha’s body seven cubits tall, eight cubits, nine cubits, ten cubits, twenty cubits, thirty cubits, a hundred cubits, or a thousand cubits. He may see a Buddha’s body one krosha tall, half a yojana, one yojana, ten yojanas, a hundred yojanas, a thousand yojanas, or a hundred thousand yojanas. He may see a Buddha’s body equal in size to Jambudvipa, a four-continent world, a small thousandfold world, a medium thousandfold world, a great thousandfold world, a hundred great thousandfold worlds, or a thousand great thousandfold worlds, equal yet without diminishing. Seen upon the moon’s surface it appears large, yet does not increase.

Likewise, while abiding in this samadhi, the great bodhisattva sees, according to his mental aspirations, the Buddha’s body manifesting various characteristics and transformations. He receives and retains the words of the Dharma teachings without forgetting, yet the Tathagata’s body neither increases nor decreases.

It is like beings who, after death and as they are about to take rebirth, experience a pure vision that does not depart from the mind.

Likewise, without departing from this exceedingly profound samadhi, the great bodhisattva sees with purity.

Disciples of the Buddha! Abiding in this samadhi, the great bodhisattva perfects ten kinds of swift Dharma: he swiftly increases all practices and perfects great vows; swiftly illuminates the world with Dharma-light; swiftly turns the Dharma wheel through skillful means and delivers beings; swiftly manifests the pure lands of the Buddhas in accordance with beings’ karma; swiftly enters directly into the Ten Powers through equal wisdom; swiftly dwells together with all Tathagatas; swiftly defeats the armies of Mara through the power of great loving-kindness; swiftly resolves beings’ doubts and causes them to rejoice; swiftly manifests spiritual transformations in accordance with their superior understanding; and swiftly purifies the worlds through various wondrous Dharmas and words.

This great bodhisattva also attains ten Dharma seals with which to seal all Dharmas: first, sharing equal roots of goodness with the Buddhas of the three times; second, attaining together with the Buddhas the boundless wisdom of the Dharma-body; third, abiding together with the Tathagatas in the nondual Dharma; fourth, equally contemplating together with the Tathagatas all measureless realms of the three times; fifth, attaining together with the Tathagatas clear comprehension of the unobstructed realm of the Dharma realm; sixth, perfecting together with the Tathagatas the truly unobstructed Ten Powers; seventh, utterly ending the two modes of practice together with the Tathagatas and abiding in the Dharma of noncontention;

eighth, teaching and transforming beings together with the Tathagatas without ever resting; ninth, skillfully contemplating together with the Tathagatas through skill in wisdom and skill in meaning; and tenth, being equal and nondual with all Buddhas, just as the Tathagatas are.

Disciples of the Buddha! If a great bodhisattva perfects these ten Dharma seals, he clearly knows the great samadhi of the gateway of skillful means of the Buddha-adornments of all worlds. He is one without a teacher, because without instruction from another he enters all Buddha-Dharmas by himself.

He is a great person, because he can awaken all beings. He is a pure one, because he knows the mind’s nature to be originally pure. He is foremost, because he can deliver all worlds.

He is a comforter, because he can awaken the understanding of all beings. He is one who establishes beings, because he causes those not yet abiding in the Buddha-lineage to abide therein. He is one who truly knows, because he enters the gateway of All-Wisdom.

He is one without differing perceptions, because his words are nondual. He is one who abides in the Dharma treasury, because he vows to understand all Buddha-Dharmas. He is one capable of raining down the Dharma rain, because he fulfills beings according to their mental aspirations.

Disciples of the Buddha! It is like Shakra, who wears a mani jewel in the topknot upon his head and whose majestic radiance becomes even more splendid because of this jewel. When the Lord of the Devas first obtains this jewel, he attains ten Dharmas surpassing all the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three: first, color and characteristics; second, bodily form; third, manifestations; fourth, retinue; fifth, implements; sixth, voice; seventh, spiritual powers; eighth, sovereignty; ninth, wisdom and understanding; and tenth, the functioning of knowledge.

Likewise, when the great bodhisattva first attains this samadhi, he attains ten gateways into vast treasuries of wisdom: first, the wisdom that illuminates all Buddha-lands; second, the wisdom that knows the rebirths of all beings; third, the wisdom that performs transformations throughout the three times; fourth, the wisdom that universally enters the bodies of all Buddhas; fifth, the wisdom that penetrates all Buddha-Dharmas; sixth, the wisdom that universally gathers all pure Dharmas; seventh, the wisdom that causes all beings universally to enter the Dharma-body; eighth, the wisdom that directly sees all Dharmas through the pure universal eye; ninth, the wisdom in which all sovereignty reaches the far shore;

and tenth, the wisdom that abides in all vast Dharmas, universally encompassing everything without remainder.

Disciples of the Buddha! Abiding in this samadhi, the great bodhisattva also attains ten kinds of exceedingly pure bodily majesty: first, to illuminate ineffably ineffable worlds, he emits ineffably ineffable spheres of light; second, to purify all worlds, he emits ineffably ineffable spheres of light in measureless colors and forms; third, to subdue beings, he emits ineffably ineffable spheres of light; fourth, to draw near to all Buddhas, he transforms into ineffably ineffable bodies; fifth, to serve and make offerings to all Buddhas, he rains down ineffably ineffable clouds of various rare and wondrous flowers and fragrances; sixth, to serve and make offerings to all Buddhas and subdue all beings, from each of his pores he produces ineffably ineffable kinds of music;

seventh, to bring beings to maturity, he manifests ineffably ineffable measureless kinds of sovereign spiritual transformations; eighth, to request the wondrous Dharma from all Buddhas of the ten directions, with one step he crosses ineffably ineffable worlds; ninth, so that none of the beings who see or hear him do so in vain, he manifests ineffably ineffable form-bodies with measureless pure marks whose crowns no one can see; and tenth, to reveal measureless secret Dharmas to beings, he utters ineffably ineffable voices and languages.

Disciples of the Buddha! Having attained these ten kinds of exceedingly pure bodily majesty, the great bodhisattva can cause beings to attain ten kinds of perfection: first, he causes beings to see the Buddha; second, he causes beings to have profound faith in the Buddha; third, he causes beings to hear the Dharma; fourth, he causes beings to know that Buddha-lands exist; fifth, he causes beings to see the Buddha’s spiritual transformations; sixth, he causes beings to remember the karma they have accumulated; seventh, he causes beings to perfect concentration of mind; eighth, he causes beings to enter the Buddha’s purity; ninth, he causes beings to arouse the mind of bodhi; and tenth, he causes beings to perfect the Buddha’s wisdom.

Disciples of the Buddha! Having caused beings to attain these ten kinds of perfection, the great bodhisattva further performs ten kinds of Buddha-work for beings. Namely, he uses sound to perform Buddha-work in order to bring beings to maturity.

He uses forms and shapes to perform Buddha-work in order to subdue beings. He uses recollection to perform Buddha-work in order to purify beings. He uses the shaking of worlds to perform Buddha-work in order to cause beings to leave the evil destinies.

He uses skillful awakening to perform Buddha-work in order to prevent beings from losing mindfulness. He uses signs in dreams to perform Buddha-work in order to cause beings constantly to maintain right mindfulness. He emits great light to perform Buddha-work in order universally to gather beings.

He cultivates bodhisattva practices to perform Buddha-work in order to cause beings to abide in supreme vows. He attains perfect enlightenment to perform Buddha-work in order to cause beings to know that Dharmas are illusory. He turns the wondrous Dharma wheel to perform Buddha-work, teaching Dharma to the great assembly at the proper time.

He manifests abiding for the duration of a lifespan to perform Buddha-work in order to subdue all beings. He manifests entry into nirvana to perform Buddha-work because he knows when beings have grown weary.

This is the great bodhisattva’s seventh great samadhi: skillful wisdom that clearly knows the adornments of all Buddha-lands.