大乘本生心地觀經

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa near the city of Rājagṛha, together with thirty-two thousand great bhikshus. They were all arhats: their minds well liberated, their wisdom well liberated, their task accomplished, their burdens laid down, their own benefit attained, all bonds tying them to the realms of existence exhausted, and great mastery attained. They abided in the purity of the precepts, were skilled in expedient means and adorned with wisdom, had realized the eight liberations, and had reached the farther shore of nirvana.

Their names were the Venerable Ājñāta Kauṇḍinya, Aśvajit, Mahānāma, Bhadrika, Mahākāśyapa, Gavāṃpati, Revata, Uruvilvā Kāśyapa, Nadī Kāśyapa, Gayā Kāśyapa, Śāriputra, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākātyāyana, Mahākapphina, Cundina, Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, Aniruddha, Subtle Arm, Subhūti, Bakkula, Sundarananda, Rāhula, and others such as these, all of whom were venerable arhats.

There were also those still in training, such as Ānanda and others, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants. Together they bowed at the Buddha’s feet and then withdrew to sit to one side.

There were also eighty-four thousand great bodhisattvas dwelling in the presence of the Buddha. They were all great Dharma princes and heirs to Buddhahood after only one more birth. Their majestic virtue was as mighty as that of great dragon kings.

Their hundred merits were perfected, and the radiance of their bodies shone like a thousand suns, dispelling every darkness. Their wisdom was clear and profound, surpassing the great ocean. They thoroughly understood the secret realm of all Buddhas, kindled the torch of the great Dharma, and guided sentient beings.

They were great navigators on the ocean of birth and death, cherishing sentient beings as their own infant children and constantly bestowing peace and happiness upon them. Their renown pervaded the worlds of the ten directions. Their subtle spiritual powers and their functions were freely mastered, and they had completely understood all gateways of dharani.

They possessed the four unhindered kinds of eloquence and had attained mastery in them. They had perfected mastery of their great vows, brought the mastery of their undertakings to excellent fulfillment, realized mastery of samadhi, and completely perfected mastery of merit and virtue. They were ever the uninvited friends of sentient beings.

Throughout immeasurable kalpas, they diligently cultivated the six paramitas and constantly served all Buddhas everywhere, without abiding in nirvana. They had extinguished all afflictions and eradicated even the seeds and habitual tendencies. Although born among the six paths, they were never tainted by their faults.

They constantly manifested bodies throughout the ten directions to expound the wondrous Dharma, teaching and bringing benefit to every kind of being in immeasurable worlds. They checked non-Buddhist paths, subdued erroneous minds, and remained far removed from annihilationism and eternalism, enabling sentient beings to give rise to right view without any sign of wavering, advancing, or retreating. Without adornment, they adorned all Buddha lands throughout the ten directions; without speaking, they seemed to proclaim all the wondrous principles of quiescent cessation.

Abiding in non-abiding, they delivered sentient beings throughout the realms of devas and humans. Within non-receiving, they received the joyful, vast, and wondrous Dharmas. They donned the armor of diligent cultivation, wielded the sword of wisdom, sounded the Dharma drum, and routed the armies of Māra.

Their bodies constantly appeared seated throughout all places of enlightenment, where they blew the great conch of Dharma to awaken every class of being. All sentient beings received benefit from them; whoever heard their names or beheld their physical forms attained the three kinds of wisdom and awakened to the Dharma of the three times. They clearly knew whether the faculties of sentient beings were keen or dull and prescribed medicine according to each illness, dispelling every kind of doubt.

They spread vast clouds of Dharma, poured down the rain of amrita, turned the irreversible Dharma wheel bearing the seal of wisdom, closed the prison of birth and death, and opened the gate of nirvana. They made vast vows extending until the end of future time, vowing to liberate every living being. Before long, these bodhisattvas would attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment.

They were Bodhisattva Stainless, Bodhisattva Maitreya, Bodhisattva Lion’s Roar, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, Bodhisattva Vimalakīrti, Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, Bodhisattva Vajragarbharāja, Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbharāja, Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbharāja, Bodhisattva Dhāraṇī-Mastery-King, Bodhisattva Samādhi-Mastery-King, Bodhisattva Wondrous-Lofty-Sumeru-King, Bodhisattva Profound-Great-Ocean-King, Bodhisattva Wondrous-Eloquence-Adornment-King, Bodhisattva Lofty-Joy-King, Bodhisattva Great-Spiritual-Transformation-King, Bodhisattva Dharma-Mastery-King, Bodhisattva Pure-Rain-King, Bodhisattva Medicine King, Bodhisattva Supreme Medicine, Bodhisattva Healer of the Illness of Afflictions, Bodhisattva Jeweled Sumeru, Bodhisattva Jeweled Wealth, Bodhisattva Supreme Jewel,

Bodhisattva Jeweled Virtue, Bodhisattva Jeweled Treasury, Bodhisattva Jeweled Accumulation, Bodhisattva Jeweled Hand, Bodhisattva Jeweled Hand Seal, Bodhisattva Jeweled Light, Bodhisattva Jeweled Giving, Bodhisattva Jeweled Banner, Bodhisattva Great Jeweled Banner, Bodhisattva Jeweled Rain, Bodhisattva Jeweled Attainment, Bodhisattva Jeweled Staff, Bodhisattva Jeweled Topknot, Bodhisattva Jeweled Auspiciousness, Bodhisattva Jeweled Mastery, Bodhisattva Sandalwood Fragrance, Bodhisattva Great Jeweled Torch, Bodhisattva Great Jeweled Adornment, Bodhisattva Sunlight, Bodhisattva Moonlight, Bodhisattva Starlight, Bodhisattva Firelight, Bodhisattva Lightning, Bodhisattva Mindful Wisdom, Bodhisattva Vanquisher of Māra, Bodhisattva Conqueror of Māra, Bodhisattva Constantly Diligent,

Bodhisattva Never Resting, Bodhisattva Unceasing Great Vow, Bodhisattva Great Renown, Bodhisattva Unhindered Eloquence, and Bodhisattva Unhindered Turning of the Dharma Wheel.

Great bodhisattvas such as the aforementioned Great Bodhisattva Stainless and the others, together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, all came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also hundreds of millions of devas from the six heavens of the desire realm, including Deva Well-Abiding, Deva Majestic Virtue, Deva Universal Light, Deva Pure Wisdom, Deva Auspiciousness, Deva Great Auspiciousness, Deva Mastery, Deva Great Mastery, Deva Sunlight, Deva Moonlight, and others. Among these devas, Śakra Devānām Indra was foremost. They all delighted in the wondrous Dharma of the Mahayana, vowed to follow and serve the Tathagatas of the three times, entered the inconceivable secret realm, and adorned the enlightenment assemblies of all Buddhas. All these devas, together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also devas of the form realm as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, including Deva Great Light Universally Shining, Deva Stainless Adornment, Deva Play of Spiritual Powers, Deva Mastery of Samadhi, Deva Mastery of Dharani, Deva Great Dhāraṇī, Deva Perfect Fulfillment of Supreme Vows, Deva Unhindered Eloquence, Deva Auspicious Merit and Wisdom, Deva Constantly Making Great Vows, and others. Among these devas, the Heavenly King Great Brahmā of Radiance was foremost.

They all fully possessed the Dharmas of samadhi and spiritual powers, delighted in teaching, and excelled in eloquence. They constantly served all Buddha-Tathagatas of the three times, from the time those Tathagatas sat upon the vajra seat beneath the bodhi tree, defeated the armies of Māra, and realized bodhi, through all their assemblies. On each occasion, they were the first to exhort and entreat the Tathagata to turn the wondrous Dharma wheel, open the gate of amrita, and liberate all sentient beings in the realms of devas and humans.

They skillfully awakened to the profound and secret meanings of all Buddhas and never again regressed from the path of great bodhi. All these devas, together with all their hundreds of thousands of attendants, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also forty-eight thousand great naga kings, such as the Naga King Manasvin, the Naga King Takshaka, the Naga King Nanda, the Naga King Upananda, the Naga King Anavatapta, the Naga King Great Golden Face, the Naga King Wish-Fulfilling Jewel, the Naga King Raining Wondrous Precious Things, the Naga King Ever-Pouring Sweet Rain, the Naga King Possessing Great Awesome Virtue, and the Naga King Mighty and Sovereign. Among these naga kings, the Naga King Sagara was foremost. They all delighted in the wondrous Dharma of the Mahayana, made vast vows, and reverently protected and upheld the true Dharma. All these great naga kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also fifty-eight thousand yaksha spirits, such as the Yaksha Spirit Great Lion King, the Yaksha Spirit Turning-Wheel Radiant Illumination, the Yaksha Spirit Wondrous Narayana, the Yaksha Spirit Most Terrifying, the Yaksha Spirit Lotus Radiance and Color, the Yaksha Spirit Wondrous Faculties, the Yaksha Spirit Outwardly Protecting the True Dharma, the Yaksha Spirit Making Offerings to the Three Jewels, the Yaksha Spirit Raining Multitudes of Precious Things, and the Yaksha Spirit Mani-Bhadra.

Among these spirits, the Yaksha Spirit Samjnaya was foremost. They were all endowed with inconceivable light of wisdom, an inconceivable torch of wisdom, inconceivable manifestations of wisdom, and inconceivable virtuous discipline born of wisdom. For the sake of sentient beings, they constantly subdued evil demons, enabling beings to attain great peace and happiness and causing their merit and wisdom to increase.

They continually preserved and upheld the Mahayana Dharma so that it would never be cut off. All these yaksha spirits, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also eighty-nine thousand gandharva kings, such as the Gandharva King Precious Crown upon the Head, the Gandharva King Universally Emitting Radiance, the Gandharva King Vajra Jeweled Banner, the Gandharva King Wondrous and Pure Sound, the Gandharva King Pervading Every Assembly, the Gandharva King Universally Appearing in All Directions, the Gandharva King Delighting in the Mahayana, and the Gandharva King Turning the Wheel of Non-Retrogression.

Among these gandharva kings, the Gandharva King Pure Faculties was foremost. They all gave rise to profound love and reverence for the Mahayana and benefited sentient beings without ever growing weary or fatigued. All these gandharva kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also one hundred billion asura kings, such as the Asura King Rahula, the Asura King Vemacitrin, the Asura King Manifesting Awesome Virtue, the Asura King Great and Steadfast Strength, the Asura King Beautiful and Wondrous Sound, the Asura King Radiance Shining Everywhere, the Asura King Ever Victorious in Battle, and the Asura King Skillful in Manifestations. Among these asura kings, the Asura King Vast and Wondrous Eloquence was foremost. They had all cultivated well, had abandoned pride, upheld the Mahayana Dharma, and revered the Three Jewels. All these asura kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also five hundred million garuda kings, such as the Garuda King Jeweled Topknot, the Garuda King Vajra Pure Radiance, the Garuda King Swift as the Wind, the Garuda King Empty-Space Pure Wisdom, the Garuda King Vast and Wondrous Body, the Garuda King Mind of Non-Retrogression, the Garuda King Vast and Pure Eyes, the Garuda King Replete with Great Merit and Treasures, the Garuda King Possessing Great Awesome Virtue, and the Garuda King Radiance of Wisdom.

Among these garuda kings, the Garuda King Wish-Fulfilling Jeweled Radiance was foremost. They had all attained the Dharma-patience of non-arising and were skilled in bringing every benefit to all sentient beings. All these garuda kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also nine hundred million kinnara kings, such as the Kinnara King Shaking the Earth, the Kinnara King Wondrous Jeweled Floral Banner, the Kinnara King Radiance of Jeweled Trees, the Kinnara King Radiance of the Good Dharma, the Kinnara King Supremely Adorned, the Kinnara King Blazing Dharma Radiance, the Kinnara King Upholding the Wondrous Dharma, the Kinnara King Adorned with Wondrous Jewels, and the Kinnara King Accomplished in Wondrous Contemplation.

Among these kinnara kings, the Kinnara King Delightful Music was foremost. They were all endowed with wondrous and pure wisdom; their bodies and minds were joyful, and they exercised their powers with sovereign mastery. All these kinnara kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also ninety-eight thousand mahoraga kings, such as the Mahoraga King Wondrous Topknot, the Mahoraga King Endowed with Great Awesome Virtue, the Mahoraga King Adorned Jeweled Topknot, the Mahoraga King Wondrously Subtle Pure Eyes, the Mahoraga King Radiant Jeweled Banner, the Mahoraga King Lion’s Breast, the Mahoraga King Unmoved as Though Wrathful, and the Mahoraga King Lovely Radiance. Among these mahoraga kings, the Mahoraga King Sporting in Spiritual Powers was foremost. They had cultivated skillful means, enabling sentient beings to abandon forever every bondage of craving and desire. All these mahoraga kings, together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, came to the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also wheel-turning sage kings from myriads of koṭis of lands in other directions, such as Gold-Wheel-Turning Sage Kings, Silver-Wheel-Turning Sage Kings, Copper-Wheel-Turning Sage Kings, and Iron-Wheel-Turning Sage Kings. Their retinues included a thousand sons and the seven treasures, all magnificently adorned, along with measureless elephants, horses, and carriages; innumerable jeweled banners and pennants hung aloft; countless garlands, jeweled canopies, silks, and white fly-whisks; all manner of jewels and exceedingly precious jeweled necklaces; various kinds of fragrant paste and powdered incense blended from myriad wondrous and rare fragrances.

Each of them carried an incense burner fashioned from every kind of priceless treasure and burned supremely precious incense as an offering to the Blessed One. With wondrous words, they praised the extremely profound wisdom of the Tathagata, which is like the vast ocean, and then addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, we now seek neither the conditioned rewards of devas and humans within the three realms nor any other such recompense. We seek only the supramundane path to unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Why is this so? Although one may occupy an honored station within the three realms and enjoy the blessed pleasures of devas and humans, once the merit accumulated in past lives is exhausted, one must again be born in the evil destinies and undergo immeasurable suffering. What wise person, then, would delight in the pleasures of this world!”

After the wheel-turning kings had spoken these words, they all single-mindedly joined their palms. Together with hundreds of thousands of their retinues, they seated themselves in the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also sixteen great kings, such as King Śuddhodana of the kingdom of Kapilavastu, King Bimbisāra of the kingdom of Magadha, King Ca-Tư of the kingdom of Vārāṇasī, King Vu-Xiển of the kingdom of Hữu-Vu-Đà, and King Ca-tỳ-na of the kingdom of Sa-La. Among these sixteen great kings and the lesser kings, King Prasenajit, ruler of the kingdom of Śrāvastī, whose name was Moonlight, was foremost. They were all endowed with merit, wisdom, and supernatural powers, and possessed great majesty like that of a wheel-turning king.

All their enemies naturally submitted to them; their populations were numerous and prosperous, and their lands were wealthy, peaceful, and happy. Having formerly planted roots of goodness in the presence of the unsurpassed Buddhas, they were constantly protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas. During the past Adornment Kalpa, when a thousand Buddhas appeared in the world, these great and lesser kings always served as benefactors.

During the present Auspicious Kalpa, in which a thousand Buddhas appear in the world, these great and lesser kings also serve as benefactors. During the future Constellation Kalpa, when a thousand Buddhas appear in the world, they will likewise serve as benefactors. Even throughout future ages, whenever any Buddha appears in the world, these kings will exert the full power of their original vows, constantly practicing generosity and bringing every benefit to sentient beings, entering the gates of skillful means as circumstances require.

Although they were kings, they did not crave the pleasures of the world. They all became weary of and renounced birth and death, cultivated the causes of liberation, earnestly sought the Buddha path, delighted in the Mahayana Dharma, and constantly taught and brought benefit to the multitude of beings. Free from attachment to all characteristics, they perpetuated the lineage of the Three Jewels so that its seed would never be severed.

For the sake of hearing the Dharma and making offerings to the Tathagata, they prepared many precious foods and reverently brought incense and flowers to the Buddha. Together with ten thousand, twenty thousand, and even many millions of attendants, they all sat in the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also the consorts of the sixteen great kings, such as Lady Vaidehī, Lady Diệu-Thắng-Man, Lady Thậm-Khả-Ái-Nhạo, Lady Tam-Giới-Vô-Tỷ, Lady Phước-Báo-Quang-Minh, Lady Như-Ý-Bảo-Quang, Lady Mallikā, and Lady Diệu Đức. Among these consorts, Lady Thù-Thắng-Diệu-Nhan was foremost. These consorts had skillfully entered immeasurable Dharma samādhis.

Yet, wishing to liberate sentient beings, they manifested in female form. By cultivating their minds through the three gates of liberation, they attained great wisdom and perfected merit. They manifested minds of great loving-kindness and great compassion, severed all conditions of attachment, remained entirely unobstructed, and cherished sentient beings as though they were newborn children.

Through the power of their original vows, they encountered the Blessed One; and because they wished to hear the Dharma, they came before the Buddha and gazed upon his honored countenance without blinking. They presented the Blessed One with immeasurable varieties of the finest offerings in the human realm and reverently offered the Tathagata countless strings of supremely precious jewels. Then, together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, they all sat in the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also innumerable bhikshus, bhikshunis, upāsakas, upāsikās, brahmins, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras, elders, householders, and people from all the kingdoms. These multitudes gave rise to pure faith and profound gratitude. Because they had planted roots of goodness in the past, they were born at a time when they could encounter the Buddha and hear the Dharma. Seeking the supramundane path, they reflected upon how difficult such an encounter was and came before the Buddha. Upon arriving, they all aroused the aspiration for enlightenment, joined their palms, and, together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, sat in the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also innumerable followers of non-Buddhist paths, such as the ascetics of the path of austerities, the path of worldly wisdom, the path of delighting in seclusion, and the Lokāyata path, with Lộ-già-gia-trị-ca-nễ of the non-Buddhist paths as their foremost member. These adherents had attained the five supernatural powers and could fly at will. They aroused a rare and extraordinary resolve and, because of the causes and conditions for hearing the Dharma, came before the Buddha. Each arrived with hundreds of thousands of attendants and entered the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also immeasurable and innumerable nonhuman hungry ghosts, such as the ghost Vô Tài, the ghost Thực-Nhân-Thổ, the ghost Não-Chúng-Sinh, the ghost Thực-Di-Thóa, the ghost Thọc-Bất-Bão, the ghost Xú-Cực-Xú, the ghost Thực-Phẩn-Uế, the ghost Thực-Nhân-Thai, the ghost Thực-Sinh-Tử, the ghost Thực-Bất-Tịnh, and the ghost Sinh-Cát-Tường. Among these kinds of ghosts, the great ghost-spirit king Tỳ-Lô-Đà-Già was foremost.

These ghosts had all abandoned their malicious minds, taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and protected the Tathagata’s true Dharma. Because of the conditions for hearing the Dharma, they came before the Buddha, prostrated themselves with all five limbs touching the ground, and reverently paid homage to him. Thirsting to behold and revere the virtues of the Blessed One, they sat in the Dharma assembly together with hundreds of thousands of attendants to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also immeasurable and innumerable kings of birds and beasts, such as the king of the Mạng-mạng birds, the king of the parrots, the lion king, the elephant king, and the deer king. Among all these kings of birds and beasts, the Golden-Hued Lion King was foremost. These kings of birds and beasts all entrusted their lives to the Tathagata, the Great Teacher. Wishing to hear the Dharma, they came before the Buddha and, in accordance with the power of their vows, made offerings to the Blessed One. These kings of birds and beasts addressed the Buddha:

“We reverently beseech the Tathagata, in his compassion, to accept our meager offerings! We aspire to abandon forever the seeds of evil karma that lead to the three lower realms, so that we may enjoy the blessed and joyful fruits of the heavenly and human realms. We beseech the Tathagata to open wide the ambrosial Dharma gate of the Mahayana, so that we may swiftly put an end to ignorance and attain liberation!”

After the kings of the birds and beasts had spoken these words, they all single-mindedly joined their palms and gazed upon the Tathagata. Together with hundreds of thousands of attendants, they sat in the Dharma assembly to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

There were also hundreds of thousands of Yama kings, together with innumerable great rākshasas of every shape and kind, all the malevolent rulers and officials of the dark realm, and the wardens who administered punishments and examined offenses and merits. Through the Buddha’s awesome power, they abandoned their evil minds and came with the Yama kings to hear the Dharma. They addressed the Buddha:

“Blessed One, because all sentient beings are ignorant, crave the pleasures of the five desires, and commit the five heinous offenses, they fall into the hells and revolve there without end. This occurs because, through the causes created by their own karma, they must undergo manifold sufferings, just as silkworms in this world spin cocoons and continually bind themselves within what they themselves have made! We reverently beseech the Tathagata to pour down the great rain of Dharma to extinguish the fires of hell, send forth a cool and refreshing breeze, open the gate of liberation, and seal shut the three lower realms!”

After the Yama king had spoken these words, he offered all kinds of jewels to the Tathagata. Single-mindedly and reverently, he circumambulated the Buddha hundreds of thousands of times. Then he and hundreds of thousands of attendants all bowed at the Buddha’s feet and withdrew to one side to hear the Buddha teach the Dharma.

At that time, the Blessed One sat upon a lion throne shaped like a precious lotus blossom. The lion throne was the color of blue beryl and was fashioned with interwoven adornments of various wondrous jewels. Crystal jewels formed the lotus stalk, pure purple-gold formed the lotus petals, and maṇi jewels formed the stamens within the lotus receptacle. It was surrounded by eighty-four thousand great and precious lotus blossoms made from the finest gold of Jambudvīpa. The great assembly encircled the Buddha before and behind, making offerings to him, revering, honoring, and praising him.

At that time, the Blessed One sat cross-legged upon the Lion Throne, his majestic countenance supremely magnificent, like Mount Sumeru, formed of four kinds of precious substances, rising from the great ocean, naturally emitting the radiance of hundreds of thousands of suns that illuminated all of space and sending forth immeasurable light that dispelled every darkness; he was also like a hundred million full moons amid the stars, spreading cool and gentle light throughout the world. At that time, the Tathagata entered the Dharma-samadhi of the supremely wholesome meditation at the summit of existence, called the King of Adornment with the Jeweled Necklace of the Mind. Abiding in that concentration, his body and mind remained unmoving.

At the same time, all the devas of the Formless Realm scattered immeasurable varieties of wondrously subtle fragrant flowers, which descended from the sky like clouds. The eighteen Brahma kings in the heavens of the Form Realm scattered countless celestial flowers of diverse colors, together with hundreds of thousands of myriads of exquisite fragrances from the Brahma heavens, filling the sky and descending like clouds.

The devas and their assemblies in the six heavens of the Desire Realm, through the power of their celestial merit, scattered many kinds of flowers: udumbara flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, pundarika flowers, campaka flowers, atimuktaka flowers, parijataka flowers, sumana flowers, mandara flowers, maha-mandara flowers, manjushaka flowers, and maha-manjushaka flowers. Layer upon layer, these descended through the sky as offerings to the Buddha and the assembly of the Dharma treasure.

They also scattered priceless jeweled incense from the heavens. That jeweled incense gathered like clouds and transformed into a hundred precious colors; and through celestial spiritual power, they caused its fragrance to permeate all the worlds in this realm as an offering to the great assembly.

When the Blessed One emerged from meditative concentration, while remaining upon his original seat he again entered the Lion’s Vigor Samadhi and manifested great spiritual powers, causing this trichiliocosm to undergo the six kinds of quaking: it moved, moved mightily, and moved mightily everywhere; it surged, surged mightily, and surged mightily everywhere; it shook, shook mightily, and shook mightily everywhere; it struck, struck mightily, and struck mightily everywhere; it roared, roared mightily, and roared mightily everywhere; it resounded, resounded mightily, and resounded mightily everywhere.

Moreover, in this world, when the east surged upward, the west subsided; when the west surged upward, the east subsided; when the south surged upward, the north subsided; when the north surged upward, the south subsided; when the center surged upward, the borders subsided; and when the borders surged upward, the center subsided. The earth of this world became adorned, pure, and entirely soft, causing grasses and trees to flourish and bringing benefit to all living beings.

Because of these quakings, throughout the trichiliocosm there were no longer any hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals; and beings in other evil destinies who suffered without respite were likewise freed from suffering. Casting off those bodies, they were born among humans or in the six heavens of the Desire Realm. They all knew the lives they had lived in previous existences, and each rejoiced with great delight.

Together they came before the Buddha, mindful of his profound and weighty kindness, and bowed their heads at his feet. Bearing various precious jewels and countless jeweled necklaces, they presented them as offerings to the Buddha and awakened to the meaning of the emptiness of the three spheres, thereby repaying the Buddha’s kindness.

Then, from the Tathagata’s chest and pores streamed forth a great radiant light called the Bodhisattvas’ Play of Spiritual Powers, causing the bodhisattvas’ minds never to retreat from perfect, unsurpassed enlightenment. The color of this radiance resembled the gold of Jambudvipa. That golden radiance illuminated the entire trichiliocosm and other worlds as well.

It illuminated even the ten billion kings of mountains called Mount Diệu Cao; all the Snow Mountains, Fragrant Mountains, Black Mountains, Golden Mountains, Jeweled Mountains, Mount Di-lâu, Great Mount Di-lâu, Mount Mục-chân-lân-đà, Great Mount Mục-chân-lân-đà, the Lesser Iron Encircling Mountains, and the Great Iron Encircling Mountains; the great rivers, small rivers, oceans, flowing springs, and bathing pools; and the ten billion worlds of the four great continents, with their suns, moons, stars, celestial palaces, dragon palaces, sanctuaries of honored deities, kingdoms and towns, royal palaces, and villages.

It also revealed, in the realm of Yama, the appearances of beings who, through karma created by their offenses, had to undergo suffering in the eight cold hells, the eight hot hells, and the other hells. Even the forms of suffering endured by animals and hungry ghosts throughout the ten directions, and all the appearances of pleasure and pain experienced by beings of the five destinies in every world—all such appearances were manifested within this great golden radiance.

Furthermore, within this radiance there clearly appeared every aspect of the bodhisattvas cultivating the path to Buddhahood. There appeared how, in the distant past, Bodhisattva Shakyamuni was King Quang Minh when he first aroused the aspiration to seek perfect, unsurpassed enlightenment, and all that occurred until he attained Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree and entered nirvana in the sala grove. During the intervening three incalculable hundreds of myriads of kalpas, all his deeds of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, together with the eighty-four thousand paramita Dharma gates, likewise appeared in their entirety.

In the past, when the bodhisattva was a Gold-Wheel-Turning King ruling the four continents as far as the bounds of the ocean, he taught and transformed the world through the true Dharma for immeasurable kalpas. The people flourished greatly, the realm was prosperous and joyful, and all manner of precious wealth filled the kingdom. At that time, the Gold-Wheel-Turning King contemplated how everything in the world was impermanent.

Becoming weary of the pleasures of the five desires, he relinquished the throne of the Gold-Wheel-Turning King, left the household life, and studied the path. At another time, when the bodhisattva was the beloved son of a great king, he relinquished his life and cast his body before a starving tigress. At another time, when the bodhisattva was King Shibi, he cut flesh from his own body to save a dove.

At another time, the bodhisattva gave up his body as the king of deer to save a pregnant doe. At another time, seeking half a verse, the bodhisattva relinquished his entire body upon the Snow Mountains. At another time, he manifested birth into the household of King Shuddhodana, renounced sixty thousand palace women, abandoned every kind of supremely exquisite music within the inner palace, crossed beyond the city walls, and left the household life.

For six years he practiced austerities, eating only a sesame seed and a grain of rice each day, and subdued all the followers of heterodox paths. Beneath the Bodhi tree, he shattered Mara’s armies and attained perfect, unsurpassed enlightenment. All the features of hundreds of thousands of practices and vows, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and inconceivable in nature, appeared clearly within this great golden radiance.

Furthermore, within this radiance there clearly appeared the eight great, inconceivable jeweled stupas of the Tathagata: the stupa commemorating his birth in the palace of King Suddhodana in the kingdom of Kosala; the stupa commemorating his attainment of Buddhahood beneath the Bodhi tree near the city of Gaya in the kingdom of Magadha; the stupa commemorating his first turning of the Dharma wheel to liberate beings in the Deer Park in the kingdom of Varanasi; the stupa in Anathapindika’s Grove in the kingdom of Sravasti, commemorating the place where he debated with non-Buddhist teachers for six months and was acclaimed as the Omniscient One;

the stupa near the city of Kanyakubja in the kingdom of Andhra, commemorating the wondrous event when he ascended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven to teach the Dharma to his mother, and, together with the Brahma King, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, and one hundred and twenty thousand listeners, manifested three jeweled stairways descending from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to Jambudvipa; the stupa on Mount Grdhrakuta near the city of Rajagrha in the kingdom of Magadha, commemorating the occasion when he taught the Mahayana scriptures, including the Great Prajnaparamita, the Lotus Sutra of the One Vehicle, and the Sutra of Contemplating the Mind-Ground;

the stupa in the Amrapali Grove in the kingdom of Vaisali, commemorating the occasion when the elder Vimalakirti manifested illness in an inconceivable manner; and the stupa commemorating his approaching parinirvana in the Sala Grove beside the Ajitavati River in Kusinagara.

These eight jeweled stupas are means by which the Great Sage teaches and transforms beings; they are places of refuge, reverence, and offerings, and serve as causes for sentient beings in the human and heavenly realms to attain Buddhahood. Thus, all the sounds and images of inconceivable events throughout the three times appeared clearly within this great radiance.

Furthermore, the Buddhas of the three times throughout the worlds of the ten directions, together with the great bodhisattvas, assembled in full at the place of enlightenment. Their rare displays of miraculous transformation and the voices of the Tathagatas proclaiming the subtle and wondrous Dharma were all distinctly reflected within this great golden radiance, like echoes answering sounds; there was nothing that could not be seen or heard. All beings who encountered this radiance and beheld those auspicious signs brought forth the aspiration for the unequaled, unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. When the great assembly witnessed the Buddha’s inconceivable spiritual power, they all praised it as something never before seen and said to one another:

“Today the Tathagata has entered right concentration and emitted a great, brilliant radiance illuminating the worlds of the ten directions, enabling us to behold the inconceivable deeds performed by the Tathagata in the distant past to tame beings of wrong views in the evil and defiled age, causing them to develop right understanding and resolutely advance toward the path of bodhi. The Tathagata is exceedingly rare; he is truly the Father of the entire world, and through immeasurable kalpas it is difficult to behold him.

Because we have cultivated practices and vows for many kalpas, we have now been able to encounter the Great Teacher of devas and humans throughout the three realms. We earnestly beseech the Compassionate Honored One to pity the world, rise from meditation, expound the profound Dharma, and instruct beings so that they may attain benefit and joy!” After all the beings had spoken these words, they stood silently, gazing reverently upon the countenance of the Compassionate Honored One.

At that time, within the Dharma assembly was a bodhisattva named Lion’s Roar. For three incalculable kalpas, this bodhisattva had cultivated merit and wisdom, and during this Auspicious Kalpa he would attain Buddhahood, receive the anointment of consecration, and become a Great Dharma King. The bodhisattva looked in the four directions upon the great ocean-like assembly and declared in a mighty voice:

“Immeasurable kalpas ago, I brought forth the aspiration for unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. I have served Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and have attended the foremost assemblies at their places of enlightenment, where I beheld the Buddhas’ inconceivable displays of spiritual transformation. Yet never before have I seen this golden radiance, within which all the practices and vows of bodhisattvas are clearly revealed and all the marks and characteristics of the Tathagata appear, enabling me to behold inconceivable events throughout the three times.

Therefore, I earnestly ask you worthy ones to single-mindedly join your palms and gaze reverently upon the Honored One’s countenance. When he rises from meditation, he will bestow upon beings the medicine of amrta, dispelling the afflictive fever and enabling them to realize the Dharma body endowed with eternity, bliss, self, and purity. The Tathagatas possess two qualities because of which they do not remain long in right concentration: the first is great loving-kindness, and the second is great compassion.

Relying upon great loving-kindness, they must bring peace and happiness to beings; relying upon great compassion, they must completely uproot all beings’ suffering. Because of these two qualities, throughout incalculable kalpas they devoted themselves to cultivation, permeating and refining their minds until they attained perfect enlightenment. The beings of the world endure many forms of suffering and affliction.

For this reason, before long the Tathagata will rise from right concentration and, for the sake of beings, expound the wondrous Dharma of the Mahayana gateway of contemplating the mind-ground. I respectfully proclaim to the great assembly: ‘You should not seek the blessings and pleasures of the heavenly and human realms, but should instead seek the supramundane fruit of unsurpassed, complete and perfect enlightenment. Why is this so?

Today the Blessed One has emitted golden radiance from his chest, and every place it illuminates becomes golden in color. This manifestation of the Buddha possesses an exceedingly profound meaning that all the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas in the world could never understand, even if they exhausted their powers of thought and calculation. You still dwell on the ground of ordinary beings and do not contemplate your own minds; therefore, you must drift helplessly through the ocean of birth and death!

Because the Buddhas and bodhisattvas contemplate the mind, they cross beyond the ocean of birth and death and reach the shore of nirvana. The Dharma of the Tathagatas throughout the three times is always thus; their emission of this brilliant radiance is not without causes and conditions!’” When everyone in the assembly heard the Great Being speak in this way, their hearts overflowed with joy and delight, and they regarded it as an unprecedented event.

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Lion’s Roar, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke the following verses:

Homage to the Greatly Awakened Honored One of Devas and Humans,

Whose merit and wisdom, vast as Ganges sands, are wholly perfected.

When beings behold him, loving reverence arises;

His golden-radiant marks are adorned by a hundred blessings.

His station is honored above the three realms;

His supreme merit is beyond compare.

With spiritual powers freely exercised everywhere,

He appears before beings according to their karma.

With my divine eye I contemplate the world:

Among all beings, none can equal the Buddha.

His golden countenance appears like the full moon,

Rarer still than the udumbara flower.

With boundless merit and wisdom he benefits all beings;

His great light shines like a thousand suns.

Beings, deluded and suffering through many kalpas,

Have all their afflictions dispelled when this radiance shines upon them.

I contemplate the Tathagata’s practices and vows of old:

He drew near to and made offerings to countless Buddhas.

Throughout incalculable and immeasurable kalpas,

For beings’ sake, he advanced toward bodhi.

Ever amid the ocean of suffering, birth, and death,

He served as a great navigator, rescuing every kind of being.

He proclaimed the true, pure Dharma, the amrta,

Leading them through the gate of the unconditioned and liberation.

For three incalculable kalpas he liberated beings,

Diligently cultivating eighty thousand paramitas.

With causes perfected and fruits complete, he attained perfect enlightenment,

Abiding peacefully in longevity, neither departing nor returning.

Each of his excellent marks pervades the Dharma realm;

The marks of the Buddhas of the ten directions are all likewise.

Their profound domain is difficult to conceive;

No deva or human can fathom it.

The essence and function of all Buddhas do not differ,

Like a thousand lamps whose radiance only increases.

Their wisdom is like space, without boundary or shore;

Responding to beings, they manifest forms like the moon in water.

The boundless Dharma realm is ever quiescent,

Thusness, unmoving, is like empty space.

The Tathagata’s pure, wondrous Dharma body

Naturally possesses virtues as numerous as Ganges sands.

Pervading the entire Dharma realm without end,

Neither arising nor ceasing, neither departing nor returning,

The Dharma King eternally abides in the Palace of Wondrous Dharma.

The light of the Dharma-body shines throughout all realms.

The Dharma-nature of the Tathagata is unobstructed;

Responding to conditions, he manifests everywhere to benefit sentient beings.

All beings see him directly before them,

As he proclaims for each the Dharma of ambrosia.

According to their minds, he utterly extinguishes all afflictions,

And wholly removes every suffering of gods and humans.

The wondrous Dharma King shatters birth and death;

His radiant light shines like a golden mountain.

To deliver sentient beings from the worldly realm,

He skillfully lights the Dharma torch to dispel the darkness.

Sentient beings sink within the sea of birth and death,

Circling through the five destinies with no prospect of escape.

The Sugata ever serves as the wondrous Dharma vessel,

Stemming the current of craving and reaching the shore of awakening.

His great wisdom and skillful means are beyond measure;

He constantly bestows endless joy upon sentient beings.

He is the loving father of the world,

Who compassionately regards all sentient beings.

The appearance of a Tathagata in the world is exceedingly difficult to encounter;

He manifests but once in countless koṭis of kalpas.

Like the udumbara flower, an omen of “Wondrous Auspiciousness,”

A flower rarely seen among humans and gods,

Which appears but once in immeasurable kalpas—

So too is seeing a Buddha appear in the world.

Those sentient beings who lack merit and wisdom

Are ever submerged in the sea of birth and death.

For koṭis of kalpas they see no Tathagatas,

And, following their evil karma, constantly undergo suffering.

For countless hundreds of thousands of kalpas,

We cultivated the Four Immeasurables and the Three Liberations.

Now we behold the Great Sage, the Venerable Muni,

As a blind turtle encounters a floating log.

We vow that throughout kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in lives to come,

Thought after thought, we shall never leave the Teacher of Gods and Humans.

As a shadow follows its form and never parts from it,

Day and night we shall diligently cultivate toward “All-knowledge.”

We reverently beseech the Blessed One to have compassion upon us

And always allow us to behold the Great Compassionate Venerable One.

With the three kinds of karma diligent and pure, we shall ever uphold and serve him,

Vowing to attain perfect awakening together with all sentient beings.

Now the Great Guide of the three realms,

Seated cross-legged upon his throne, enters right samadhi.

Alone and quiescent within the abode of empty stillness,

His body and mind remain unmoving like Mount Sumeru.

All the Brahmas, gods, and maras of the world

Cannot clearly comprehend the Tathagata’s samadhi.

Ordinary beings and sages in this realm and in other directions

All know that the Tamer abides in meditation.

They arrange many supremely wondrous offerings

And reverently present them to the Mighty Sage, the One of Supreme Virtue.

The gods of the Desire Realm also make offerings;

Celestial flowers fall profusely throughout empty space.

Priceless incense produced by the Ten Virtuous Deeds

Transforms into clouds of incense in a hundred precious hues,

Canopying immeasurable assemblies of gods and humans,

While a mingled rain of wondrous jewels is offered to the Tathagata.

Fragrant aromas waft before the Three Jewels;

Hundreds of thousands of musical instruments resound through empty space.

Untouched, they play by themselves and form wondrous melodies,

Offered to the Blessed One, perfect in merit and wisdom.

The eighteen Brahma heavens scatter celestial flowers

And shower down many thousands and myriads of kinds of jewels.

Maṇi pearl necklaces from the realms of Brahma and Mara

And every treasure adorn the celestial garments.

Bright, magnificent banners fashioned from precious substances

Are brought as offerings to the Venerable Muni.

The Formless Realm heavens scatter precious flowers,

Each flower as broad as a cartwheel.

They scatter subtle fragrances throughout the world

As offerings to the inconceivable right samadhi.

Dragon kings, asuras, humans, and nonhumans,

Moved by devotion, present their many precious jewels.

All offer them to the God Above Gods,

Delighting in hearing the supreme path of bodhi.

Then the Blessed One, the Great King of Physicians,

Who skillfully cures the world’s suffering of afflictions,

Through the power of the Lion’s Stretch Samadhi,

Causes the trichiliocosm to quake in six ways.

Thereby he awakens those possessing affinities;

Those within it who lack affinities can scarcely perceive it.

Those gods and humans who are difficult to deliver

Behold the Buddha’s spiritual powers

And gaze reverently upon the radiant countenance of the Venerable Muni;

Their three kinds of karma purified, they all assemble like clouds.

The Tathagata’s compassionate mind has severed attachment to conditions;

Benefiting sentient beings, he perfects supreme virtue.

From his chest he emits this great radiance,

Called “The Non-retrogressing Bodhisattvas.”

As when, at the end of a kalpa, seven suns

Appear and emit a thousand dazzling rays,

All the light that exists in the world

Cannot equal a single ray from one pore of the Buddha.

Immeasurable, great, spiritually potent, and unobstructed, this light

Illuminates all Buddha-lands throughout the ten directions.

The Tathagata’s merit and wisdom are both perfected;

The spiritual radiance he emits is likewise beyond measure.

The aureole blazes with the hue of gold,

Illuminating the many lands throughout the ten directions.

Reflected within the Buddha’s golden radiance,

All the forms and appearances of the world are clearly seen:

Within this trichiliocosm

Are all the kings of mountains;

Mount Sumeru, formed from four precious substances;

The Snow Mountains, Fragrant Mountains, and Seven Golden Mountains;

Mount Mucilinda and Mount Meru;

The Great Iron Encircling Mountains and the Lesser Mountains;

The great seas, rivers, streams, and bathing pools;

Countless hundreds of koṭis of four great continents;

The sun, moon, stars, and every precious palace;

Celestial palaces, dragon palaces, and palaces of spirits;

Countries, cities, royal palaces, villages, and hamlets—

All appear thus within the aureole.

It also reveals the Tathagata’s former causes,

When he accumulated merit and virtue in quest of Buddhahood.

Long ago, the Tathagata dwelt in the land of Śibi,

Where he served as a human king upon the honored throne.

Precious jewels filled the entire kingdom,

And he constantly awakened and transformed the world through the true Dharma.

Never weary in loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity,

He relinquished what was difficult to relinquish and advanced toward bodhisattvahood.

He cut his own flesh to save a dove, without regret,

Deeply compassionate, he rescued sentient beings.

Long ago, when the Buddha was still an ordinary being,

He entered the Snow Mountains in quest of Buddhahood.

Gathering his mind, courageous and diligent in vigorous practice,

He relinquished his entire body to obtain half a verse.

Through the causes and conditions of seeking the true Dharma,

He transcended twelve kalpas of birth and death.

Long ago, when he was the ascetic youth Sumedha,

He spread his hair as an offering to Dīpaṃkara Buddha.

Because of those causes and conditions of diligent effort,

He crossed beyond eight kalpas in the sea of birth and death.

Long ago, as Prince Sattva,

He relinquished his cherished body and cast it into a tigress’s jaws.

Through these causes and conditions of benefiting others and himself,

He transcended eleven kalpas of causes of birth and death.

As the elder Jalavāhana, the Great King of Physicians,

He impartially rescued and aided many sentient beings.

The fish he saved were all reborn in the heavens,

And celestial pearl necklaces rained down in return for his kindness.

For seven days he stood on tiptoe praising the Tathagata;

Through such diligence, he transcended nine kalpas.

Long ago, he was a white elephant with six tusks,

Whose wondrously beautiful tusks were beyond compare.

He relinquished his own body and life to the hunter,

Seeking the Buddha’s unsurpassed bodhi.

At times he was King Perfect in Merit and Wisdom,

Giving away his eyes and diligently seeking Buddhahood.

Again, he became the great golden-hued deer king,

Relinquishing his body and diligently seeking Buddhahood.

He became King Maitrībala of the land of Kāśī,

Giving his entire body to five yakṣas.

Again, he became King Adornment of a great kingdom,

Giving away his wife and children without regret or reluctance.

At times, as the Bodhisattva Supreme Body,

He gave his head, eyes, hands, and brain to sentient beings.

Through compassion, the bodhisattva acted in these ways,

Always vowing to realize the path of bodhi.

Long ago, the Buddha was once a wheel-turning king,

With precious jewels filling all four continents.

Possessing a thousand sons and a complete retinue,

For hundreds of thousands of kalpas he taught others the Ten Virtuous Deeds.

His realm was peaceful and secure like a celestial palace,

And he enjoyed the five pleasures without end.

Then that wheel-turning king understood that his own body

And the entire world were impermanent and unstable:

The gods of the Heaven of Non-perception live for eighty thousand years,

Yet when their merit is exhausted, they return to the evil destinies.

All is like a dream, an illusion, foam, or a shadow,

Like morning dew or a flash of lightning.

He thoroughly understood that the three realms are like a burning house,

Filled with the eight sufferings, from which escape is difficult.

Until one gains liberation and ascends the shore of awakening,

What person of resolve would delight in samsara?

Only the Tathagata’s world-transcending body

Is unborn, undying, eternally peaceful and blissful.

All those difficult bodhisattva practices

Appear within the golden aureole.

Within this radiance appear eight stupas,

Excellent fields of merit for sentient beings:

The stupa at King Śuddhodana’s palace commemorates the place of his birth;

The stupa beneath the Bodhi tree marks his attainment of Buddhahood;

The stupa in Deer Park marks his turning of the Dharma wheel;

The stupa in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Grove records his renown;

The precious stupa erected beside the City of Hunchbacked Women;

The stupa on Vulture Peak marks his proclamation of prajnaparamita;

The stupa of Vimalakīrti at Āmrapālī Grove;

The stupa among the śāla trees marks his final nirvana.

Thus do the eight stupas of the Buddha commemorate these events;

Gods, dragons, and spirits constantly present offerings to them.

Vajrapāṇi, Lord of Mysteries, and the Four Heavenly Kings

Guard them day and night, never departing.

Whoever builds these eight stupas and makes offerings to them

Will in this very life enjoy lasting merit and longevity;

Their wisdom will increase, and the multitudes will honor them.

May all worldly and supramundane aspirations be perfectly fulfilled.

If anyone reverently bows and contemplates

These eight inconceivable stupas,

The merit of both persons is equal,

And they swiftly realize unsurpassed bodhi.

All such benefits throughout the three times

Are clearly seen within the radiance.

Bodhisattvas from Buddha lands in the ten directions,

All spirit immortals endowed with supernormal powers,

And wheel-turning kings from myriads of kotis of realms

Follow this radiance and gather like clouds.

All employ their spiritual powers to make offerings,

Scattering wish-fulfilling jewels before the Compassionate Honored One.

Hundreds of thousands of kinds of celestial music

Sound forth wondrous melodies without being played;

Heavenly flowers fall profusely, filling the sky,

And every fragrance pervades the great assembly.

Jeweled banners, pennants, and countless jeweled necklaces

Are respectfully presented as offerings to the Honored One Among Humans.

With wondrous verses they praise the Tathagata:

“Excellent indeed, that You constantly abide in right samadhi!

You manifest inconceivable great spiritual powers,

Taming sentient beings who are difficult to transform,

And causing their minds to abide firmly without regression.

In the Buddha’s presence, I wholeheartedly rejoice.

I reverently beseech the Blessed One to emerge from samadhi

And turn the Dharma wheel for all sentient beings,

Forever ending every affliction.

Abiding in the Great Nirvana of non-abiding,

We, whose minds are purified,

Have come from myriads of kotis of realms to hear the Dharma.

Through the power of right samadhi, we constantly contemplate with care.

We reverently beg You compassionately to accept these humble offerings!

The giver, the receiver, and the gift

Are all unattainable throughout the three times.

We abide in the supreme mind

And make offerings to all Buddhas of the ten directions.

Life after life, we draw near to the Lord of Great Compassion

And constantly serve the Great Compassionate Honored One.

With wondrous roots of virtue that are unattainable,

May the perfectly interfused Dharma realm return to true awakening.

Tathagatas of the past entered the quiescent samadhi,

Manifested great spiritual powers, and turned the Dharma wheel.

The present Buddha, the Blessed One, likewise does so:

Entering samadhi and emitting radiance, just as all Buddhas do.

Therefore, we know that the Lion of the Shakyas

Surely intends to expound the gateway of the mind-ground.

Those who wish to leave far behind the causes of birth and death

And certainly attain the true, eternal fruit of the three times,

Join your palms and wait single-mindedly;

You shall enter the Tathagata’s palace of bliss.”