大方廣佛華嚴經

At that time, the heavenly king and the heavenly multitudes,

Hearing of these supreme practices, all rejoiced.

Wishing to make offerings to the Tathagata

And to the great assembly of bodhisattvas,

They scattered flowers, garlands, banners, standards, and canopies,

Fragrant incense, jeweled necklaces, and precious robes—

Limitless and boundless thousands of myriad kinds,

All adorned with mani jewels.

At the same time, heavenly maidens played celestial music,

Sending forth wondrous sounds of every kind throughout,

As offerings to the Buddha and the Buddha’s children,

And together they spoke these words of praise:

Perfect in merit and wisdom, seeing all,

The Buddha, out of compassion for beings, manifests spiritual powers,

Causing the celestial music in the sky

To send forth wondrous sounds heard everywhere.

Within a single pore are seen countless Tathagatas,

As numerous as the dust motes in hundreds of thousands of kotis

Of nayutas of lands,

Dwelling therein and expounding the wondrous Dharma.

Within a single pore are countless lands,

Each containing four continents and great oceans,

Mount Sumeru, the Iron Encircling Mountains, and jeweled mountains;

All are seen within, without confinement or obstruction.

Within a single pore are the six classes of beings:

The three evil destinies, as well as gods and humans,

The multitudes of nagas, spirits, and asuras,

Each undergoing retribution according to their own karma.

In all those lands

There are Tathagatas proclaiming wondrous sounds,

According with the minds of all beings

And turning for them the supreme, pure Dharma wheel.

Within the bodies of the beings of every realm,

There are again realms of every kind;

Gods, humans, and all classes are each distinct,

And the Buddha, knowing them all, teaches them.

Great lands, according to thought, become small;

Small lands, according to thought, also become great.

Such spiritual powers are limitless in number;

All the world together could never recount them fully.

Having sent forth everywhere countless wondrous sounds

And praised the virtues of the Tathagata,

The joyful assembly sat silently,

Single-mindedly gazing upward, wishing to hear the Dharma.

Liberation Moon again said:

“Now this assembly is entirely serene and still.

May you explain in due sequence the characteristics of the practices

By which one enters the wisdom-ground of the Eighth, the Immovable.”

Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said to Liberation Moon Bodhisattva: “O Child of the Buddha! A great bodhisattva on the Seventh Ground, the Far-Traveling, skillfully cultivates wisdom in skillful means, skillfully purifies all paths, and skillfully cultivates the dharmas that aid the Way. Sustained by the power of great vows, supported by the Buddha’s power, and preserved by the power of their own roots of goodness, they constantly recollect the Tathagata’s powers, fearlessnesses, and unique qualities.

They skillfully purify the profound mind of self-awakening and are able to perfect merit and wisdom. With great loving-kindness and great compassion, they do not abandon beings. They enter the path of immeasurable wisdom and enter the realization that all dharmas have originally neither birth nor arising, neither marks nor formation, neither destruction nor transformation, and no intrinsic nature; that this is their nature; and that in the beginning, middle, and end throughout the three times, they are all equal and without distinction.

This is the entry of wisdom into suchness. Free from all conceptions and from the discriminations of mind, thought, and consciousness, grasping at nothing and resembling empty space, they enter all dharmas as having the nature of empty space. This is called attaining the patience regarding the non-arising of dharmas.

“O Children of the Buddha! As soon as a bodhisattva perfects this patience, they enter the Eighth Ground, the Immovable.

“This is the profound practice of a bodhisattva, difficult to know and without differentiation. It is free from all marks, all conceptions, and all attachments. The limitless and boundless multitude of shravakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot attain it.

“This ground is far removed from all clamor and contention; quiescent extinction is constantly present before one.

“It is like a bhikshu endowed with spiritual powers who has attained mastery of mind and successively enters, even as far as the concentration of cessation: all movements of mind, recollections, conceptions, and discriminations entirely cease.

“This great bodhisattva is likewise. Dwelling on the Immovable Ground, they relinquish all practices involving effort and attain the Dharma free from effort. All activities and recollections of body, speech, and mind cease, and they abide in resultant conduct.

“It is like a person who, in a dream, sees themselves fall into a great river. Wishing to escape the danger, they summon great courage and employ great skillful means. Because of that great courage and those great skillful means, they immediately awaken. Once awake, all the actions performed in the dream cease entirely.

“In the same way, a bodhisattva sees beings caught in the four currents and, wishing to rescue them, summons great courage and arouses great diligence. Through courageous diligence, they reach this Immovable Ground. Having reached this ground, all effort ceases. The characteristics of both kinds of practice no longer appear before them.

“O Children of the Buddha! It is like being born in the Brahma world, where the afflictions of the desire realm no longer appear.

“A bodhisattva dwelling on the Immovable Ground is likewise: mind, thought, and consciousness no longer appear at all.

“This great bodhisattva does not even give rise to the mind of a bodhisattva, the mind of a Buddha, the mind of bodhi, or the mind of nirvana, much less to worldly thoughts.

“O Children of the Buddha! Because of the power of this bodhisattva’s original vows, all Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, personally appear before them and bestow the Tathagata’s wisdom, enabling them to enter the gateway of the stream of Dharma. The Buddhas say: ‘This wisdom-patience is foremost in accordance with all Buddha-dharmas. Yet, Good Man, you have not yet attained the Buddhas’ ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and eighteen unique qualities. To perfect these Buddha-dharmas, you must arouse diligence; do not forsake this gateway of wisdom-patience.

“‘Moreover, Good Man, although you have attained quiescent liberation, ordinary beings have not yet realized it. They remain filled with various afflictions and are assailed by many kinds of coarse and subtle thoughts. You must have compassion for those beings.

“‘Moreover, Good Man, you must recall your original vows to benefit all beings universally and enable them all to enter the gateway of inconceivable wisdom.

“‘Moreover, Good Man, these dharmas and this Dharma-nature always abide without change, whether or not a Buddha appears in the world. The Buddhas are not called Tathagatas merely because they have attained this Dharma. All those of the Two Vehicles can also attain this non-discriminating Dharma.

“‘Moreover, Good Man, behold us Buddhas: our bodily characteristics are immeasurable, our wisdom is immeasurable, our radiance is immeasurable, and our pure voices are also immeasurable. You must perfect these qualities.

“‘Good Man, what you have now attained is but this one illumination of Dharma: the discernment that all dharmas are unborn.

“‘Good Man, the Tathagata’s illumination of Dharma has immeasurable entrances, immeasurable activities, and immeasurable transformations. Even throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, these could not be fully known. You must cultivate and perfect this Dharma.

“‘Good Man, contemplate the beings in the immeasurable lands of the ten directions, their immeasurable dharmas, and their immeasurable differences. You must penetrate and understand them all in accordance with reality.’

“O Children of the Buddha! The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, bestow upon this bodhisattva immeasurable gateways for arousing wisdom such as these, enabling the bodhisattva to initiate immeasurable and boundless varieties of activities of wisdom.

“O Children of the Buddha! If the Buddhas did not bestow upon this bodhisattva these gateways for arousing wisdom, the bodhisattva would immediately enter ultimate nirvana, abandoning all practices for benefiting beings.

“Because the Buddhas bestow such immeasurable and boundless gateways for arousing wisdom, in a single thought-moment this bodhisattva generates activities of wisdom. If the meritorious practices cultivated through these activities of wisdom were compared with all the practices cultivated from the initial arising of the aspiration through the Seventh Ground, the latter would not equal even one hundredth of them, nor one part in hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas, nor one innumerable part, one kala part, one calculated part, one numerical part, one analogous part, or even one upanishad part.”

Why is this so? O children of the Buddhas! Formerly, this bodhisattva cultivated practices with a single body. Now, dwelling on this ground, he attains immeasurable bodies and immeasurable voices, by which he guides all sentient beings; immeasurable wisdom; immeasurable births; immeasurable pure lands; the teaching and transformation of immeasurable sentient beings; offerings to immeasurable Buddhas; entry into immeasurable Dharma gateways; the complete possession of immeasurable spiritual powers; immeasurably diverse assemblies and places of enlightenment; and immeasurable deeds of body, speech, and mind, gathering together all bodhisattva practices. This is because of the Dharma of immovability.

O children of the Buddhas! It is like boarding a sailing vessel with the intention of entering the great ocean. Before reaching the ocean, much effort must be exerted. Once the vessel has reached the ocean, however, it travels merely by following the wind and requires no human effort. The distance traveled before reaching the ocean cannot compare with that traveled after entering it.

In the same way, a great bodhisattva accumulates the vast provisions of roots of goodness, boards the vessel of the Great Vehicle, and reaches the ocean of bodhisattva practices. In the space of a single thought, through effortless wisdom, he enters the realm of omniscience. His former effortful practices, even though cultivated throughout immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, cannot compare with this.

O children of the Buddhas! A bodhisattva dwelling on the eighth ground employs the wisdom of great skillful means and gives rise to effortless awakened wisdom, contemplating the sphere of activity of omniscience. He contemplates how worlds come into being and how worlds decay; through what karma they gather and come into being, and through the exhaustion of what karma they decay; how long they take to form and how long they take to decay; how long they remain after forming and how long they remain while decaying—all of which he knows in accordance with reality.

He also clearly knows the small characteristics, great characteristics, immeasurable characteristics, and differentiated characteristics of the earth element. He similarly knows the small and great characteristics, and so forth, of the water, fire, and wind elements. He knows the subtle characteristics of atoms, their differentiated characteristics, and their immeasurably differentiated characteristics.

In whatever world there are aggregates of atoms and differentiated characteristics of atoms, he knows them all in accordance with reality. In whatever world there are earth, water, fire, and wind elements, he knows in accordance with reality how many atoms each contains, how many atoms are in the bodies of sentient beings, and how many atoms are in the bodies of lands. He knows how many atoms compose the large and small bodies of sentient beings.

He knows how many atoms compose the bodies of hell beings, animals, hungry ghosts, asuras, devas, and humans. Thus he attains wisdom that knows the distinctions among atoms. He also knows the formation and decay of the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.

He knows the small characteristics, great characteristics, immeasurable characteristics, and differentiated characteristics of the desire, form, and formless realms. Thus he attains wisdom that contemplates the distinctions within the three realms.

O children of the Buddhas! This bodhisattva further gives rise to illuminating wisdom with which he teaches and transforms sentient beings. That is, he skillfully knows the distinctions among the bodies of sentient beings, skillfully differentiates their bodies, skillfully observes the places where they are born, and, according to how they should be liberated, manifests bodies to teach, transform, and bring them to maturity.

This bodhisattva on this ground, throughout a trichiliocosm, universally manifests births through the light of wisdom in accordance with the differences in the bodies, faith, and understanding of sentient beings. In the same way, throughout two, three, or even hundreds of thousands, up to ineffably many great trichiliocosms, he universally manifests births in accordance with the differences in the bodies, faith, and understanding of sentient beings.

Because this bodhisattva has perfected such wisdom, while his body remains unmoving in one Buddha-land, he manifests his body within assemblies in ineffably many Buddha-lands.

O children of the Buddhas! In accordance with the various differences in the bodies, minds, faith, and understanding of sentient beings, this bodhisattva manifests bodies within the assemblies of those Buddha-lands. Among assemblies of shravanas, he manifests the body of a shravana.

Among assemblies of brahmins, he manifests the body of a brahmin. Among assemblies of kshatriyas, he manifests the body of a kshatriya. Likewise, among assemblies of vaishyas, shudras, householders, the Four Heavenly Kings, the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yama devas, the Tushita devas, the devas who delight in creation, the devas who wield power over the creations of others, the hosts of Mara, the hosts of Brahma, and even assemblies of devas in the Akanishtha Heaven, he manifests a body corresponding to each assembly.

Furthermore, for those who should be liberated by the body of a shravaka, this bodhisattva manifests the body of a shravaka. For those who should be liberated by the body of a pratyekabuddha, he manifests the body of a pratyekabuddha. For those who should be liberated by the body of a bodhisattva, he manifests the body of a bodhisattva. For those who should be liberated by the body of a Buddha, he manifests the body of a Buddha.

O children of the Buddhas! Amid all the distinctions among bodily forms, this bodhisattva abides in equality.

This bodhisattva knows the bodies of sentient beings, the bodies of lands, bodies resulting from karma, the bodies of shravakas, the bodies of pratyekabuddhas, the bodies of bodhisattvas, the bodies of Tathagatas, the wisdom-body, the Dharma-body, and the body of space.

This bodhisattva knows the inclinations of the minds of sentient beings and can take the bodies of sentient beings as his own body; he can also make his body into the bodies of lands, bodies resulting from karma, and even the body of space.

Knowing also the inclinations of the minds of sentient beings, this bodhisattva can take the bodies of lands as his own body; he can also make them into his own body, the bodies of sentient beings, bodies resulting from karma, and even the body of space.

Knowing also the inclinations of the minds of sentient beings, this bodhisattva can take bodies resulting from karma as his own body; he can also make them into the bodies of sentient beings, the bodies of lands, and even the body of space.

Knowing also the inclinations of the minds of sentient beings, he can make his own body into the bodies of sentient beings, the bodies of lands, and even the body of space.

Because the inclinations of sentient beings’ minds differ, the bodhisattva manifests such bodies within this body.

This bodhisattva knows the bodies of sentient beings: bodies formed by accumulated karma, bodies of karmic recompense, bodies of afflictions, bodies of form, and formless bodies. He also knows the bodies of lands: their small characteristics, great characteristics, immeasurable characteristics, defiled characteristics, pure characteristics, vast characteristics, inverted abiding, upright abiding, universal interpenetration, and the differentiated characteristics of the directional net.

He knows that bodies resulting from karma are distinctions established by provisional names. He knows that the bodies of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas are distinctions established by provisional names.

He knows that the body of the Tathagata comprises the body of enlightenment, the body of vows, the transformation body, the body sustained by spiritual power, the body adorned with the marks and excellent characteristics, the mind-born body, the body of merit and virtue, the Dharma-body, and the wisdom-body.

He knows the wisdom-body: the characteristic of skillful reflection and discernment, the characteristic of correct and decisive judgment, the characteristic of gathering practices toward their fruition, the differentiated characteristics of the mundane and supramundane, the differentiated characteristics of the Three Vehicles, shared characteristics, unshared characteristics, the characteristic of emancipation, the characteristic of those still in training, and the characteristic of those beyond training.

He knows the Dharma-body: the characteristic of equality, the characteristic of indestructibility, the distinctions provisionally named in accordance with times and conventions, the differentiated characteristics of the dharmas of sentient and non-sentient beings, and the differentiated characteristics of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

He knows the body of space: its characteristic of immeasurability, its characteristic of all-pervasiveness, its characteristic of formlessness, its characteristic of non-difference, its characteristic of boundlessness, and its characteristic of revealing bodies of form.

O children of the Buddhas! Having perfected such wisdom concerning bodies, the bodhisattva attains mastery over lifespan, mastery over mind, mastery over material resources, mastery over karma, mastery over birth, mastery over vows, mastery over understanding, mastery over wish-fulfillment, mastery over wisdom, and mastery over the Dharma.

Because he attains these ten kinds of mastery, he reaches the stage of inconceivable wisdom, the stage of immeasurable wisdom, the stage of vast wisdom, and the stage of indestructible wisdom.

Having entered in this way and having attained such perfection, this bodhisattva’s actions of body, speech, and mind become ultimately faultless. His body, speech, and mind always function in accordance with wisdom. His prajnaparamita becomes supreme; great compassion comes foremost; he possesses skillful means, skillfully makes distinctions, skillfully gives rise to great vows, receives the empowering protection of the Buddhas, and constantly and diligently cultivates the wisdom that benefits sentient beings throughout boundlessly diverse worlds.

Children of the Buddhas! In summary, when a bodhisattva abides in this Eighth Ground, the Immovable Ground, whatever is done through body, speech, and mind can gather and encompass all Buddhadharmas.

Children of the Buddhas! This bodhisattva abides well in the profound mind, because no affliction becomes active. He abides well in the power of the supreme mind, because he never departs from the Path.

He abides well in the power of great compassion, because he never abandons benefiting sentient beings. He abides well in the power of loving-kindness, because he safeguards all worlds. He abides well in the power of dharani, because he never forgets the Dharma.

He abides well in the power of eloquence, because he skillfully observes and distinguishes all dharmas. He abides well in the power of spiritual abilities, because he travels throughout boundless worlds. He abides well in the power of spiritual abilities, because he travels throughout boundless worlds.

He abides well in the power of great vows, because he never abandons the practices of a bodhisattva. He abides well in the power of the paramitas, because he accomplishes all Buddhadharmas. He obtains the power of the Tathagatas’ mindful protection, because the wisdom of all modes appears before him.

Having attained such powers of wisdom, this bodhisattva can manifest every undertaking, and in all his works there is no error.

Children of the Buddhas! This ground of the bodhisattva’s wisdom is called the Immovable Ground because it cannot be obstructed. It is called the Ground of Non-Retrogression because its wisdom never regresses.

It is called Difficult to Attain because no being in any world can fathom it. It is called the Ground of the Pure Youth because it is free from every fault. It is called the Ground of Birth because one acts freely according to one’s wishes.

It is called the Ground of Accomplishment because there is nothing more to be done. It is called the Ultimate Ground because its wisdom is decisive. It is called the Ground of Transformation because whatever is vowed is accomplished.

It is called the Ground Sustained by Power because others cannot move it. It is called the Ground of Effort because what preceded has already been accomplished.

Children of the Buddhas! A bodhisattva who has perfected such wisdom enters the realm of the Buddhas. The virtues of the Buddhas shine upon him; he accords with the deportment of the Buddhas; the realm of the Buddhas appears before him; and he is constantly protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas. Brahma kings, Sakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and vajra-bearing guardians constantly follow and attend him.

This bodhisattva never abandons the great samadhis and can manifest immeasurably many different bodies. Each body possesses great power, karmically attained spiritual abilities, samadhi, and mastery. Wherever there are sentient beings who should be brought to liberation, he manifests the attainment of perfect enlightenment.

Children of the Buddhas! This bodhisattva enters the assembly of the Mahayana, attains great spiritual abilities, emits great radiance, and enters the unobstructed Dharma realm. He knows the distinctions among worlds and freely manifests all great virtues according to his wishes. He skillfully comprehends the limits of the past and future, subdues every demonic and heterodox path, and deeply enters the realms of the Buddhas, cultivating bodhisattva practices throughout immeasurable lands. Because he has attained the Dharma of non-retrogression, he is said to abide on the Immovable Ground.

Children of the Buddhas! Having come to abide on this Immovable Ground, through the power of samadhi this bodhisattva constantly beholds immeasurably many Buddhas and never ceases to attend and make offerings to them.

In each kalpa and each world, this bodhisattva beholds immeasurable hundreds of Buddhas, immeasurable thousands of Buddhas, and even immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas, honoring and making offerings to them all.

In the presence of the Buddhas, he obtains the Tathagatas’ exceedingly profound treasury of Dharma and receives immeasurably many teachings concerning all the distinctions among worlds.

If anyone comes to question him about such matters as the distinctions among worlds, no one can confound this bodhisattva.

Thus, throughout immeasurable hundreds of kalpas, and even immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas, all the roots of goodness he possesses become ever more luminous and pure.

It is like pure gold fashioned into a precious crown and placed upon the head of a holy wheel-turning king of Jambudvipa: none of the adornments worn by all his ministers and subjects can compare with it.

In the same way, the roots of goodness of a bodhisattva on this ground surpass all the roots of goodness of those of the Two Vehicles and even those of bodhisattvas on the Seventh Ground.

Because a bodhisattva abiding on this ground possesses the great radiance of wisdom, he dispels the darkness of affliction throughout sentient beings, for he skillfully opens the gateway of wisdom.

Children of the Buddhas! It is like a Great Brahma King who rules a thousand worlds: he can universally extend a mind of loving-kindness and emit radiance that fills all thousand worlds.

In the same way, this bodhisattva can emit radiance that universally illuminates worlds as numerous as the dust motes in a million Buddha-lands, causing sentient beings to extinguish the fires of affliction and attain refreshing coolness.

Among the ten paramitas, this bodhisattva chiefly cultivates the paramita of vows; he cultivates the others according to his strength and circumstances.

This is called a brief explanation of the bodhisattva’s Eighth Ground, the Immovable Ground. If it were explained extensively, even immeasurable kalpas would not suffice to exhaust it.

Children of the Buddhas! A great bodhisattva abiding on this ground most often becomes a Great Brahma King who rules a thousand worlds. Supremely excellent and masterful, he is skilled in expounding all meanings. He can bestow the path of the paramitas upon shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas.

In all his practices of giving, kind speech, beneficial conduct, and cooperation, he never departs from mindfulness of the Buddha, and even never departs from mindfulness of the wisdom of all modes.

This bodhisattva further reflects: “Among all sentient beings, I shall be the foremost, the supreme, and even one upon whom those seeking the wisdom of all modes may rely.”

If this bodhisattva employs the power of arousing great diligence, within a single thought he attains samadhis as numerous as the dust motes in a million great trichiliocosms, and even manifests bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust motes in a million great trichiliocosms as his retinue.

If he manifests through the sovereign and extraordinary power of his vows, he surpasses these numbers, and even in hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas they could not be counted or known.

Bodhisattva Vajragarbha, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

On the Seventh Ground, cultivating skillful wisdom,

He skillfully gathers aids to the Path and the power of great vows;

Further upheld and embraced by all the Buddhas,

Seeking supreme wisdom, he enters the Eighth Ground.

His virtues perfected, ever loving and compassionate,

His vast wisdom is equal to empty space;

Hearing the Dharma, he can bring forth the power of certainty—

This is the quiescent patience concerning the non-arising of dharmas.

He knows the marks of dharmas to be unborn and unarisen,

Unaccomplished, equal, and beyond discrimination;

He transcends every activity of mind, like empty space.

Perfecting this patience, he transcends conceptual proliferation.

Exceedingly profound and immovable, he is ever quiescent,

Entirely free from everything found in the worlds.

Abiding on this ground, he makes no distinctions,

Like a bhikshu who has entered the samadhi of cessation.

Like one who crosses a river in a dream, but on waking it is no more;

Like one born in the Brahma Heaven, wholly freed from sensual desire.

Through the power of his original vows, the Buddhas exhort him,

Praise his lofty wisdom and patience, and confer consecration upon him,

Saying: “The Buddhadharmas that are ours

You have not yet attained; you must be diligent.

Although you have extinguished the fires of affliction,

The afflictions of the worlds still blaze fiercely.

You must remember your original vows to liberate beings

And cause them all to cultivate the causes leading to liberation.

The true and eternal Dharma-nature is apart from thoughts of mind;

Those of the Two Vehicles also attain this.

One does not become a World-Honored One for this reason,

But only through exceedingly profound and unobstructed wisdom.”

The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, teachers of gods and humans,

Bestow wisdom upon him and instruct him to contemplate:

All the boundless Buddhadharmas are then accomplished,

And a single thought surpasses all his previous practices.

The bodhisattva abiding on this ground

Then attains vast powers of spiritual ability;

In a single thought, he emanates bodies throughout the ten directions,

Like a ship entering the sea, propelled by the wind.

His mind is effortless, his wisdom functions spontaneously;

He knows the formation, destruction, and abiding of lands,

All the different categories of realms,

And their immeasurable sizes, both great and small.

The four great elements within a great trichiliocosm,

The differing bodies of beings throughout the six paths,

And the number of jewels and dust motes as well—

With wisdom he observes and knows them all without remainder.

The bodhisattva can know them all without remainder.

The bodhisattva can know every kind of body;

To liberate sentient beings, he manifests bodies like theirs.

Immeasurable lands are of many different kinds,

All like the sun and moon in empty space.

Their reflections appear in all bodies of water;

Abiding in the Dharma realm, he remains unmoved.

According to their minds, he manifests reflections in the same way,

In accordance with the inclinations of sentient beings.

In every assembly he manifests a body—

As a shravaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva;

He even manifests the body of a Buddha in them all.

Sentient beings, lands, karmic-retribution bodies,

The wisdom-bodies and Dharma-bodies of all noble ones,

And the characteristics of space-bodies are all equal;

For the sake of all sentient beings, they are manifested.

Through ten gateways of noble wisdom, they contemplate everywhere,

And, in accord with loving-kindness and compassion, cultivate their practices;

All Buddha-Dharmas are fully accomplished,

And their observance of precepts is unmoving like Mount Sumeru.

Having perfected the Ten Powers, they cannot be shaken;

No host of maras can sway them.

The Buddhas protect and keep them in mind, and heavenly kings revere them;

Vajrapani, the Lord of Secrets, constantly guards them.

The merits of those at this stage are boundless;

They could not be fully described in thousands of millions of kalpas.

Their roots of goodness from making offerings to Buddhas become ever brighter and purer,

Like the jewel-light upon the crown of a noble king.

Bodhisattvas dwelling on the eighth ground

Often become Brahma kings, lords of a thousand worlds;

They expound the Three Vehicles without end,

And their light of loving-kindness shines everywhere, dispelling afflictions.

The samadhis they realize in a single thought

Number as many as the dust motes in a million lands;

The practices they undertake are equal in number,

While the manifestations produced through the power of their vows surpass even these.

The bodhisattvas’ eighth ground, the Immovable Ground,

I have now briefly explained for the assembly.

Were I to expound it extensively and in due sequence,

Even after ten billion kalpas, I could not finish.

When Vajragarbha spoke of the eighth ground,

The spiritual powers of the Tathagatas present there

Caused the lands throughout the ten directions to quake—

Countless billions, inconceivable in number.

The Supreme Honored One, the Perfectly Enlightened One,

From his Buddha-body everywhere emitted great light,

Illuminating lands as numerous as measureless dust motes

And bringing peace and happiness to all sentient beings.

Countless hundreds of thousands of millions of bodhisattvas

All appeared at once, standing in midair;

With supremely wondrous offerings surpassing those of the devas,

They made offerings to the unsurpassed, most victorious one.

The Great Sovereign Kings and the Sovereign Devas

All rejoiced together with boundless gladness;

Each presented every kind of offering

To the One of exceedingly profound merit.

There were also billions of heavenly maidens,

Whose bodies and minds rejoiced beyond measure;

Together they played countless kinds of music

As offerings to the great guide of devas and humans.

At that time, all the music sounded in harmony,

In hundreds of thousands of millions of countless modes;

Through the awesome spiritual power of the Tathagata,

It produced wondrous sounds that offered praise:

Serene, gentle, free from defilement and harm,

They skillfully cultivate according to the stage they have entered.

Their minds, like space, extend throughout the ten directions,

Expounding the Buddha Way extensively to liberate all beings.

In every place throughout heaven and the human realm,

They manifest peerless, wondrous adornments.

Born from the Buddha’s merit,

These cause all who behold them to delight in the Buddha’s wisdom.

Without leaving a single land, they reach all sentient beings,

Like the moon appearing everywhere and illuminating the world.

Sounds and mental thoughts are all extinguished,

As an echo resounding through a mountain valley.

If there are sentient beings of inferior resolve,

For them they expound the practices of the shravakas.

If keen-minded beings delight in becoming pratyekabuddhas,

For them they explain the path of the Middle Vehicle.

If any are compassionate and delight in liberating beings,

For them they teach the bodhisattva practices.

If any possess the most excellent mind of wisdom,

They teach them the unsurpassed Dharma of the Tathagata.

Just as an illusionist performs various feats,

Whose many forms and appearances are all unreal,

So too is the bodhisattva’s illusory wisdom:

Though manifesting everything, it is free from existence and nonexistence.

When the music had resounded in a thousand such ways

And finished praising the Buddha, it became silent.

Vimuktichandra again made a request on behalf of the assembly:

“Please explain the practices of the ninth ground.”

Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said to Vimuktichandra Bodhisattva: “O Child of the Buddha! Having used such measureless wisdom to reflect and contemplate, a great bodhisattva who seeks the supreme liberation of quiescence then cultivates the Tathagata’s wisdom: entering the gateways of dharanis and samadhis, the secret Dharma of the Tathagata, contemplation, inconceivable great wisdom, and purity of nature.

“Endowed with vast spiritual powers, the bodhisattva enters the diverse worlds; cultivates the Ten Powers, the fearlessnesses, and the unique qualities; follows the Buddhas in turning the Dharma wheel; and never abandons great compassion or the power of their original vows. The bodhisattva then enters the ninth bodhisattva ground, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom.

“O Children of the Buddha! A bodhisattva dwelling on this Ground of Excellent Wisdom knows in accordance with reality the practices of all dharmas: wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate; with outflows and without outflows; worldly and world-transcending; conceivable and inconceivable; fixed and unfixed; those of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas; and the practices of conditioned and unconditioned dharmas.

“With such wisdom, this bodhisattva knows in accordance with reality the dense forests of sentient beings: their minds, afflictions, karma, faculties, understandings, dispositions, inclinations and desires, latent tendencies, modes of rebirth, continuing habitual propensities, and the distinctions within the dense forest of the three groups.

“This bodhisattva knows in accordance with reality the various characteristics of sentient beings’ minds, including the characteristics of arising in combination, swift transformation, destruction, indestructibility, having ignorance as their substance, boundlessness, purity, defilement, freedom from defilement, bondage, freedom from bondage, being fashioned like illusions, and taking birth according to the various classes of beings. Thus the bodhisattva knows in accordance with reality the hundreds of thousands of millions of measureless characteristics of sentient beings’ minds.

“The bodhisattva also knows the various characteristics of afflictions, including the characteristics of having operated since the distant past, giving rise to boundless consequences, not being abandoned until the end of life, concealment and arising being of a single nature, association with the mind, nonassociation with the mind, abiding according to the class of rebirth, distinctions among the three realms, and the harm wrought by craving, views, delusion, and pride, which pierce deeply like arrows, while the causes and conditions of the three kinds of karma remain unbroken. In brief, the bodhisattva knows in accordance with reality as many as eighty-four thousand characteristics of afflictions.

“The bodhisattva also knows the characteristics of the three kinds of karma, including the characteristics of being wholesome, unwholesome, or indeterminate; manifest or unmanifest; arising together with the mind and never separating from it; momentarily perishing according to the nature of their causes, yet successively accumulating results that are never lost; having recompense or having no recompense; receiving various dark consequences; resembling boundless fields; differing for ordinary beings and noble ones; being experienced in the present life, the next life, or later lives; belonging to a vehicle or not belonging to a vehicle; and being indeterminate. In brief, the bodhisattva knows in accordance with reality as many as eighty-four thousand characteristics of karma.

“The bodhisattva also knows the inferior, intermediate, and superior characteristics of the various faculties and dispositions; their characteristics in the beginning and later periods; their distinctions and absence of distinctions; the characteristics of afflictions arising together with them and never separating from them; the characteristics of belonging to a vehicle or not belonging to a vehicle, being fixed or unfixed, mature and gentle; the characteristics of faculties that readily follow conditions until they deteriorate; the characteristics of regression and nondifferentiation; and the characteristics of being separate and of arising together without being identical. In brief, the bodhisattva knows in accordance with reality as many as eighty-four thousand such characteristics.

“The bodhisattva also knows the superior, intermediate, and inferior characteristics of intellectual understanding; the superior, intermediate, and inferior characteristics of various dispositions; and the superior, intermediate, and inferior characteristics of inclinations and desires. Each category, stated briefly, comprises as many as eighty-four thousand characteristics.

“The bodhisattva also knows the various characteristics of latent tendencies: the characteristic of arising together with the innermost mind; the characteristic of arising together with the mind; the distinctive characteristics of being associated or not associated with the mind; the characteristic of having operated since the distant past; the characteristic of never having been eliminated since beginningless time; the characteristic of opposing all dhyanas, liberations, samadhis, samapattis, and spiritual powers; the characteristic of binding beings to rebirth in the three realms; the characteristic of causing an endless succession of mental states to arise; the characteristic of opening the gateways to the various ayatanas; the characteristic of being firm and difficult to cure;

the characteristic of being established or not established according to the grounds and stations; and the characteristic of being uprooted only by the noble path.

“The bodhisattva also knows the various characteristics of taking birth: the characteristic of taking birth according to karma; distinctions among the six classes of beings; distinctions between form and formlessness; distinctions between perception and nonperception; karma serving as the field, the water of craving moistening it, ignorance covering it, and consciousness serving as the seed that produces the sprout of future existence; the characteristic of name-and-form arising together and never separating; the characteristic of delusion and craving seeking various bodies; the characteristic of beginningless craving and attachment in the desire to receive and obtain birth; and the characteristic of craving and seeking while falsely imagining that one has escaped the three realms.

“The bodhisattva also knows the various characteristics of habitual propensities, namely: the distinctive characteristics of what is practiced and what is not practiced; the characteristic of being perfumed by the conduct of sentient beings; the characteristic of being perfumed by karma and afflictions; the characteristic of being perfumed by what is wholesome, unwholesome, or indeterminate; the characteristic of being perfumed in accordance with entering future existence; the characteristic of successive perfuming; the characteristic of being perfumed by afflictions that have long remained unsevered and unrenounced; the characteristic of being perfumed by what is real or unreal;

and the characteristic of being perfumed through seeing, hearing, and drawing near to shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Tathagatas.”

He also knows the characteristics of beings who are rightly determined, wrongly determined, or undetermined. These are: the characteristics of right view and right determination; wrong view and wrong determination; and those who, being in neither category, are undetermined; the characteristics of those who commit the five heinous offenses and are wrongly determined, those who possess the five faculties and are rightly determined, and those who, being in neither category, are undetermined; the characteristics of those who do not follow what is wrong yet are wrongly determined, those whose nature is right and who are rightly determined, and those who, being apart from both, are undetermined;

the characteristics of those who cling deeply to false teachings and are wrongly determined, those who cultivate and practice the noble path and are rightly determined, and those who, abandoning both, are undetermined.

O children of the Buddhas! A bodhisattva who accords with wisdom in this way is said to abide on the Ground of Excellent Wisdom.

Having attained this ground, he clearly knows the diverse practices of beings and teaches, trains, and subdues them so that they may attain liberation.

O children of the Buddhas! This bodhisattva can skillfully expound the Dharma of the shravaka vehicle, the Dharma of the pratyekabuddha vehicle, the Dharma of the bodhisattva vehicle, and the Dharma of the Tathagata ground.

In all his practices, wisdom takes the lead, and wherever he goes, wisdom follows. Thus, in accordance with beings’ faculties, dispositions, desires, and understandings; their differing practices and differing kinds; and their rebirths, afflictions, latent bonds, karma, and habitual tendencies, he teaches the Dharma so that they give rise to faith and understanding, increase in wisdom, and each attain liberation within their own vehicle.

O children of the Buddhas! A bodhisattva abiding on this Ground of Excellent Wisdom becomes a great Dharma teacher, fully endowed with the practices of a Dharma teacher. He skillfully preserves the Tathagata’s treasury of Dharma and, through immeasurable wisdom and skillful means, gives rise to the four unobstructed kinds of eloquence. Using the language of bodhisattvas, he teaches the Dharma.

This bodhisattva constantly accords with the four unobstructed knowledges in his teaching and never relinquishes them, even for a moment.

What are the four? They are unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, unobstructed knowledge of meaning, unobstructed knowledge of expression, and unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition.

Through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, this bodhisattva knows the individual characteristics of all dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows the distinguishing characteristics of all dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he speaks without error. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he teaches the Dharma continuously and inexhaustibly.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows the intrinsic nature of all dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows the arising and cessation of all dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he continuously explains the establishment of all dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he teaches boundless Dharma without disrupting whatever has been established.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows the distinctions among present dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows the distinctions among past and future dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he speaks without error concerning the past, present, and future. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he clearly explains boundless dharmas in each age.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows the distinctions among dharmas. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows distinctions in meaning. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he speaks in accordance with the languages and sounds of every kind of being. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he speaks in accordance with what delights their minds.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he uses knowledge of dharmas to know distinctions without differentiation. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows distinctions as they truly are. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he uses differentiated worldly knowledge to teach the Dharma. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he skillfully teaches the Dharma with knowledge of the ultimate truth.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows that the single characteristic of all dharmas is indestructible. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he skillfully knows the skandhas, ayatanas, dhatus, truths, and dependent origination. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he teaches the Dharma of conventional truth using every beautiful sound and written character intelligible to the world.

Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he teaches the Dharma of the supreme truth by means of boundless illuminations of Dharma. Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows the equal nature of the One Vehicle. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows the distinctive natures of the various vehicles.

Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he explains that all vehicles are without distinction. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he explains the boundless teachings of each vehicle.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows all the practices of bodhisattvas—practices of wisdom and practices of Dharma—as they are realized. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows the differing meanings of the stages and positions of the Ten Grounds. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he explains the undifferentiated characteristics of the paths of the grounds. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he explains the boundless modes of practice on each ground.

Furthermore, through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows that all Tathagatas attain perfect awakening in a single thought. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows the distinctions among all times and places. Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he explains the distinctions in attaining perfect awakening. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he could speak for immeasurable kalpas upon each sentence of Dharma without exhausting it.

Through unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, he knows all the Tathagatas’ languages, powers of knowledge, fearlessnesses, unique qualities, great loving-kindness, great compassion, manifestations, skillful means, turning of the Dharma wheel, omniscience, and knowledge attained through personal realization. Through unobstructed knowledge of meaning, he knows how the Tathagata accords with the distinctions among beings’ eighty-four thousand mental activities, faculties, understandings, and voices.

Through unobstructed knowledge of expression, he teaches the Dharma in accordance with the practices of all beings, using the Tathagata’s various distinct sounds. Through unobstructed knowledge of eloquent exposition, he teaches the Dharma in accordance with beings’ faith and understanding, using the Tathagata’s pure wisdom and perfectly fulfilled practices.

O children of the Buddhas! A bodhisattva abiding on the Ninth Ground attains such skillful unobstructed knowledge, acquires the treasury of the Buddha-Dharma, and becomes a great Dharma teacher. He attains the dharani of meaning, the dharani of Dharma, the dharani of wisdom, the dharani of radiant illumination, the dharani of excellent wisdom, the dharani of manifold resources, the dharani of majestic virtue, the dharani of unobstructed gateways, the dharani of boundless limits, the dharani of manifold meanings, and a hundred myriads of asamkhyas of gateways of dharani. He perfects all of these and teaches the Dharma through a hundred myriads of countless gateways of skillful sounds and eloquence.

After attaining a hundred myriads of countless gateways of dharani such as these, this bodhisattva goes to the presence of immeasurable Buddhas. Before each Buddha, he uses these hundred myriads of countless gateways of dharani to hear the true Dharma. Having heard it, he never forgets it, and he expounds it to other great assemblies through immeasurable distinct gateways.

As soon as this bodhisattva sees a Buddha, he bows his head in reverence. In the Buddha’s presence, he immediately attains immeasurable Dharma gateways.

Great shravakas endowed with learning and wisdom could not receive and comprehend in hundreds of thousands of kalpas the Dharma gateways he has attained.

Having attained such dharanis and such unobstructed knowledge, this bodhisattva sits upon the Dharma seat and teaches the Dharma.

To all beings throughout a great trichiliocosm, he teaches the Dharma according to the differing inclinations of their minds.

Except for the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas who have received consecration, no other assembly can equal this bodhisattva in majestic virtue and radiant light.

When this bodhisattva sits upon the Dharma seat and wishes to use a single sound to enable all the great assemblies to understand clearly, they immediately understand clearly.

At times, he wishes to use various sounds to enable all the great assemblies to awaken.

At times, he wishes to emit great light and expound Dharma gateways.

At times, he wishes every pore of his body to proclaim the sounds of Dharma.

At times, he wishes all things, whether visible or invisible, throughout a great trichiliocosm to proclaim the words and sounds of the wondrous Dharma.

At times, he utters a single sound and the entire Dharma realm understands it clearly.

At times, he wishes all sounds of speech to become sounds of Dharma, abiding forever and never perishing.

At times, he wishes all the pipes, flutes, bells, drums, every sound of music, and every song and chant in all worlds to proclaim the sounds of Dharma.

At times, he wishes a single written character to contain in full all Dharma phrases and all the distinctions among spoken sounds.

At times, he wishes that throughout ineffably immeasurable worlds, within the four great elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, every one of all the motes of dust should proclaim ineffable Dharma gateways.

Whatever he wishes in all such ways manifests and is accomplished in accordance with his mind.

Children of the Buddha! Suppose all the beings throughout the great trichiliocosm were to come before this bodhisattva, and each being, using innumerable different voices, were to pose questions and challenges, every question and challenge differing from all the others. Within a single thought of all those beings, the bodhisattva would skillfully receive them all, yet with a single voice would explain everything universally, causing them all to rejoice.

In the same way, extending even to all beings in ineffable worlds throughout ineffable worlds, the bodhisattva is able to accord with their mental inclinations, faculties, and understandings in teaching the Dharma. Relying upon the spiritual power of the Buddha, the bodhisattva extensively performs the work of the Buddha and becomes a refuge for all everywhere.

Children of the Buddha! This bodhisattva further arouses diligence and perfects luminous wisdom. Suppose that within a single pore there were assemblies of Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes in ineffable worlds; that each assembly contained beings as numerous as the dust motes in ineffable worlds; and that each being possessed dispositions and inclinations as numerous as the dust motes in ineffable worlds. Those Buddhas, according with the dispositions and inclinations of the beings, would each bestow Dharma gates upon them.

As it is within one pore, so it is everywhere throughout the entire Dharma Realm. All the innumerable Dharma gates spoken by the Buddhas in this way are received in their entirety by the bodhisattva within a single thought, without ever being forgotten.

Children of the Buddha! The bodhisattva dwelling on this ninth ground is diligent day and night and never entertains any other thought. The bodhisattva enters only the realm of the Buddhas and draws near to the Tathagatas, enters the exceedingly profound liberations of the bodhisattvas, constantly abides in right samadhi, and constantly beholds the Buddhas without ever leaving them. In each kalpa, the bodhisattva beholds innumerable Buddhas, innumerable hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and even innumerable hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of Buddhas, revering and making offerings to them all and inquiring about the Dharma. Having attained the dharanis of the Dharma teachings, all the roots of goodness possessed by the bodhisattva become increasingly radiant and pure.

It is like pure gold that a skilled artisan fashions into the precious radiant crown worn by a wheel-turning sage-king: none of the ornaments belonging to his ministers, subjects, or the kings of lesser countries can equal it.

The roots of goodness of a bodhisattva on the ninth ground are likewise. The roots of goodness of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas on the lower grounds cannot equal them.

Children of the Buddha! It is like the great Brahma king, lord of a world-system of two thousand worlds, whose body emits light capable of illuminating every dark and distant place throughout that world-system. The roots of goodness of this bodhisattva are likewise. They can emit light that illuminates the minds of beings and completely dispels the darkness of their afflictions.

Among the ten paramitas, for this bodhisattva the paramita of power is foremost, while the others are cultivated according to capacity and circumstance. Children of the Buddha! This is a brief explanation of the ninth ground of the great bodhisattva, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom. Were it explained in detail, it could not be exhausted even after innumerable kalpas.

Children of the Buddha! A bodhisattva dwelling on this ninth ground often becomes a great Brahma king, lord of a world-system of two thousand worlds. The bodhisattva governs skillfully and freely brings benefit to others; is able to explain the practices of the paramitas to shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas; accords skillfully with the minds of beings; and cannot be confounded by questions or challenges.

The bodhisattva’s practices of giving, kind speech, beneficial conduct, and cooperation never depart from mindfulness of the Buddha, and even never depart from mindfulness of omniscience.

The bodhisattva further reflects: “Among all beings, I shall be the foremost, the most excellent, and even one upon whom those seeking omniscience may rely.”

If this bodhisattva arouses diligence, then within a single thought the bodhisattva attains samadhis as numerous as the dust motes in a million countless lands, and even manifests bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust motes in a million countless lands as an accompanying retinue.

If the bodhisattva manifests freely through the power of supreme vows, the number surpasses even this and cannot be reckoned throughout hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas of kalpas.

The Bodhisattva Vajragarbha, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke these verses:

With immeasurable powers of wisdom, skillfully contemplating,

The supreme and subtle, difficult for the world to know,

They enter everywhere the mysteries of the Buddhas

And, to benefit beings, enter the Ninth Ground.

In dharanis and samadhis they attain complete mastery;

Having gained great spiritual powers, they enter all lands.

Powers, wisdoms, fearlessnesses, and unique qualities—

Through vows, power, and compassion, they enter the Ninth Ground.

Dwelling upon this ground, they preserve the treasury of Dharma

And understand the wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate;

The conditioned and unconditioned, mundane and supramundane,

The conceivable and inconceivable—all are skillfully known.

Whether dharmas are definite or indefinite,

They contemplate the cultivation of all Three Vehicles;

They understand the distinctions among conditioned and unconditioned practices,

And, knowing them thus, enter the world.

If they wish to understand the minds of beings,

They can know them as they truly are through wisdom:

Their many swift changes, their decay and non-decay,

Their immaterial, boundless, and other characteristics;

Boundless afflictions constantly arising together,

Suppressed or active, with one meaning connecting their many kinds.

They know each distinct category of karma,

Its causes’ decay and the aggregation of its fruits;

The faculties and dispositions of every kind—low, middle, and high—

And the immeasurable differences between their past and future limits.

Understandings, dispositions, and inclinations are likewise;

All eighty-four thousand are completely known.

The deluded views of beings continually follow and turn,

An beginningless dense forest not yet cut away;

They arise together with volition and mind,

Ever binding one another without interruption.

They are not real entities, but only false conceptions;

They never depart from mind and have no location.

The states of dhyana remove them, yet they may return;

Only the vajra path extinguishes them completely.

The births undergone within the six classes all differ;

Karma is the field, craving the moisture, and ignorance the covering;

Consciousness is the seed, and name-and-form the sprout—

Throughout the three realms, beginninglessly continuing.

Delusion, karma, and habitual mind produce their many kinds;

Apart from delusion and karma, no further birth occurs.

Among delusion, karma, and mind, beings

Either sink into clinging to views or accomplish the path.

The bodhisattva on this ground contemplates skillfully

And accords with beings’ mental inclinations, faculties, and understandings;

With wondrous, unobstructed eloquence,

The bodhisattva teaches the Dharma according to those to be liberated.

Seated upon the Dharma throne like a lion,

Like a lordly bull or the king of jeweled mountains,

And also like a Dragon King spreading dense clouds,

The bodhisattva pours ambrosial rain that fills the great ocean.

Skillfully knowing the nature of dharmas and their profound meanings,

The bodhisattva accords with language and teaches eloquently;

Countless hundreds of thousands of dharanis

Are like the great ocean holding the rainwater.

Dharanis and samadhis are all purified;

Within a single thought, the bodhisattva beholds many Buddhas,

Hears the Dharma from each and every Buddha,

And then expounds it with a wondrous voice.

If the bodhisattva wishes to pervade the great trichiliocosm

And teach and transform all multitudes of beings,

Like clouds spreading everywhere,

The bodhisattva accords with their faculties and inclinations, causing all to rejoice.

Within a pore are innumerable assemblies of Buddhas,

And the inclinations of beings are also without limit;

According with their minds, Dharma gates are bestowed upon them—

Throughout the entire Dharma Realm it is likewise.

The bodhisattva diligently increases the power of vigor

And thereby gains ever more excellent merit;

The bodhisattva hears and retains immeasurable Dharma gates,

Like the earth capable of sustaining every seed.

Immeasurable beings throughout the ten directions

All draw near and sit within the assembly;

In one thought, according to their minds, they all pose questions,

And a single utterance answers all, bringing complete satisfaction.

Dwelling upon this ground, the bodhisattva becomes a Dharma King,

Teaching according to capacities without weariness;

Day and night beholding Buddhas, never leaving them,

The bodhisattva enters the wisdom-liberation of profound quiescence.

Through offerings to Buddhas, the roots of goodness shine ever brighter,

Like the wondrous jeweled crown upon a king’s head;

Through them, beings put an end to their afflictions,

As the light of the Brahma king illuminates everywhere.

One upon this ground often appears as a Great Brahma King,

Liberating beings through the Dharma of the Three Vehicles;

Cultivating wholesome karma, the bodhisattva benefits all everywhere,

And ultimately shall attain omniscience.

Within a single thought, the bodhisattva enters samadhis

As numerous as the dust motes in countless worlds;

The Buddhas beheld and their Dharma teachings are equal in number,

While manifestations through the power of vows surpass even these.

This is the ninth, the Ground of Excellent Wisdom,

Cultivated by great bodhisattvas;

It is exceedingly profound, subtle, and difficult to perceive—

I have proclaimed it for the children of the Buddha.