Chapter 54: Maitreya
Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, his mind moistened by the instructions of the kalyāṇamitra, contemplated bodhisattva conduct. Thinking of how his many bodies in the past had failed to practice perfect conduct, he made resolute the strength of his body. Thinking of how his body and mind throughout the past, even though pure, were the worthless continuation of a saṃsāric mind, he applied the attention of his mind to conduct. Thinking how his actions throughout the past had been impure, had been devoted to the world, and were worthless hardships, he contemplated accomplishing in the present that which is very meaningful. Thinking how throughout the past he had developed thoughts through incorrect examination, he generated the strength to create the correct examination of bodhisattva conduct. Thinking how his past bodies had a range of activity1974 dedicated to engaging in self-benefit, he made firm the strength of his superior, higher motivation to engage in benefiting1975 all beings. Thinking how in the past he had the flavorless conduct of continually seeking what was desired, he increased the great force of the power for attaining relief through engaging in obtaining the Dharma of the buddhas. Thinking how in the past he had engaged in conduct through an incorrect motivation, he purified1976 the flow of his mind in the present with a correct view that was free of error and with dedication to bodhisattva prayer. Thinking how in the past he fruitlessly had no diligence in his undertakings and practiced without diligence, in the present he motivated his mind and body by generating the diligence for remaining prepared to gather the Dharmas of the buddhas. Examining how he and others had been lost in the lower realms and1977 the five classes of beings, and thinking how in the past he had not taken care of his body, he increased a vast, powerful rejoicing and aspiration for maintaining a body with the power to accomplish all the Dharmas of the buddhas, take care of all beings, and serve all kalyāṇamitras.
He looked upon the body he had attained at that present time as the basis for illness, death, and misery, as a treasure that comes together and comes apart, and as the cause and condition for dedication to the practice of bodhisattva conduct until the last future kalpa; for dedication to ripening beings and possessing1978 the Dharma of the buddhas; for dedication to seeing the tathāgatas, going to all realms, venerating all dharmabhāṇakas, and acquiring the teachings of all the tathāgatas; for help in the search for all Dharmas; for dedication to seeing all kalyāṇamitras and gathering all the Dharma of the buddhas; and for bodhisattva prayers and a body of wisdom.1979 Thus he increased the inconceivable power and force of his roots of merit.
With such a motivation, such thoughts, and such fundamental dedication, with the faith that is created by the belief of all bodhisattvas, with the regard that is created by the aspirations of all bodhisattvas, with the respect that is created by the higher motivation of all bodhisattvas, with the reverence that is created by the power of the belief of all bodhisattvas, with the strength of the power of belief that is created by the aspiration to buddhas1980 by all bodhisattvas, with the mind’s belief that comes forth from the veneration of all bodhisattvas, with the accumulation of roots of merit that arise from the faith of all bodhisattvas, with the different kinds of offerings that are created from all the activities of all bodhisattvas, with the body having the hands placed together in homage in the same way as that of all bodhisattvas, looking with the different kinds of vision of the bodies of all beings, with the equality of the Dharma of all who are designated as bodhisattvas for all who are designated as beings, with countless designated bodies bowing and paying homage that come from the miraculous manifestations through the prayers of all bodhisattvas,1981 with the accomplishment of the display of recited praises that come from the aspects of the voices of all bodhisattvas, filled with the blessing of all the bodhisattvas in the past and present,1982 with the direct perception of the residence of the tathāgatas, with the all-pervading enlightenment miraculously manifested by the tathāgatas and bodhisattvas, following the bodies of all bodhisattvas pervading nothing greater than a single hair, with the perception illuminated by the higher cognition that conceives of the pure path of vision of all bodhisattvas, with the mental āyatana that follows all the different networks of the directions, with the strength that accomplishes the prayer that pervades all the different surfaces in the realm of phenomena, with the gateways for entering all the Dharma pervading everywhere to the ends of the realm of space, continuously and with no difference in the three times, with the strength of entering faith and aspiration, and with the illumination of the instructions of the kalyāṇamitras spreading into the directions reaching the shore of the ocean of realms, Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, in that way, with a mind following such a perception of respect, veneration, offering, praise, homage, the blessing of seeing, and prayer, with the eyes of wisdom that comprehended such a level of the immeasurable field of activity of wisdom, prostrated himself at the door of the great kūṭāgāra called Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha.
In that way, for a moment he examined that kind of accomplishment and, through the power of accomplishment through the higher motivation and prayer that arise from aspiration and faith, was empowered to continuously be at the feet of all the tathāgatas.
In the same way, he was empowered to be directly before all bodhisattvas, before the locations of all kalyāṇamitras, before all the caityas of the tathāgatas, before all the statues of the tathāgatas, before all the palaces of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, before all the locations of the precious Dharma, and before the locations and caityas of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. He was continuously and directly present in all the gatherings of beings up to the gatherings of the āryas, in the places of offering, and before gurus and parents, through the way of undifferentiated wisdom bodies going everywhere with empowered perception and empowered by the mental activity of wisdom.
Just as there were those perceptions at the door of the great Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha kūṭāgāra, which have just been described, he was empowered in the same way to bow down and pay homage throughout the entire realm of phenomena. He was thus empowered continuously, throughout the future, by sameness with the extent of the measureless realm of space, by sameness with the realm of phenomena without obscuration, by sameness with reaching the limits of existences, by sameness with the nonconceptual true nature,1983 by sameness with the pervasion of shadow-like knowledge and perceptions, by sameness with dream-like analysis, by sameness with reflection-like perception of all worlds and beings, by sameness with echo-like origination from causes and conditions, by sameness with birthlessness, by sameness with origination and destruction,1984 and by sameness with causes and conditions that have the same nature as nonexistence, so that he was aspiring to ripening that occurs in accordance with karma; aspiring to results that occur in accordance with causes; aspiring to all activities that arise in accordance with accumulations; aspiring to the arising of all tathāgatas, which occurs in accordance with faith; aspiring to the emanation of offerings to all buddhas, which occurs in accordance with aspiration; aspiring to the miraculous manifestations of all tathāgatas, which occur according to veneration; aspiring to the nature of all the buddhas, which occurs in accordance with the accumulation of roots of merit; aspiring to the accomplishment of displays, which occurs in accordance with method and wisdom; aspiring to the Dharmas of all buddhas, which occur according to prayer; aspiring to all bodhisattva conduct and its all-pervasive display of the accomplishment of the entire realm of phenomena as the field of perception of omniscience, which occur according to prayers of dedication,1985 and with the wisdom of prayers of dedication, which is free from the conception of nothingness;1986 with the wisdom of birthlessness, which is free from the conception of eternality;1987 with the wisdom of entry into correct conduct and the accumulation of causes, which is free from false views concerning causes and actions;1988 with the nonerroneous1989 wisdom that is free from erroneous views; with the wisdom of nondependence, which is free from the view of independence; with the wisdom that understands dependence, which is free from the view of the concept of self and other; with the wisdom that enters the realm of phenomena that has no center or edge, which is free from the view that fixates on extremes; with the wisdom that accomplishes similarity to reflections,1990 which is free from the view of the transference of skandhas; with the wisdom of there being neither creation nor cessation, which is free from the view of birth and destruction;1991 with the wisdom of the birthlessness of1992 emptiness, which is free of all views; with the strength of the wisdom that accomplishes prayers,1993 which has the realization of the nature of phenomena as being devoid of independent existence; with the wisdom that has the gateway to the apex of the absence of characteristics, which is devoid of all characteristics; through the indestructible nature of phenomena that seedlings come from sprouts; through the nature of phenomena that a seal’s image is produced by a seal; through the nature of phenomena that a reflection comes from a visible form; through the nature of phenomena that an echo is perceived as being the same as a sound; through the nature of phenomena that analysis is perceived to be the same as a dream;1994 through the nature of phenomena that the production of actions is the same as conjured illusions; through the nature of phenomena that the world is produced by the formless mind; through the nature of phenomena that results arise in accordance with the conditions and causes that have been accumulated; through the nature of phenomena that the ripening of results occurs in accordance with the karma that has been accumulated; through the nature of phenomena of manifestations through skill in methods; through the nature of phenomena of being moistened by the sameness of that which is Dharma and that which is not Dharma; and through the perception and mentation of the attainment of such an entry into wisdom, Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, bowed down and paid homage at the door of the great Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha kūṭāgāra.
Then, for a long time, with his mind saturated by the inconceivable force of his roots of merit, with well-being of body and mind, he stood at the gateway of the kūṭāgāra and for a little while gazed unblinking at the Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha kūṭāgāra. Then with palms together in homage, he circumambulated it many hundreds of thousands of times.
Then, with his mind inspired by that kind of perception and mentation, he said these words: “This is the dwelling of those who are present within the dwelling of emptiness, the absence of characteristics, and the absence of aspiration; of those who are present within the dwelling of the indivisibility of the realm of the Dharma; of those who are present within the dwelling of the imperceptibility of the realm of beings; of those who are present within the dwelling of the birthlessness of all phenomena; of those who are present within the dwelling of the locationlessness of all worlds; of those who are present within the dwelling of the baselessness of all beings; of those who are present within the dwelling of meditation on all locations; of those who are present within the dwelling of nondependence on any source of dependence; of those who are present within the dwelling of nonreliance on any body; of those who are present within the dwelling of the elimination of all conceptions;1995 of those who are present within the dwelling of the absence in all phenomena of a nature of their own; of those who are present within the dwelling of not conceiving any illusory thoughts, ideas, or concepts; of those who are present within the dwelling of the absence of conception, mind, and mentation; of those who are present within the dwelling of neither adopting nor rejecting any path; of those who are present within the dwelling of entering the profound perfection of wisdom; of those who are present within the dwelling of the method for pervading the realm of the Dharma through every gateway; of those who are present within the dwelling of the pacification of all kleśas; of those who are present within the dwelling of the greatest wisdom that eliminates all false views, craving,1996 and pride; and of those who are present within the dwelling of delighting in the arising of all dhyānas, liberations, samādhis, samāpattis, higher cognitions, and knowledges, and this is the dwelling of those who are present within the dwelling of meditation on the field of activity of the samādhis of all bodhisattvas.
“This is the dwelling of those who are present in the location of being present at the feet of all the buddhas.
“This is the dwelling of those who are present in the location of entering all kalpas within one kalpa, and one kalpa within all kalpas; of those who are present in the location where there is no difference between all realms and one realm, or between one realm and all realms; of those who are present in the location of compliance with all Dharmas in one Dharma, and with one Dharma in all Dharmas; of those who are present in the location where there is no difference between all beings and one being, or between one being and all beings; of those who are present in the location where there is no duality between all buddhas and one buddha, or between one buddha and all buddhas; of those who are present in the location where they enter all times in one instant; of those who are present in the location where with a single motivation they go to all realms; of those who are present in the location where their images appear in the locations of all beings; of those who are present in the location where there is the motivation to bring benefit and happiness to all worlds; of those who are present in the location where all attainments are dependent on oneself; of those who, though they have transcended all worldly locations, appear in the locations of all beings in order to ripen all beings; of those who, though they do not dwell in any realm, are present in all realms in order to make offerings to all the tathāgatas; of those are present in all buddha realms in order to perceive the displays of all buddha realms without moving from their locations; of those who, though they are present at the feet of all tathāgatas, are free from attachment to the concept of buddhas; of those who are present in all the locations where there is reliance on all kalyāṇamitras but there is no wisdom among beings that is equal or similar to theirs; of those who, though they are present in the dwellings of māras, are free of delighting in sensory pleasures; of those who, though they are present in the locations of entry into all conceptual identifications, have minds that have dispelled all conceptual identifications; of those who, though they possess bodies that spread throughout all beings, do not roam with the duality of self and beings; of those who, though they possess bodies that enter all world realms, do not roam through the realm of phenomena as differentiated locations; of those who, though they pray to be present in all future kalpas, do not dwell in the conceptions of long or short kalpas; and of those who, without deviating from the tip of a single hair, appear in all world realms.
“This is the dwelling of those who dwell in the location of entering such a difficult direction of the Dharma.
“This is the dwelling of those who dwell in profound locations, who dwell in nondual locations, who dwell in locations without characteristics, who dwell in locations without negations, who dwell in locations without objects of perception, who dwell in locations without conceptual elaborations, who dwell in locations of great love and great compassion, who dwell in locations that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable to enter, who dwell in locations that transcend the scope of all māras, who dwell in locations that are unstained by the scope of all worlds, who dwell in the locations of the perfections of the bodhisattvas, and who dwell in the locations that correspond to the locations of all the buddhas.
“They who dwell in the location free of all characteristics do not enter the faultlessness of the śrāvakas. They who dwell in the location of the birthlessness of all phenomena do not fall into the nature of birthlessness. They who dwell in the location of unattractiveness do not manifest the nature of freedom from desire, nor do they dwell together with the qualities of desire. They who dwell in the location of love do not have minds that follow the stains of anger. They who dwell in the location of dependent origination have no ignorance in relation to all phenomena. They who dwell in the location of the four dhyānas do not arise through the power of dhyāna. They who dwell in the location of the four immeasurables do not proceed upon the path of the realm of form, so that they may ripen all beings. They who dwell in the location of the four formless samāpattis do not proceed upon the path of the formless realm, because of their possession of great compassion. They who dwell in the location of śamatha and vipaśyanā do not manifest the liberation of their own wisdom, so as to ripen all beings. They who dwell in the location of great equanimity do not abandon the realm of beings. They who dwell in the location of emptiness do not depend on views. They who dwell in the location of characteristiclessness are nevertheless dedicated to guiding beings whose conduct has characteristics. They who are free of all aspirations nevertheless have the continuous aspiration of bodhisattva conduct. They who have power over all karma and kleśas nevertheless, in order to ripen beings, appear to follow karma and kleśas. They who know death, transference, and rebirth nevertheless manifest the death, transference, and rebirth of lives. They who have turned away from the existences of beings nevertheless, in order to guide beings, proceed throughout all the existences of beings. They who dwell in love nevertheless do not dwell in attachment toward anything. They who dwell in compassion nevertheless do not dwell in the view of attachment to anything. They who dwell in rejoicing nevertheless are always unhappy to view the suffering of beings. They who dwell in equanimity nevertheless always strive for the benefit of others. They who dwell in the nine successive states of samāpatti nevertheless do not denigrate birth in the desire realm. They who dwell in nondependence on all births nevertheless do not dwell in the manifestation of the final conclusion of existence. They who dwell in the three doors to liberation nevertheless do not dwell in the attainment of the śrāvaka liberation. They who dwell in the view of the four truths of the āryas nevertheless do not dwell in the manifestation of their result. They who dwell in the analysis of profound dependent origination nevertheless do not dwell in the fall into cessation. They who dwell in meditation on the eightfold path nevertheless do not dwell in the ultimate departure. They who dwell in transcendence from ordinary beings nevertheless do not dwell in the fall to the levels of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. They who dwell in the knowledge of the grasping five skandhas nevertheless do not dwell in the fall into the ultimate cessation. They who dwell in transcendence from the paths1997 of the four māras do not dwell in the concepts of the māras. They who dwell in transcendence from the six āyatanas nevertheless do not dwell in the ultimate accomplishment. They who dwell in the true nature nevertheless do not dwell in the fall into the ultimate conclusion. They who dwell in the teaching of setting forth through all yānas nevertheless do not dwell in a lapse from the Mahāyāna. This is the dwelling of those who dwell in all such qualities.”
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, recited these verses:
“Here is the glorious kalyāṇamitra1998 Maitreya, who is pure,1999
Has attained great compassion, is dedicated to benefiting the world,
Resides on the level of empowerment, is the senior son of the jinas,
And contemplates and resides within the range of perception of the buddhas. {1}
“This place resembles the abode of all the unequaled
Sons of the jinas who are endowed with great renown,
Are established in the liberation of great wisdom’s range of activity,
And move without impediment through the entire realm of phenomena. {2}
“This is the dwelling of those who have perfected the Mahāyāna, have ascended through
Their power of self-control,2000 generosity, correct conduct, patience, and diligence,
Have realized the perfection of the power of higher cognition through dhyāna,
And are established in wisdom, method, prayer, and strength. {3}
“This is the dwelling of those who meditate on all things in all existences,
Who have unimpeded understanding and vast motivation,
Who have space as their sphere of activity without location or basis,
And who pervade the three times without obscuration. {4}
“This is the dwelling of those who have fearless wisdom,
Who comprehend the birthlessness of all phenomena,
Who realize the nature of phenomena to be the nature of space
And are like a bird in the sky, not needing a support. {5}
“This is the dwelling of those who have peace and serenity,
Who know the nature of desire, of anger, and of ignorance—
That thoughts are the cause of their arising and their origin is in error—
And who do conceptualize and are free from desire. {6}
“This is the dwelling of those who are skilled in wisdom and method,
Who are wise in their perception of the liberations,
The ārya path’s way of truth, and the nature of dependence on the skandhas,
Dhātus, and āyatanas,2001 and who do not fall into peace. {7}
“This is the dwelling of those who have nondependent realization,
Whose conduct has no impediment within the realm of phenomena,
Whose conduct, like the wind in the sky, is devoid of existents,
Who are devoid of any location and have a location-free conduct.2003 {9}
“This is the dwelling of those who have love and compassion,
Who, on seeing those who have gone to the lower realms
And are experiencing suffering, illness, and unhappiness,
Bring peace to the lower realms with the light of their love. {10}
“This is the dwelling of those who are like caravan leaders,
Who, on seeing this world as being like sightless blind travelers
Who have lost the path of the āryas on the difficult road of saṃsāra,
Lead them on the path to liberation. {11}
“This is the dwelling of those unconquerable heroes
Who, on seeing beings caught in the noose of Māra
And under the power of birth, misery, aging, and death,
Liberate them and safely take them in the direction free from fear. {12}
“This is the dwelling of those who are like garuḍa princes,
Who dwell on the ground of prayer and have the sight of love and compassion,
Who look upon the dwelling places of all beings
And liberate multitudes from their locations in the ocean of existences. {16}
“This is the dwelling of those who are like illuminators of the world,
Who, like suns and moons in the sky of the realm of phenomena,
Have a conduct that spreads light throughout the habitations of beings,
The excellent, stainless light of wisdom from the disks of prayer. {17}
“This is the dwelling of those who are protectors of the world,
Who in order to ripen one single being will resolutely
Remain throughout millions of future kalpas
And do the same for all beings as with that one being. {18}
“This is the dwelling of those whose motivation is as firm as a vajra,
Who will unwearyingly act with diligence to benefit beings
Throughout future kalpas in the entire extent of a realm,
And will do so in all directions as they do for one realm. {19}
“This is the dwelling of those who are the source of all good qualities,
Who enter into an ocean, without end or middle, of conduct,
Resolutely immersing themselves in an ocean of prayers
And performing conduct that will benefit beings for an ocean of kalpas. {22}
“This is the dwelling of those whose vision has no impediment,
Who enter, without becoming confused,
All realms in the tip of a single hair,
Together with all buddhas for kalpas without middle or end. {23}
“This is the dwelling of those who are unimpeded in enumeration,
Who can count the number of atoms in all realms,
Who know the number of drops in all rivers,
And who have accomplished that number of prayers. {25}
“This is where enter the sons of the sugatas, endowed with memory,
Who enter the gateways of prayers, retentions, and samādhis
And who in endless kalpas practice and accomplish
The gateways to dhyānas, liberations, and prayers. {26}
“This is where dwell the various sons of the jinas,
Accomplishing many treatises with their words and meanings,
Who accomplish the arts in order to bring happiness to beings—
Contemplating this they dwell in this sublime place. {27}
“Dwelling here, with higher cognition, method, and wisdom,
They reveal all the births and the deaths everywhere
Among all the existences of beings in the ten directions
With unimpeded conduct within the liberation of the way of illusions. {28}
“Dwelling here, they manifest all their Dharma activity
From the first development of motivation to the conclusion of the good Dharma.
They pervade the entire dharmadhātu with clouds of emanations
And in the same way manifest many hundreds of miracles. {29}
“This is the dwelling of those who have attained what is difficult,
Who with one aspect of the mind can enter realization,
Enlightenment, wisdom, understanding, and activity without middle or end,
Which would bewilder the world to hear and think of. {30}
“This is the dwelling of those with unimpeded understanding,
Who are active throughout the unobscured realm of phenomena,
Whose field of activity is not dependent on objects of perception,
And who have the aspiration of stainless understanding. {31}
“This is the dwelling of those unequaled ones
Whose activity is without impediment,
Without a location, dwelling in all realms,
And dwelling within nondual wisdom. {32}
“This is the dwelling of those free of dust,
Who have realized the peace of the nature of phenomena
Being the same as that of space, without location,
And who have space as their field of activity. {33}
“This is where dwell those with minds of compassion,
Who, seeing beings tormented by suffering,
Are dedicated to aspiring to benefit the world
And whose conduct has acquired great compassion. {34}
“From here they clearly illuminate without impediment,
As do the disks of the sun and the moon,
All the abodes of beings, so that nothing remains unilluminated,
And they free the beings from all the nooses of the māras. {35}
“From here all the jinas pervade
All directions without exception
With clouds of emanated bodies
As numerous as those of the bodies of beings. {37}
“Those who are present here
In one instant of mind enter countless kalpas,
Manifesting according to the conceptions of beings
While being free of thoughts and conceptions. {41}
“They remain here within samādhi
But see clearly all the three times.
They dwell within the length of each instant,
Performing conduct within the dwelling of liberation. {42}
“They who are present here in this dwelling
Have bodies steadfastly seated cross-legged
But manifest simultaneously pervading
Everywhere throughout all realms. {43}
“Those supreme leaders who dwell here
Drink from the ocean of the Dharma of the sugatas,
Enter into the ocean of wisdom,
And attain the perfection of inexhaustible qualities. {44}
“The bodhisattvas here are contemplating,
Without obscuration, the number of all realms,
The number of kalpas, and the number of Dharmas,
And they attain the perfection of inexhaustible qualities. {45}
“The jinaputras who are dwelling here
Analyze within every single instant
The creation and the destruction
Of all the realms in the three times. {46}
“The jinaputras who are dwelling here,
Practicing conduct in this location,
See with the unobstructed realization of jinaputras
The conduct and prayers of the jinas and the faculties of beings. {47}
“They see without obscuration,
In every single atom, as many
Oceans of assemblies, realms, beings
And kalpas as there are atoms. {48}
“From here they know the nature of phenomena,
And similarly of all realms, times,
Kalpas, and complete buddhas, to arise
Without substance or a nature of their own. {50}
“Dwelling here, they see the equality of beings,
The equality of the Dharma, and the equality of the buddhas,
And they comprehend the equality of realms and of prayers
And also the equality of the three times. {51}
“While constantly remaining in this dwelling,
Some guide hundreds of billions of beings.
Others similarly offer to hundreds of billions of buddhas,
And others are contemplating the Dharma. {52}
“I do not have the ability to describe the aspects
Of the scope of prayer and wisdom of their minds.
Throughout hundreds of billions of kalpas,
They possess a vast, infinite understanding. {53}
“I place my hands together and bow my body down
In reverential homage to this palace
Of those who have no inferiority, are unobscured,
And delight in the supreme field of activity. {54}
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, having praised through these and countless other praises to the bodhisattvas who dwelled in the great kūṭāgāra called Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha, bowed down to them, prostrated to them, gazed reverently upon them, honored them, faced them, and made offerings to them, and he waited at the door of the great kūṭāgāra called Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha, hoping to see the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya and delighting to meet the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya.
Then he saw the bodhisattva Maitreya coming from somewhere else outside the kūṭāgāra, with a retinue of many hundreds of thousands of beings and preceded by many lords of devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. On his right was Śakra and on his left Brahmā. The lords of the world were paying homage to him, and he was encircled and preceded by many hundreds of thousands of brahmins as his family and friends. Seeing him coming to the great kūṭāgāra Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha, Sudhana, overjoyed, pleased, happy, and content, looking in the direction of the bodhisattva Maitreya, bowed down, prostrating with his entire body to the bodhisattva Maitreya in the distance.
Then the bodhisattva Maitreya looked upon Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, and with his right hand indicated him to his retinue and recited these verses:
“Look upon this one who has a pure motivation,
Sudhana, the child of enduring great wealth.
Seeking the sublime bodhisattva conduct,
This wise one has come before me. {56}
“You, who have come from love and compassion, are welcome!
You, who have a vast field of love, are welcome!
You, who have a peaceful, serene gaze, are welcome!
You have not wearied in your practice of conduct. {57}
“Come here, you who have a pure motivation—you are welcome!
Come here, you who have an undaunted mind—you are welcome!
Come here, you who have faultless2013 faculties—you are welcome!
You, wise one, who do not appear wearied in conduct! {58}
“You have come forth to analyze all phenomena.
You have been dedicated to guiding all beings.
You have become established in honoring all kalyāṇamitras.
You, who have enduring, unshakable disciplined conduct, are welcome! {59}
“You are welcome, you who have come through the path of goodness!
You are welcome, you who are established on the path of good qualities!
You are welcome, you who follow the path of the jinas!
You, who are not wearied by any path! {60}
“Come here, you who have the nature of good qualities—you are welcome!
Come here, you who are saturated by goodness—you are welcome!
You who have an infinite field of activity, you are perfectly welcome!
It is rare to see one such as you among all beings. {61}
“You have a mind that sees gain and loss as equal.
You have become free of inferiority, suffering, and infamy.
Like a blue lotus you are unstained by worldly concerns.
You, whose mind is free of confusion, are welcome! {62}
“You have a virtuous motivation free of deception and deceit.
You are an excellent vessel without pride or conceit.
You who have no anger or fury, no haughtiness or arrogance;
It is excellent to see you who are a delightful sight. {63}
“Come here, you who have the three times as your range of perception—you are welcome!
You who have a field of aspiration for the realm of the Dharma,
You who arise from the essence of the qualities of all buddhas,
Wise one, you who are unwearied, you are welcome! {65}
“Come here, you who are the supreme lotus of the wisdom of Mañjuśrī.
Come here, you who cause increase through the rain from glorious clouds.
Come here, you who have been sent by all the jinaputras,
And I will reveal to you the direction without obscuration. {66}
“Observe this one who is like a net of prayers
That inconceivably pervades the realm of phenomena,
Who has accomplished the path of bodhisattva conduct,
The one whose acts are vast, Sudhana, who has come here! {67}
“He who seeks the field of activity of the sugatas,
Who in order to practice a conduct that is free of stains
Makes inquiries about a vast range of prayers
And has an unwearied mind, has come here! {68}
“Just as he has been instructed by the guides of the past,
In that way he will learn from those in the future.
He has come here to ask questions concerning
The conduct of the sugatas in the present. {69}
“He has come here with this single thought in his mind:
‘He is my kalyāṇamitra, my dharmabhāṇaka;
He will teach me the practices of all the Dharma
And will teach me the path of bodhisattva conduct.’ {70}
“He has come here with this kind of virtuous motivation:
‘The bodhisattvas will develop my understanding.
The sons of the buddhas will make me give rise to enlightenment.
The buddhas praise these kalyāṇamitras of mine. {71}
“ ‘They give birth to these qualities and so are like my mother.
They give me the milk of qualities and so are like my wet nurse.
They completely protect my aspects of enlightenment.
These kalyāṇamitras protect me from that which is harmful. {72}
“ ‘They are impartial to enemies and friends, like a mountain.
They have minds that cannot be shaken, like an ocean.
And they keep me safe, like a sea captain!’
Sudhana, who has such a mind, has come here. {74}
“ ‘They save me from dangers, like heroes.
They are protectors and refuges, like caravan leaders.
They are focused on providing me with happiness!’2015
With such an outlook, he honors the kalyāṇamitras. {75}
“ ‘They always teach me all the aspects of the Dharma.
They teach me the qualities and wisdom of all buddhas.
They purify all lower realms, all lower existences.
These kalyāṇamitras teach goodness to me. {76}
“ ‘They bestow all the treasures of the jinas.
They guard all the treasures of the jinas.
They possess the secrets of all the jinas.’
In that way, this wise one venerates the kalyāṇamitras. {77}
“ ‘Through them perfect wisdom is purified.
A perfect body, possessions, family, and birth—
All perfections are easily obtained from them.’
Thinking in that way, he has come here. {78}
“You should all regard his vast motivation,
This wise one who relies on the kalyāṇamitras.
Observe the understanding this wise one has developed.
This is how all of you should always train. {79}
“Through his previous good actions and merit as a cause,
He has seen Mañjuśrī and is established in enlightenment.
He has practiced in accordance with his instructions.
Observe how this one has traveled without wearying. {80}
“He has renounced all pleasures and happiness.
He has renounced his home that seemed to be divine.
He has renounced his parents, his nanny, and vast enjoyments,
And like a slave he has served2016 the kalyāṇamitras. {81}
“This wise one, having purified his motivation,
Has renounced all that he possessed,2017 without exception.
He will go to the palaces of all the buddhas
And therefore will attain this kind of result. {82}
“With a motivation of compassion, he acts to benefit beings,
Having seen them tormented by aging and illness,
And afflicted with hundreds of sufferings,
And oppressed by birth and death, misery and fear. {83}
“Having seen beings crushed by the machinery of suffering
In the domain of the circle of the five classes of beings,
He sees this strong thunderbolt of wisdom
That destroys the wheel of the machinery of suffering. {84}
“He seeks the excellent plow of wisdom
In order to purify the fields of beings
With their grass, trees, and thorns of desire
And their numerous tangled growths of attachment to views. {85}
“He will become an excellent caravan leader for beings,
With the power to show the happy direction to travel
To beings who are blind, having lost their eyes of wisdom,
And whose thoughts are a wilderness of ignorance and stupidity. {86}
“This hero with the strength of fearlessness,
Who wears the armor of patience, rides the steed of liberation,
And with the sword of wisdom defeats the enemy who is misery,
Will become a teacher of the path for beings. {87}
“He will be a sea captain2018 for the ocean of the three realms
Who has mastered sailing the ship of the Dharma,
Has learned the routes in the ocean of wisdom,
And will take beings to the island of the supreme jewels of peace. {88}
“He will ascend as a sun that is a buddha
With bright light in the sky of the realm of phenomena,
As a disk of prayer with the light rays of wisdom
Illuminating the abodes of all beings. {89}
“Residing on a solid ground of aspiration,
Ascending though the stages of bodhisattva conduct,
He will become a supreme ocean of wisdom
That is the source of all the jewels of the Dharma. {91}
“He will be lord of the nāgas of aspiration to enlightenment,
And he will ascend into the sky of the realm of phenomen,
And will send down rain from Dharma clouds onto being,
And increase the harvests that are excellent results. {92}
“He will shine as the lamp of the Dharma,
Which has the excellent flame of the stainless aspiration for enlightenment,
And which has the oil of love in the enduring bowl of memory
And a pure essence2020 that eliminates the darkness of the three stains. {93}
“The first-week embryo2021 is the aspiration to enlightenment,
The second-week embryo2022 is compassion, the third-week embryo2023 is love,
The fourth-week embryo2024 is unwavering aspiration, and finally
The limbs of enlightenment appear, and this son of the Buddha is born.2025 {94}
“He will increase the essence of merit.
He will purify the essence of wisdom.
He will arise in the essence of wisdom
And will come to be just as in the essence of prayer. {95}
“This kind of emanation from love and compassion
Intending to liberate beings and motivated to benefit others,
Someone who has this kind of a pure mind—
That kind of being is rare among devas and humans. {96}
“Someone who has such a stable root of aspiration,
Who has such an increasing stable engagement,
Who is such a servant for the three existences—
Rare is such a tree of wisdom that yields fruit. {97}2026
“He is dedicated to the arising of all qualities,
He aspires to inquire about all Dharmas,
And in order to dispel all doubts, he depends,
Without laziness, on all kalyāṇamitras. {98}
“He defeats the kleśas and disturbances of the māras.
He dispels the craving and stains of wrong views.
He is dedicated to liberating all beings.
This wise one is always on a special quest. {99}
“Through being correctly established on the path to qualities,
He will purify the lower existences.
He will reveal the path to the higher existences.
He will bring beings onto the path to liberation. {100}
“He will eliminate the sufferings of all classes of beings.
He will bring happiness to all classes of beings.
He will cut through the noose of all existences,
And he will become the eliminator of all the classes of existences. {101}
“He will open up the views that are narrow.
He will cut through the nets of vines of craving.2027
He will purify the desire of attachment,
And he will reveal the paths of the three existences. {102}
“He will be a protector and refuge for the world.
He will be a bringer of light for all beings.
He will be skilled in eliminating existences everywhere.
He will become a guide for all three realms. {103}
“He will wake beings from their sleep of the kleśas.
This wise one will free them from the swamp of desire.
He will liberate them from fixation on conceptualization,
And he will bring freedom from all bondage. {104}
“Because of the way you have made yourself excellent,
Before long you will see all the buddhas,
Before long you will go to all the realms,
And before long you will know all Dharmas. {107}
“You will purify an ocean of realms.
You will liberate2031 an ocean of beings.
You will perfect an ocean of conduct.
You will have such an ocean of good qualities. {108}
“You will be a vessel for good qualities.
You will be a source of goodness.
You will be the same as a son of the jinas.
Such is your field of aspiration. {109}
“You will defeat the field of the māras.
You will purify the field of karma.
You will purify the field of the kleśas.
Such is your field of prayer. {110}
“You will purify the revolving of wisdom.
You will teach the revolving of Dharma.
You will soon eliminate the revolving
Of the machinery of karma, kleśas, and suffering. {111}
“You will turn the supreme wheel of the Dharma,
Which destroys the wheel of the suffering of all beings,
Dependence on the wheels of existence, the wheels of worlds,
And the ignorance of the wheels of the blisters2032 of the five existences. {112}
“You will be a holder of the family of the Buddha.
You will purify the family of the Dharma.
You will gather the family of the Saṅgha.
You will become a source from which the Jewels arise. {113}
“You will repel the net of craving
And also the cluster of nets of wrong views,
And you will liberate beings from the net of suffering.
Such is the net of your prayers. {114}
“You will ripen the realm of beings.
You will purify the world realms.
You will purify the realm of wisdom.
Such is the realm of your aspiration. {115}
“You will bring the happiness of the joy of benefit to beings.
You will bring the happiness of the family and lineage of the bodhisattvas.
You will bring the happiness of the prayers of all the buddhas.
Sudhana, you will become one who increases happiness. {116}
“You will reveal the abodes of the existences of all beings.
You will reveal the images of all the realms.
You will reveal the illumination of all the Dharmas.
You will become a jina who is delightful to see. {117}
“You will have light that illuminates the realm of phenomena.
You will have light that brings happiness to the realms of beings.
You will have light that brings peace to the lower existences.
You will become a pacifier of the sufferings in the three existences. {118}
“You will turn others away from the incorrect paths.
You will guide them on the path of the higher beings.
You who have strong understanding and no laziness
Will without distraction seek the path to enlightenment. {120}
“You will be dedicated to bringing to freedom from suffering
The beings who dwell in the ocean of existence,
And you will liberate beings from the ocean of existence.
Such are the great qualities you have. {121}
“With an ocean of the light rays from the supreme sun of wisdom,
You will dry up the ocean of the kleśas of beings.
You will establish them in an ocean of practice
And then establish them in an ocean of wisdom. {122}
“You will increase an ocean of understanding.
You will carry out an ocean of conduct.
And before long you will enter into
An ocean of the prayers of all the buddhas. {123}
“You, wise one, with the power of an ocean of understanding,
Will go to many oceans of realms,
You will see many oceans of assemblies,
And you will drink oceans of many Dharmas. {124}
“You will see billions of clouds of buddhas.
You will perform vast clouds of offerings.
You will hear billions of clouds of Dharma.
You will create such clouds of prayers as these. {125}
“You will pervade the many locations of all beings.
You will go to the locations of all realms.
You will go to the locations of all buddhas.
You will be present in such directions as these. {126}
“You will enter the dwelling of samādhis,
You will attain the dwelling of liberations,
You will be active in the dwelling of higher cognitions,
And you will be established in the dwelling of the realm of the Dharma. {127}
“You will shine like the sun and the moon.
You will appear within the dwellings of all beings.
You will ascend to be before the jinas.
You will ascend to great paths such as these. {128}
“You will have a conduct that is not located in any world.
You will practice a conduct in the excellent field of activity of space.
Your field of activity will be one of peace.
Such will be the field of activity of your higher cognition. {129}
“You will be wise in the different aspects of the net of illusions.
Before long you will pervade completely,
Like hail falling without impediment from the sky,
As many of the different surfaces of the net of realms as there are. {130}
“You will comprehend the vast extent of the realm of phenomena,
You will go to the vast extent of world realms,
And you will see the vast extent of the buddhas in the three times;
Therefore, Sudhana, be happy! {131}
“You have seen these kinds of liberation,
Are seeing them, and will still see them.
Therefore, Sudhana, do not be saddened,
But be happy and free from worries. {132}
“Sons of the buddhas who have the conduct without location
Are indescribable and very difficult2035 to ever see,
Even during a hundred billion kalpas, but you
Have seen their conduct at the time of their excellent conduct. {134}
“In that way, you have directly perceived Mañjuśrī,
And having become such a vessel for good qualities,
Your attainment is vast and inconceivable.
You who have become a human are welcome! {135}
“You have turned away from all paths to the lower existences.
You have been purified of all inopportune, unfortunate existences.
You have cast away all the qualities of suffering,
So cast aside all unhappiness. {139}
“You have turned away from the level of foolish beings.
You are established on the level of bodhisattva qualities.
You have filled the supreme level of wisdom,
And you will soon attain the level of a buddha. {137}
“You should be happy, for you have attained
All the oceans of bodhisattva conduct,
The wisdom of the buddhas, which is like the treasure of space,
And the corresponding extent of the ocean of prayers. {138}
“Those who thus have unwearying powers,
Strong aspiration, and definite practice,
And rely on these kinds of kalyāṇamitras,
Will become leaders before long. {139}
“You2036 have seen many beings being guided
By a variety of bodhisattva conducts.
You should not develop any doubts concerning
Bodhisattva activity that is the gateway to all Dharmas. {140}
“Your perfection of merit is inconceivable.
You have perfect benefit, Dharma qualities, and faith.
Because of that, today, here, son of the buddhas,
You are seeing this kind of perfection. {141}
“Look at the great attainment of yours
In seeing this continuous succession of jinaputras,
Each one revealing to you their individual prayers,
And you comprehend them all accordingly. {142}
“Even in a hundred existences it is difficult
To find such a vessel for bodhisattva conduct as you.
Therefore, the jinaputras in continuous succession
Teach you the ways of the liberations. {143}
“Those beings who during a quintillion kalpas
Have been in the company of sons of the sugatas
Without knowing their field of activity
Cannot themselves be vessels for the good qualities. {144}
“You have heard these kinds of ways,
And you have seen the miraculous manifestations
Of great bodhisattvas, which are rare in the world;
Therefore, Sudhana, have a happy mind! {145}
“All the buddhas pay heed to you.
All the bodhisattvas remain caring for you,
And you are established in their teaching.
Well done, Sudhana, you have a good life! {146}
“You dwell within the family of the bodhisattvas.
You train in the qualities of the jinaputras.
You will increase the lineage of the sugatas.
Sudhana, you should experience the highest joy! {147}
“All the unequaled buddhas are your fathers.
All the bodhisattvas are your brothers.
All the aspects of enlightenment are your relatives.
You are a son born from the heart of the sugatas. {148}
“You are a holder of the family lineage of the king of Dharma.
You increase the family lineage of the bodhisattvas.
Before long you will become a king of the Dharma.
Sudhana, be happy, with satisfied senses. {149}
“Before long you will attain the wonderful,
Supreme consecration from all the buddhas.
You will become the same as and equal to the bodhisattvas,2037
And your conduct will also be the same in that way. {150}
“Whatever kinds of seeds are planted by humans,
They will gain the corresponding results.
You should experience an inconceivable, vast joy,
For today I am giving you my reassurance. {151}
“That which you have attained in one lifetime
Is a perfection that has not been obtained
By countless billions of bodhisattvas
Practicing bodhisattva conduct in billions of kalpas. {152}
“All conduct originates from prayer.
All Dharma originates from aspiration.
Sudhana, this has been accomplished by you.
Always pursue this supreme conduct! {154}
“To the extent that the nāgas have the intention,
To that extent there will come rainfall.
To the extent that there is the field of activity of the wisdom of prayers,
To that extent spreads the conduct of a bodhisattva. {155}
“Sudhana, this conduct that is called good,
This is the way that has been taught to you.
Knowing it, you will naturally be serving
The kalyāṇamitras; at that time, have no fear.2039 {156}
“Contemplate how in the past you have wasted
Millions of lives meaninglessly for the sake of desires.
Now, in seeking for enlightenment,
Proceed perfectly disciplined by disciplined conduct. {157}
“Now, this time, you have been born into an opportune human existence,
Have seen the appearance of a buddha, and have heard
This supreme bodhisattva conduct from these kinds of kalyāṇamitras,
So why should your mind not be pure? {159}
“The sugatas can appear repeatedly,
And the Dharma heard from the kalyāṇamitras,
But if your aspiration has not been purified,
It will be difficult to hear this way. {160}
“Therefore, develop faith, aspiration, and motivation,
And with veneration for the gurus
Be weary of and reject views of doubt,
And listen again and again to this way. {161}
“Those who have heard this kind of entry into conduct
And have accomplished that kind of prayer
Will have an inconceivable, perfect attainment
And will have an excellent human existence. {162}
“For the ones who purify that kind of aspiration,
The sight of all the sugatas will not be rare.
All jinaputras will be their kin, and henceforward
They will have no doubts about enlightenment. {163}
“Those who enter this kind of way
Will forsake all downfalls through error,
Will eliminate all the phenomena of suffering,
And will accumulate all good qualities. {164}
“When the body is abandoned, one will soon
Go to a completely pure buddha realm;
One will enter the dwellings of the bodhisattvas
And will see the tathāgatas of the ten directions. {165}
“Sudhana, through your multitude of causes in the past,
Through your definite aspiration in the present,
And through your relying on kalyāṇamitras for a special purpose,
You will grow like a blue lotus on the water. {166}
“You who have the aspiration to revere all kalyāṇamitras,
You who have the aspiration to please all buddhas,
You who have the aspiration to inquire about all Dharmas,
You who have excellent discipline, stand up easefully. {167}
“Stand, you who are established in all practices of the Dharma,
You who are established in following all paths,
You who are established in the prayers of the sons of buddhas,
You who are a vessel for all good qualities and the Dharma. {168}
“Just as you have developed a perfect aspiration
And you have paid homage to me,
Before long you will come to be
Directly before the assemblies of all buddhas. {169}
“Well done, Sudhana, you who have an untiring mind,
Who have the motivation of the prayers of all the buddhas;
You who have firm discipline, you will before long
Perfectly accomplish the qualities of all buddhas. {170}
When Sudhana had heard such instructions
And such a sublime teaching as this,
His senses were saturated by the power of joy,
And he streamed with a flow of many tears. {173}
When he heard that, Sudhana, filled with joy, recited,
“My meeting this kind of kalyāṇamitra
Would be a rare event even in hundreds of lives!
It is excellent that I have come here today! {178}
“Through your excellent blessing, Mañjuśrī,2041
You who have attained the perfection of all qualities,
I have found these rare kalyāṇamitras.
May I soon be together with you!” {179} [B19]
Then Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, stood before the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya with his palms together in homage and said, “Ārya, I have set out upon the highest, complete enlightenment, but I do not know how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct and in what way they should practice it.
“Ārya Maitreya, you have been prophesied by all the tathāgatas to be only one lifetime from the highest, complete enlightenment.
“Those who are only one lifetime from the highest, complete enlightenment have transcended all the established states of bodhisattvas. They have entered the faultlessness of bodhisattvas. They have completed all the perfections. They have entered all the gateways to patience. They have attained all the bodhisattva bhūmis. They delight in all the entrances to the bodhisattva liberations. They have accomplished all samādhis. They have realized all the states of existence of bodhisattvas. They have attained all the ways of the light of retention and eloquence. They have gained all the powers of bodhisattvas. They have gathered all the accumulations of bodhisattvas. They delight in the ways of skill in wisdom and methods. They have developed the ways of the light of great higher cognition, knowledge, and wisdom. They have come forth from all trainings. They have purified all bodhisattva conduct. They have accomplished all the gateways that arise from prayer. They have obtained the prophecies of all the tathāgatas. They are skilled in the gateways that arise from all yānas. They have obtained the blessing of all the tathāgatas. They have grasped the enlightenment of all the buddhas. They have gained the Dharma treasure of all the tathāgatas. They possess the treasure of the secrets of all the tathāgatas. They are the heads of all the secret fields of all bodhisattvas. They are heroes who alarm all the hosts of the kleśas. They are the guides for those lost in the wilderness of saṃsāra. They are physicians for those afflicted by the illness of the kleśas. They are supreme among all beings. They are lords of all lords of the world.2042 They are the most senior among all ārya individuals. They are the chief of all śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. They are the sea captains for those who are in the ocean of saṃsāra. They wash others with the great ocean of methods of guiding beings.2043 They see the faculties of ripened beings. They are dedicated to gathering2044 all beings. They are dedicated to protecting all bodhisattvas. They are dedicated to remaining within the activities of bodhisattvas. They are present at the feet of all the tathāgatas. They are superior among all the assemblies of followers. Their image appears within the abodes of all beings. They are unstained by any worldly quality. They have transcended the scope of all māras. They follow the scope of all the buddhas. They attain without obscuration the scope of all bodhisattvas. They are dedicated to making offerings to all the tathāgatas. They unite into one way all the Dharmas of the buddhas. They have attained the method of consecration. They dwell in the great kingdom of the Dharma. They are consecrated for the scope of the wisdom of omniscience. They come forth from all the Dharmas of the buddhas. They have fully accomplished power over omniscient wisdom.
“Ārya, I pray that you teach me how bodhisattvas should train in bodhisattva conduct, how they should practice it, and how practicing bodhisattvas should attain all the Dharmas of the buddhas; serve the realms of beings by taking care of them; correctly reach the conclusion of the commitments that have been made; accomplish the great bodhisattva conduct that has been undertaken; bring relief to worlds and their devas; not deceive2045 themselves, beings,2046 the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Saṅgha; not be separated from the family lineage of the buddhas; not make empty the family of the bodhisattvas; and become holders of all the ways of the tathāgatas.”
The bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya looked at his entire assembly of followers and, indicating Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, said, “Noble ones, regard how this head merchant’s son has asked me about the accomplishment of bodhisattva conduct and qualities. Patient ones, this head merchant’s son, with this kind of diligent undertaking, with this kind of dedication to a goal, with this kind of aspiring commitment, with this kind of firm motivation, with this kind of unflagging diligence, with this kind of unceasing appetite for the Buddha’s Dharma, with this kind of quest for what is superior, with this kind of conduct as if his hair were on fire, with this kind of longing to see kalyāṇamitras, with this kind of unwearying service to the kalyāṇamitras, has sought out all kalyāṇamitras, questioned them, and honored them. Sent by Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta, starting from the city of Dhanyākara, he has roamed throughout the southern region, asked questions of a hundred and ten kalyāṇamitras, and finally come before me, throughout that time proceeding with a superior motivation free of any kind of weariness.
“Noble ones, it is very rare to hear the name, see the body, accompany the field of activity, or have a conduct equal to that of someone who is, in this way, established in the Mahāyāna, who has maintained a great commitment, who has a mind that is disciplined by a great aspiration, who wears the armor of great compassion, who has the intention to protect all beings with great love, who is dedicated to the perfection of diligence, who is dedicated to protecting the multitude of fellow traveling beings, who is engaged in freeing beings from the great ocean of saṃsāra, who is a follower of the great path to omniscience, who is dedicated to making available the great ship of the Dharma, who is determined to accumulate great Dharma and precious merit, and who is dedicated to gathering the accumulation of a great gift of the Dharma.
“Why is that? Noble ones, it is because this excellent individual has risen up in order to protect all beings. He has appeared in order to free all beings from suffering; in order to eliminate all lower existences; in order to dispel all inopportune paths; in order that all frightening paths be forsaken; in order to dispel all the darkness of ignorance; in order that all the wildernesses of saṃsāra be left behind; in order to repel all the cycles of the existences of beings; in order to transcend the scope of all māras; in order that all bases of dependency be risen above; in order that there will be no basis in any of the classes of existence; in order that beings will be extracted from the swamp of desire; in order that they forsake desire for pleasures; in order that they cut through the bondage of views; in order that they eliminate attachment to the false view of destructible aggregations; in order that they cut through the noose of conceptualization; in order that they turn away from incorrect paths; in order to bring down the banner of pride; in order to extract the splinters of habits; in order to destroy the door of obscurations; in order to disintegrate the mountain of obscurations; in order to extract beings from the net of craving; in order to separate beings from the conduct of ignorance; in order to bring beings across the great river of existences; in order for beings to forsake deception and deceit; in order to purify minds of pollution; in order to eliminate doubt, uncertainty, and hesitation; in order to bring beings across the great river of ignorance; and in order that beings be revolted by the faults of saṃsāra.
“Noble ones, this excellent individual wishes to provide beings with the ship of the Dharma in order to take them across the four great rivers. He wishes to bring those who are sinking in the swamp of wrong views onto the raised ground of the Dharma. He wishes to bring the light of wisdom to those enveloped in the darkness of ignorance. He wishes to show the path of the āryas to those wandering in the wilderness of saṃsāra. He wishes to give the medicine of the Dharma to those tormented by the great illness of the kleśas. He wishes to provide the realm of deathlessness to those oppressed by birth, aging, and death. He wishes to extinguish the three blazing fires with the water of śamatha. He wishes to bring great relief to those who are distressed by misery, wailing, unhappiness, and tribulation. He wishes to give the weapon2047 of wisdom to those imprisoned in the wheel of existences.2048 He wishes to give the weapon of wisdom to those beings in the bondage of wrong views. He wishes to show the gateway to liberation to those imprisoned in the city of the three realms. He wishes to reveal the safe direction to those who are going in the direction of danger. He wishes to bring great relief to those being attacked by the bandits of the kleśas. He wishes to take by the hand those who are frightened and terrified by the abyss of the lower realms. He wishes to show the city of nirvāṇa to those who have been seized by the murderers who are the skandhas. He wishes to show escape through the path of the āryas to those encircled by the serpent of the dhātus. He wishes to bring the illumination of the light of wisdom to those dwelling in deserted villages. He wishes to bring those at bad fording places to the correct fording places. He wishes to show genuine kalyāṇamitras to those who have fallen into the hands of those who are not kalyāṇamitras. He wishes to bring to the Dharma of the āryas those who aspire to the field of conduct of foolish Dharma. He wishes to raise upward those who delight in the house of saṃsāra and bring them into the palace of omniscience.
“Noble ones, in that way, this excellent individual, with that kind of intention to save beings, continuously seeks to purify the development of the aspiration for enlightenment. He never wearies in accomplishing the Mahāyāna. He is never satisfied in drinking from all the clouds of the Dharma. He is continuously dedicated to completing all accumulations. He is dedicated to never abandoning purifying all the gateways of the Dharma. He never abandons his dedication to performing bodhisattva conduct. He has unswerving application to accomplishing all prayers. He never has enough of seeing all kalyāṇamitras. He is never fatigued in serving all kalyāṇamitras. He correctly holds the teaching of the instructions of all the kalyāṇamitras.
“Noble ones, a being in the world of beings who has that kind of prayer for the highest, complete enlightenment is a rare being. Therefore, someone who, in setting out for the highest, complete enlightenment, accumulates the Dharma of the buddhas with this kind of diligent undertaking; who seeks the path of the bodhisattvas with this kind of intense aspiration; who purifies bodhisattva conduct with this kind of dedication; who serves the kalyāṇamitras through this kind of hardship;2049 who with this kind of conduct, which is undertaken as if his hair were on fire, never disobeys the kalyāṇamitras; who practices the instructions of the kalyāṇamitras by practicing with this kind of firm, superior motivation; who accomplishes the aspects of enlightenment with this kind of successful acquisition; who with this kind of disinterest in gain, honor, and fame never contradicts the nature of bodhisattva aspiration; who with this kind of renunciation, without attachment to home, possessions, desired delights, happiness, parents, friends, or anything, seeks the company of bodhisattvas; and who with this kind of lack of concern for his own body and life aspires to omniscience—such a being is extremely rare.
“Noble ones, no other bodhisattva has appeared in a hundred thousand quintillion kalpas who has attained and realized the perfection of bodhisattva conduct and prayer, or has come close to the enlightenment of buddhahood, or has purified a buddha realm, or has ripened and guided beings, or has entered the knowledge of the realm of phenomena, or has accomplished the perfections, or has spread the net of conduct, or has perfectly accomplished prayers, or has transcended the activities of the māras, or has served the kalyāṇamitras, or has accomplished and purified all bodhisattva conduct, or has perfected the strength of accomplishing completely good bodhisattva conduct in the way that he has attained and realized them in this one lifetime.”
Then, because of the bodhisattva mahāsattva Maitreya having described the qualities and excellences of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, a hundred thousand beings, having strengthened their aspiration to the aspects of enlightenment, said to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, “Noble one, it is excellent, excellent, that you have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment in order to bring benefit and happiness to all worlds, in order to save all the realms of beings, and in order to attain all the Dharma of the buddhas.
“Noble one, it is because you have developed the aspiration for the highest, complete enlightenment that you have perfectly attained what is to be attained, you have the perfect attainment of a human life, you live perfectly in the world of the living, you have pleased the appearance of a buddha, you have perfectly seen the kalyāṇamitra Mañjuśrī, the continuum of your mind is an excellent vessel, you are saturated with roots of merit, you rely perfectly upon good qualities, you have perfectly purified your vast aspiration and your virtuous motivation, you are perfectly regarded by all the buddhas, and, noble one, you have been perfectly accepted by the kalyāṇamitras.