The Stem Array · Gaṇḍavyūha

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, who had reverenced as many kalyāṇamitras as there are atoms in the world realms of a billion-world universe; who had the motivation to gather the accumulations for omniscience; who correctly held and practiced the instructions and teachings of all kalyāṇamitras; who in the presence of all kalyāṇamitras gave rise to the same aspiration as they did; who had the realization that pleased and was not displeasing to all kalyāṇamitras; who followed the ocean of the ways of the instructions and teachings of all kalyāṇamitras; who had the essence that arises from the ocean of the aspiration of great compassion; who had shone on all beings with the clouds of the ways of great love; who had a body that increased the power of great joy; who was active²¹⁸⁰ in complete peace within the vast bodhisattva liberations; who had the vision focused on whatever emanates from all gateways;²¹⁸¹ who had perfected the practice of the ocean of the qualities of all tathāgatas;²¹⁸² who had followed the path of aspiration of all the tathāgatas;²¹⁸³ who had increased the power of diligence in the accumulation of omniscience; who had a mind with the perfect development of the motivation and aspiration of all bodhisattvas; who had comprehended the succession of all the tathāgatas in the three times; who had realized the ocean of the ways of the Dharmas of all buddhas; who had followed the ocean of the ways of the Dharma wheels of all the tathāgatas; who had the range of activity of manifesting the appearance of taking birth in all worlds; who had comprehended the ocean of the ways of the prayers of all bodhisattvas; who was established in bodhisattva conduct in all kalpas; who had attained the illumination of the scope of omniscience; who had increased all the powers of a bodhisattva; who had attained the illumination of the path to omniscience; who had attained the unobscured illumination of all directions; who had the realization that pervades the ways of the entire realm of phenomena; who had accomplished the illumination of the ways of all realms; who had engaged in the appropriate way with the activities of the vast extent of beings; who had demolished all the precipices and mountains of obscurations; who had followed the unobscured true nature of phenomena; who was active²¹⁸⁴ in complete peace in the bodhisattva liberations that have the essence of all the surfaces and bases in the realm of phenomena; who was seeking the range of activity of all the tathāgatas; who had been blessed by all the tathāgatas; who was established in being active²¹⁸⁵ in the range of activity of a bodhisattva; who had heard the name of the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samanta­bhadra; who had heard of his bodhisattva activity; who had heard of his special prayers; who had heard of his special entry and dwelling in the accomplishment of accumulation; who had heard of his special path of accomplishment and setting forth; who had heard of his way of activity on the completely good level; who had heard of the accumulations of his level; who had heard of his power for attaining that level; who had heard of his ascending to that level; who had heard of his being established on that level; who had heard of his reaching that level through leaving the previous levels; who had heard of the range of activity of that level; who had heard of the blessings of that level; who had heard of his dwelling on that level; and who yearned and thirsted for the sight of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra with a motivation as vast as space that had risen above all clinging, with a perfect meditation that perceived all²¹⁸⁶ realms, with a mind that had transcended all attachments, with an unobscured range of activity in all phenomena, with an obstructed mind that pervaded the entire ocean of the directions, with an unobscured mind that ascended to the scope of perception of omniscience, with a pure mind that had the pure vipaśyanā that adorns a bodhimaṇḍa, with a perfectly distinct mind that comprehended the ocean of the Dharmas of all the buddhas, with a vast mind that pervaded all realms of beings in order to ripen and guide them, with an immense²¹⁸⁷ mind that purified all buddha realms, with a measureless mind that manifested his appearance within the assemblies of the followers of all buddhas, and with an inexhaustible and endless mind that dwelled in all kalpas and had the conclusive strengths, fearlessnesses, and unique qualities of all the tathāgatas, Sudhana, in the bodhimaṇḍa, which had the supreme vajra as its essence, was seated upon a lotus seat that was a mass of all jewels, gazing at the lion throne that was the seat of the Tathāgata.

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, who was dedicated to that kind of aspiration and attention, was saturated by previous roots of merit, and was blessed by the tathāgatas, had the equivalent roots of merit in the past as the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, and therefore there appeared ten omens of the appearance of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra.

What were those ten? They were that (1) all buddha realms were purified through having pure adornments at the bodhimaṇḍas of all tathāgatas; (2) all buddha realms were purified through the elimination of all their unfortunate states, lower existences, and lower realms; (3) all buddha realms were purified through becoming pure buddha realms with arrays of lotus²¹⁸⁸ beds; (4) all buddha realms were purified through the bodies and minds of all their beings becoming joyous and happy; (5) all buddha realms were purified through becoming made of all precious materials; (6) all buddha realms were purified through all their realms of beings becoming adorned by the signs and features of a great being; (7) all buddha realms were purified through being covered by clouds of adornments and decorations; (8) all buddha realms were purified through all their beings having a nature that was mutually loving, altruistic, and without malice; (9) all buddha realms were purified through their bodhimaṇḍas becoming adorned by adornments; and (10) all buddha realms were purified through all their beings becoming dedicated to remembering and focusing on the buddhas. Those were the ten omens of the appearance of the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samanta­bhadra.

There also appeared ten lights that were omens of the appearance of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra.

What were those ten? They were that (1) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms shone a multitude of nets of light rays from all tathāgatas; (2) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged a multitude of halos of buddhas, some of a single color, some of various colors, some with many hundreds of thousands of colors, spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; (3) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged clouds of all jewels creating the perception of the images of all tathāgatas spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; (4) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged wheels, and circles of the light radiated from all tathāgatas spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; (5) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged a multitude of clouds of perfume, flowers, garlands, ointments, and incense that resounded with thunder from all the clouds that proclaimed the ocean of the phenomena of the qualities of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; (6) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged multitudes of clouds of suns, moons, and stars, emanating the light of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; (7) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged multitudes of clouds of lamps in the shapes of all bodies,²¹⁸⁹ shining like the light rays of buddhas and spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; (8) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged multitudes of clouds of figures made of precious jewels that represent the bodies of the tathāgatas, spreading throughout all the world realms in the ten directions; (9) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged multitudes of clouds of figures made of light rays that appeared in the forms of the bodies of all the tathāgatas, sending down rain from the clouds of the blessings and prayers of all the buddhas and spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena; and (10) from each atom of the atoms of all world realms emerged an ocean of clouds of the images with the appearance of all kinds of forms of the bodies of bodhisattvas, engaged in liberating²¹⁹⁰ all beings and accomplishing the fulfillment of the Dharma aspirations of all beings and spreading throughout the entire realm of phenomena. Those were the ten great lights that were omens of the appearance of the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samanta­bhadra.

When Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, had seen those ten great lights as omens, he gained the opportunity to see Samanta­bhadra. He had the support of his own roots of merit. He had the blessing of all the tathāgatas and had given rise to the illumination of the Dharma of all the buddhas. He was focused on the conduct of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra. He was blessed by the prayers of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra. He aspired to the range of conduct of all the tathāgatas. He had attained the strength and power of certainty in the immense field of activity of the bodhisattva. He thought that seeing the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra would be the same as attaining omniscience. His faculties were directed to seeing the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra. He had gained the great power of diligence for seeing the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra. He applied himself with unflagging diligence in seeking the sight of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra.

With the wheel of his faculties facing in all directions; with the body of a bodhisattva that has reached the all-seeing²¹⁹¹ range of perception; with a mind fixed on the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra as being present at the feet of all buddhas without exception; with a focus on all buddhas as the object of his perception; with an aspiration that never ceased to seek the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra as an object of perception; with the eyes of wisdom that follow the path of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra having as their essence the idea of seeing the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra; with an aspiration that was as vast as space; with a higher motivation that possessed the thunderbolt of great compassion; with the prayer²¹⁹² to follow the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra; with the blessing that lasts till the last of future kalpas; with the pure power of ascension; by following the same conduct as that of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra; by dwelling²¹⁹³ in the wisdom that is established on the level of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra; by residing in the field of perception of all tathāgatas; and by possessing²¹⁹⁴ those qualities, he saw the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, who had attained equality with all tathāgatas, who followed the three times equally, who possessed an inconceivable field of perception, who had an inviolable conduct, who had a limitless field of perception of wisdom, who was looked upon by all bodhisattvas, who could not be surpassed by all worlds, who was followed by all assemblies of followers, and who possessed a superior field of perception.

He was seated on a great precious lotus on the center of a lion throne in front of the Tathāgata Arhat Samyak­saṃbuddha, the Bhagavat Vairocana, with an ocean of an assembly of bodhisattva followers, at the head of a gathering of bodhisattvas.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged multitudes of clouds of light rays that illuminated all world realms throughout the extent of the realm of phenomena to its limits and brought an end to the suffering of beings.

He saw him increasing the vast power of joy and aspiration in all bodhisattvas.

He saw emanating from the crown of his head, his two shoulders, and all his pores a multitude of clouds of perfumes and lights of various colors, which spread throughout the assemblies of the followers of all tathāgatas and let fall their rain.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged multitudes of clouds of all flowers, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the assemblies of the followers of all tathāgatas and let fall their rain.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged multitudes of clouds of various aromatic trees, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, adorning it with the clouds of aromatic trees, letting fall a rain of an inexhaustible treasure of perfume, aromatic powders, and incense and spreading throughout the assemblies of the followers of all tathāgatas and letting fall their rain.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged multitudes of clouds of various clothes, which spread over and adorned the entire realm of phenomena, the entire realm of space.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged clouds of streamers of silks in various colors, clouds of various garlands, clouds of various pearls, and clouds of wish-fulfilling precious jewels, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the assemblies of the followers of all tathāgatas and let fall their rain.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, in order to fulfill the wishes of all beings, there emerged clouds of jewel trees, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, adorning the buddha realms with treasures of jewels emanated from the jewel trees and spreading throughout the assemblies of the followers of all tathāgatas and letting fall their rain.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged clouds of devas of the form realm, who were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and who praised the bodhisattva and spread throughout all buddha realms.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged clouds of emanated devas of the Brahmā paradises, who supplicated the tathāgatas to turn the wheel of the Dharma.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged multitudes of clouds of the bodies of the deva lords from within the entire desire realm, who held many wheels of Dharma of all the tathāgatas.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, there emerged, with each instant of mind, clouds of buddha realms that resembled all the buddha realms within the three times and were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms, and they spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, becoming a dwelling, a refuge, and a basis for beings without a dwelling, without a refuge, and without a basis.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, there emerged, with each instant of mind, clouds filled with pure buddha realms, the appearances of buddhas, and all the assemblies of bodhisattva followers, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms, spreading throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, accomplishing the purification of beings with powerful aspirations.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, there emerged, with each instant of mind, multitudes of clouds of various defiled pure realms, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, accomplishing the purification of beings afflicted by the kleśas.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, there emerged, with each instant of mind, multitudes of clouds of purified defiled realms, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, accomplishing the purification of every single being afflicted by the kleśas.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged clouds of the bodies of all beings, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realms of beings, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, following the conducts of beings and ripening all beings for the highest, complete enlightenment.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, there emerged, with each instant of mind, clouds of the bodies of bodhisattvas, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, reciting the multitude of names of all buddhas in order to increase the roots of merit of beings.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged multitudes of clouds of bodies of bodhisattvas, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms and which spread throughout the realm of phenomena, throughout the entire realm of space to its limits, accomplishing in the entire vast extent of buddha realms the roots of merit of developing and maintaining the first aspiration of all bodhisattvas.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged clouds of bodhisattvas, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms, reciting in all buddha realms the entire ocean of bodhisattva prayers in order to perform the completely pure conduct of Samanta­bhadra.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, in order to fulfill the aspirations of all beings, there emerged clouds of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s conduct, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms, increasing the power of joy through ascending toward omniscience and letting fall their rain.

He saw that from all the pores on his body, from each of those pores, emerged clouds of the attainment of buddhahood, manifesting the attainment of complete buddhahood in all buddha realms and increasing the great clouds of Dharma that ascend toward omniscience, which were as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms.

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, was overjoyed, pleased, delighted, thrilled, and blissful on seeing the scope of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s miracles, and he contemplated the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s body even more strongly.

In each of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s limbs, in each section of his limbs, in each part of his body, in each section of the parts of his body, in each side of his limbs, in each section of the sides of his limbs, in each form,²¹⁹⁵ in each section of each form, in each pore, and in each section of each pore, he saw the images of this billion-world world realm with its mass of air, its mass of water, its mass of earth, its mass of fire, its oceans, its continents, its rivers, its mountains of jewels, its Sumerus, its Cakravālas, its villages, towns, districts, regions, realms, and royal capitals, its forests, its houses, its populations, its hells, its animal existences, its Yama realms, its asura realms, its nāga realms, its deva realms, its Brahmā realms, its range of desire realms, its range of form realms, its range of formless realms, its ground, its foundations, its shapes, its clouds, its lightning, its stars, its days and nights, its fortnights, its months, its seasons, its years, its intermediate kalpas, and its kalpas.

Just as he saw this world realm, he saw the images of all the world realms in the eastern direction. Just as he saw those in the eastern direction, he also saw the world realms in the southern direction, in the western direction, in the northern direction, in the northeastern direction, in the southeastern direction, in the southwestern direction, in the northwestern direction, and in the downward and upward directions, together with their appearances of buddhas and their assemblies of bodhisattva followers.

He also saw all the past successions of worlds in this Sahā world realm in each of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s physical signs of a great being, together with their appearances of buddhas, all their assemblies of bodhisattva followers, all their beings, all their houses, all their days and nights, and all their kalpas. In the same way, he saw the entire vast extent of its future buddha realms.

Just as he saw the past and future of this world realm, in that way he saw the succession of all world realms.

In the same way, he saw the past and future successive world realms of all world realms in the ten directions in the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s body, and in each of his physical signs of a great being and in each pore, all distinctly and not mixed with one another.

In the same way that he saw the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra manifesting this play of being seated on a great precious lotus on the center of a lion throne in front of the Bhagavat, the Tathāgata Vairocana, in the same way he saw him manifesting this same play in the eastern direction in the world realm Padmaśrī of the Bhagavat, the Tathāgata Bhadra­śrī.

In the same way as in the eastern direction, he saw the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra manifesting this play of being seated on a great precious lotus on the center of a lion throne in front of all the tathāgatas of all the world realms in the principal and intermediate directions.

In the same way that he saw the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra manifesting this display of being seated on a great precious lotus on the center of a lion throne in front of all the tathāgatas in all the world realms in the ten directions, he saw, in the atoms of all the buddha realms in the ten directions, the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra manifesting this display of being seated on a great precious lotus upon the center of a lion throne in front of all the tathāgatas within an assembly of followers of the Buddha, as vast as the realm of phenomena, in each atom.

He saw in each of those bodies the manifestation of reflections of all objects of perception in the three times.

He saw the manifestation of the perceptions as reflections of all realms, all beings, all appearances of buddhas, and all the assemblies of bodhisattva followers.

He heard the sounds of all beings, the voices of all buddhas, the Dharma wheels of all tathāgatas, and all the miraculous manifestations of the teaching of instructions.

Having seen and heard in that way the play²¹⁹⁶ of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s liberation, he attained the ten practices of the perfection of knowledge.

What are those ten? (1) He attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of filling all buddha realms with his body in each instant of mind; (2) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of going into the presence of all tathāgatas without differentiation; (3) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of serving and making offerings to all tathāgatas; (4) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of the attainment of acquiring all the Dharmas of the buddhas from all tathāgatas and from each tathāgata; (5) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of the definitive understanding of the Dharma wheels of all tathāgatas; (6) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of the inconceivable miracles of the buddhas; (7) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge of an unceasing discernment of all Dharmas,²¹⁹⁷ which is steadfast until the last of future kalpas, through the teaching of a single word of the Dharma; (8) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge that directly perceives the entire ocean²¹⁹⁸ of the Dharma; (9) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge that manifests within the perceptions of all beings; and (10) he attained the practice of the perfection of knowledge that directly perceives the conduct of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra in each instant of mind.

The bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra extended his right hand and placed it upon the head of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, who possessed such a practice of the perfection of knowledge.

The instant that the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra placed his right hand upon the head of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, he entered as many samādhi gateways as there are atoms in all buddha realms. In each samādhi he realized the sight of an ocean of world realms, as numerous as the atoms in a buddha realm, which he had never seen before. He gathered as many accumulations of omniscience as there are atoms in a buddha realm. There came as many accumulations of the Dharmas of omniscience as there are atoms in a buddha realm. He arose to as many great establishments in omniscience as there are atoms in a buddha realm. He comprehended an ocean of prayers as numerous as the atoms in a buddha realm. He set out along paths that have arisen from omniscience, which were as numerous as the atoms in a buddha realm. He entered into as many bodhisattva conducts as there are atoms in a buddha realm. He increased as many powers of omniscience as there are atoms in a buddha realm. He illuminated with as many illuminations from the knowledge of all buddhas as there are atoms in a buddha realm.

Just as the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, at the feet of the Bhagavat, the Tathāgata Vairocana in this Sahā world realm, extended his right hand and placed it upon the head of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, in the same way, the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra at the feet of the tathāgatas in all world realms extended his right hand and placed it upon the head of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son. In the same way, the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra at the feet of all the tathāgatas within the atoms of all world realms in all the principal and intermediate directions extended his right hand and placed it upon the head of Sudhana, the head merchant’s son.

Just as Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, entered many Dharma gateways when touched by the hand of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra at the feet of the Bhagavat Vairocana, in the same way Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, entered in many ways many Dharma gateways when touched by the clouds of hands emanated from all the bodies of Samanta­bhadra.

Then the bodhisattva mahāsattva Samanta­bhadra said to Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, “Noble one, you have seen my miraculous manifestations.”

Sudhana said, “Ārya, I have seen them. The inconceivable liberations that I have seen can only be known by the knowledge of a tathāgata.”

Samanta­bhadra said, “Noble one, I long for the omniscient mind and have practiced for as many kalpas as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms.

“In each of those great kalpas, I purified the aspiration for enlightenment, and I served as many tathāgatas as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms.

“In each of those great kalpas, I accumulated the merit for omniscience and engaged in all the great giving of gifts and offerings. I held bestowals of gifts and offerings that were proclaimed throughout the world and were bestowed upon all beings.

“In each of those great kalpas, aspiring to the Dharmas of omniscience, I gave gifts, great gifts, and extreme gifts that were as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms.

“In each of those great kalpas, without concern for body and life, and cherishing the Dharma of the buddhas, I gave away bodies as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms. I gave away great kingdoms. I gave away villages, towns, regions, lands, realms, and royal capitals. I gave away gatherings of entourages that were beautiful and pleasing and that I could not part with. I gave away sons, daughters, and wives. I gave away my body and flesh. I gave the blood from my body to those who asked for it. I gave away my bones and marrow. I gave away my legs and arms. I gave away the greater and smaller parts of my body. I gave away my nose and ears. I gave away my eyes. I gave away the organ of my tongue from my mouth.

“In each of those great kalpas, aspiring for the head of omniscience that is above and higher than all worlds, I gave away my own head as many times as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms.

“As it was in each of those great kalpas, it was the same in each of an ocean of kalpas as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms, in which through becoming a supreme lord I served, honored, and venerated tathāgatas as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms, making offerings to them and giving them clothing, food, beds, medicines when ill, and necessary utensils. I entered homelessness in the teachings of those tathāgatas, following all their instructions, and held their teachings.

“Noble one, throughout the ocean of that many kalpas, I developed an aspiration solely for the teaching of the tathāgatas and do not remember ever developing an inappropriate aspiration. Throughout the ocean of that many kalpas, I developed solely that aspiration, and I do not remember developing an aspiration through anger, an aspiration through fixation on the self, an aspiration from protecting and grasping a self, an aspiration that made a distinction between self and others, or an aspiration that was not connected with the path to enlightenment, nor do I remember developing an aspiration that became wearied or disheartened or confused by obscurations through remaining in saṃsāra. Instead, I developed the aspiration for gathering the accumulations for omniscience, an aspiration that had an invincible knowledge and unconquerable essence.

“Noble one, it is like this: An ocean of kalpas would pass if I were to teach my past perfect practices, my engagement in purifying buddha realms, my engagement in protecting, ripening, and purifying beings with my attainment of great compassion, my engagement in making offerings to and serving buddhas, my engagement in serving gurus in order to seek the good Dharma, my engagement in giving away my body in order to obtain the good Dharma, and my engagement in giving up my life in order to protect the good Dharma.

“Noble one, there is not one word or letter from all that ocean of the Dharma for which I did not give up the kingdom of a cakravartin or all my possessions through being dedicated to saving all beings, dedicated to attaining definitive understanding of the continuum of my mind, dedicated to others hearing the Dharma, dedicated to the elucidation of the light of worldly knowledge, dedicated to the elucidation of all world-transcending knowledge, dedicated to giving rise to happiness in saṃsāra for all beings, and dedicated to praising the qualities of all the tathāgatas. In that way, an ocean of kalpas as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms would pass by if I were to teach my perfect practices in the past.

“Noble one, in that way, I attained the pure Dharma body that is undifferentiated by the three times through the strength of such accumulations, through the strength of the accumulation of the causal roots of merit, through the strength of a vast aspiration, through the strength of practicing the qualities, through the strength of correctly comprehending all Dharmas, through the strength of the eyes of wisdom, through the strength of the blessing of the tathāgatas, through the strength of great prayers, through the strength of great compassion, through the strength of perfectly purified higher cognitions, and through the strength of being taken into the care of the kalyāṇamitras. I also purified the unsurpassable form body that transcends all worlds, that is perceived by all beings according to their aspirations, that is spread throughout all buddha realms, that is present everywhere, that manifests all miracles in every place, and that is attractive to all beings.²¹⁹⁹

“Noble one, regard this perfect body I have attained, which has been accomplished through an endless ocean of kalpas and which is rare to appear and rare to see in many hundreds of thousands of quintillions of kalpas.

“Noble one, those beings who have not developed roots of merit cannot hear me, let alone see me.

“Noble one, those beings who just hear my name become irreversible in their progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment. Those who just see me, touch me, accompany me, follow me, see me in a dream, or hear my name in a dream become irreversible in their progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Some, through thinking of me, become ripened in one day, some in one week, some in a fortnight, some in a month, some in a year, some in a hundred years, some in a kalpa, some in a hundred kalpas, and some in as many kalpas as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms. Some become ripened after as many lifetimes as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms. Some become ripened through seeing my light, some through seeing the light rays I radiate, some through the realm shaking, some through the manifestation of my form body, and some through rejoicing in it.

“Noble one, in that way, through as many methods as there are atoms in a buddha realm, beings become irreversible in their progress toward the highest, complete enlightenment.

“Noble one, the beings who hear²²⁰⁰ of my pure buddha realm will be reborn in pure buddha realms. Those who see my pure body will be reborn with a body like mine. Therefore, noble one, look at my body.”

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, contemplated the body of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra and saw an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of oceans of buddha realms in each pore. He saw in each of those oceans of realms tathāgatas encircled by oceans of assemblies of bodhisattvas. He saw all those oceans of realms as having various grounds, various shapes, various arrays, and various Cakravāla mountain ranges, covered by various clouds and various skies, and possessing various appearances of buddhas and the sound of various Dharma wheels.

What he saw in each pore he saw in all pores without exception, in all the physical signs and features of a great being, and in all the greater and smaller parts of the body. He saw clouds of emanations of bodies of buddhas, as numerous as the atoms in all buddha realms, appearing in each of the oceans of realms, pervading all the world realms in the ten directions, and ripening beings for the highest, complete enlightenment.

Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, having been taught the instructions and teachings of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, entered all the world realms that were within the body of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra and ripened beings.

The roots of merit accumulated by Sudhana, the head merchant’s son, through the light of knowledge by coming before, seeing, and honoring as many kalyāṇamitras as there are atoms in a buddha realm, were not a hundredth of the roots of merit accumulated by seeing the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra; they were not even a thousandth, were not even a trillionth, and could not even be an enumeration, a fraction, a number, an analogy, or a basis²²⁰¹ for it.

However many successions of oceans of buddha realms Sudhana apprehended from first developing the aspiration for enlightenment until he saw the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra, he apprehended in each instant of mind even more successions of oceans of buddha realms, as many²²⁰² as there are atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms, in each of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra’s pores. Just as it was in each of his pores, so it was in all his pores without exception, and even if in each instant of mind Sudhana were to arrive at world realms as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms²²⁰³ and continue spreading through world realms until the last of future kalpas, he would still not reach the end of those successions of oceans of buddha realms. He would not reach the end of the forms²²⁰⁴ of the oceans of realms, the particulars of the oceans of realms, the groupings of the oceans of realms, the origination of the oceans of realms, the destruction of the oceans of realms, the categories of the oceans of realms, the succession of the oceans of the appearances of buddhas, the bodies of the oceans of the appearances of buddhas, the particulars of the oceans of the appearances of buddhas, the groupings of the oceans of the appearances of buddhas, the originations of the oceans of the appearances of buddhas, the destruction of the oceans of the appearances of buddhas, the oceans of the bodhisattva assemblies of followers, the successions of the oceans of the bodhisattva assemblies of followers, the particulars of the oceans of the bodhisattva assemblies of followers, the groupings of the oceans of the bodhisattva assemblies of followers, the origination of the oceans of the bodhisattva assemblies of followers, the destruction of the oceans of the bodhisattva assemblies of followers, the entries into the realms of beings, the entries in each instant into the knowledge of the faculties of beings, the realizations of the knowledge of the faculties of beings, the ripening and guiding of beings, or the practices of the profound bodhisattva miracles, and would not reach the end of the ocean of the ascending of bodhisattva bhūmis.

He was active in some realms for a kalpa. He was active in some realms for as many kalpas as there are atoms²²⁰⁵ in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of realms, and he did not depart from those realms. In each instant of mind, he ripened beings for the highest, complete enlightenment in a vast extent of an ocean of realms with no end or middle, until in that way he eventually attained equality with the ocean of the prayers and the conduct of the bodhisattva Samanta­bhadra. He attained equality with all the tathāgatas, equality with their pervasion of all realms by their bodies, equality with their fulfillment of conduct, equality with their manifesting the miraculous manifestation of the attainment of complete buddhahood, equality with their turning the wheel of the Dharma, equality with their pure discernment, equality with the utterances of their voices, equality with the engagement in the oceans of all the aspects of their voices, equality with their great love and great compassion, and equality with the miraculous manifestation of the inconceivable liberations of the bodhisattvas.

The bodhisattva mahāsattva Samanta­bhadra then composed these verses in order to further elucidate kalpas, the vast extent of kalpas, and world realms as numerous as the atoms in an anabhilāpyānabhilāpya of buddha realms:

The compilation of Sudhana’s conduct of honoring kalyāṇamitras from the great Dharma teaching entitled “Stem Array” from within the “Bodhisattva­piṭaka,” “The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra Entitled ‘A Multitude of Buddhas,’ ” is concluded.

This concludes the episodes of Sudhana’s conduct of honoring kalyāṇamitras from the great Dharma teaching, “The Stem Array.”

Translated and revised by the Indian upādhyāyas Jinamitra and Surendrabodhi and by the chief editor Lotsawa Bandé Yeshé Dé and others.²²³²

Tashi Wangchuk

A Multitude of Buddhas is the marvelous essence of the final, ultimate, definitive wheel from among the three wheels of the Sugata’s teaching. It has many other titles, such as The Mahāvaipulya Basket, The Earring, The Lotus Adornment, and so on.

It has seven sections:²²³³ A Multitude of Tathāgatas,²²³⁴ The Vajra Banner Dedication,²²³⁵ The Teaching of the Ten Bhūmis,²²³⁶ The Teaching of Completely Good Conduct,²²³⁷ The Teaching of the Birth and Appearance of the Tathāgatas,²²³⁸ The Transcendence of the World,²²³⁹ and Stem Array.²²⁴⁰ These are subdivided into forty-five chapters.

According to Butön Rinpoché and others, it contains thirty-nine thousand and thirty verses, a hundred and thirty fascicles, and an additional thirty verses. Although the Tshalpa Kangyur catalog records one hundred fifteen fascicles, and the Denkarma one hundred twenty-seven fascicles,²²⁴¹ present-day recensions have various numbers of fascicles.²²⁴²

This sūtra was first received from Ārya Nāgārjuna by Paṇḍita Buddhabhadra and Paṇḍita Śikṣānanda (652–710), and they both translated it into Chinese. It is taught that Surendrabodhi and Vairocana­rakṣita acted as chief editors for a Chinese translation.²²⁴³

As for the transmission lineage, there is the lineage from China, starting with the perfect Buddha, Ārya Mañjuśrī, Lord Nāgārjuna, the two paṇḍitas mentioned above, and Heshang Tushun. Then the lineage continued through others until Üpa Sangyé Bum received it from Heshang Gying-ju. That lineage was then passed on through Lotsawa Chokden and has continued up to the present time.

The lineage from India is as follows. It was passed from Nāgārjuna to Āryadeva, and then Mañjuśrīkīrti, and so on, until Bari Lotsawa received it from Vajrāsana. It is taught that the lineage then continued through Chim Tsöndrü Sengé, the great Sakya Lord,²²⁴⁴ and so on.

However, I have not seen any histories or texts that recount translation work done by lotsawas or paṇḍitas other than those listed in the colophon here.

The king of Jangsa Tham²²⁴⁵ had a complete Kangyur made that was based on the Tshalpa Kangyur. At the present time this is known as the Lithang Tshalpa Kangyur (1609–14). I consider this to be a reliable source and so have made it the basis for this edition. However, since it contains many omissions, accretions, and misspellings, I have edited it by searching in further old versions that are correct.²²⁴⁶ There are variant Sanskrit manuscripts and disparate translations, and despite their consistent overall meaning it is has not been possible to edit the text definitively on the level of the words. It is nevertheless useful, at least, to have corrected it according to the majority of versions.

Varying translations of terms have been left as they are, since there is no contradiction in meaning. Examples include rgyan instead of bkod pa;²²⁴⁷ ’byam klas instead of rab ’byams;²²⁴⁸ so so yang dag par rig pa instead of tha dad pa yang dag par shes pa;²²⁴⁹ thugs for dgongs pa;²²⁵⁰ nyin mtshan dang zla ba yar kham mar kham dang instead of nyin mtshan dang yud du yan man dang;²²⁵¹ and tha snyad instead of rnam par dpyod pa.²²⁵²

Sanskrit words have many stems and roots, affixes, and derivations. In the case of some of the lotsawas and paṇḍitas in Tibet who had the eyes of the Dharma and produced meaning-translations, the tenses, cases, and so on are difficult to understand. As my principal reference I have therefore taken passages about which the largest number of manuscripts were in agreement. On other points where there was the slightest doubt I have ensured that they conform with the treatises on Tibetan linguistics. More coherence would have been possible had there been an extant version in the old Tibetan terminology alone, since in most of the manuscripts there seems to be neither a complete predominance of archaic terms, nor any obvious sign of what changes editors have made to the translation. In any case, changes made in later times‍—significant adulterations of the text by the mixing of old and new forms, and disruptive placements of the shad marks that differentiate clauses‍—seem to be numerous, but are actually slight and only minor faults, so I have left them as they are, for otherwise the editing work would have been comparable to cutting through the megaliths of Mön.

This, therefore, is the result of my work with all its pretensions to perseverance and complete correctness, and through it may the precious teaching of the Buddha and the glory of the merit of nonsectarian beings remain for the entire kalpa within the circle of the Cakravāla Mountains, as bright as the sun and moon.

It was printed in the water tiger year called dge byed (1722),²²⁵³ in the presence of Tenpa Tsering (1678–1738), the divine Dharma king who rules in accordance with the Dharma, who has the vast, superior wealth of the ten good actions, and who is a bodhisattva as a ruler of humans and the source of happiness in the four regions of greater Tibet.

Written by the attendant Gelong Tashi Wangchuk, who in the process of revision was commanded to become its supervisor.

Ye dharma­hetu­prabhavā hetun teṣān tathāgato hy avadat. Teṣāñ ca yo nirodha evaṃ vādī mahā­śramanaḥ.

(All phenomena that arise from causes, the Tathāgata has taught their cause, and that which is their cessation; thus has the Great Śramaṇa proclaimed.)