Detailed Summary of The Stem Array Sūtra
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Buddha Śākyamuni is in Jetavana in Śrāvastī with five thousand bodhisattvas and five hundred śrāvakas. In their minds they wish for a teaching, and therefore the Buddha enters samādhi, and countless buddha realms appear there within a vast kūṭāgāra. Bodhisattvas also come from other realms to Śrāvastī. The śrāvakas, lacking in the necessary merit, are unable to see this miraculous display. Then ten bodhisattvas who have come from the ten directions—Vairocanapraṇidhānanābhiraśmiprabha, Duryodhanavīryavegarāja, Samantaśrīsamudgatatejorāja, Asaṅgaśrīgarbharāja, Dharmadhātupraṇidhisunirmitacandrarāja, Dharmārciṣmattejorāja, Sarvamāramaṇḍalavikiraṇajñānadhvajarāja, Vairocanapraṇidhānaketudhvaja, Sarvāvaraṇavikiraṇajñānavikrāntarāja, and Dharmadhātupraṇidhitalanirbheda—recite verses describing what has occurred.
Chapter 2: Samantabhadra
The bodhisattva Samantabhadra recites verses to the bodhisattvas describing the inconceivable pervasion of phenomena by the buddhas. In addition, the Buddha, still in samādhi, emanates a ray of light from between his eyebrows so that the bodhisattvas can see these countless buddha realms, and in a state of great joy the bodhisattvas emanate countless manifestations. On seeing this, Mañjuśrī recites verses describing this event.
Chapter 3: Mañjuśrī
Through the Buddha’s blessing, Śāriputra is enabled to see Mañjuśrī, who is departing for South India. Accompanied by his sixty pupils, he follows Mañjuśrī. He praises Mañjuśrī to his pupil Sāgarabuddhi. They all go to Mañjuśrī and pay homage to him, and Mañjuśrī teaches them ten motivations. Then Mañjuśrī goes to Vicitrasāladhvajavyūha Forest near the city of Dhanyākara. The laypeople of the city, hearing that Mañjuśrī is in the forest, go to see him. Among them is Sudhana, the son of a prominent upāsaka. Mañjuśrī describes the miracles that occurred at Sudhana’s birth, praises Sudhana, and teaches him and the others about the nature of buddhas. Mañjuśrī departs; Sudhana follows him and in verse praises him and requests teaching. Mañjuśrī instructs him to develop bodhisattva conduct by relying on kalyāṇamitras. He tells him to go to the bhikṣu Meghaśrī, who is on Sugrīva Mountain in the southern land of Rāmāvarānta.
Chapter 4: Meghaśrī
Sudhana arrives in Rāmāvarānta and finds the bhikṣu Meghaśrī walking on a plateau on the summit of a mountain. Meghaśrī describes how he can see all tathāgatas in every direction. However, he states that his knowledge is limited, and he cannot describe the various accomplishments that enable other bodhisattvas to see all the tathāgatas, and he instructs Sudhana to go to the bhikṣu Sāgaramegha in Sāgaramukha so as to receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva.
Chapter 5: Sāgaramegha
Sudhana meets Sāgaramegha, who describes how by focusing on the ocean and its qualities over twelve years he saw a buddha seated on a giant precious lotus arise from the ocean, with countless deities of various kinds paying homage to that buddha, who gave him a teaching called All-Seeing Eyes, which was so vast that even one chapter of it was too long to ever be written out. Sāgaramegha then gave this teaching to the nonhuman beings who came from all directions. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this teaching and instructs Sudhana to go receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from the bhikṣu Supratiṣṭhita in Sāgaratīra.
Chapter 6: Supratiṣṭhita
Sudhana searches for Supratiṣṭhita and eventually sees him walking in the sky accompanied by a vast gathering of various kinds of deities, who pay homage to him. Supratiṣṭhita states that he has attained a wisdom called the unimpeded apex, so that he knows past lives, all past buddhas, all languages, when to guide beings, and so on, and can perform all kinds of miracles. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this liberation and instructs Sudhana to go receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from a Dravidian named Megha in the town of Vajrapura in the land of Draviḍa.
Chapter 7: Megha
Sudhana finds Megha teaching on a throne in a courtyard in the town of Vajrapura. Megha comes down from his throne and makes many offerings to Sudhana. He praises the bodhisattvas through various analogies, and light rays shine from his mouth, spreading throughout the universe. Many deities of various kinds come to listen. Then Megha sits back on his throne and states that he has attained Sarasvatī’s power of retention, so that he knows the languages of all the different kinds of deities and other beings throughout all worlds. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this Sarasvatī power of retention, and he instructs Sudhana to go receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from a head merchant named Muktaka in the land of Vanavāsī.
Chapter 8: Muktaka
After twelve years Sudhana reaches Vanavāsī and finds Muktaka. Muktaka enters a state of meditation through the power of retention called the assembly of all the buddha realms, and countless buddhas, their deeds, their realms, and their pupils become visible within his body. He comes out of his meditation and states that through the liberation called the unimpeded display, he can see any buddha in any realm or time that he wishes to, and he is aware that his mind’s perceptions are the mind’s own illusions and that all attainment is the attainment of the mind. However, he states that his knowledge is limited to this liberation called the unimpeded display, and he instructs Sudhana to go receive instruction on the way of the bodhisattva from a bhikṣu named Sāgaradhvaja in the land of Milaspharaṇa at the southern tip of India.
Chapter 9: Sāgaradhvaja
Sudhana arrives at Milaspharaṇa and finds the bhikṣu Sāgaradhvaja sitting in meditation at the end of a meditation walkway. He is emanating various kinds of beings, bodhisattvas, and buddhas from different parts of his body, and these emanations are spreading throughout all the buddha realms, accomplishing various kinds of activities. Sudhana sits before him for six months and six days, until Sāgaradhvaja rises from his samādhi. He describes to Sudhana the nature of the samādhi he has attained, but he states that his knowledge is limited to that and instructs him to go to request teaching from the upāsikā Āśā in a park outside the town of Mahāprabhasa.
Chapter 10: Āśā
Sudhana arrives at Samantavyūha Park, which is miraculously beautiful and made of precious substances. The upāsikā Āśā is seated on a throne inside a magnificent palace, with vast numbers of beings of various kinds paying homage to her. She tells Sudhana she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the banner of bliss without sorrow and recounts her past as a pupil of innumerable buddhas. She emphasizes how bodhisattvas are dedicated to the welfare of all beings. However, as her knowledge is limited to her bodhisattva liberation, she instructs him to go to the ṛṣi Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa in the land named Nālayu.
Chapter 11: Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa
Sudhana arrives in Nālayu and finds the ṛṣi Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa, along with ten thousand young brahmin pupils, in an ashram in a miraculously beautiful forest. Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa tells his pupils of Sudhana’s greatness, and they make offerings to him. Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the banner of being invincible to others. He places his hand on Sudhana’s head, and Sudhana sees innumerable buddha realms and hears the teachings of those buddhas for innumerable kalpas. When Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa removes his hand, Sudhana is back in the forest at that same time. Bhīṣmottaranirghoṣa says his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation and instructs him to go to the brahmin Jayoṣmāyatana in the land of Īṣāṇa.
Chapter 12: Jayoṣmāyatana
Sudhana finds the brahmin Jayoṣmāyatana undertaking the ascetic practice of sitting beneath a cliff surrounded by four fires and under the noonday sun. He tells Sudhana that if he climbs to the top of the precipice above him and jumps into a fire, he will have pure conduct. On hearing this, Sudhana has doubts about Jayoṣmāyatana, but deities appear in the sky describing how Jayoṣmāyatana’s asceticism has benefited them on the path to buddhahood. Sudhana then obeys the brahmin’s instructions, and leaping into the fire, he is unharmed and attains samādhi. Jayoṣmāyatana then tells Sudhana that his own knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation called the unceasing domain and therefore he should go to Princess Maitrayaṇī in the city of Siṃhavijṛmbhita.
Chapter 13: Maitrayaṇī
Sudhana finds Princess Maitrayaṇī with an entourage of five hundred maidens in a miraculous palace. She instructs Sudhana to look around the palace, and he sees innumerable buddhas in every object. She tells Sudhana that she has attained the gateway to the perfection of wisdom called the complete display of memory, but as her knowledge is limited to that, he should go to the bhikṣu Sudarśana in the land called Trinayana.
Chapter 14: Sudarśana
After a long search, Sudhana finds the bhikṣu Sudarśana attended by devas while practicing walking meditation in a forest. He tells Sudhana that within his lifetime, he has been the pupil of innumerable buddhas for vast lengths of time and perceives countless buddhas as he practices his walking meditation. However, his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation called the never-extinguished lamp of wisdom. Therefore, he instructs Sudhana to go to a boy named Indriyeśvara in the city of Sumukha.
Chapter 15: Indriyeśvara
Sudhana finds Indriyeśvara playing in the sand with ten thousand other children. Indriyeśvara tells Sudhana that he has been the pupil of Mañjuśrī and has mastered all kinds of branches of knowledge. In particular he relates at length the system of enumeration that bodhisattvas use. However, his knowledge is limited to this gateway called the wisdom that possesses clairvoyance in all crafts. Therefore, he instructs Sudhana to go to the upāsikā Prabhūtā in the town of Samudrapratiṣṭhāna.
Chapter 16: Prabhūtā
Sudhana finds the young girl Prabhūtā in a marvelous house, wearing a simple white robe and no jewelry, with just a small pot before her and no other provisions in her house. Ten thousand beautiful maidens are present as her attendants. She tells Sudhana that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the unceasing display of the treasure of merit. Through this she is able to provide countless beings in all directions with whatever they wish out of her small pot. With the food from her pot, she aids śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas in countless realms in attaining their enlightenments. Sudhana witnesses countless beings arriving at her home and receiving whatever they wish from the pot. Prabhūtā then says that as her knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, he should go to the householder Vidvān in the town of Mahāsaṃbhava.
Chapter 17: Vidvān
Sudhana finds Vidvān upon a throne on a platform at the crossroads in the center of the town. Vidvān tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the merit that arises from the treasury of the mind. Therefore, he is able to provide beings with whatever they wish, and he has brought his entourage of ten thousand musicians onto the path to enlightenment. Sudhana sees countless beings arrive. When Vidvān looks up into the sky, all that the beings wish for comes down into Vidvān’s hands, and he gives it to them. However, Vidvān says his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation and instructs Sudhana to go to see the head merchant and Dharma patron named Ratnacūḍa in the town of Siṃhapota.
Chapter 18: Ratnacūḍa
Sudhana finds Ratnacūḍa in the town’s market. Ratnacūḍa takes him to his ten-story home made of gold. On the first four floors he witnesses bodhisattva activity of generosity, and on the fifth floor and upward he sees bodhisattvas discussing the Dharma. On the tenth floor all the bodhisattvas are in their last life. Ratnacūḍa tells Sudhana how in the past he made an offering of incense to a buddha and the aroma covered the entire world for a week. This resulted in his attaining the bodhisattva liberation called the unimpeded display of the field of prayer, through which he can see all buddhas and bodhisattvas. However, as his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, he instructs Sudhana to go to a perfume seller by the name of Samantanetra in the town of Samantamukha.
Chapter 19: Samantanetra
Sudhana finds Samantanetra in a perfume shop in the middle of the town. Samantanetra describes how he can cure all illnesses, heal beings, and set them on the path to enlightenment. He is also able to make an offering of perfume to all buddha realms. However, his knowledge is limited to this gateway called the forms of perfume that satisfy all beings and through which in every way one sees, makes offerings to, and honors the buddhas. Therefore, he instructs him to go to King Anala in the town of Tāladhvaja.
Chapter 20: Anala
Sudhana finds King Anala sitting on the throne in judgment on hundreds of thousands of criminals as a horde of terrifying executioners punish them in various ways, creating a lake of blood and a mountain of body parts. Sudhana has doubts as to whether King Anala is a bodhisattva, but deities appear in the sky and tell him not to doubt. King Anala takes Sudhana into his palace and explains that what he has seen is an illusion the king creates to inspire beings to avoid bad actions. He states that his knowledge is limited to this bodhisattva liberation called the attainment of illusions and therefore instructs Sudhana to go to King Mahāprabha in the city called Suprabha.
Chapter 21: Mahāprabha
After a long search, Sudhana finds the city of Suprabha, which appears to be miraculously made of precious materials. He finds King Mahāprabha seated on a throne in the city along with vast amounts of goods, animals, and women arranged as gifts. King Mahāprabha tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva conduct called the banner of great love from countless buddhas. He provides everyone in his kingdom with whatever they wish. He states that some beings see the city as ordinary, while others see it as made of precious materials, and this is according to their realization. The king demonstrates entering a samādhi that causes the entire country to shake. Beings, deities, and even mountains and plants bow in his direction. In the same way he brings happiness and serenity to beings in countless realms. King Mahāprabha states that his knowledge is limited to the banner of great love and instructs him to go see the upāsikā Acalā in the city called Sthirā.
Chapter 22: Acalā
Sudhana reaches the city of Sthirā and finds the upāsikā Acalā at home with her parents in a house shining with a golden light that causes Sudhana to enter states of samādhi. She is extremely beautiful, shining with light, and has an exceptional aroma. Acalā describes her past life as a princess during the time of the Buddha Pralambabāhu. One night she saw him shining in the sky, and since that time she has followed his instructions for many kalpas. She demonstrates her miraculous power of revealing to him a vision of countless buddha realms made of beryl. She states that her attainment is limited to a certain conduct, samādhi, and the liberation called the essence of the wisdom that is difficult to attain, and she instructs Sudhana to go see the parivrājaka Sarvagamin.
Chapter 23: Sarvagamin
After a long journey, Sudhana reaches the town of Tosala in the land called Amitatosala. Having searched through the town, he goes to a shining hill called Sulabha to the north of the town. At its summit he finds Sarvagamin being honored by ten thousand brahmins. Sarvagamin describes how through the samādhi called the light of the practice of all gateways he can benefit beings in many ways throughout many worlds. He instructs Sudhana to go to the perfume merchant Utpalabhūti.
Chapter 24: Utpalabhūti
Sudhana arrives in the land called Pṛthurāṣṭra and finds the perfume merchant Utpalabhūti, who tells Sudhana of his mastery of perfumes that have magical and spiritual effects. He tells Sudhana to go to a mariner by the name of Vaira.
Chapter 25: Vaira
Sudhana goes to the city of Kūṭāgāra and finds the mariner Vaira at the city’s gate on the shore of the ocean, where he is telling tales of the sea to a hundred thousand merchants and many hundreds of thousands of other people and describing the qualities of the Buddha. He tells Sudhana that he practices the bodhisattva conduct called the banner of great compassion, aids beings in various ways, knows the locations of islands and treasures and the ways of sailing on the ocean, and sets beings toward enlightenment through his teaching. However, his attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called remembering to abide with the fruitful hearing and seeing of the banner of great compassion, and therefore he instructs Sudhana to go to see the head merchant Jayottama.
Chapter 26: Jayottama
Sudhana reaches the town called Nandihāra and finds Jayottama in a forest on the eastern side of the town, speaking about civic duties to many thousands of householders. He tells Sudhana how in many worlds he teaches the Dharma, pacifies disputes and wars, guides people away from bad behavior, and sets them on the path to enlightenment. He tells Sudhana to go see a bhikṣuṇī by the name of Siṃhavijṛmbhitā.
Chapter 27: Siṃhavijṛmbhitā
Sudhana arrives in the town of Kaliṅgavana in the land of Śroṇāparānta and finds Siṃhavijṛmbhitā in a park named Sūryaprabha that, because of her miraculous power, is covered with jewels and other miraculous manifestations. There are thrones at the foot of jewel trees, on all of which sit Siṃhavijṛmbhitā teaching the Dharma to various kinds of beings and bodhisattvas. She tells Sudhana that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the eradication of all conceit, which enables her to go in various forms to various worlds to make offerings to buddhas and bodhisattvas. Stating that her realization is limited, she instructs him to go see a courtesan named Vasumitrā.
Chapter 28: Vasumitrā
Sudhana arrives in the city of Ratnavyūha in the land of Durga and searches for the courtesan Vasumitrā. The people who do not know her qualities wonder why a practitioner like Sudhana would want to see her. Those who do know her qualities tell him where her home is. It is vast, comprising many buildings made of precious materials and divine in appearance. She is beautiful and skilled in languages and all arts and treatises. Her body illuminates her residence. She tells Sudhana that she takes on a beautiful form among various kinds of beings who are under the power of desire and teaches them the Dharma to free them from desire, and that they also become free from desire on seeing her, touching her, kissing her, and so on. She describes that in a past life she was a head merchant’s wife who offered a bell to the Buddha Atyuccagāmin, who had entered their city accompanied by miraculous events. Mañjuśrī was an attendant of that buddha and set her on the path to enlightenment. She states that her attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called the complete attainment of freedom from desire and instructs him to go see the householder Veṣṭhila.
Chapter 29: Veṣṭhila
Sudhana goes to the town of Śubhapāraṃgama, where he meets the householder Veṣṭhila, who attained the samādhi called the display of the unceasing family of the buddhas when he opened the door of a shrine. Through this samādhi he sees countless buddhas of the past, present, and future. He instructs Sudhana to meet the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.
Chapter 30: Avalokiteśvara
Sudhana goes to the Potalaka Mountain and on its western side finds Avalokiteśvara teaching within a forest grove. Avalokiteśvara places his radiant hand on Sudhana’s head and tells him that he has the bodhisattva activity called the unimpeded gateway to great compassion. He describes how he benefits beings through various manifestations and emanations, freeing them from various kinds of fear. However, being limited to that activity, he instructs Sudhana to go to the Cakravāla mountain range to see the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin, who has just come from another world realm in the east.
Chapter 31: Ananyagāmin
Sudhana goes to see the bodhisattva Ananyagāmin, who says that in the eastern realm of Śrīgarbhavatī he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the arising of every gateway at the feet of the Buddha Samantaśrīsaṃbhava, and that it has taken him countless kalpas to reach this world, even though he passed countless realms with each step. He also made offerings to all the buddhas in those realms and manifested bodies to benefit the beings there, and he did this while approaching this world from all other directions simultaneously. He tells Sudhana that his attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called the arising of every gateway and instructs him to go see the deity Mahādeva.
Chapter 32: Mahādeva
Sudhana reaches the city named Dvāravatī and finds the deity Mahādeva in a temple in the center of the city. When Sudhana asks him for instruction, he extends his four arms to the four great oceans and brings back water to rinse out his mouth. He praises bodhisattvas, who are so difficult to meet, and states that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the net of clouds. Through that liberation he manifests heaps of jewels and precious objects in front of Sudhana for him to use as offerings to the buddhas in order to gain merit. In that way he establishes countless beings in the practice of generosity. He manifests ugliness to those with desire, terrifying manifestations to the proud, and dangers to the lazy, so that they will follow the Dharma. As he is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, he instructs Sudhana to go from South India to Magadha in North India, to the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, and see the earth goddess Sthāvarā there.
Chapter 33: Sthāvarā
Sudhana leaves South India and reaches the bodhimaṇḍa in Magadha. As he approaches the earth goddess Sthāvarā, another million earth goddesses declare that a great realized being is approaching. They manifest an array of miraculous appearances. Sthāvarā states that Sudhana has accumulated merit in this place in past lives and demonstrates its result by stamping on the ground so that there appear millions of treasures that Sudhana will always be able to use. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the essence of invincible wisdom, as a result of which she has practiced the Dharma and protected bodhisattvas since the time of the Buddha Dīpaṅkara. She received this liberation from the Buddha Sunetra many kalpas previously and since then has always been in the presence of buddhas. As she is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, she instructs Sudhana to go to Kapilavastu, the hometown of the Buddha Śākyamuni, to see the night goddess Vāsantī.
Chapter 34: Vāsantī
Sudhana reaches Kapilavastu, and after sunset he sees the night goddess Vāsantī in the sky above the town. She has a golden body, and he sees in her pores the realms of beings she has liberated and her various emanations, and he also hears from her pores the Dharma teachings she has given. She tells Sudhana that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings. She describes how she helps various beings who are distressed in various ways in darkness, and how she liberates beings from the darkness of saṃsāra and protects and saves beings from physical and spiritual dangers. Then she describes these activities in verse. She then explains that many kalpas previously, she had been a queen who was awoken one night by a night goddess named Suviśuddhacandrābhā, who told her that the Buddha Sarvadharmanigarjitarāja had just attained buddhahood in a nearby forest and had manifested a miraculous light. She went to that buddha, entered the Dharma, and in every lifetime that followed had a fortunate rebirth and accumulated merit. After countless kalpas, she became the beautiful daughter of a head merchant, and the night goddess Suviśuddhacandrābhā had become a night goddess named Viśuddhanetrābhā. One night the night goddess revealed herself to the merchant’s daughter and told her of the Buddha Sumerudhvajāyatanaśāntanetraśrī, who had attained buddhahood seven days previously and was the first of five hundred buddhas who would appear in that kalpa. The merchant’s daughter went to that buddha and on seeing his face remembered her previous lives. It was from that buddha that she received the bodhisattva liberation called the gateway to guiding beings through the radiance of the Dharma that eliminates the darkness of all beings. As a result, she could be in countless realms before many buddhas simultaneously, knew the languages of beings in countless realms, and manifested to them in various ways. However, she says that she is limited to this attainment and instructs Sudhana to go back to the bodhimaṇḍa to see the night goddess Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā.
Chapter 35: Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā
Sudhana returns to the bodhimaṇḍa and sees the night goddess Samantagambhīraśrīvimalaprabhā. She instructs him in ten qualities that bodhisattvas need to attain. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called complete subjugation through the bliss of the peace of śamatha, through which she can see all the buddhas in the three times, receive all their teachings, and ripen beings in various ways. Stating that she is limited to this liberation, she instructs Sudhana to go see the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā, who is nearby.
Chapter 36: Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā
Sudhana goes to the southern side of the bodhimaṇḍa, where he sees the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā. Sudhana sees emanated bodies, as numerous as all beings, coming from all her pores, teaching the path of the bodhisattva to beings in different languages and forms. Sudhana praises her in verse and then asks her when she attained her bodhisattva liberation called the banner of the power of vast, stainless, completely good joy. Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā replies in verse, describing how in a previous world in the distant past she was the queen of a cakravartin. She was awoken by night goddesses on the night that a buddha named Śrisamudra attained buddhahood and shone with a miraculous light. She woke the king, the court, and the other queens, and with a great mass of people they went to the Buddha. That was when she first developed the aspiration to attain buddhahood, and she particularly prayed to become like those night goddesses. She lists the numerous buddhas whom she offered to and received teachings from throughout a number of worlds and kalpas. Finally she received and attained her bodhisattva liberation from the Buddha Ratnaśrīpradīpaguṇaketu and then, out of compassion for beings, took on her present form as a night goddess. However, she states that she is limited to that attainment and instructs Sudhana to go to the night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī, who is nearby among the assembly at the bodhimaṇḍa.
Chapter 37: Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī
As Sudhana walks the short distance to see the night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī, she radiates onto him a light ray that causes him to enter a samādhi and see worlds in the atoms of the ground, and to see her appearing in them all to guide and help beings through the power of her bodhisattva liberation called the manifestations that guide beings that appear in all worlds. Sudhana recites verses to her, describing this vision, and asks her when she attained that liberation. She describes how countless kalpas in the past, in a world called Vairocanatejaḥśrī, she was a princess named Padmabhadrābhirāmanetraśrīcandrā, the daughter of a cakravartin who ruled all four continents. North of the capital there was a Bodhi tree, before which was a lake with a magical lotus in its center, upon which was the Buddha Samantajñānaratnārciśrīguṇaketurāja, the first of countless buddhas to appear in that kalpa. Over a period of ten thousand years, he radiated light rays to the beings in that world, informing them and preparing them for his eventual appearance as a buddha. At the moment of his attainment of buddhahood in that world, there were miraculous omens everywhere. The bodhisattva Samantabhadra appeared above the cakravartin’s palace, his radiance outshining all other lights. He informed the king that a buddha had appeared at the Bodhi tree. On seeing Samantabhadra, the princess wished to be with him always, in all her lives. The king manifested miraculously throughout the world, encouraging everyone to come and see the Buddha. On seeing the Buddha, the princess cast her jewels toward him, and they formed a miraculous display in the air. She had a vision of Samantabhadra’s presence throughout countless worlds and attained various samādhis. The buddha told her that in a past life Samantabhadra had instructed her to repair the statue of the buddha of that time and that this had been the cause of her good rebirths and connection with buddhas and Samantabhadra in all her lives. The night goddess Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī then explains to Sudhana that she had been the princess, Maitreya was the king, and his queen, the mother of the princess, was the night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī. Samantasattvatrāṇojaḥśrī describes how she attended and made offerings to a succession of buddhas through the kalpas, and she describes the teachings she received from some of them. She lists a number of buddhas in verse, and finally says that her attainment is limited to the bodhisattva liberation called the manifestations that guide beings that appear in all worlds and that Sudhana should go to see the nearby night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī.
Chapter 38: Praśantarutasāgaravatī
Sudhana goes directly to the night goddess Praśantarutasāgaravatī, who tells him she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the display in each instant of mind of the arising of the power of vast delight. She explains that she teaches the Dharma everywhere in various ways to beings and that she can see all bodhisattvas wherever they are and whatever are they doing. In particular she sees how the Buddha, whom she calls Vairocana, in every instant radiates light rays everywhere that take on various forms to guide beings, and seeing this gives her great delight. She describes the vast qualities of her liberation, and when Sudhana asks her about her past, she states that in a world realm called Kanakavimalaprabhāvyūha, beyond many worlds to the east, there was a buddha named Avivartyadharmadhātunirghoṣa, and she was a goddess at the bodhimaṇḍa of that world. On seeing him she first developed the aspiration to enlightenment, and subsequently in various lifetimes she attended every buddha that appeared in an innumerable succession in that world, thereby attaining various samādhis. Then she was reborn in this Sahā world, where she has attended the first four buddhas and will attend all those who will come. On seeing the present buddha, Vairocana, she attained her bodhisattva liberation. After that she could see as many realms and buddhas as there are atoms within each atom and was able to receive all their teachings in each instant of mind. However, as she is limited to this liberation, she instructs Sudhana to go to the nearby night goddess Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī, who is there in Vairocana’s assembly.
Chapter 39: Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī
Sudhana sees the night goddess Sarvanagararakṣāsaṃbhavatejaḥśrī seated on a lotus throne and having a body that can appear to and communicate with all beings. She tells him she has attained a bodhisattva liberation called the entry into beautiful sounds and profound manifestations. She describes how she guides beings, teaching the Dharma in various ways, and how she sees the realm of phenomena in ten ways and teaches through thousands of powers of mental retention, ten of which she lists. She describes how in the distant past there was a kalpa in one world where countless buddhas appeared, the first of which was Sarvadharmasāgaranirghoṣaprabharāja. At that time there was a cakravartin king who after the buddha’s passing used his miraculous powers to create a display to revive the declining teachings. His daughter, who was a bhikṣuṇī, on seeing that miracle attained the bodhisattva liberation called the entry into beautiful sounds and profound manifestations. The night goddess reveals that she was the bhikṣuṇī and the king was the bodhisattva Samantabhadra. She then lists the names of just over a hundred of the countless buddhas of that kalpa, all of whom she was a pupil of, and for countless kalpas since, she has been attending buddhas. She says she is limited to this bodhisattva liberation and instructs Sudhana to go to the night goddess Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā, who is nearby at the feet of the Buddha Vairocana, the name she uses for Śākyamuni.
Chapter 40: Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā
The night goddess Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā is seated in a kūṭāgāra, on a throne made of precious branches. She tells Sudhana how night makes beings wish to return to their homes and how she leads beings to good conduct and liberation. She states she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the arising of the vast radiating light of joy, which has the knowledge for gathering beings as pupils. Through it she remembers the past conduct, progress, and attainment of the Buddha, referred to as the Buddha Vairocana. She states that this bodhisattva liberation can only be comprehended by the buddhas, but through their blessing she can teach it, and she then repeats this in verse. Sudhana asks her when she gained this attainment, and she describes how in a past kalpa, in another world, beings were in distress because of famine and poverty caused by their bad conduct. They entreated the cakravartin king Sarvadharmanirnādacchatramaṇḍalanirghoṣa for help, and he arranged a great distribution of all his wealth to satisfy all beings. At that time a girl named Ratnaprabhā, on seeing the king, was inspired to attain enlightenment, and she recited to him verses that described his birth. She said that his father was King Jyotiṣprabha and his mother was Queen Padmaprabhā. At a time when no rain had fallen for years and everything was withered, there was a bright light in a lotus pond in their park for seven nights before his birth, during which all the lotus ponds filled with water that spread throughout the world, ending thirst and flattening the surface of the earth. On the seventh night their son appeared miraculously, sitting cross-legged in a gigantic lotus, and the king took him and gave him to his queen as her son. Light rays from his body eliminated all harm and illness throughout the world and made everyone kind and compassionate. When Ratnaprabhā finished her verses, the king gave her and her entourage of five hundred girls precious clothes, upon which the images of constellations and stars appeared. People said the girls were more beautiful than the goddess of the night. Sarvavṛkṣpraphullanasukhasaṃvāsā then tells Sudhana that King Sarvadharmanirnādacchatramaṇḍalanirghoṣa was the Buddha; King Jyotiṣprabha was Śuddhodana, the Buddha’s father in this life; Queen Padmaprabhā was Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother in this life; and she herself was the girl Ratnaprabhā. She then says that her attainment is limited to her bodhisattva liberation and tells Sudhana to go to the night goddess Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā, who is also present at the bodhimaṇḍa.
Chapter 41: Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā
Sudhana sees Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā with the images of all the stars and so on in her body. She manifests bodies in various forms to beings throughout the realm of phenomena. Gazing upon her, Sudhana attains ten pure perceptions and numerous “commonalities” with the bodhisattvas. Sudhana addresses her in verse, and she tells him that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the origin of the roots of merit that inspire the ripening of all beings. This means that having realized the unreality of phenomena, she can manifest in any miraculous form in order to benefit beings in every instant. She states that while bodhisattvas have transcended concepts of time and so on, they are still engaged in benefiting beings in terms of their perceptions, like magical apparitions that have no reality. She describes how in a distant past she was a prince named Vijitāvin whose father had imprisoned many beings for their wicked behavior, and who through compassion for them offered to take their place if they were released. The ministers convinced the king that this was a dangerous plot, and so he sentenced the prince to execution. The queen obtained permission for the prince to make a charitable donation of all his possessions for a fortnight, and he did so without regret, giving everything away. On the last day of the donations, Dharmacakranirghoṣagaganameghapradīparāja, the buddha who had appeared in that realm, came there miraculously, inspiring faith, and the prince attained the bodhisattva liberation called the origin of the roots of merit that inspire the ripening of all beings and received permission from the king to become a bhikṣu. She states that the ministers of that time were Devadatta’s followers in this lifetime, but they would all become buddhas in a future kalpa. The freed prisoners were the buddhas of the present kalpa and numerous other bodhisattvas. The king’s many queens and harem guards were the Jain followers of Satyaka, whom the Buddha Śākyamuni had declared to be a bodhisattva. Sarvajagadrakṣāpraṇidhānavīryaprabhā lists some of the many buddhas she followed in the intermediate time. After summarizing in verse what she has told him, she states that her attainment is limited to this bodhisattva liberation and tells Sudhana to go to the forest goddess Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī in Lumbinī.
Chapter 42: Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī
Sudhana goes to the Lumbinī Forest and sees Sutejomaṇḍalaratiśrī inside a kūṭāgāra made of precious tree branches, teaching a sūtra to millions of forest goddesses. She teaches Sudhana in prose and again in verse the ten kinds of birth through which a bodhisattva enters the family of the tathāgatas. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the miraculous manifestations at the birth of bodhisattvas throughout all the perceptions of countless kalpas. She states that through her past prayers she was born in this forest to observe the birth of the Buddha and describes the ten omens that presaged his birth, the ten omens of light when the Buddha’s mother came to the forest, and the ten miraculous manifestations at the time of his birth. She states that she sees such miraculous births in every world and that she sees the buddhas that are in every atom in all worlds. She describes how countless kalpas ago, she was a nurse named Vimalasaṃbhavaprabhā who was present when the Buddha Īśvaraguṇāparājitadhvaja was born to Queen Suharṣitaprabheśvarā in a park. Because she was the nurse, the baby was placed on her lap by deities, and at that moment she attained her bodhisattva liberation. The king and queen of that time were previous lives of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s parents. Since that time she has witnessed the birth of every buddha everywhere. She repeats this in verse and then states that she is limited to this bodhisattva liberation, and therefore Sudhana should go see Gopā, who was the Buddha’s wife, in Kapilavastu.
Chapter 43: Gopā
Sudhana arrives in Kapilavastu and is greeted and praised by Aśokaśrī, the goddess of the Kapilavastu assembly hall. Sudhana describes his bodhisattva path to her. She and other goddesses make offerings to him and praise him in verse. Sudhana enters the assembly hall and sees Gopā and her entourage of royal women, all of whom practice the bodhisattva path. In prose and then in verse, Gopā teaches Sudhana the ten qualities of bodhisattva conduct and the ten ways to please kalyāṇamitras. She states that she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the range of the view of all the ways of the ocean of the samādhis of the bodhisattvas. Through this she perceives all buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and their activities and qualities in the past, present, and future. In particular she knows all the past lives of the Buddha Vairocana, that is, the Buddha Śākyamuni. She then describes how in a distant past she was a courtesan’s daughter who fell in love with a prince named Tejodhipati, who was dedicated to the bodhisattva path, and became his wife. Together, throughout many lifetimes, they venerated a succession of sixty hundred thousand trillion buddhas, after which she attained her bodhisattva liberation. During all that time she was able to gaze upon her husband’s wonderful qualities, up until this lifetime when he became the Buddha Śākyamuni. She states that Tejodhipati’s mother was a previous life of Māyādevī, Śākyamuni’s mother, and that Tejodhipati’s father, King Dhanapati, is now a buddha in an eastern realm. She tells Sudhana that her attainment is limited to this liberation and that he should go to Māyādevī, the Buddha’s mother, who is presently at the Buddha’s feet. Before Sudhana leaves, she describes in verse an even earlier lifetime in which she was a merchant’s daughter named Bhānuprabhā, who developed devotion to a mendicant by the name of Suraśmiketu, who had been a prince. She made offerings to him, and as a result had good rebirths for two hundred and fifty kalpas, culminating in her rebirth as the courtesan’s daughter, which is when she first made the aspiration to attain buddhahood.
Chapter 44: Māyādevī
Ratnanetrā, the goddess of the city, appears in the sky to Sudhana and instructs him on how to care for the city of his mind. Then two body goddesses, Dharmapadmaśrīkuśalā and Hrīśrīmañjariprabhāvā, appear to him, praising Māyādevī and shining on Sudhana light that brings him realizations. He then meets a rākṣasa guardian of the meeting hall of bodhisattvas, who teaches him two sets of ten qualities related to kalyāṇamitras. Sudhana sees before him a gigantic lotus, in the center of which is a kūṭāgāra, within which is Māyādevī, who can appear anywhere to any being in various forms. He bows down with multiple bodies to her multiple forms and enters samādhi. Then he asks her for instruction. She describes the miraculous coming of the Buddha to her womb, and how bodhisattvas and deities also entered it to make offerings to the Buddha. Māyādevī explains that she has attained the liberation called the illusory conjurations of the wisdom of great prayer and is therefore a mother to all buddhas everywhere in the past, present, and future. She lists a great number of the names of the buddhas of this kalpa. Sudhana asks when she attained this liberation, and she describes being a bodhimaṇḍa goddess who prayed to the buddha of that time to always have the cakravartin of that time as her son. For countless lifetimes in various existences this was so, and now he has attained enlightenment as the Buddha Vairocana. But she states that she is limited to knowledge of this liberation and tells him to go to the Trāyastriṃśa paradise to ask for instruction from the goddess Surendrābhā.
Chapter 45: Surendrābhā
In this short chapter, Sudhana comes to the Trāyastriṃśa paradise, and Surendrābhā tells him she has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the display of pure, unimpeded memory. This enables her to remember serving countless buddhas throughout countless kalpas, from their first development of the aspiration to enlightenment until the time their Dharma ceases. Saying that her knowledge is limited to this liberation, she tells Sudhana to go to Kapilavastu to the teacher of children named Viśvāmitra.
Chapter 46: Viśvāmitra
In the sūtra’s shortest chapter, Sudhana descends from the Trāyastriṃśa paradise to Kapilavastu, where Viśvāmitra, a teacher of children, simply instructs him to go to see Śilpābhijña in the same town.
Chapter 47: Śilpābhijña
Śilpābhijña tells Sudhana that he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called higher knowledge of the arts and describes the various realizations of the perfection of wisdom he has attained through reciting the letters of the Arapacana alphabet. Stating that his realization is limited, he tells Sudhana to go to see Bhadrottamā in the town of Vartanaka in Magadha.
Chapter 48: Bhadrottamā
Sudhana meets Bhadrottamā, described simply as a kalyāṇamitra. She states that she has attained the samādhi called unimpeded, through which she has unimpeded senses and other attributes of omniscience. Stating that she is limited to this samādhi, she instructs Sudhana to go to South India to meet the goldsmith Muktāsāra.
Chapter 49: Muktāsāra
In this brief chapter, Sudhana meets the goldsmith Muktāsāra in the southern town of Bharukaccha. Muktāsāra says he has attained the bodhisattva liberation called the display of pure unimpeded memory and continuously seeks the Dharma at the feet of the tathāgatas in the ten directions. As his attainment is limited to this, he instructs Sudhana to go see the householder Sucandra in the forest outside the town.
Chapter 50: Sucandra
Chapter 51: Ajitasena
Chapter 52: Śivarāgra
Chapter 53: Śrīsaṃbhava and Śrīmati
Sudhana meets the boy and girl Śrīsaṃbhava and Śrīmati. Together, in one voice, they say they have attained the bodhisattva liberation called the appearance of illusion, through which they see all phenomena as illusions. As they are limited to this attainment, they tell Sudhana to go to a kūṭāgāra in South India in which dwells the bodhisattva Maitreya. They describe the qualities of Maitreya and give Sudhana advice on his practice of bodhisattva conduct, describing at length the qualities that a bodhisattva needs to attain. They also admonish him to be devoted to kalyāṇamitras, describing at length their central importance for the bodhisattva path as the source of all its qualities. They describe the nature of the kalyāṇamitras and use analogies in doing so. They also use analogies to describe how a bodhisattva should perceive a kalyāṇamitra, including the now well-known analogy of the bodhisattva being a patient, the kalyāṇamitra being a doctor, their instructions being medicine, and their practice being the treatment that cures illness. They describe through analogies the benefits that come from following this path and conclude by emphasizing that all of them are dependent on relying upon the kalyāṇamitras. Sudhana then takes his leave.
Chapter 54: Maitreya
Sudhana, in a state of great spiritual attainment, prostrates at the door of the kūṭāgāra called Vairocanavyūhālaṃkāragarbha and then circumambulates it many hundreds of thousands of times. He lists first in prose and then in verse the many inconceivable qualities of the bodhisattvas who have this kūṭāgāra as their residence. Then he sees Maitreya arriving with a vast retinue. Maitreya welcomes him in verse, praising him, describing his motivation for coming there, and giving him instruction. In response to Sudhana’s request and praise, he teaches him at length in prose, describing and praising the aspiration to enlightenment using a series of analogies. He then instructs Sudhana to enter the kūṭāgāra and miraculously opens the door by snapping his fingers. There follows a detailed description of the inconceivable, vast sights that Sudhana sees within a state of samādhi, including other kūṭāgāras, billions of worlds, and bodhisattvas. Then Maitreya enters and states that this was a bodhisattva liberation called the essence of the display of the unfailing memory that engages with the knowledge of all objects of perception in the three times. He then describes the profound nature of bodhisattvas and their qualities, and he states that after he dies, he will be reborn in the Tuṣita paradise and then come to this world to be a buddha. He then instructs Sudhana to go to see Mañjuśrī once more, as he has set Sudhana upon this path and Sudhana has been connected to Mañjuśrī in all his previous lifetimes of following the path.
Chapter 55: Mañjuśrī
Chapter 56: Samantabhadra and “The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct”
Sudhana has great realization and roots of merit, and therefore ten events and ten lights that are omens of the appearance of Samantabhadra occur. Sudhana sees Samantabhadra seated before the Buddha, and he sees a variety of miraculous events manifesting from Samantabhadra’s pores and Samantabhadra’s activities in countless realms and throughout time. As a result, he attains ten practices of the perfection of knowledge. Then Samantabhadra and all those Samantabhadras before every buddha place their hands on Sudhana’s head, and he gains great attainments. Samantabhadra describes his own past practices, such as generosity. He instructs Sudhana to look at his body, and Sudhana sees vast visions within each of Samantabhadra’s pores. Then Samantabhadra recites “The Prayer for Completely Good Conduct,” and the sūtra ends.