“He knows correctly the wisdoms of the tathāgata arhat samyaksambuddhas that comprehend subtleties: the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of conduct, the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of passing away and rebirth, the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of birth, the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of renunciation, the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of enlightenment, the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of miracles, the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of turning the wheel of Dharma,572 the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of power over one’s lifespan,573 the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of passing into nirvāṇa, and the wisdom that comprehends the subtleties of the presence of the teachings.574
“He has the correct knowledge of the secrets of the tathāgata arhat samyaksambuddhas: the secret of the body, the secret of the speech, the secret of the mind, the secret of discerning what is timely and not timely, the secret of prophecies to bodhisattvas, the secret of gathering and subjugating575 beings,576 the secret of the different yānas,577 the secret of the categories of the conduct and capabilities of beings, the secret of the actions and activities of beings,578 and the secret of understanding the description of the nature of bodhisattva conduct and enlightenment.579
“He has the knowledge of the congruence580 of eons, which is knowing that countless eons are congruent with one eon, that one eon is congruent with countless eons, that countable eons are congruent with countless eons, that countless eons are congruent with countable eons,581 that an eon is congruent with one instant of mind,582 that one instant of mind is congruent with an eon, that an eon is congruent with that which is not an eon, that that which is not an eon is congruent with an eon, that an eon that has buddhas is congruent with an eon that does not have buddhas, that an eon that does not have buddhas is congruent with an eon that does have buddhas, that a past and future eon are congruent with a present eon, that a present eon is congruent with a past and future eon, that a past eon is congruent with a future eon, that a future eon is congruent with a past eon,583 that a long eon is congruent with a short eon, that a short eon is congruent with a long eon, that a concept is congruent with all eons, and that all eons are congruent with a concept.584
“He has the comprehending wisdom585 of tathāgata arhat586 samyaksambuddhas, which is the wisdom that comprehends the path of childlike beings,587 the wisdom that comprehends atoms, that wisdom that comprehends attaining enlightenment in a body within buddha realms,588 the wisdom that comprehends attaining enlightenment in the body and mind of a being, the wisdom that comprehends attaining enlightenment anywhere, the wisdom that comprehends the appearance of contrary conduct, the wisdom that comprehends the appearance of appropriate conduct, the wisdom that comprehends the appearance of inappropriate conduct, the wisdom that comprehends the appearance of conduct that is conceivable and inconceivable and that worldly beings can or cannot know, the wisdom that comprehends the appearance of the conduct that can be known by śrāvakas, that can be known by pratyekabuddhas, that can be known by bodhisattvas, and that can be known by the tathāgatas.
“O jinaputras, in that way the vast wisdom of the buddhas, the bhagavats, is immeasurable, and the comprehending wisdom of the bodhisattva on this bhūmi is also immeasurable.
“O jinaputras! In that way the bodhisattva who is on this bodhisattva bhūmi attains the bodhisattva liberation called (1) inconceivable. He attains the bodhisattva liberations called (2) unobscured, (3) pure analysis, (4) the complete illumination of entrances, (5) the treasure of the tathāgatas, (6) possessing the invincible wheel, (7) possessing the three times, (8) the essence of the realm of phenomena, (9) the radiance of the sphere of liberation, and (10) engaging in every realm of experience.
“O jinaputras! In this way the bodhisattva on this tenth bodhisattva bhūmi attains those ten liberations of a bodhisattva, along with countless hundreds of thousands of other entrances to liberation. Similarly, he attains hundreds of thousands of samādhis, hundreds of thousands of retentions, and hundreds of thousands of clairvoyances.589
“O jinaputras! To give an analogy, it is like the great mass of water that is emanated from the clouds of an ocean’s nāga king, which can only be accepted, received, acquired, and possessed by the great ocean.
“O jinaputras! In that way all the secret processes, the great radiance, light, and clouds of the Dharma of the tathāgatas cannot be accepted, received, acquired, and possessed by any being, by any śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha, or by any bodhisattva up through the ninth bhūmi. It is the bodhisattva on this bodhisattva bhūmi, Cloud of Dharma, who accepts, receives, acquires, and possesses them.
“O jinaputras! The great ocean can receive, acquire, and possess in one instant, in one moment, the great clouds of one great nāga king, of two great nāga kings, of three great nāga kings, and so on, up to the great clouds of countless great nāga kings. Why is that? Because the great ocean is immeasurable, immense, and extensive.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva who on this bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma can accept, receive, acquire, and possess in one instant, in one moment, the immeasurable great radiance, light, and clouds of the Dharma of one tathāgata, and in the same way he can accept, receive, acquire, and possess in one instant, in one moment, the immeasurable great radiance, great light, and clouds of the Dharma of two tathāgatas, of three tathāgatas, and so on, up to countless tathāgatas.592 That is why this bhūmi is called Cloud of Dharma.”
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra asked, “O jinaputra! Can one count the number of tathāgatas from whom the bodhisattva in one instant, in one moment, accepts, receives, acquires, and possesses immeasurable great Dharma light, great Dharma illumination, and great clouds of Dharma?”
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha answered, “O jinaputras! One cannot count through numbering the tathāgatas from whom the bodhisattva in one instant, in one moment, accepts, receives, acquires, and possesses great Dharma light, great Dharma illumination, and great clouds of Dharma.
“O jinaputras! I shall give you an analogy: If there were realms of beings in all worlds as numerous as the atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms in the ten directions, and if one being among them, who had attained the retention of remembering all that he heard, were to become a great śrāvaka attendant of the tathāgatas who was the highest among those with retention of what is heard, and through that power and might of being learned in what he had heard he became a bhikṣu named Mahāvijaya of the bhagavat tathāgata arhat samyaksambuddha Vajrapadmottara, so that one being had become like that, and then if all beings in all realms without exception were to have the same attainment as that one being, and whatever one being retained no other being retained, then what do you think, jinaputra? Would their learning through hearing be immeasurably numerous?”
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra answered, “O jinaputra! The learning through hearing of all those beings would be immeasurable.”
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha said, “O jinaputras! I declare to you and reply to you that the bodhisattva on this bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma can accept, receive, acquire, and possess in one instant, in one moment, from a tathāgata, the great radiance, light, and clouds of the Dharma, which is called the treasure of the three times of the realm of phenomena. Compared to what is learned through the retention of the great radiance, light, and clouds of the Dharma, previous learning through hearing is not even a hundredth of it, not even a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a ten millionth, a billionth, a ten billionth, a trillionth, or even a quintillionth of it. Previous learning cannot be correlated to it through numbers, enumeration, comparison, resemblance, or similitude.
“Just as from one tathāgata, from as many buddhas as there are atoms in the previously described worlds in the ten directions, and even from immeasurably more tathāgatas, he can accept, possess, acquire, and hold in one instant, in one moment, the great radiance, light, and clouds of the Dharma, which are called the treasure of the three times of the realm of phenomena. That is why this bhūmi is called Cloud of Dharma.
“O jinaputras! Moreover, the bodhisattva who is on this bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma, through the power and might of their prayers raise up clouds of great compassion, the thunder of the radiance of the Dharma, the flashing lightning of clairvoyance, knowledge, and confidence, the blowing winds of great light rays, the overarching network of massed clouds of merit and wisdom, the manifestation of a whirling mass of all kinds of bodies, the great resounding of the Dharma, and all the routing of the followers of Māra.593 He pervades in one instant, in one moment, countless quintillions of worlds, as numerous as the atoms in the previously described worlds in the ten directions, and pervades even more, countless quintillions of worlds, and with the great rain that has the nectar of good actions he eliminates as wished for all the dust and fire594 of the kleśas that arise from the ignorance of beings. That is why this bhūmi is called Cloud of Dharma.
“O jinaputras! Moreover, the bodhisattva who is on this bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma attains the activities of all tathāgatas in one world in accordance with the wishes of beings who are to be guided: dwelling in the perfect palace of Tuṣita, passing away and descending, being in a womb, being born, renouncing, attaining enlightenment, being requested to teach, turning the Dharma wheel and the level595 of the great nirvāṇa. In the same way, in two worlds and so on, up to worlds as numerous as the atoms in the previously described universes in the ten directions, and even more countless quintillions of worlds, he attains the activities of all tathāgatas in accordance with the wishes of beings who are to be guided: dwelling in the perfect palace of Tuṣita and so on, up to the level of the great nirvāṇa.
“The one who has attained that miraculous power596 of wisdom and has the clairvoyance and great wisdom of discrimination can, as he wishes, transform597 an afflicted world into a pure world, transform a pure world into an afflicted world,598 transform a narrow world into a wide world, and transform a wide world into a narrow world. In the same way, through his supremacy he transforms, as he intends, all worlds—the vast, great, immeasurable, minute, huge, inverted, upside-down, level, and so on.
“As he wishes, he can transform one atom into an entire world with its Cakravāḍa mountain range and surrounding ocean. He manifests that activity without that atom growing any larger.
“He can transform one atom to become two worlds, three worlds, four worlds, five worlds, and so on, up to countless worlds, entire worlds with all their atoms, and their Cakravāḍa mountain ranges and surrounding oceans, without that atom growing any larger.
“As he wishes, he can manifest two worlds in one world, and so on, up to manifesting countless worlds in one world.599 As he wishes, he can place all the realms of beings in those countless worlds into one world without causing harm to those beings. As he wishes, he can place all the beings in one world in countless worlds without causing harm to those beings. As he wishes, he can place all the beings in countless worlds within a single body hair.600 As he wishes, he can manifest the entire display of a single buddha realm within a single body hair,601 and so on. As he wishes, he can do so up to the entire appearances of the displays of countless buddha realms.
“As he wishes, he can emanate in one instant, in one moment, as many of his bodies as there are atoms in countless worlds. He manifests that number of hands on each body. Those hands make offerings to the buddhas in the ten directions. Each of those hands scatters as many bags of flowers as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River toward the buddhas, the bhagavats. They also offer incense, garlands, perfumes, powders, clothing, parasols, victory banners, flags, and all adornments in the same number as that of the flowers. He manifests that number of heads on each body. He manifests that number of tongues in each head. They utter praises to the buddhas, the bhagavats.
“Each development of bodhicitta pervades the ten directions. That development of bodhicitta alone manifests countless attainments of buddhahood and so on, up to entering the great nirvāṇa.
“He manifests countless bodies in the three times. He manifests in his own body innumerable displays of the qualities of the buddha realms of countless buddha bhagavats. He also manifests in his own body the creation and destruction of all worlds. He emits all winds from one pore without causing harm to beings. If he wishes to, he manifests a world that is an extensive mass of water. He manifests a great lotus upon it. The endless display of the brilliant light of that lotus shines on all worlds. He manifests there a great bodhi tree, and so on, up to displaying omniscience that is superior to all.
“He manifests in his own body all the light of jewels, lightning, the moon, and the sun in the ten directions, and so on, up to every kind of brightness and light. One wind from his mouth shakes the endless worlds in each of the ten directions, without his causing beings to be afraid.
“He displays the destruction of worlds in the ten directions by wind, their destruction by fire, and their destruction by water. If he wishes to, he displays the adornment of physical bodies in accordance with the aspirations of all beings. He displays the body of a tathāgata in his own body. He displays his own body in a tathāgata’s body. He displays his own buddha realm in the body of the tathāgata. He displays the body of a tathāgata in his own buddha realm.
“O jinaputras! The bodhisattva on this bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma displays these and other innumerable countless quintillions of miraculous powers and miraculous manifestations.”
Then among that assembly some bodhisattvas and some devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, Śakra devas, Brahmā devas, lokapālas, Maheśvara devas, and Śuddhāvāsa devas thought, “If the bodhisattva has that kind of immeasurable range of conduct of creating miracles, then what are the miracles of the tathāgatas like?”
Then the bodhisattva Vimukticandra, knowing the thoughts and uncertainties of that assembly, said to the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, “O jinaputra! This assembly has uncertainties, and so in order to eliminate their uncertainties show us a little of a bodhisattva’s display of miracles.” [B21]
Then at that time the bodhisattva Vajragarbha entered the bodhisattva samādhi called revealing the nature of the body of the buddha realms. As soon as the bodhisattva Vajragarbha entered the bodhisattva samādhi called revealing the nature of the body of the buddha realms, the entire assembly of bodhisattvas and devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, Śakra devas, Brahmā devas, lokapālas, Maheśvara devas, and Śuddhāvāsa devas perceived that they were inside the body of the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, and they perceived there a fully formed buddha realm. The display of forms in that buddha realm could not be easily described, even in a hundred thousand million eons. They saw a Bodhi tree with a trunk as wide as a million billion-world universes and branches at their highest point filling an immeasurable vastness of ten million billion-world universes, with a vast lion throne of corresponding size on the bodhimaṇḍa, on which was a tathāgata named Sarvābhijñāmatirāja, who comes to the bodhimaṇḍa and sits there. They thus saw a display that could not be easily described, even in ten million eons.
He displayed this great miracle and then sent back to where they had been before that entire assembly of bodhisattvas and the devas, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, Śakra devas, Brahmā devas, lokapālas, Maheśvara devas, and Śuddhāvāsa devas.
The entire assembly was astonished, and they remained silently focused on the bodhisattva Vajragarbha.
Then the bodhisattva Vimukticandra said to the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, “O jinaputra! The display of the power of this samādhi is inconceivable.602 It is astonishing. It is marvelous. O jinaputra! What is the name of the samādhi?”
Then the bodhisattva Vajragarbha said, “O jinaputras! The samādhi is called revealing the nature of the body of the buddha realms.”
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra asked, “O jinaputra! Then what is the display of the range and scope of this samādhi?”
Then the bodhisattva Vajragarbha answered, “O jinaputra! The bodhisattva who has cultivated this samādhi, if he wishes to, displays within his body as many buddha realms as there are atoms in worlds to the number of the grains of sand in the Ganges River, and even more. O jinaputras! The bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma attains many hundreds of thousands of bodhisattva samādhis like this. Therefore, even bodhisattvas on the bhūmi Perfect Understanding, who have attained the state of crown princes, cannot easily know the body and physical actions of that bodhisattva. They cannot easily know his speech and vocal activity. They cannot easily know his mind and mental activity. They cannot easily know his seeing the three times. They cannot easily know the scope of his samādhi. They cannot easily know the scope of his wisdom. They cannot easily know his effortless enjoyment of liberation. They cannot easily know his activity of emanation, his activity of control, or his activity of power, and they cannot even easily know the raising of his foot and the setting down of his foot.
“O jinaputra! That is in brief the immeasurable bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma, which if taught in detail could not be completed in countless hundreds of thousands of eons.”
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra asked, “O jinaputra! If the scope of power and activity of the bodhisattvas is in that way immeasurable, what is the scope and range of activity of a tathāgata?”
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha answered, “O jinaputra! To give an analogy, it is like a person in a four-continent world who picks up two or three pebbles the size of jujubes603 and asks, ‘How large is the element of the earth in the endless worlds? Is it greater than these pebbles or is it immeasurable?’
“O jinaputra! That is what your question to me is like. You are comparing the nature of bodhisattvas with the nature of the bhagavat arhat samyaksambuddhas who have immeasurable wisdom.
“O jinaputra! In the same way that a minute element of earth from a four-continent world was picked up but that which remains is immeasurable, O jinaputra, in that way even if one were to teach the bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma for countless eons, only a fraction of it would be taught, so what need is there to say more concerning the bhūmi of the tathāgatas?
“O jinaputra! If bodhisattvas who have attained this kind of bhūmi were to fill the buddha realms in the ten directions as thickly as stands of sugar canes, beds of reeds, stands of bamboo,604 fields of sesame, or fields of rice,605 and were to accomplish bodhisattva activity for endless eons, they would not equal even a hundredth of a single instant of a single moment of the wisdom of this tathāgata, of the scope of activity of this tathāgata. They would not equal even a thousandth, a hundred thousandth, a ten millionth, a billionth, a ten billionth, a trillionth, or even a quintillionth it. They cannot be correlated to it through numbers, enumeration, comparison, resemblance, or similitude.
“O jinaputras! In that way the bodhisattva who has that kind of wisdom, who has a body, speech, and mind identical with that of the tathāgatas, does not relinquish the power of the bodhisattva samādhis. He sees the buddhas and makes offerings to them and serves them. In each eon he makes offerings to endless tathāgatas through the accomplishment of every kind of offering. As a result of that vast offering, he receives the radiance of the blessing of those buddha bhagavats. Even more than before he is unassailable in answering the different kinds of questions within the realm of phenomena for many eons, for many hundreds of eons, many thousands of eons, many hundreds of thousands of eons, many millions of eons, many tens of millions of eons, many billions of eons, many tens of billions of eons, many trillions of eons, and many quintillions of eons.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, a great piece of jewelry inlaid with precious jewels that has been created by a divine smith and is worn by the deva king Vaśavartin upon his head or his throat is beyond comparison with the jewelry of other devas and humans.
“O jinaputras! In the same way, the attainment of wisdom of the bodhisattva who has attained the tenth bodhisattva bhūmi, Cloud of Dharma, is beyond comparison with that of all beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas from the first bhūmi up through the attainment of the ninth bhūmi.
“The illumination from the wisdom of the bodhisattva on this bodhisattva bhūmi brings beings as far as the attainment of omniscient wisdom and is therefore beyond compare with any other wisdom’s illumination.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the light of the deva king Maheśvara transcends all states of birth and brings comfort to the bodies of all beings.
“O jinaputras! In the same way, the radiance of the wisdom of the bodhisattva on this tenth bodhisattva bhūmi, Cloud of Dharma, is beyond compare with that of all śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and the bodhisattvas who have attained the first bhūmi up through the ninth bhūmi, and it brings beings to the nature of omniscient wisdom.
“O jinaputras! The bodhisattva who has that kind of wisdom is taught the wisdom of the three ways606 by the buddhas, the bhagavats. He is taught the wisdom of the different aspects of the realm of phenomena, that which pervades all worlds, that which has the blessing of illuminating all worlds, that which knows all beings, realms, and phenomena, that which knows the process of the activity of the minds of all beings, that which knows the time for the ripening of all beings, that which never abandons guidance, that which is skilled in the wisdom that differentiates all the various kinds of phenomena,607 and so on, up to immeasurable omniscient wisdom.
“From among the ten perfections, he primarily practices the perfection of knowledge.
“O jinaputras! That in brief is the bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma, the tenth bodhisattva bhūmi. It could only be known in detail through being taught for endless countless eons. Most of the bodhisattvas on that bhūmi become the deva king Maheśvara. He is skilled and powerful in teaching the perfections to beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas, and is beyond unassailable in his teaching that answers questions on the different aspects of the realm of phenomena.
“In whatever roots of goodness he accomplishes through generosity, kind words, actions that benefit others, and practicing what he preaches, he becomes supreme, the best, the foremost, the highest, the most excellent, the unsurpassable, the guide, the leader, the commander, and so on, up until becoming the omniscient one who is relied on. His mind is always focused on the Buddha, focused on the Dharma, focused on the Saṅgha, focused on the bodhisattvas, focused on bodhisattva conduct, focused on the bodhisattva bhūmis, focused on the perfections, focused on the strengths, focused on the confidences, focused on the unique qualities of buddhahood, and so on, up until being focused on and inseparable from the omniscient wisdom endowed with the supreme aspects.
“If he wishes to, he can apply himself in such a way that in just one instant he attains as many samādhis as there are atoms in countless quintillions608 of buddha realms, sees as many buddhas as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms and knows their blessings, causes as many billion-world universes to shake as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, goes to as many buddhas as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, illuminates as many universes as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, ripens as many beings as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, remains for as many eons as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, comprehends as many previous and future eons as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, opens as many Dharma doors as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, manifests as many bodies as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms, and manifests each body having a retinue of as many bodhisattvas as there are atoms in countless quintillions of buddha realms. That is the kind of diligence he undertakes.
“From this time onward the bodhisattvas who have the power of prayer through particular prayers manifest bodies, light, miracles, sights, activities, voices, conduct, displays, blessings, transformations, and manifestations for many eons, for many hundreds of eons, many thousands of eons, many hundreds of thousands of eons, and so on, until many quintillions of eons, which are difficult to enumerate.
“O jinaputras! That is the brief teaching on the ten bodhisattva bhūmis. If I were to teach it in detail, the teaching would not be concluded even after countless eons. They have been taught, are being taught, and will be taught by the buddhas, the bhagavats of the past, the present, and the future.609
“O jinaputras! These ten bodhisattva bhūmis successively approach the attainment of complete omniscient wisdom that they are headed for.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the four great rivers,610 which are four flows of water that have great Lake Anavatapta as their source, bring refreshment to Jambudvīpa. They never cease but grow larger and benefit beings until they enter the great ocean. That water was from the beginning headed toward the great ocean.
“O jinaputras! In that same way the flow of the water of the roots of goodness that has as its origin the great lake of bodhicitta forms the four great rivers of aspiration that, through the four methods of attracting beings, bring relief to the realm of beings, and that do not cease but grow greater, bringing benefit to countless beings until they enter the great ocean of omniscient wisdom, and that water of the roots of goodness is from the beginning headed toward the great ocean of omniscience.
“O jinaputras! Those ten bodhisattva bhūmis are known to be dependent upon the wisdom of the buddhas.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the ten great precious mountains are known to be dependent upon the great earth. They are the king of mountains Himavat, the king of mountains Gandhamādana, the king of mountains Vaipulya, the king of mountains Ṛṣigiri, the king of mountains Yugandhara, the king of mountains Aśvakarṇagiri, the king of mountains Nimindhara, the king of mountains Cakravāḍa, the king of mountains Ketumat, and the king of mountains Sumeru.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the king of mountains Himavat is an unceasing source of all kinds of medicines because it possesses all medicines.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Perfect Joy is the unceasing source of the branches of knowledge of worldly poetry, treatises, and mantras because of his mastery of all worldly poetry, treatises, and mantras.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the king of mountains Gandhamādana is an unceasing source of the creation of all incense, because it possesses all incense.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Stainless is the unceasing source of the incense of all bodhisattva conduct, vows, and activity because he possesses all bodhisattva conduct, vows, and activity.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Vaipulya, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of all jewels because it possesses all worldly jewels.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the third bodhisattva bhūmi Shining is the unceasing source of worldly dhyānas, clairvoyances, liberations, samādhis, and samāpattis because he answers all questions on worldly dhyānas, clairvoyances, liberations, samādhis, and samāpattis.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Ṛṣigiri, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of sages who have the five clairvoyances, because of its multitudes of all sages who have the five clairvoyances.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Brilliance is the unceasing source of worldly dhyānas, clairvoyances, liberations, samādhis, and samāpattis because of his knowledge of the different teachings on entering what is and what is not the path.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Yugandhara, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of yakṣas who have great miraculous powers, because of its multitudes of all yakṣas who have great miraculous powers.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Difficult to Conquer is the unceasing source of all attainment of clairvoyance, miraculous powers, and magical manifestations because he answers all questions on the attainment of clairvoyance, miraculous powers, and magical manifestations.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Aśvakarṇagiri, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of all fruits because it possesses all fruits.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Manifested is the unceasing source of teaching the comprehension of dependent origination because he answers all questions on the realization of the result of the śrāvakas.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Nimindhara, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of all nāgas who have great miraculous powers, because of its multitudes of all nāgas who have great miraculous powers.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Gone Far is the unceasing source of teaching on method and wisdom because he answers all questions on the realization of the result of the pratyekabuddhas.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Cakravāḍa, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of all those who have powers, because of its multitudes of those who have powers.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Unwavering is the unceasing source of the attainment of the powers of a bodhisattva because he answers all questions on the divisions of worlds.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Ketumat, which is made of jewels,611 is an unceasing source of all asuras who have great miraculous powers, because of its multitudes of asuras who have great miraculous powers.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Perfect Understanding is the unceasing source of the nature of the knowledge of the coming into existence and passing away of all beings, because he answers all questions on the formation and destruction of all worlds.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the pure king of mountains Sumeru, which is made of jewels, is an unceasing source of all devas who have great miraculous powers, because of its multitudes of devas who have great miraculous powers.
“O jinaputras! In that same way, the bodhisattva on the bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma is the unceasing source of the strengths, confidences, and unique buddha qualities because he answers all questions on the manifestation of the activity of the buddhas.
“O jinaputras! Just as these ten great precious mountains have been produced from the great ocean, have arisen from the great ocean, in the same way, O jinaputras, these ten bodhisattva bhūmis have been produced from omniscience, have arisen from omniscience.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, the great ocean is counted among the insuperable because of ten of its features. What are these ten? (1) It gets progressively deeper. (2) A corpse does not remain in it. (3) It is not identified with other waters. (4) It has one taste. (5) It is many jewels. (6) It is deep and unfathomable. (7) It is vast and immeasurable. (8) It is the dwelling place of great creatures. (9) It never misses a tide. (10) It receives water from the clouds without becoming fulfilled.
“O jinaputras! In the same way, a bodhisattva is insuperable because of ten bodhisattva conducts. What are these ten? (1) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Perfect Joy there is a progressively deeper accomplishment of his great prayers. (2) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Stainless the corpse of incorrect conduct does not remain. (3) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Shining he surpasses worldly designations and identifications. (4) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Brilliance he has the one taste of stainless aspiration to buddhahood. (5) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Difficult to Conquer he has the many jewels of accomplishing worldly activities through immeasurable method and wisdom. (6) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Manifested there is the unfathomable depth of the analysis of dependent origination. (7) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Gone Far there is the immeasurably vast skill of analysis with intelligence. (8) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Unwavering there is the presence of the many great creatures of manifesting the accomplishment of great displays. (9) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Perfect Understanding he never misses the tide through his comprehension of activities of beings through profound liberation. (10) On the bodhisattva bhūmi Cloud of Dharma he receives without being fulfilled water from the clouds of the radiance of the Dharma of all the tathāgatas.
“O jinaputras! By analogy, a great jewel is chosen (1) as superior to the ten kinds of jewels,612 and it is (2) heated, (3) shaped, (4) cleansed, (5) polished, (6) pierced, (7) threaded on a string of jewels by a skilled jeweler, and (8) fixed upon a standard that is a tall pole of precious beryl jewels, where it (9) shines light on everything and (10) is authorized by the king. Thus it becomes the location where jewels accumulate for all beings.
“O jinaputra! In that same way, the jewel of a bodhisattva’s development of aspiration to omniscience (1) transcends the jewels of the ten noble families,613 (2) is heated by qualities of purification, abstinence,614 correct conduct, particular disciplines, and asceticism, (3) is shaped by dhyāna, samādhi, and samāpatti,615 (4) is cleansed by the aspects and branches of the path, (5) is polished by method and clairvoyance, (6) is pierced by dependent origination, (7) is strung on the string of the various jewels of method and wisdom, (8) is fixed upon the tip of a powerful standard that is a tall pole of precious beryl jewels, (9) shines with the light of the wisdom of viewing and hearing the conduct of beings, and (10) is consecrated by the kings of the Dharma, the tathāgata samyaksambuddhas.
“Thus he becomes the location where the jewels of the deeds of a buddha accumulate for all beings. At that time he is called omniscient.
“O jinaputra! This teaching616 of entry into the Dharma, which is the accomplishment of bodhisattva conduct and an aggregation of the qualities of completely omniscient wisdom, will not be heard by beings who have not developed roots of goodness.”
The bodhisattva Vimukticandra asked, “O jinaputra! How much merit will be accumulated by those who do hear this teaching of entry into the Dharma, which is the accomplishment of bodhisattva conduct and an aggregation of the qualities of completely omniscient wisdom?”
The bodhisattva Vajragarbha answered, “O jinaputra! However much power omniscient wisdom has, that is the extent of the accumulation of merit from being focused on acquiring the aspiration for omniscience. The accumulation of merit from being focused on acquiring the aspiration for omniscience is the extent of the accumulation of merit that will be attained from being devoted to this teaching of entry into the Dharma. Why is that? O jinaputra! No one other than a bodhisattva can hear, be attracted to, believe, adopt, keep, or possess617 this teaching of entry into the Dharma, which is the accomplishment of bodhisattva conduct and an aggregation of the qualities of completely omniscient wisdom, let alone attain dedicated application to meditation upon it.
“Therefore, O jinaputra, it is those who have attained the entrance to omniscience who will possess it. It is they who will hear this teaching of entry into the Dharma, which is the accomplishment of bodhisattva conduct and an aggregation of the qualities of completely omniscient wisdom, and having heard it will be attracted to it, and having been attracted to it will maintain it and be dedicated to meditation upon it.”
At that time, through the power of the buddhas and the realization of the true nature, all the atoms of the hundred million buddha realms of the worlds in the ten directions, in eighteen great signs and in six ways, (1) trembled, trembled strongly, and trembled fiercely; (2) shook, shook strongly, and shook fiercely; (3) shuddered, shuddered strongly, and shuddered fiercely; (4) rumbled, rumbled strongly, and rumbled fiercely; (5) quaked, quaked strongly, and quaked fiercely; and (6) roared, roared strongly, and roared fiercely.
Through the power of the buddhas and the realization of the true nature, there fell rain from clouds of divine garlands, flowers, and incense;618 and there fell rain from clouds of divine cloth, clouds of divine powders,619 clouds of divine jewels, clouds of divine ornaments,620 clouds of divine parasols, clouds of divine banners, and clouds of divine flags.621 Clouds of divine music and song resounded. Clouds of songs that transcended the divine and praised the state of omniscience resounded.
Just as it was on that central platform of precious jewels in the deva king Vaśavartin’s palace in the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise of this four-continent world, in that same way the Dharma teaching spread and appeared throughout all worlds in the ten directions.
Through the power of the buddhas and the realization of the true nature, bodhisattvas as numerous as the atoms in a hundred million buddha realms622 came from worlds in the ten directions that were as numerous as the atoms in a hundred million buddha realms. They who were spread throughout the ten directions arrived there and said, “Excellent! Excellent! O jinaputras! We also all have the same name, Vajragarbha, and have come from numerous realms that are named Vajraśrī, from the presence of tathāgatas named Vajradhvaja. In all those realms, through the power of the buddhas, this same Dharma teaching is being given in the same kind of assemblies, with the same words, the same letters, and the same pronunciation,623 with the same intended meaning, and without any omission or addition.
“O jinaputras! Through the power of the buddhas we have come to this assembly to bear witness.624
“O jinaputras! In the same way that we have arrived in this world, at the central platform of precious jewels in the deva king Vaśavartin’s palace in the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise of this four-continent world, in that way bodhisattvas to the number of atoms in a hundred million buddha realms have arrived at every central platform of precious jewels in the deva king Vaśavartin’s palace in the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise in each four-continent world in the ten directions.”
Then the bodhisattva Vajragarbha looked into the ten directions, saw the complete assemblies, saw the realm of phenomena, and describing the development of the aspiration to omniscience, teaching the range of activity of the bodhisattva, making pure the power of conduct, discoursing upon all forms of knowledge, removing worldly stains, summarizing omniscient wisdom, teaching the crown ornament625 of inconceivable knowledge, making evident the qualities of all bodhisattvas, and thus teaching the meaning of the bhūmis through the power of the buddhas, he recited these verses at that time:
“Listen to the special excellent conduct of the bodhisattvas
Who are devoted to tranquility and restraint, have pacified, tamed minds,
Are like the expanse of the sky, are the same as space,
Have removed the last stain, and remain in the wisdom of the path.
“They have accumulated hundreds of thousands of good actions for millions626 of eons,
They have made offerings to hundreds of thousands of buddhas, great sages,
They have made endless offerings to self-controlled pratyekabuddhas,627
And in order to benefit beings, they develop bodhicitta.
“Those who have special discipline, undergo austerities, have perfect patience,
Have conduct based on a sense of shame,628 have attained merit and wisdom,
Have understanding that is vast, and aspire to the wisdom of buddhahood
Develop a bodhicitta that is the same as and equal to the ten strengths of the jinas.629
“In order to make offerings to all the jinas in the three times,
Purify all realms throughout the extent of space.
By comprehending the sameness630 of all phenomena,
Bodhicitta is developed for the sake of the liberation of beings.
“They have love for beings, correct conduct, learning, and qualities,
And with a genuine motivation that is stainless and pure
They see all worlds burning with the three fires,
And with vast understanding they ascend to the third bhūmi for the sake of beings.
“They aspire to the excellence of the jinas on seeing the defects of composite phenomena:
That the three realms are continually burning with hundreds of sufferings
And that there is suffering, impermanence, illness, pain, and unhappiness,
And so they ascend to Shining, which has the vast shining light of wisdom.
“With mindfulness and intelligence they attain the wisdom of the path,
And on that perfect bhūmi they serve a hundred thousand buddhas,
Always mindful of the qualities of those who are supreme among humans,
And they ascend to Difficult to Conquer, which is difficult for all beings to accomplish.
“They have realization, knowledge, method, wisdom, and analysis,
So that they demonstrate632 various kinds of activities that bring infinite benefit to beings.
They offer to those with the ten strengths and accomplish the benefit of beings.
They ascend to the sixth bhūmi—infinite manifested birthlessness.
“They go to all worlds and accomplish conduct that is difficult to comprehend.
Without self, without action, free of existence and nonexistence,
The twelve aspects of the nature of emptiness arise,
And with subtle and sharp minds they ascend to the seventh.
“They attain the vast mind of method and wisdom,
And they ascend to Gone Far, which is gone far upon that which is difficult to tame.
They have a nature that is peaceful and restrained, eliminating a mind of multiplicity,
And they ascend to Unwavering, which is like space.
“They have the wisdom in being skilled in that, and for the sake of various activities
They arise from the state of peace and are supreme among humans.
They have the ten strengths and examine the world perfectly,
And in order to go to the great nature, they ascend to Perfect Understanding.
“At the time when they receive the consecration of omniscience,
There appear vast lotuses adorned with all jewels,
And they reside in their centers in proportionately vast bodies
Encircled by jinaputras who are gazing at them.
“Their infinite thousands of millions of light rays
Bring to an end all the sufferings of beings in the ten directions.
From the crowns of their heads radiate thousands of millions of light rays
That circle the supreme humans in all directions,
“Form networks of light rays in the space above,
Make offerings to the buddhas, and then enter the feet of the jinas.
At that time, the jinas and the jinaputras
Know that the jinaputras have received consecration for the sake of supreme Dharma.
“All the infinite jinaputras come to make offerings to them,
And the consecration of omniscience comes from the ūrṇā hair of the supreme human.
A multitude of sacred light rays of consecration appear,
And the supreme light rays circle and vanish into the crowns of their heads.
“At that time, they receive the consecration of omniscience.
Therefore, the wise call this attaining the perfect bhūmi, Cloud of Dharma.
The wise ones on this bhūmi have limitless knowledge.
When they are on this bhūmi, they are supreme among all beings.
“They comprehend without error the entire vast realm of phenomena:
The form and formless realms and likewise the desire realm,
The elements of beings and realms and the vast elements of phenomena,
Both numerable and innumerable, up to the element of space.
“The appearances of the supreme humans, their lifespans and buddhahood,
Their turning of the sublime wheel, and their passing into nirvāṇa—
They know all these, and also the liberations and peace.
At this time they will attain whatever has not been attained.
“All the Dharma heard by the beings, and by all the śrāvakas of the sugatas
In the infinite realms in the ten directions,
Is not even a fraction of what these bodhisattvas hear
When these powerful ones obtain the Dharma from just one jina.
“Through the power of wisdom conduct, through the power of previous conduct,
In just one instant, in one moment, they fill millions of realms
With a rain of amrita that brings all the kleśas to an end.
Therefore, the buddhas have given this bhūmi the name Cloud of Dharma.
“These powerful ones then become the lords in the deva realms
And in all directions manifest the scope of activity of the supreme humans.
They manifest many thousands of millions of manifestations,
And their bodhisattva conduct intoxicates the minds of beings.
“Those bodhisattvas up through the ninth bhūmi cannot comprehend
Even the taking of a single step by the excellent wise ones on this bhūmi.
So, needless to say, it cannot be comprehended by beings,
Or by the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas in the three times.
“Those on this bhūmi manifest omniscience to all beings.
They have the quality of peace through knowledge unimpeded by the three times.
They permeate and fill all realms as far as all phenomena,
Describing and teaching the qualities of all jinas.
“The wise ones on this bhūmi, through the light of their wisdom,
Dispel the darkness in all beings and teach them the way of the Dharma.
The sublime power of these lords dispels the desires of beings.
Therefore, these jinaputras are said to be skilled in eliminating the kleśas.
“This was a brief teaching on the bhūmis of the jinaputras;
The extensive teaching would take more than a hundred thousand eons.
On this bhūmi, this quality of the wisdom of the buddhas
Is always immovably present like the kings of mountains.
“Aspiring to the path, they attain the unshakable Shining.
Like Ṛṣigiri, they become a basis for the wise.
They attain the inconceivable fifth bhūmi, which is like the yakṣas of Yugandhara.
The result that is the sixth bhūmi is like the trees and flowers of Aśvakarṇagiri.
“The seventh bhūmi is like the nāgas of Nimindhara, and it is obtained through great wisdom.
They attain the powerful eighth bhūmi, which is like the powerful Cakravāḍa.
The ninth bhūmi eliminates stains and is like the asuras of Ketumat.
The tenth bhūmi has the excellence of the jinas and is like the devas of Sumeru.
“The first bhūmi is preliminary aspiration, and the second is accumulating good conduct.
The third has the qualities of conduct, and the fourth is a singleness.
The fifth has many virtues, and the sixth is extremely profound.
The eighth has vast intelligence and a multitude of displays everywhere.633
“On the ninth the wise have subtle and profound wisdom;
Through the wisdom of all the activities of beings they ascend.
The tenth retains the Dharma from all jinas,
And the stainless conduct of the jinaputras is like a great ocean.
“Transcending the ten conducts, they first develop the motivation.
The second is gained through discipline and hardship, the third through dhyāna,
The fourth through purity, and the fifth through purification.
The sixth is ascended to through realization, and the seventh is the Unwavering bhūmi.
“The eighth has great power and possesses the vajra victory banner.
On the ninth there is the wisdom that knows the complexity of conducts.
On the tenth there is the consecration from the jinas, like being consecrated as a king.
In that way there is a progressive ascension through pure precious qualities.
“They can divide and count the worlds in the ten directions.
With one consciousness they can know the minds of all beings.
It is possible to measure the entire realm of space with a single hair,
But one cannot describe the qualities of the jinas, even in ten million eons.”
The tathāgata arhat samyaksambuddha gave his authorization, and the bodhisattva mahāsattva Vajragarbha spoke those words with joy.
The Bhagavat was residing in the Paranirmitavaśavartin paradise not long after his buddhahood, during the second week, seated upon the jewel dais in the immeasurable precious palace of the deva king Vaśavartin, and he was pleased with the words of the bodhisattva Vajragarbha.