VOLUME 5
Ananda put his palms together, bowed, and said to the Buddha, "Having
heard the Buddha’s unbounded, greatly compassionate, pure, everlasting,
true and actual expression of Dharma, I still have not understood the
sequence for releasing the knots such that when the six are untied,
the one is gone also. I only hope you will be compassionate, and once
again take pity on this assembly and on those of the future, by bestowing
the sounds of Dharma on us and wash and rinse away our heavy defilements." Then, upon the lion’s throne, the Thus Come One straightened his "Nirvana
robes," arranged his Samghati, took hold of the table made of the
seven gems, reached out onto the table with his hand and picked up a
flowered cloth given him by the Suyama god. Then, as the assembly watched, he tied it into a knot and showed it
to Ananda, asking, "What is this called?" Ananda and the great assembly answered together, "It’s called
a knot." Then the Thus Come One tied another knot in the cloth of layered flowers
and asked Ananda again, "What is this called?" Ananda and the great assembly once again answered together, "It,
too, is called a knot." He continued in this pattern until he had tied six knots in the cloth
of layered flowers. As he made each knot, he held it up to Ananda and
asked, "What is this called?" And each time Ananda and the great assembly answered the Buddha in
the same way: "It is called a knot." The Buddha said to Ananda, "When I first tied the cloth, you called
it a knot. Since the cloth of layered flowers is basically a single
strip, how can you call the second and third ties knots as well?" Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, this cloth of woven
layered flowers is just one piece, but as I consider it, when the Thus
Come One makes on tie, it is called a knot. If he were to make a hundred
ties, they would be called a hundred knots, how much the more so with
this cloth, which has exactly six knots, not seven or five. Why does
the Thus Come One allow me to call only the first tie a knot and not
the second or third ties?" The Buddha told Ananda, "You know that this precious cloth of
flowers is basically one strip, but when I made six ties in it, you
said it had six knots. As you carefully consider this, you will see
that the substance of the cloth is the same; it is the knots that make
the difference. "What do you think? The first knot I tied was called number one.
Continuing until I come to the sixth knot, and as I now tie it, is it
also number one?" "No, World Honored One. If there are six knots, the sixth knot
can never be called number one. In all my lives of learning, with all
my understanding, how could I now confuse the names of six knots?" The Buddha said, "So it is. The six knots are not the same. Consider
their origin. They are created from the one cloth. To confuse their
order will not go. "Your six sense organs are also like this. In the midst of ultimate
sameness, conclusive differences arise. The Buddha said to Ananda, "You certainly dislike these six knots
and would like there to be just one cloth. But how can that be done?" Ananda said, "As long as these knots remain, there will be grounds
for argument about what is and what is not. Their existence will lead
to such distinctions as this knot not being that knot and that knot
not being this one. But if on this day, the Thus Come One unties them
all, so that no knots remain, then there will be no ‘this’ and no ‘that.’
There will not even be something called ‘one.’ How much the less can
there be six?" The Buddha said, "’When the six are untied, the one is gone’ is
the same meaning.’" "Because from beginningless time, your mind and nature have been
made wild and rebellious, you have produced false knowledge and views.
This falseness continues to arise without respite, and the wearisomeness
of these views brings about objective ‘Dust.’" "It is just like strange flowers appearing when your eyes grow
weary of staring. They arise at random without any cause within the
tranquil, essential brightness. "Everything in the world—the mountains, the rivers, and the great
earth, as well as birth, death, and Nirvana—is all just a strange weariness:
the upside-down appearance of flowers." Ananda said, "This weariness is the same as the knots. How do
we untie them?" The Thus Come One took hold of the knotted cloth and pulled on its
left end and asked Ananda, "Is this the way to untie it?" "No, World Honored One." Then with his hand he pulled on the right end and again asked Ananda,
"Is this the way to untie it?" "No, World Honored One." The Buddha said to Ananda, "Now I have pulled it to the left and
right with my hand and still have not been able to undo them. What method
do you propose for untying them?" Ananda said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, you must untie
the knots from their center. Then they will come undone." The Buddha said to Ananda, "So it is, so it is, if you want to
get them undone, you have to untie them from the center. "Ananda, the Buddhadharma I explain arises from causes and conditions.
But that is not to grasp at the mixing and uniting of coarse appearances
in the world. The Thus Come One understands all worldly and world-transcending
Dharmas and knows their fundamental causes and what conditions bring
them into being. "This is so to the extent that I know how many drops of rain fall
in as many worlds away from here as there are dust motes in the Ganges.
The same is true for all the things you can see: why the pine is straight,
why the brambles are twisted, why the goose is white, why the crow is
black—I understand the reasons. "Therefore, Ananda, you can select whichever one of the six sense-organs
you wish. If the knots of the sense-organs are removed, then the defiling
appearances disappear of themselves. All falseness ceases to be. If
that is not the true, what do you expect in addition to it? "Ananda, I now ask you, can the six knots in the cloth of layered
flowers be untied simultaneously and released all at once?" "No, World Honored One. The knots were originally made one at
a time, how they must be untied one at a time. The substance of the
six knots is the same, but they were not made simultaneously, and so
now when it is time to release them, how can they be untied simultaneously?" The Buddha said, "Releasing the six sense-organs is the same way.
When the sense-organ begins to be released, one realizes the emptiness
of people first. When the nature of that emptiness is fully understood,
then one is released from Dharmas. Once one is freed from Dharmas, neither
kind of emptiness will arise. "This is called the Patience with Non-production attained by the
Bodhisattvas by means of Samadhi." Upon receiving the Buddha’s instruction, Ananda and the great assembly
gained wisdom and awareness that was perfectly penetrating and free
of doubt and delusion. All at the same time, they placed their palms together, bowed at the
Buddha’s feet, and he said to the Buddha, "Today our bodies and
minds are illumined, and we are happily free from obstruction. "We have understood the meaning of the ending of the six and the
one. Still, we have not yet gone through to fundamental, perfect penetration. "World Honored One, we who have floated and floundered our way
through aeon after aeon, homeless and orphaned, had no idea, we never
imagined that we could meet with the Buddha in such a close relationship.
We are like lost infants who have suddenly found their compassionate
mother. "Because of this, we accomplished the way in this assembly. Yet,
the secret words which we received are the same as our basic enlightenment,
and so it is the same as if we hadn’t even heard them. "We only wish the greatly compassionate one will bestow upon the
profound secret as the Thus Come One’s final instruction." After
saying this he prostrated himself, withdrew, and held himself ready
for the secret opportunity as he awaited the Buddha’s hidden transmission. Then the World Honored One told all those in the assembly who were
great Bodhisattvas and great Arhats, their outflows extinguished—"All
of you Bodhisattvas and Arhats who are born from within my Dharma and
have attained the stage beyond study, I now ask you: when you first
brought forth your resolve and become enlightened to the eighteen realms,
which one of these brought perfect penetration? Through which expedient
did you enter Samadhi?" Kaundinya, with the others of the five Bhikshus, arose from his seat,
bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha, "When I was
in the Deer Park and the Pheasant Garden, I observed the Thus Come One
immediately after his accomplishment of the way. Upon hearing the Buddha’s
voice, I understood the your Four Truths. "The Buddha asks us Bhikshus to speak. I was the first to understand,
and the Thus Come One certified me and named me Ajnata. His wonderful
sound was both secret and all-pervasive. It was through sound that I
became an Arhat. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, sound is the superior means." Upanishad arose form his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha, "I also saw the Buddha when he first accomplished
the way. I learned to contemplate the appearance of impurity until I
grew to loathe it and came to understand that the nature of all form
is unclean. Bare bones and subtle dust all return to emptiness, and
so both emptiness and form are done away with. With this realization,
I accomplished the path beyond study. "The Thus Come One certified me and named me Upanishad. The object
of form came to an end, and wonderful form was both secret and all-pervasive.
Thus, it was through the appearance of form that I became an Arhat.
The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, form is the superior means." "After I heard the Buddha’s instruction, as I sat in repose in
the quiet of a pure dwelling. When I saw the Bhikshus light sinking
incense, the fragrant scent quietly entered my nostrils. I contemplated
this fragrance: it did not come from the wood; it did not come from
emptiness; it did not come from the smoke, and it did not come from
the fire. There was no place it came from and no place it went to. Because
of this, my discriminating mind was dispelled, and I attained the absence
of outflows. "The Thus Come One certified me and called me ‘Adorned with Fragrance.’
Defiling scent suddenly vanished, and wonderful fragrance was both secret
and all pervasive. It was through the adornment of fragrance that I
became an Arhat. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, the adornment of fragrance is the superior means." The two Dharma-princes, Physician Kings and Superior Physician, and
five hundred Braham gods in the assembly arose from their seats, bowed
at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha, "From beginningless
Kalpas until now, we have been good doctors for the world. In our mouths
we have tasted many herbs, wood, metals, and stones of the Saha world,
a hundred and eight thousand flavors. We know in detail the bitter,
sour, salty, bland, sweet, and pungent flavors, and the like, in all
their combinations and inherent changes. We have a thorough knowledge
of whether they be cooling or warming, poisonous or non-poisonous. "While serving the Thus Come One we came to know that the nature
of flavors is not empty and is not existent, nor is it the body or mind,
nor is it apart from body and mind. We became enlightened by discriminating
among flavors. "The Thus Come One sealed and certified us brothers and named
us as Bohisattvas Physician King and Superior Physician. Now in the
assembly we are Dharma-princes who have ascended to the Bodhisattva
level because we became enlightened by means of flavors. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As we have been certified
to it, the cause of flavors is the superior means." Bhadrapala and sixteen awakened lords who were his companions, arose
from their seats and bowed at the Buddha’s feet. He said to the Buddha: "We first heard the Dharma and left the home-life under King of
Awesome Sound Buddha. Once, when it was time for the Sangha to bathe,
I followed the custom and entered the bathhouse. Suddenly I awakened
to the fact that water does not wash away the dust, nor does it cleanse
the body. At that point, between the two, I became peaceful, and I attained
the state of there being nothing at all. "To this day, I have never forgotten that past experience. Having
left home with the Buddha, I have gone beyond study. That Buddha named
me Bhadrapala. Wonderful touch was revealed, and I accomplished the
position of the Buddha’s disciple. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, touch is the superior means." Mahakashyapa, Purple-golden Light Bhikshuni, and others arose from
their seats, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha: "In a past Kalpa in this region, I drew near to the Buddha named
Sun-moon-lamp, who was then in the world. I heard Dharma from him and
cultivated and studied with him. After that Buddha’s extinction, I made
offerings to his Sharira and lit lamps to continue his light. Purple-golden
light gilded the Buddha’s image. From that time on, in life after life,
my body has always been perfect and has shone with a purple-golden light.
The Bhikshuni, purple-golden light, and others make up my retinue, and
we all brought forth the resolve for Bodhi at the same time. "I contemplated that the world’s six sense-objects change and
decay; they are but empty stillness. Based on this, I cultivated extinction.
Now my body and mind can pass through hundreds of thousands of Kalpas
as though they were a finger-snap. "Based on the emptiness of Dharmas, I accomplished Arhatship.
The World Honored One says that I am foremost in Dhuta practices. Wonderful
Dharma brought me awakening and understanding, and I extinguished all
outflows. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been
certified to it, Dharmas are the superior means." Aniruddha arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha, "When I first left home, I was fond of sleeping
all the time. The Thus Come One scolded me and said I was no better
than an animal. When I heard the Buddha ‘s scolding, I wept and upbraided
myself. For seven days I did not sleep, and I lost the sight in both
my eyes. "The World Honored One taught me the Vajra Samadhi of the Delightful
Seeing, which illumines and is bright. Although I had no eyes, I could
contemplate the ten directions with true and penetrating clarity, just
as if I were looking at a piece of fruit in the palm of my hand. The
Thus Come One certified me as having attained Arhatship. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, returning the seeing back to its source is the foremost method." Kshudrapanthaka arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and
said to the Buddha: "I am deficient in the ability to memorize and do not have much
innate intelligence. When I first met the Buddha, I heard the Dharma
and left the home-life. But, when I tried to remember one line of a
verse by the Thus Come One, I went through a hundred days remembering
the first part and forgetting the last, or remembering the last and
forgetting the first. "The Buddha took pity on my stupidity and taught me to relax and
regulate my breath. I contemplated my breath thoroughly to the subtle
point in which arising, dwelling, change, and extinction happen in every
Kshana. "My mind suddenly attained vast non-obstruction, until my outflows
were extinguished and I accomplished Arhatship. Beneath the Buddha’s
seat I was sealed and certified as being beyond study. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, turning the breath back to emptiness is the foremost method." Gavampati arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha, "I have mouth-Karma created from a past offense.
I slighted a Shramana, and in life after life I’ve had this cow-cud
sickness. "The Thus Come One taught me the mind-ground Dharma-door of the
purity of a single flavor. My thought was extinguished, I entered Samadhi,
and contemplated the awareness of flavor as not having a substance and
not being a thing. As a result, my mind transcended all worldly outflows. "Internally I was freed of body and mind, and externally I abandoned
the world. I left the three existences far behind, just like a bird
released from its cage. I separated from filth and wiped out defilements,
and so my Dharma eye became pure, and I accomplished Arhatship The Thus
Come One certified me in person as having ascended to the path beyond
study. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, returning flavor and turning awareness around is the superior
method. Pilindavatsa arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha: "When I first left home to follow the Buddha and enter the way,
I often heard the Thus Come One explain that there is nothing in this
world that brings happiness. Once, when I was begging in the city, I
was reflection on this Dharma-door and did not notice a poisonous thorn
on the road until it had pricked my foot. My entire body experienced
physical pain, but my mind also and recognized the feeling of pain,
I knew that in my pure heart, there was neither pain nor awareness of
pain. "I also thought, ‘Is it possible for one body to have two awareness?’
Having reflected on this for a while, my body and mind were suddenly
empty. After twenty-one days, my outflows disappeared. I accomplished
Arhatship and received certification in person and a confirmation that
I had realized the level beyond study. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, purifying the awareness and forgetting the body is the superior
method." Subhuti arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to
the Buddha, "From distant Kalpas until now, my mind has been unobstructed.
I remember as many of my past lives as there are sands in the Ganges
River. From the beginning, in my mother’s womb, I knew emptiness and
tranquility, to the extent that the ten directions became empty and
I caused living beings to be certified to the nature of emptiness. "Having received the Thus Come One’s revelation that the enlightened
nature is true emptiness—that the nature of emptiness is perfect and
bright—I attained Arhatship and suddenly entered into the Thus Come
One’s sea of magnificent, bright emptiness. With knowledge and views
identical with the Buddha, I was certified as being beyond study. In
the liberation of the nature of emptiness, I am unsurpassed. "The Buddha asks perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, all appearances enter into nothingness; nothingness and what
becomes nothingness both disappear. Turning Dharmas back to the void
is the foremost method." Shariputra arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha, "From distant Kalpas until the present, my mind
and views have been pure. In this way I have undergone as many births
as there are grains of sand in the Ganges. As to the various transformations
and changes of both the mundane and the transcendental, I am able to
understand them at one glance and obtain non-obstruction. "Once I met the Kashyapas on the road, and I walked along with
the brothers. They spoke about causes and conditions, and I awakened
to the boundlessness of my mind. "I followed the Buddha and left the home life. My seeing-awareness
became bright and perfect, I obtained fearlessness and became an Arhat.
As one of the Buddha’s elder disciples, I am born from the Buddha’s
mouth, transformationally born from the Dharma. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. As I have been certified
to it, for the mind and the seeing to emit light and for the light to
reach throughout knowing and seeing is the foremost method. Universal Worthy Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s
feet, and said to the Buddha, "I have been a Dharma prince with
as many Thus Come Ones as there are sands in the Ganges. The Thus Come
Ones of the ten directions tell their disciples who have the roots of
a Bodhisattva to cultivate the Universal Worthy conduct, which is named
after me. "World Honored One, I use my mind to listen and distinguish the
knowledge and views of living beings. In other regions as many realms away as there are sands in the Ganges,
if there is any living being who discovers the conduct of Universal
Worthy, I immediately mount my six-tusked elephant and create hundreds
of thousands of reduplicated bodies which go to those places. Although
their obstacles may be so heavy that they do not see me, I secretly
rub their crowns, protect and comfort them, and help them be successful. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. The basic cause I
speak of ,in my case, is listening with the mind to discover and distinguish
at ease. This is the foremost method." Sundarananda arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said
to the Buddha, "When I first left home and followed the Buddha
to enter the way, I received the complete precepts, but my mind was
always too scattered for Samadhi, and I could not attain the state of
having no outflows. The World Honored One taught Kaushthila and me to
contemplate the white spot at the tip of our noses. "From the first, I contemplated intently. After three weeks, I
saw that the breath in my nostrils looked like smoke when I inhaled
and exhaled. My body and mind became bright inside, and I perfectly
understood the external world, to the point that everything became empty
and pure, like crystal. The smoky appearance gradually disappeared,
and the breath in my nostrils became white. "My mind opened and any outflows were extinguished. Every inhalation
and exhalation of breath was transformed into light which illumined
the ten directions, and I attained Arhatship. The World Honored One
predicted that in the future I would obtain Bodhi. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I did it by means
of the disappearance of the breath, until eventually the breath emitted
light and the light completely extinguished my outflows. This is the
foremost method. Purnamaitreyaniputra arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet,
and said to the Buddha, "For vast Kalpas I have possessed unobstructed
eloquence. When I discuss suffering and emptiness I penetrate deeply
into the actual appearance, and in the same way, I give subtle, wonderful
instruction to the assembly concerning the secret Dharma doors of as
many Thus Come Ones as there are sands in the Ganges. I have also obtained
fearlessness. "The World Honored One knew that I had great eloquence, and so
he made use of my voice in turning the wheel of the Dharma. He taught
me how to disseminate it. I joined the Buddha to help him turn the wheel.
I accomplished Arhatship through the lion’s roar. The World Honored
One certified me as being foremost in speaking Dharma. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used the sound of
Dharma to subdue demons and adversaries and melt away my outflows. This
is the foremost method." Upali arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said to
the Buddha, "I followed the Buddha in person when he fled the city
and left the home-life. I observed the Thus Come One endure six years
of diligent asceticism. I watched the Thus Come One subdue all the demons,
control adherents of external paths and become liberated from all outflows
which were based on worldly desire and greed. "I based myself on the Buddha’s teaching of percepts, encompassing
the three thousand awesome deportments and the eighty thousand subtle
aspects. Both my actual Karma and my contributing Karma became pure.
My body and mind became tranquil, and I accomplished Arhatship. "In the Thus Come One’s assembly, I am a governor of the law.
The Buddha’s himself certified my mind’s upholding of the precepts and
my genuine cultivation of them. I am considered a leader of the assembly. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I disciplined the
body until the body attained ease and comfort. Then I disciplined the
mind until the mind attained penetrating clarity. After that, the body
and mind experienced keen and thorough absorption. This is the foremost
method. Great Maudgalyayana arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet,
and said to the Buddha, "Once when I was out on the road begging
for food, I met the three Kashyapa brothers—Uruvilva, Gaya, and Nadi—who
proclaimed for me the Thus Come One’s profound principle of causes and
conditions. I immediately brought forth resolve and obtained a great
understanding." "The Thus Come One accepted me, and the Kashaya was on my body
and my hair fell out by itself. I roamed in the ten directions, having
no impeding obstructions. I discovered my spiritual penetrations, which
are esteemed as unsurpassed, and I accomplished Arhatship. "Not only the World Honored One, but the Thus Come Ones of the
ten directions praise my spiritual powers as perfectly clear and pure,
masterful, and fearless. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. By means of a spirit-like
attention to the profound, the light of my mind was revealed, just as
muddy water clears. Eventually it became pure and dazzling. This is
the foremost method." Ucchushma came before the Buddha, put his palms together, bowed at
the Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha, "I can still remember
how many Kalpas ago I was filled with excessive greed and desire. There
was a Buddha in the world named King of Emptiness. He said that people
with too much desire turn into a raging mass of fire. He taught me to
contemplate the coolness and warmth throughout my entire body. "A spiritual light coalesced inside and transformed my thoughts
of excessive lust into the fire of wisdom. After that, when any of the
Buddha’s summoned me, they used the name ‘fire-head.’ "From the strength of the fire-light Samadhi, I accomplished Arhatship.
I made a great vow that when each of the Buddha’s accomplishes the way,
I will be a powerful knight and in person subdue the demons’ hatred. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used attentive contemplation
of the effects of heat in my body and mind, until it became unobstructed
and penetrating and all my outflows were consumed. I produced a blazing
brilliance and ascended to enlightenment. This is the foremost method. The Bodhisattva, "Maintaining the ground," arose from his
seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet and said to the Buddha, "I remember
when universal light Thus Come One appeared in the world in the past.
I was a Bhikshu who continually worked on making level the major roads,
ferry-landings, and the dangerous spots in the ground, where the disrepair
might hinder or harm carriages or horses. I did everything from building
bridges to hauling sand." "I was diligent in this hard labor throughout the appearance of
limitless Buddhas in the world. If there were beings at the walls and
gates of the cities, who needed someone to carry their goods, I would
carry them all the way to their destination, set the things down, and
leave without taking any recompense. "When the Buddha Vipashyin appeared in the world. There was a
worldwide famine. I would carry people on my back, and no matter how
far the distance, I would only accept one small coin. If there was an
ox-cart stuck in the mud, I would use my spiritual strength to push
the wheels and get it out of difficulty. "Once a king asked the Buddha to accept a vegetarian feast. At
the time, I served the Buddha by leveling the road as he went. Vipashyin
Thus Come One rubbed my crown and said, ‘You should level your mind-ground,
then everything else in the world would be level.’ "Immediately my mind opened up and I saw that the particles of
earth composing my own body were no different from all the particles
of earth that made up the world. The nature of those particles of dust
was such that they did not connect with one another nor could they be
touched by the blade of a sword. "Within the Dharma-nature I awakened to the patience with the
non-production of Dharmas and accomplished Arhatship. I brought my mind
back, to the extent that I have now entered the ranks of the Bodhisattvas.
Hearing the Thus Come One proclaim the Wonderful Lotus Flower, the level
of the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, I have already been certified
as having understood, and am a leader in the assembly. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. Upon attentive contemplation
of the body and the environment, I saw that these two dusts are exactly
the same—that, fundamentally, everything is the treasury of the Thus
Come One, but that an empty falseness arises and creates the dust. When
the dust is eliminated, wisdom is perfected, and one accomplishes the
unsurpassed Way. This is the foremost method." The Pure Youth Moonlight arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s
feet, and said to the Buddha, "I remember that long ago, beyond
Kalpas as many as there are sands in the Ganges, there was a Buddha
in the world named Water-God, who taught all the Bodhisattvas to cultivate
the contemplation of water and enter Samadhi. "I reflected upon how throughout the body the essence of water
is not in discord. I started with mucus and saliva and went on through
my body, the nature of water was identical. I saw that the water in
my body was not at all different from that in the world outside—even
that in royal lands of floating banners with all their seas of fragrant
waters. "At that time, when I first succeeded in the contemplation of
water, I could see only water. I still had not gotten beyond my physical
body. "I was a Bhikshu then, and once when I was in Dhyana repose in
my room, a disciple of mine peeked in the window and saw only pure water
there, which filled the entire room. He saw nothing else. "The lad was young, and not knowing any better, he picked up a
tile and tossed it and into the water. It hit the water with a ‘plunk.’
He gazed around and then left. When I came out of concentration, I was
suddenly aware of a pain in my heart, and I felt like Shariputra must
have felt when he met that cruel ghost. "I thought of myself, ‘I am already an Arhat and have long since
abandoned conditions that bring on illness. Why is it that today I suddenly
have a pain in my heart? Am I about to lose the position of non-retreat?’ "Just then, the young lad came promptly to me and related what
had happened. I quickly said to him, ‘When you see the water again,
you may open the door, wade into the water, and remove the tile.’ The
child was obedient, so that when I re-entered Samadhi, he again saw
the water and the tile as well. He opened the door and took it out.
When I came out of concentration, my body was as it had been before. "I encountered limitless Buddhas and cultivated in this way until
the coming of the Thus Come One, King of Masterful Penetrations of Mountains
and Seas. Then I finally had no body. My nature and the seas of fragrant
waters throughout the ten directions were identical with true emptiness,
without any duality or difference. Now I am with the Thus Come One and
am known as a Pure Youth, and I have joined the assembly of Bodhisattvas. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. By means of the nature
of water, I penetrated through to the flow of a single flavor, and I
obtained patience with the non-production of Dharmas and the perfection
of Bodhi. This is the foremost method." The Dharma prince Vaidurya Light arose from his seat, bowed at the
Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha, "I can still remember back
through aeons as many as the sands in the Ganges to the time of a Buddha
named ‘Limitless Sound,’ who instructed the Bodhisattvas that fundamental
enlightenment is wonderful and bright. He taught them to contemplate
this world and all the beings in it as false conditions propelled by
the power of wind. "At that time, I contemplated the position of the world, and I
regarded the passage of time in the world. I reflected on the movement
and stillness in my body. I considered the arising of thoughts in the
mind. All these kinds of movement were non-dual; they were equal and
the same. "I then understood that the nature of movement does not come from
anywhere and does not go anywhere. Every single material particle throughout
the ten directions and every upside-down living being in it is of the
same empty falseness. "And so, throughout the three-thousand-great-thousand worlds,
the living beings in each of the worlds were like so many mosquitoes
confined in a trap and droning monotonously. Caught in those few square
inches, their hum built to a maddening crescendo. Not long after I encountered
the Buddha, I attained patience with the now-production of Dharmas. "My mind then opened, and I could see the country of the Buddha,
‘unmoving’, in the east. I became a Dharma prince and served the Buddhas
of the ten directions. My body and mind emit a light that makes them
completely clear and translucent. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I contemplated the
power of wind as lacking anything to rely on, and I awakened to the
Bodhi-mind. I entered Samadhi and meshed with the single, wonderful
mind transmitted by all the Buddhas of the ten directions. This is the
foremost method." Treasury of Emptiness Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed to the
Buddha’s feet, and said to the Buddha, "The Thus Come One and I
attained boundless bodies at the place of the Buddha, ‘Samadhi-Light.’ "At that time, I held in my hands four huge precious pearls, which
shone on Buddhalands as many as the motes of dust in the ten directions
and transformed them into emptiness. "In my mind there appeared a great, perfect mirror, which emitted
from within ten kinds of subtle, wonderful precious light that poured
out into the ten directions to the farthest bounds of emptiness. "All the royal lands of banners came into the mirror and passed
into my body. There was no hindrance to this interaction, because my
body was like emptiness. "My body could enter with ease as many countries as there are
fine motes of dust and could do the Buddha’s work on a wide scale, because
it had become completely compliant. "I achieved this great spiritual power from contemplating in detail
how the four elements lack anything to return to; how the production
and extinction of false thoughts is no different from emptiness; how
all the Buddhalands are basically the same. Once I realized this identity,
I obtained patience with the non-production of Dharmas. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I used the contemplation
of the boundlessness of emptiness to enter Samadhi and attain wonderful
power and perfect clarity. This is the foremost method." Maitreya Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet,
and said to the Buddha, "I remember when, as many Kalpas ago as
there are fine motes of dust, a Buddha named Light-of-Sun-Moon-Lamp
appeared in the world. Under that Buddha I left the home life; yet I
was deeply committed to worldly fame and liked to fraternize with people
of good family. "Then the World Honored One taught me to cultivate consciousness-only
concentration, and I entered that Samadhi. For many aeons I have made
use of that Samadhi as I performed deeds for as many Buddha as there
are sands in the Ganges. My seeking for worldly name and fame ceased
completely and never recurred. "When Burning Lamp Buddha appeared in the world, I finally accomplished
the unsurpassed, wonderfully perfect Samadhi of consciousness. "I went on until, to the ends of emptiness, all the lands of the
Thus Come One, whether pure or defiled, existent or non-existent, were
transformations appearing from within my own mind. "World Honored One, because I understand consciousness-only thus,
the nature of consciousness reveals limitless Thus Come One. Now I have
received the prediction that I will be the next to take the Buddha’s
place. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I was intent upon
the contemplation that the ten directions come only from consciousness.
When the conscious mind is perfect and bright, one enters the perfection
of the real. One leaves behind reliance on others and attachment to
incessant calculating and attains the patience with the non-production
of Dharmas. This is the foremost method." Dharma Prince, Great Strength, together with fifty-two Bodhisattvas
of similar rank, arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and
said to the Buddha: "I remember when, as many aeons ago as there are sands in the
Ganges, a Buddha called Limitless Light appeared in the world. In that
same aeon there were twelve successive Thus Come Ones; the last was
called Light Surpassing the Sun and Moon. That Buddha taught me the
Buddha-recitation Samadhi. "Suppose there were a person who always remembers someone else,
but the someone else he remembers has entirely forgotten about him.
If two such people were to meet, even if they were to see each other,
they would not take notice. They would not recognize each other. "If two people remember each other until the memory of each is
deep, then in life after they will be together like a form and its shadow,
and they will never be at odds. "Out of pity for living beings, the Thus Come Ones of the ten
directions are mindful of them as a mother remembers her child. If the
child runs away, of what use is the mother’s regard? But if the child
remembers his mother in the same way that the mother remembers the child,
then in life after life the mother and child will not be far apart. "If living beings remember the Buddha and are mindful of the Buddha,
certainly they will see the Buddha nor or in the future. "They will never be far from the Buddha, and their minds will
awaken by themselves, without the aid of expedients. "A person who has been near incense will carry a fragrance on
his person; it is the same in this case. It is called an adornment of
fragrant light. "On the causal ground I used mindfulness of the Buddha to enter
into patience with the non-production of Dharmas. Now in this world
I gather in all those who are mindful of the Buddha and bring them back
to the Pure Land. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. I would select none
other than gathering in the six organs through continuous pure mindfulness
to obtain Samadhi. This is the foremost method." Then Kuan Shih Yin Bodhisattva arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s
feet and said to the Buddha. "World Honored One, I remember when, as many Kalpas ago as there
are sands in the Ganges, there was a Buddha in the world named Contemplating
the World’s Sounds. It was under that Buddha that I brought forth the
Bodhi-resolve. That Buddha taught me to enter Samadhi through a process
of hearing and reflecting. "Initially, I entered the flow through hearing and forgot objective
states. Since the sense-objects and sense-organs were quiet, the two
characteristics of movement and stillness crystallized and did not arise.
After that, gradually advancing, the hearing and what was heard both
disappeared. Once the hearing was ended, there was nothing to rely on,
and awareness and the objects of awareness became empty. When the emptiness
of awareness reached an ultimate perfection, emptiness and what was
being emptied then also ceased to be. Since production and extinction
were gone, still extinction was revealed. "Suddenly I transcended the mundane and transcendental worlds,
and throughout the ten directions a perfect brightness prevailed. I
obtained two supreme states. "First, I was united above with the fundamental, wonderfully enlightened
mind of all the Buddhas of the ten directions, and I gained a strength
of compassion equal to that of all the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones. "Second, I was united below with all living beings in the six
paths, and I gained a kind regard for all living beings equally. "World Honored One, because I served and made offerings to the
Thus Come One, Kuan Yin, I received from that Thus Come One a transmission
of the Vajra Samadhi of all being like an illusion as one becomes permeated
with hearing and cultivates hearing. Because I gained a power of compassion
identical with that of all with that of all Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones,
I became accomplished in thirty-two response-bodies and entered all
lands. "World Honored One, if there are Bodhisattvas who enter Samadhi
and vigorously cultivate the extinction of outflows, who have superior
understanding and manifest perfected penetration, I will appear in the
body of a Buddha and speak Dharma for them, causing them to attain liberation. "If there are those who are studying, who are tranquil and have
wonderful clarity, who are superior and miraculous and manifest perfection,
I will appear before them in the body of a Solitarily Enlightened One
and speak Dharma for them, causing them to attain liberation. "If there are those who are studying, who have severed the Twelve
Causal Conditions, and, having severed the conditions, reveal a supreme
nature, and who are superior and wonderful and manifest perfection,
I will appear before them in the body of One Enlightened to Conditions
and speak Dharma for them, causing them to attain liberation. "If there are those who are studying, who have attained the emptiness
of the Four Truths, and cultivating the way, have entered extinction,
and have a superior nature and manifest perfection, I will appear before
them in the body of a Sound–Hearer and speak Dharma for them, causing
them to attain liberation. "If there are living beings who wish to have their minds be clear
and awakened, who do not engage in mundane desires and wish to purify
their bodies, I will appear before them in the body of a Brahma king
and speak Dharma for them, causing them to attain liberation. "If there are living beings who wish to be the heavenly lord,
leader of heavenly beings, I will appear before them in the body of
Shakra and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their
wish. "If living beings wish to attain physical self-mastery and to
roam throughout the ten directions, I will appear before them in the
body of a god from the heaven of self-mastery and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who wish to attain physical self-mastery
and fly through space, I will appear before them in the body of a god
from the heaven of great self-mastery and speak Dharma for them, enabling
them to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who are fond of ruling over ghosts
and spirits in order to rescue and protect their country, I will appear
before them in the body of a great heavenly general and speak Dharma
for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who like to govern the world in order
to protect living beings, I will appear before them in the body of one
of the Four Heavenly Kings and speak Dharma for them, enabling them
to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who enjoy being born in the heavenly
palaces and to command ghosts and spirits, I will appear before them
in the body of a prince from the kingdoms of the Four Heavenly Kings
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who would like to be kings of people,
I will appear before them in the body of a human king and speak Dharma
for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who enjoy being heads of households,
whom those of the world venerate and yield to, I will appear before
them in the body of an elder and speak Dharma for them, enabling them
to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who delight in discussing the classics
and who keep themselves lofty and pure, I will appear before them in
the body of an Upasaka and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish
their wish. "If there are living beings who enjoy governing the country and
who can handle matters of state decisively, I will appear before them
in the body of an official and speak Dharma for them, enabling them
to accomplish their wish. "If there are living being who like reckoning and incantation
and who wish to guard and protect themselves, I will appear before them
in the body of a Brahman and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to
accomplish their wish. "If there are men who want to leave the home-life and uphold the
precepts and rules, I will appear before them in the body of a Bhikshu
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are women who would like to leave the home-life and
hold the pure precepts, I will appear before them in the body of a Bhikshuni
and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are men who want to uphold the five precepts, I will
appear before them in the body of an Upasaka and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish. If there are women who wish
to base themselves in the five precepts, I will appear before them in
the body of an Upasika and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish
their wish. "If there are women who govern internal affairs of household or
country, I will appear before them in the body of a queen, first lady,
or noblewoman and speak Dharma for the, enabling them to accomplish
their wish. "If there are virgin lads I will appear before them in the body
of a pure youth and speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish
their wish. "If there are maidens who want to remain virgins and do not wish
to marry, I will appear before them in the body of a gracious lady and
speak Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are heavenly beings who wish to escape their heavenly
destiny, I will appear in the body of a god and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are dragons who want to quit their lot of being dragons,
I will appear before them in the body of a dragon and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are Yakshas who want to get out of their present fate,
I will appear before them in the body of a Yaksha and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are Gandharvas who wish to be freed from their destiny,
I will appear before them in the body of a Gandharva and speak Dharma
for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are Asuras who wish to be liberated from their destiny,
I will appear before them in the body of an Asura and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are Kinnaras who wish to transcend their fate, I will
appear before them in the body of a Kinnara and speak Dharma for them,
enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are Mahoragas who wish to be freed from their destiny,
I will appear before them in the body of a Mahoraga and speak Dharma
for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are living beings who like being people and want to
continue to be people, I will appear in the body of a person and speak
Dharma for them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "If there are non-humans, whether with form or without form, whether
with thought or without thought, who long to be freed from their destiny,
I will appear before them in a body like theirs and speak Dharma for
them, enabling them to accomplish their wish. "This is called the wonderful purity of the thirty-two response-bodies,
by which one enters into all lands and accomplishes self-mastery by
means of the Samadhi of becoming permeated with hearing and cultivating
hearing and by means of the miraculous strength of effortlessness. "Also, World Honored One, using this Vajra Samadhi of becoming
permeated with hearing and cultivating hearing, and using the miraculous
strength of effortlessness, because I have a kind regard equally for
all living beings in the six paths, I go throughout the ten directions
and the three periods of time and cause all living beings who encounter
bodies of mine to receive the meritorious virtue of fourteen kinds of
fearlessness. "First: because I do not contemplate sounds for my own sake, but
rather listen to the sounds of those whom I contemplate, I can enable
living beings throughout the ten directions who are suffering and in
distress to attain liberation by contemplating their sounds. "Second: since my knowledge and views have turned around and come
back, I can make it so that if living beings are caught in a raging
fire, the fire will not burn them. "Third: since contemplation and listening have turned around and
come back, I can make it so that if living beings are floundering in
deep water, the water cannot drown them. "Fourth: since false thinking is cut off, and my mind is without
thoughts of killing or harming, I can make it so that if living beings
enter the territory of ghosts, the ghosts cannot harm them. "Fifth: since I am permeated with hearing and have brought hearing
to accomplishment, so that the six sense-organs have dissolved and returned
to become identical with hearing, I can make it so that if living beings
are about to be wounded, the knives will break into pieces. I can cause
swords of war to have no more effect than if they were to slice into
water, or if one were to blow upon light. "Sixth: when the hearing permeates and the essence is bright,
light pervades the Dharma-realm, so that absolutely no darkness remains.
I am then able to make it so that, though Yakshas, Rakshasas, Kumbhandas,
Pishachas, and Putanas may draw near to living beings, the ghosts will
not be able to see them. "Seventh: when the nature of sound completely melts away and contemplation
and hearing return and enter, so that I am separate from false and defiling
sense-objects, I am able to make it so that if living beings are confined
by cangues and fetters, the locks will not hold them. "Eighth: when sound is gone and the hearing is perfected, an all-pervasive
power of compassion arises, and I can make it so that if living beings
are traveling a dangerous road, thieves will not rob them. "Ninth: when one is permeated with hearing, one separates from
worldly objects, and forms cannot rob one. Then I can make it so that
living beings with a great deal of desire can leave greed and desire
far behind. "Tenth: when sound is so pure that there is no defiling object,
the sense-organ and the external state are perfectly fused, without
any complement and without anything complemented. Then I can make it
so that living beings, who are full of rage and hate will leave all
hatred. "Eleventh: when the dust has gone and has turned to light, the
Dharma realm and the body and mind are like crystal, transparent and
unobstructed. Then I can make it so that all dark and dull-witted beings
whose natures are obstructed—all Atyantikas—are forever free from stupidity
and darkness. "Twelfth: when matter dissipates and returns to the hearing, then
unmoving in the Bodhimanda, I can travel through worlds without destroying
the appearance of those worlds. I can make offerings to as many Buddhas,
Thus Come Ones, as there are fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions.
At the side of each Buddha I become a Dharma prince, and I can make
it so that childless living beings throughout the Dharma realm who wish
to have sons, are blessed with meritorious, virtuous, and wise sons. "Thirteenth: with perfect penetration of the six sense-organs,
the light and what is illumined are not two. Encompassing the ten directions,
a great perfect mirror stands in the empty treasury of the Thus Come
One. I inherit the secret Dharma-doors of as many Thus Come Ones as
there are fine motes of dust throughout the ten directions. Receiving
them without loss, I am able to make it so that childless living beings
throughout the Dharma realm, who seek daughters are blessed with lovely
daughters who are upright, virtuous, and compliant and whom everyone
cherishes and respects. "Fourteenth: in this three-thousand-great-thousand world system
with its billons of suns and moons, as many Dharma princes as there
are grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges rivers appear in the world and
cultivate the Dharma. They act as models in order to teach and transform
living beings. They comply with living beings by means of expedients
and wisdom, in different ways for each. "However, because I have obtained the perfect penetration of the
sense-organ and have discovered the wonder of the ear-entrance, after
which my body and mind subtly and miraculously included all of the Dharma
realm, I am able to make it so that living beings who uphold my name
obtain as much merit and virtue as would be obtained by a person who
upheld the names of all those Dharma princes who are as many as the
grains of sand in sixty-two Ganges rivers. "World Honored One, there is no difference between the merit of
my one name and the merit of those many other names, because from my
cultivation I obtained true and perfect penetration. "These are called the Fourteen Powers of Bestowing Fearlessness;
with them I bless living beings. "Moreover, World Honored One, because I obtained perfect penetration
and cultivated to certification of the unsurpassed path, I also became
endowed with four inconceivable and effortless wonderful virtues. "First: as soon as I obtained the miraculous wonder of hearing
the mind, the mind became essential and the hearing was forgotten, therefore,
there was no distinction between seeing, hearing, sensation, and knowing.
I achieved a single, perfect fusion—pure and precious enlightenment.
For this reason, I am able to manifest many wonderful appearances and
can proclaim boundless secret spiritual mantras. "For example, I may make appear one head, three heads, five heads,
seven heads, nine heads, eleven heads, and so forth, until there may
be a hundred and eight heads, a thousand heads, ten thousand heads,
or eighty-four thousand Vajra heads; "Two arms, four arms, six arms, eight arms, ten arms, twelve arms,
fourteen, sixteen, eighteen arms, or twenty arms, twenty-four arms,
and so forth until there may be a hundred and eight arms, a thousand
arms, ten thousand arms, or eighty-four thousand Mudra arms; "Two eyes, three eyes, four eyes, nine eyes, and so forth until
there may be a hundred and eight eyes, a thousand eyes, ten thousand
eyes, or eighty-four thousand pure and precious eyes, sometimes compassionate,
sometimes awesome, sometimes in Samadhi, sometimes displaying wisdom
to rescue and protect living beings so that they may attain great self-mastery. "Second: because of hearing and consideration, I escaped the six
defiling objects, just as a sound leaps over a wall without hindrance.
And so I have the wonderful ability to manifest shape after shape and
to recite mantra upon mantra. These shapes and these mantras dispel
the fears of living beings. Therefore, throughout the ten directions,
in as many lands as there are fine motes of dust, I am known as one
who bestows fearlessness. "Third: because I cultivated fundamental, wonderful, perfect penetration
and purified the sense-organ, everywhere I go in any world I can make
it so that living beings renounce their physical and material valuables
to seek my sympathy. "Fourth: I obtained the Buddhas’ mind and was certified as having
attained the ultimate end, and so I can make offerings of rare treasures
to the Thus Come Ones of the ten directions and to living beings in
the six paths throughout the Dharma realm. "If they seek a spouse, they obtain a spouse. If they seek children,
they can have children. Seeking Samadhi, they obtain Samadhi; seeking
long life, they obtain long life, and so forth to the extent that if
they seek the great Nirvana, they obtain great Nirvana. "The Buddha asks about perfect penetration. From the gateway of
the ear, I obtained a perfect and illumining Samadhi. The conditioned
mind was at ease, and therefore I entered the appearance of flow, and
obtaining Samadhi, I accomplished Bodhi. This is the foremost method. "World Honored One, that Buddha, the Thus Come One, praised me
as having obtained well the Dharma-door of perfect penetration. In the
great assembly he bestowed a prediction upon me and the name, Kuan Shih
Yin. "Because my contemplation and listening is perfectly clear throughout
the ten directions, the name Kuan Shih Yin pervades all the realms of
the ten directions." Then the World Honored One upon the Lion’s Throne emitted simultaneously
from his five extremities a precious light which shone far throughout
the ten directions to anoint the crowns of as many Thus Come Ones and
Dharma-prince Bodhisattvas as there are motes of dust. All those Thus Come Ones also emitted from their five extremities precious
lights which were as numerous as motes of dust and which came from the
various directions to anoint the crown of the Buddha as well as the
crowns of all the great Bodhisattvas and Arhats in the assembly. Groves, trees, pools, and ponds all proclaimed the sound of Dharma.
The lights blended and criss-crossed like a jeweled silken net. It was
an unprecedented event for everyone in the great assembly, and they
all attained the Vajra Samadhi. Then the heavens rained down hundreds of precious lotus flowers of
variegated combinations of green, yellow, red, and white. All the space
in the ten directions turned the colors of the seven gems. This Saha world with its mountains, rivers, and great earth disappeared
totally, and all that could be seen were lands as numerous as motes
of dust coming together as one realm. Pure praises in songs and chants
spontaneously pervaded in celebration. Then the Thus Come One said to Dharma-prince Manjushri, "You should
now contemplate these twenty-five great Bodhisattvas and Arhats who
are beyond study. "Each has explained the initial expedient in his accomplishment
of the way. All say they have cultivated to true and actual perfect
penetration. Their cultivation is equal without distinctions of superior
and inferior or earlier and later. "I now wish to cause Ananda to become enlightened, and so I ask
which of twenty-five practices is appropriate to his faculties, and
which will be, after my extinction, the easiest expedient door for living
beings of this realm to enter in order to accomplish the Bodhisattva
vehicle and seek the unsurpassed way." Dharma Prince, Manjushri, receiving the Buddha’s compassionate instruction,
arose from this seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and, basing himself
on the Buddha’s awesome spirit, spoke verses to the Buddha.
Thereupon, Ananda and all in the great assembly experienced a clarity of body and mind. Having attained such profound instruction, they contemplated the Buddha’s Bodhi and Parinirvana like someone who, having travelled far on business, knows that he is on the road home, though he was not returned completely. Throughout the entire assembly, the gods, dragons, and all the eightfold division, those of the two vehicles who were not yet beyond study, as well as all the Bodhisattvas of initial resolve, as numerous as the sands in ten Ganges rivers, found their fundamental mind and, far removed form from dust and defilement, attained the purity of the Dharma eye. The Bhikshuni named "Nature" attained Arhatship after hearing this verse. And limitless beings brought forth a matchless, unequalled resolve for Anuttarasamyaksambodhi. |