Light Enlightenment

Chapter Nine

Sutra:

At that time, light passed through ten worlds and everywhere illumined one hundred worlds in the east. It was also like this in the south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, as well as above and below. Within each of those worlds there were a billion Jambudvipas, reaching up to a billion Ultimate Form heavens. All of these were clearly revealed in this light.

Just as in this place one could see the Thus Come One seated on his lotus flower treasury lion’s throne, with Bodhisattvas as many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands circumambulating him, so too, billions of Thus Come Ones seated in the same way.

Because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in each of the ten directions there was a great Bodhisattva, who was accompanied by Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands, who came to the Buddha’s place.

Their names were Manjushri and others. They came from countries called Golden Colored world and others and the Buddhas they served were called Unmoving Wisdom Thus Come One and others.

At that time, in the presence of all those Buddhas, the voices of the Manjushri Bodhisattvas in all those places, rang out in unison as they spoke verses: 

Commentary:

At that time, when the Buddha had finished the above verses, the light from the bottoms of the Buddha’s feet passed through this world and everywhere illumined one hundred worlds in the east. The light from the bottom of the Buddha’s feet shone upon a hundred worlds in the east. It was also like this in the south, west, north, as well as the four intermediate directions—southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest—as well as above and below. The Buddha’s light also passed through these worlds and illumined them.

Within each of those worlds there were a billion Jambudvipas. Within all the lands of the ten directions there were a billion Southern Jambudvipas. Reaching up to a billion Ultimate Form heavens. This means from the Heaven of the Four Kings, the Trayastrimsha Heaven, the Suyama Heaven, the Tushita Heaven, the Transformation of Bliss Heaven, the Heaven of Comfort Gained Through Transformation of Others’ bliss, and on up. All of these were clearly revealed in this light. The Buddha’s light illumined so many worlds. The light shone in all those worlds.

Just as in this place, in all the Jambudvipas in all those worlds, one could see the Thus Come One, Shakyamuni Buddha, seated on his lotus flower treasury lion’s trone, with Bodhisattvas as many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands circumambulating him, so too, in each of those billions of Jambudvipas there were billions of Thus Come Ones seated in the same way.

Because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in each of the ten directions there was a great Bodhisattvas. How is it that they could do all this? It’s because the Buddha used his great spiritual power to manifest this state. Each great Bodhisattva was accompanied by Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands, who came to the Buddha’s place. Each great Bodhisattva had Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands who came with him to Shakyamuni Buddha’s bodhi seat.

Their names were Manjushri and others. They came from countries called Golden Colored World and others. They each came from their own countries in the worlds of the ten directions. And the Buddhas they served were called Unmoving Wisdom Thus Come One and others.

At that time, in all the worlds of the ten directions, in all the Buddha Way-Places, in the presence of all those Buddhas, the voices of Manjushri Bodhisattva—Wonderfully Auspicious Bodhisattva—in all those places, rang out in unison as they spoke verses: Every Manjushri Bodhisattva in all the Buddhas’ way-places in the worlds of the ten directions, at the same time produced an identical sound and spoke the following verses.

Sutra:

The Buddhas understand that dharmas are like an illusion,
and have penetrated them without obstruction.
Their minds are pure, apart from the multitude of attachments,
and they are able to subdue all beings.

Commentary:

“The Buddhas” refers to all the Buddhas of the ten directions and three periods of time, including Shakyamuni Buddha. They understand that all dharmas are like an illusion or a transformation. They have no real substance. The purpose of Dharma is to counteract living beings’ bad habits. If living beings didn’t have any bad habits, then there would be no use for the Dharma. The Dharma is like medicine. If living beings are ill they take medicine and then the sickness is cured. One the sickness is cured, then there is no more use for the medicine.

The Buddhas understand that Dharmas are like an illusion, They aren’t empty and yet they aren’t there. And have penetrated them without obstruction. One has to have wisdom to be able to penetrate. When one is stupid one has obstructions. If you have the virtue of wisdom you can penetrate. “Without obstruction” is the virtue of cutting off. You cut off all afflictions. Penetration is wisdom and cutting off afflictions is the virtue of cutting off. You want to subdue all afflictions and have no obstructions. With no obstructions then there are no attachments.

Even a person with wisdom will have an attachment to knowledge if he hasn’t understood that all dharma are like an illusion. That attachment to knowledge is an example of attachment to dharmas. If one hasn’t understood what it means to be without obstructions, that is, if one still has obstructions, then one has confused attachment.

Their minds are pure, apart from the multitude of attachments, if you want your mind to be pure, then you have to leave behind the attachments to knowledge, and all other confused attachments, and be without the attachment to a self or dharmas. You want to leave all attachments. The Buddha said it very clearly.

All living beings have the wisdom and virtuous appearance of the Thus Come One.
It’s only because of false thinking and attachments that they’re not able to attain it.

If you don’t give rise to ignorance in your mind, then your mind is pure. Purity is to be without attachments.

And they are able to subdue all beings. This is the virtue of kindness. The Buddha has three virtues:

• The virtue of wisdom
• The virtue of cutting off
• The virtue of kindness

“All beings” means all the living beings in the nine Dharma Realms. He can subdue them and cause those who are stubborn not to be stubborn, and those who are stupid not to be stupid. Those who are stubborn will become gentle and compliant and those who are stupid will obtain wisdom.

Sutra:

Perhaps someone sees him first being born,
His wonderful form like a golden mountain.
Dwelling in his final body,
He eternally acts as a moon among people.

Commentary:

Perhaps someone sees him first being born, Perhaps there’s a person who sees the Buddha being born. This refers to the events of the Buddha’s eight marks of accomplishing the Way. His wonderful form like a golden mountain. When the Buddha was born his body had a majectic and inconceivably wonderful color. The Buddha’s body is adorned with the color of gold. Dwelling in his final body, The life in which the Buddha accomplished Buddhahood was when he was born for the very last time. He eternally acts as a moon among people. The moon universally illumines all waters and the Buddha’s light universally illumines the minds of all living beings. There’s a verse which explains this principle very well:

The Buddha is like the clear, cool moon
Which always roams in empty space;
When the waters in the minds of living beings are pure,
Bodhi manifests within them.

Sutra:

Perhaps someone sees the Buddha walking,
Replete with limitless merit and virtue.
His mindfulness and wisdom are wholesome and skillful,
As he steps like a heroic lion.

Perhaps someone sees his purple-blue eyes
Which contemplate the ten directions.
Sometimes they appear as laughing
In order to accord with living beings’ desires.

Perhaps someone sees him emitting the lion’s roar,
As he, in his supreme and incomparable body,
Manifests his final birth.
That which he proclaims is actual.

Commentary:

At the time when the Buddha was born, he stood up and pointed one hand to the heavens and the other to the earth and said, “Below heaven and above the earth, only I am honored.” “Below heaven and above the earth” refers to the gods and humans. “Only I am honored” means that only the Buddha is honored.

Perhaps someone sees the Buddha walking, Just after he was born he stood up and walked down the path. Replete with limitless merit and virtue. His blessings and wisdom are both perfect. His mindfulness and wisdom are wholesome and skillful, “His mindfulness” means that inside his mind there is great wisdom. Therefore, when he speaks the Dharma to teach and transform living beings, he uses wholesome and clever expedient Dharma doors. As he steps like a heroic lion.

When the Buddha walks down the road he walks like a great hero. And his tread is like that of a lion.

Perhaps someone sees his purple-blue eyes. Maybe some living being sees the Buddha’s purple-blue eyes which contemplate the ten directions. He contemplates everything and everywhere. He expands his vision so that he can see everywhere throughout empty space and the Dharma Realm. Sometime they appear as laughing The Buddha is basically always in samadhi and he is never happy of worried. He is “thus, thus unmoving and constantly bright.” But there are times when the Buddha has to smile. He breaks into a subtle smile. Why? In order to accord with living beings’ desires. He constantly accords with what living beings hope for and want to see. To teach and transform living beings he causes them to be happy. He causes them to like him. He doesn’t want to cause living beings to be afraid of him.

So, he is always happy, no matter who is looking at him. No one ever sees the Buddha getting angry.

Perhaps someone sees him emitting the lion’s roar, Maybe they see the Buddha turning the Dharma Wheel, teaching and transforming living beings, using his great lion’s roar.

The roar of the lion is fearless speaking.
When the wild beasts hear it their heads split open.
Elephants run wild and lose their awesome bearing,
But gods and dragons listen attentively and delight in body and mind.

“The roar of the lion is fearless speaking.” As soon as the lion roars the hundred beasts are horrified. When the Buddha speaks the Dharma his voice is just like a lion roaring. All the heavenly demons and adherents outside the way hear and lose their guts, it scares them so bad. “When the wild beasts hear it their heads split open.” When all the kinds of beasts hear the lion roar, it makes their heads ache. “Elephants run wild and lose their awesome bearing.” All the gigantic elephants who have such an awesome manner are not afraid of any other sound, but when the lion roars, they are quelled. They lose their awesome air. “But gods and dragons listen attentively and delight in body and mind.” Gods, dragons, and the rest of the eight-fold division are extremely happy when they hear the sound of the lion’s roar.

As he, in his supreme and incomparable body, the Buddha has thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics and they are particularly sublime. And there is nothing that can compare to his body, which is that of a great hero. Manifests his final birth. The life during which the Buddha accomplished Buddhahood is also the last time he manifests receiving birth. That which he proclaims is actual. At all times he speaks the Dharma of the Actual Teaching. What he says is true, actual, and not false. Therefore, all the Dharma that he speaks always accords with the potentials of living beings, and he always uses the truest principles.

Sutra:

Perhaps someone sees him leaving home,
Becoming liberated from all bonds,
Cultivating and regulating all Buddhas’ practices,
And always delighting in contemplating still quiescence.

Commentary:

Perhaps someone sees him leaving home, Maybe there was a living being who saw the Buddha leave home. Why did he leave home? When Shakyamuni Buddha was in the royal palace, he was a prince—the King’s son—and heir to the throne of the country. You say, “Was it necessary for him to leave home? Wouldn’t he have been better off if he had stayed at home and still cultivated? He gave up his wife and country. He gave the glory of his country away. And he didn’t even want his wife who was so beautiful.” It’s not easy to cultivate when you have wealth and honor. So he wanted to leave home. He left the home of:

• ignorance
• afflictions
• the triple world

To leave the home of afflictions is to leave the home of worldliness. Prince Siddartha had afflictions and so he wanted to leave them. All people have ignorance and it’s not easy to put your ignorance down. But the Buddha wanted to transcend ignorance and get out of the home of ignorance. He also wanted to get out of the home of the Triple Realm. The three realms are:

• the desire realm
• the form realm
• the formless realm

They are all on the wheel of the six paths of rebirth. So, he wanted to get out of the Triple Realm, becoming liberated from all bonds. Your not wanting to leave home shows that you’re bound up. When you’re bound up you have no freedom. And when you don’t have any freedom then you can’t have self-mastery. And when you don’t have self-mastery, you have afflictions. Cultivating and to teach and transform all living beings by turning the wonderful dharma wheel. He constantly turns the subtle and wonderful, inconceivable Dharma Wheel, crossing over limitless living beings. How many living beings does the Buddha cross over? He crosses over limitless and boundless numbers of them. Nobody could calculate how many living beings he crosses over.

Regulating all Buddhas’ practices. After the Buddha left home, he cultivated all the Dharmadoors that all Buddhas cultivated. And always delighting in contemplating still quiescence. “Contemplating still quiescence” means he constantly sat in Ch’an meditation and used the skill of stillness. He attained the happiness of still quiescence. So it says that he is “always delighting in contemplating still quiescence.”

Sutra:

Perhaps someone sees him as a victorious hero,
Replete with a mind of great compassion,
Turning the wonderful Dharma wheel,
Crossing over limitless living beings.

Commentary:

Perhaps someone sees him as a victorious hero. Maybe there is a living being who sees the Buddha manifesting the appearance of a great hero. That is, having the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics. Replete with a mind of great compassion, he uses a mind of great compassion to benefit all living beings. The Buddha sees all living beings as being the same as his own sons and daughters. He uses the great compassion mind .

Sutra:

Perhaps someone sees him sitting in the way place,
Enlightening to and knowing all dharmas.
Arriving at the other shore of merit and virtue.
He exhausts the darkness of stupidity and afflictions.

Commentary:

Perhaps someone sees him sitting in the way place, The Buddha left home and accomplished the Buddha Way sitting in the Way-Place. He was sitting beneath the Bodhi Tree, in the Vajra Way-Place, teaching and transforming living beings. Enlightening to and knowing all dharmas. When he opened enlightenment and became a Buddha, he understood all Buddhadharmas. Then he went and spoke the Dharma to all living beings. Arriving at the other shore of merit and virtue, The Buddha is complete with blessings and wisdom and is perfect in merit and virtue. Being perfect in merit and virtue is arriving at the merit and virtue of Nirvana. His merit and virtue were neither in excess of deficient. He exhausts the darkness of stupidity and afflictions. Stupidity is ignorance and ignorance is all afflictions. They were all gone as the Buddha transformed them into Bodhi.

Sutra:

Perhaps someone sees him sounding the lion’s roar.
His awesome brilliance has no peer.
Excelling all in the world.
The power of his spiritual penetrations is unequalled.

Perhaps someone sees that his mind is still and silent,
like a lamp in the world that is forever extinguished.
With all kinds of manifestations of spiritual penetrations,
the one who has ten powers is able to be like this.

Commentary:

Perhaps someone sees him sounding the lion’s roar. Some people see the Buddha speaking the Dharma as being like a lion’s roar. His awesome brilliance has no peer. His great awesome virtue, great, spiritual penetrations, and great wisdom light are unique. They’re very special. Excelling all in the world—they excel all worldly abilities and powers. The power of his spiritual penetrations is unequalled. No one can compare to or equal the wonderful function of the Buddha’s spiritual penetrations and his ten powers.

Perhaps someone sees that his mind is still and silent. Some living beings see the Buddha as always being in still quietude. His mind is always cultivating the Dharma of still quietude. Like a lamp in the world that is forever extinguished. The Dharma of still quietude is the same as “still extinction.” It is like a lamp that has gone out forever. “Forever extinguished” refers to still quietude. With all kinds of manifestations of spiritual penetrations. He manifests all kinds of spiritual penetrations. The one who has ten powers is able to be like this. The Buddha has ten kinds of powers and with them he can make appear all the wonderful functioning of spiritual penetrations described above.

Sutra:

At that time, light passed through one hundred worlds and everywhere illumined a thousand worlds in the east. It was also like this in the south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, as well as above and below. Within each of those worlds there were a billion Jambudvipas, reaching up to a billion ultimate form heavens. All of these were clearly revealed in this light.

Just as in this place one could see the Thus Come One seated on his lotus flower treasury lion’s throne, with Bodhisattvas as many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands circumambulating him, so too, in each of those billions of Jambudvipas there were billions of Thus Come Ones seated in the same way.

Because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in each of the ten directions there was a great Bodhisattva, who was accompanied by Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands, who came to the Buddha’s place.

Their names were Manjushri and others. They came from countries called Golden Colored world and others and the Buddhas they served were called Unmoving Wisdom Thus Come One and others.

At that time, in the presence of all those Buddhas, the voices of the Manjushri Bodhisattvas in all those places, rang out in unison as they spoke verses:

Commentary:

At that time, when the previous verse had been spoken, light from the bottom of the Buddha’s feet passed through one hundred worlds and everywhere illumined a thousand worlds in the east. It was also like this in the south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, as well as above and below. Within each of those worlds there were a billion Jambudvipas, reaching up to a billion ultimate form heavens. All of these were clearly revealed in this light. All was clearly manifested within the Buddha’s light.

Just as in this place one could see the Thus Come One, seated on his lotus flower treasury lion’s throne, with Bodhisattvas as many as fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands circumambulating him, so too, in each of those billions of Jambudvipas there were billions of Thus Come Ones seated in the same way. In all of them, you could see the Buddha seated on his Great Jeweled Lotus Flower Treasury Lion’s Throne.

Because of the spiritual power of the Buddha, in each of the ten directions there was a great Bodhisattva, who was accompanied by Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands. There was a great Bodhisattva in each world of the ten directions. And every great Bodhisattva brought with him Bodhisattvas to the number of fine motes of dust in ten Buddhalands who came to the Buddha’s place. They came to the Way-Place of the Buddha, beneath his Vajra Jeweled Lion’s throne.

Their names were Manjushri and others. These great Bodhisattvas names were Manjushri and others. They came from countries called golden colored world and others. This means the world in the east called Golden Colored World and all of its neighboring worlds. And the Buddhas they served were called unmoving wisdom Thus Come One and others. The Buddhas which each of the great Bodhisattvas originally drew near to and respectfully made offerings to were called Unmoving Wisdom Thus Come One and others.

At that time, in the presence of all those Buddhas, the voices of the Manjushri Bodhisattvas in all those places, rang out in unison as they spoke verses. There was a Manjushri Bodhisattva in each of the Buddha’s Bodhimandas, who spoke in unison these following verses.

Sutra:

The Buddha has penetrated the most profound Dharmas.
No one can equal him.
Living beings are not able to understand it,
and so in sequence he explains it for them.

Commentary:

The Buddha has penetrated the most profound Dharmas. When Shakyamuni Buddha became enlightened and became a Buddha, he completely penetrated all of the extremely profound and subtly wonderful 84,000 Dharmadoors. No one can equal him. The Buddha has great wisdom and none of the beings in the nine realms can compare to him. The nine Dharma Realms are:

• The Dharma Realm of the Bodhisattvas
• The Dharma Realm of the Sound-Hearers
• The Dharma Realm of the Conditionally Enlightened Ones
• The Dharma Realm of the gods
• The Dharma Realm of the asuras
• The Dharma Realm of humans
• The Dharma Realm of animals
• The Dharma Realm of hungry ghosts
• The Dharma Realm of the hell-beings

In the nine Dharma Realms no living beings can compare to the wisdom of the Buddha. Living beings aren’t able to understand it. Living beings aren’t able to understand that kind of Buddhadharma, and so in sequence he explains it for them. The Buddha has a sequence in which he clearly speaks the Buddhadharma for living beings, step by step. After he became a Buddha he first spoke the great Avatamsaka Sutra. The great Avatamsaka Sutra was spoken for the Great Knight of the Dharma body. After he spoke that, he spoke the Agama Sutras. The Avatamsaka Sutra teaches Bodhisattvas and the Agama Sutras teach those of the Two Vehicles—the Sound-Hearers and Those Enlightened to Conditions. Then he spoke the Vaipulya Sutras. After the Vaipulya Sutras he spoke the Prajna Sutras. And after he spoke the Prajna Sutras he spoke the Dharma Flower and Nirvana Sutras. This is what is meant by “in sequence”. It is opening up, explaining, and making clear all dharmas for all living beings.

Sutra:

The nature of the self does not exists,
and that which belongs to the self is also empty and still.
How then do all Thus Come Ones obtain their bodies?  

Commentary:

The Buddha doesn’t have a self. The nature of the self is the substance of the body. The Buddha doesn’t think of himself and so he doesn’t have an attachment to a self. So the text says: The nature of the self does not exist, Even his nature doesn’t exist, so how could there be a self? And that which belongs to the self is also empty and still. With no self, that which belongs to the self is also empty and still. If you didn’t have a self, how could you have anything that belonged to the self? That which belongs to a self is an attachment to dharmas. “self” is the attachment to a self, and “that which belongs to the self” is the attachment to dharmas. With no self then the attachment to dharmas is empty and still. You no longer have an attachment to dharmas. With no self and no dharmas how then do all Thus Come Ones obtain their bodies? Is it correct to say that all Buddhas have a mark of a body? It isn’t. The Buddha is:

Without form and without appearance, he is present and not present.
He is not empty or existent and so he pervades all places.

Because the Buddha pervades all places, he himself basically doesn’t have a body. There is no form and appearance that you can see.

Sutra:

The ones of liberation and clear conduct are uncountable and incomparable.
Using all kinds of logic and knowledge of the world,
one seeks but cannot fathom them.

Commentary:

The ones of liberation and clear conduct. “Liberation” means to leave all attachments. Not having any attachments is liberation. One of clear conduct has wisdom, blessings, and virtue that are complete. To have wisdom that is complete means that you understand. When your blessings and virtue are complete your cultivation is accomplished. This accomplishment is Buddhahood. When you’ve become adorned with blessings and wisdom, then you’re a Buddha. These Liberated Ones are uncountable and incomparable. The Buddha is beyond all numbers and no living being can compare to him. Using all kinds of logic and knowledge of the world, No one can come to know them through the use of worldly logic or knowledge.

There are three modes of knowledge in dealing with the world.

• direct perception (pratyaksa)
• inference (anumana)
• authority of Sages (agama)

In the study of logic one learns about direct perception, inference, and also the authority of Sages.

• Direct perception is the extent of our knowledge which can be measured.
• Inference is when a comparison is made.
• The authority of Sages includes all Sutras spoken by the Buddha and Sages. All the Sutras, Shastras, and the Vinaya are included in this. One can use the authority of the sages to know the doctrines spoken by those of outside ways. Since these three modes of knowledge—direct perception, inference, and the authority of the Sages—are of the world, one seeks but cannot fathom them. If you use these three to try to know what can’t be known, you won’t succeed. There’s no way you can use the three modes of knowledge to know the state of the Buddha. You can try to look for his flaws but you won’t find any.

Sutra:

The Buddha is not the worldly skandhas,
nor the realms, the places, or dharmas of birth and death.
He does not fall within the dharmas of reckoning,
and so he is called the Lion among People.

Commentary:

The Buddha is not the worldly skandhas, This refers to the five skandhas of:

• form
• feeling
• thought
• activity
• consciousness

When one become a Buddha the five worldly skandhas are already empty. So it isn’t within the dharma of the five skandhas that we investigate the Buddha. Nor the realms, the places, or dharmas of birth and death. The Buddha has transcended not only the five skandhas, but also the six sense organs, and the six sense objects which together are called the twelve places. Adding to that the six consciousnesses, we get the eighteen realms, which he has also transcended. The five skandhas, twelve places, and eighteen realms are the dharmas of birth and death. One cannot use them to understand the Buddha. He does not fall within the dharmas of reckoning, you can’t use the dharmas that can be numbered or calculated to understand the state of the Buddha. And so he is called the Lion among People. He is an outstanding individual and is beyond the experiences of the beings in the nine realms.

Sutra:

His nature is basically empty and still;
inside and out he is completely liberated.
Apart from all false thoughts,
the unequalled Dharma is also like this.

His substance and nature are constantly unmoving,
he is without a self and without a coming or going.
He is able to enlighten the world
so that all its boundless beings are completely subdued.

Commentary

His nature is basically empty and still: The Buddha’s nature is fundamentally empty and still. Inside and out he is completely liberated. Inside there is no mind and outside there is no body. Inside and out there are no attachments. There are also no attachments to dharmas or to a view of self. Inside you contemplate the mind as no mind and outside you contemplate the states as no states. If you contemplate the mind as no mind, then the mind will obtain liberation. And if you contemplate states as no states, then you’ll certainly attain liberation from those states.

Apart from all false thoughts, The Buddha is apart from all false thinking and from all reckoning. Living beings take what is false as true, but Buddhas have no concept of false or true. Thus, he is said to be apart from all false thoughts. To be apart from all false thoughts is to be apart from the path of language. The place of the mind’s activities is cut off. The unequalled dharma is also like this. The Buddha attained the incomparable Dharma. His substance and nature are constantly unmoving, The Buddha basic substance is ‘thus, thus unmoving’ because he ‘constantly still and bright.’ He is empty, still, and unmoving.

He is without a self and without a coming or going. The Buddha basically doesn’t have a view of self. He has no sense of a self and no going or coming. There’s no big, small, inside, or out. He doesn’t come or go. He doesn’t increase or decrease. He’s not produced or destroyed and he’s not defiled or pure. He is able to enlighten the world. The Buddha uses all unconditioned dharmas, the ultimate dharma, to cause the world to wake up. And he causes all living beings in the world who are as if dreaming, to wake up. So that all its boundless beings are completely subdued. All the limitless and boundless living beings are completely tamed and caused to bring forth the Bodhi Mind, and in the future will realize the unsurpassed Way.

Sutra:

He is constantly happy contemplating still quiescence
characterized by one mark and non-duality.
His mind does not increase or decrease,
while he manifests spiritual powers.

He does not engage in living beings’
karmic retributions, practices, and causes and conditions,
and yet is able to understand them without obstructions.
The Dharma of the Well Gone One is just like this.

Each and every living being
drifts and turns in the ten directions.
The Thus Come One makes no discriminations
As he crosses over and rescues the boundless kinds of species.

The Buddha’s true golden color
Does not exist and yet pervades all existence.
According to that which living beings like, he makes them happy,
by speaking for them the Dharma of still quiescence.

Commentary:

He is constantly happy contemplating still quiescence. The Buddha is always happy contemplating still quiescence. Characterized by one mark and non-duality. His mark of still quiescence can’t be expressed with words; it is non-dual. His mind does not increase or decrease, while he manifests spiritual powers. In this state of still quiescence which neither increases nor decreases, the Buddha manifests limitless and boundless spiritual penetrations.

He does not engage in living beings’ karmic retributions, practices, and causes and conditions. The Buddha isn’t like living beings who have to undergo karmic retribution and who have all kinds of causes and conditions. And yet is able to understand them without obstruction. The Buddha isn’t involved in this situation of karmic retribution and causal conditions, and yet he thoroughly understands the states of karmic retribution and causal conditions. The dharma of the well gone one is just like this. The Dharma of the Well Gone One, the Buddha, is like this. Not moving from the Bodhimanda, he pervades the Dharma Realm. He can contemplate the karmic results and retributive effects of living beings and then go and teach and transform them.

Each and every living being—All the different kinds of living beings—drifts and turns in the ten directions. They’reborn and then die, die and are then reborn. They whirl within the revolving wheel. They revolve in the six paths throughout the worlds of the ten directions. The Thus Come One makes no discrimination. The Thus Come One doesn’t make discriminations and say, “I’ll cross over those with whom I have affinities and not the ones with whom I don’t”. He wouldn’t be like that. He doesn’t pay attention to what direction they come from, as he crosses over and rescues the boundless kinds of species. The Buddha uses the Dharma door of expedient means to teach and transform living beings and cause them to bring forth the Bodhi mind.

The Buddha’s true golden color—the golden color which adorns the Buddha’s body—does not exist and yet pervades all existence. His existence isn’t like that of living beings who have shape and form, and yet he pervades all existence. He can pervade the three realms and twenty-five existences. He can go to any realm to teach and transform living beings. He uses the state of “not existing and yet making appearing to exist”, and according to that which living beings like, he makes them happy, by speaking for them the Dharma of still quiescence. He speaks the pure, unconditioned Dharma of still quiescence which is the Dharma of permanence, bliss, true self, and purity.

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