The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds

Chapter One, Part Two

 

4) Heavens of the Second Dhyāna

Sutra:

Moreover, Celestial King Winsome Light gained a passage into liberation of forever enjoying the bliss of quiescence, and yet being able to descend into the world and eradicate beings’ suffering.

Commentary:

Moreover, since the meaning had not been completely explained in the previous section, the text continues to discuss it now. Celestial King Winsome Light attained this state and gained a passage into liberation of forever enjoying the bliss of quiescence, and yet being able to descend into the world and eradicate beings’ suffering. Forever abiding in concentration, he “takes dhyana bliss as food and is filled with the joy of Dharma.” He derives true bliss from samadhi. Further, he can subdue celestial demons and restrain those of externalist ways. He can manifest many bodies and use his spiritual powers and transformations to dispel the woes of the world. That is the passage into liberation that Celestial King gained.

Sutra:

Celestial King Pure and Exquisite Light gained a passage into liberation of using an ocean of responses issuing from the heart of great compassion to bestow a treasury of happiness upon all sentient beings.

Commentary:

Celestial King Pure and Exquisite Light gained a passage into liberation of using an ocean of responses issuing from the heart of great compassion. The heart of great compassion is the resolve to universally save beings, enabling them to all realize the Buddha Way. If there is a single being who hasn’t become a Buddha, then we won’t become Buddhas, either. That’s the heart of great compassion. Regardless of whether or not we have affinities with beings, we still gather them in with the heart of great compassion. When great compassion is developed to the utmost, it resembles an ocean. That’s why the text says, “ocean of responses,” meaning that our mind becomes as expansive as an ocean. Since we cultivate the heart of great compassion and conduct ourselves with great compassion, universally saving beings, we are able to bestow a treasury of happiness upon all sentient beings. All beings are happy and delighted, and no other happiness can compare with this happiness. Having understood the greatly compassionate heart of all Buddhas and having perfected his own heart of great compassion, this Celestial King gained this passage into liberation and attained this samadhi of liberation.

Sutra:

Celestial King Comfortable Sound gained a passage into liberation of universally manifesting, within a single thought, the power of blessings and virtue of all sentient beings throughout boundless eons.

Commentary:

The Celestial King named Comfortable Sound attained a state and gained a passage into liberation of universally manifesting, within a single thought, the power of blessings and virtue of all sentient beings throughout boundless eons of the past, present, and future. The past can manifest as the present, the present can manifest as the future, and the future can manifest as the past. Past, present, and future all manifest within a single thought.

Infinite eons can be gathered into a single thought.
A single thought can unfold into infinite eons.

Within those infinite eons, innumerable beings cultivate blessings and wisdom, developing the power of blessings and of wisdom. The perfection of blessings and wisdom results in virtue, or morality. With blessings and wisdom perfected, one achieves power; and having achieved power, one isn’t far from Buddhahood. This Celestial King has understood this state and attained this samadhi of liberation.

Every evening we bow the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas. The merit and virtue of this ceremony cannot be fully described. Some people may have been destined to live only a short time, but by bowing the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas, they can prolong their life span. Some people are chronically ill. If they sincerely bow the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas, their illnesses will be cured.

Some people haven’t enjoyed much good fortune in their lives; everything has been unlucky for them. If, however, they can sincerely bow the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas, everything will become auspicious and will turn out as they wish. The merit and virtue from bowing this repentance is inconceivable. In cultivating the Way, if you constantly bow the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas, you can quickly become enlightened.

For instance, a Dharma Master I once knew in Hong Kong didn’t talk very well and was not very literate. Then he went to Canada. Since he didn’t have much to do, he bowed the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas every day. Bowing by himself for five years, he went through the repentance twenty-six times. He now appears to be much more intelligent than before.

The Venerable Master Hsu Yun also bowed the Ten Thousand Buddhas’ Repentance. People who don’t like to bow don’t realize the merit and virtue derived from bowing. If we bow this repentance with the utmost sincerity, we can recover from whatever illness we might have. Without even realizing it, we will be cured. To this day, that Dharma Master I mentioned still bows Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas daily at Hongfu (Vast Blessings) Monastery. An Upasaka is bowing along with him. A few days ago, the two of them bowed the Repentance of the Emperor of Liang, and now they are bowing the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas.

Offenses large enough to fill the skies
Are eradicated with a single thought of repentance.
If you can repent and reform, your offenses will be dispelled and your good roots will increase.

Sutra:

Celestial King Wisdom of Supreme Intent gained a passage into liberation of universally causing worlds undergoing the process of formation, dwelling, and decay to all become pure like space.

Commentary:

The Celestial King named Wisdom of Supreme Intent gained a passage into liberation of universally causing worlds undergoing the process of formation, dwelling, and decay to all become pure like space. Formation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness are the four eons that worlds go through. In this world, a period of increase and a period of decrease constitute a small eon. During the period of increase, every hundred years the average human life span increases by one year and the average human height increases by one inch. From ten years, the average life span increases until it reaches a maximum of 84,000 years. Then the life span starts to decrease, until it returns to ten years. Such a period of increase and decrease comprises one small eon. Twenty small eons comprise a middle-sized eon. Four middle-sized eons make up one great eon.

The world undergoes formation for twenty small eons, dwells for twenty small eons, decays for twenty small eons, and is empty for twenty small eons. Four of these sets of twenty small eons—four middle-sized eons—make up one great eon.

Celestial King Wisdom of Supreme Intent can universally cause worlds in the eons of formation, dwelling, and decay to all become pure and clear like a world in the eon of emptiness. This Celestial King has attained the Buddha’s state whereby the stages of formation, dwelling, and decay all become as pure as the eon of emptiness.

Sutra:

Celestial King Pleasing, Pure, and Wonderful Sounds gained a passage into liberation of joyously and faithfully accepting all Sages’ Dharmas.

Commentary:

The next Celestial King is named Pleasing, Pure, and Wonderful Sounds. Sentient beings adore this Celestial King and like to hear him speak the Dharma as he teaches and transforms them. He gained a passage into liberation of joyously and faithfully accepting all Sages’ Dharmas. He causes beings to happily believe in and accept the Dharmas of all Sages, that is, the Dharmas of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Sages Enlightened by Conditions, and Hearers. The dharmas that those in the Four Dharma Realms of Sages cultivate and proclaim to teach and transform beings are all called “Sages’ Dharmas.” This Celestial King has attained this samadhi of liberation.

Sutra:

Celestial King Sound of Wholesome Reflection gained a passage into liberation of proclaiming for the duration of eons the meaning of all grounds and skillful means.

Commentary:

The next Celestial King is named Sound of Wholesome Reflection. He has attained the sound of wholesome reflection, the sound of quieting the thoughts. He reverses the hearing to hear his own nature, and with that nature realizes the unsurpassed Way. He has become enlightened through sounds, hence his name, “Sound of Wholesome Reflection.” He gained a passage into liberation of proclaiming for the duration of eons. He abides in samadhi for countless eons. From within samadhi, he can speak Dharma and teach and transform beings.

Without rising from his seat, he travels to the ten directions to teach beings. He proclaims the meaning of all grounds. Speaking from various points of view, speaking in terms of motes of dust and in terms of lands, speaking of what is near and what is far away, he employs countless analogies to proclaim the meaning of all grounds, including the Ten Grounds, the Buddha Ground, the Bodhisattva Ground, the Ground of Hearers and Sages Enlightened by Conditions, the ground of ordinary people, the ground of sages, and so forth.

He expounds upon the principles of all those grounds and skillful means, all the various expedient dharma doors. He has attained this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Celestial King Proclaiming with Splendid Sound gained a passage into liberation of expediently making extensive offerings to all Bodhisattvas when they descend from the Tushita Heaven Palace to be born.

Commentary:

The next Celestial King is named Proclaiming with Splendid Sound because of the exquisite sound of his proclamation. He gained a passage into liberation of expediently making extensive offerings to all. When Bodhisattvas are about to become Buddhas, they dwell in the Tuçita Heaven for a period of time, awaiting their turn to become the next Buddha. This Celestial King waits for all Bodhisattvas when they descend from the Tushita Heaven Palace to be born in the human realm. This is one of the Eight Marks of Realizing the Way, which are:

1.    Descending from the Tushita Heaven
2.    Dwelling in the womb
3.    Leaving the womb
4.    Leaving the home life
5.    Subduing demons
6.    Realizing Proper Enlightenment 
7.    Turning the Dharma wheel
8.    Entering nirvana

When a Buddha descends from the Tushita Heaven, extensive offerings are made to all the countless Buddhas of the ten directions. This Celestial King also teaches and transforms ghosts and spirits with expedient means. This is the passage into liberation of expediently making extensive offerings. This Celestial King has gained this passage to unobstructed liberation.

Sutra:

Celestial King Most Profound Voice of Light gained a passage into liberation of contemplating the ocean of infinite spiritual powers and wisdom.

Commentary:

The Celestial King named Most Profound Voice of Light communicates with light, using light to form all kinds of  sounds. He gained a passage into liberation of wisely contemplating the ocean of infinite spiritual powers and wisdom. He observes the Thus Come One’s infinite realm of being. The Thus Come One’s wisdom power and his spiritual powers are infinite, like an ocean. This Celestial King has attained this samadhi of liberation.

Sutra:

Celestial King Vast Renown gained a passage into liberation of observing how the fulfillment of oceanic merit and virtue allows Buddhas to appear in the world and employ the power of expedients.

Commentary:

The Celestial King named Vast Renown gained a passage into liberation of observing how the fulfillment of oceanic merit and virtue allows Buddhas to appear in the world and employ the power of expedients. Since the merit and virtue cultivated by the Buddhas of the ten directions is boundless and limitless beyond reckoning, it is described as oceanic.

When his ocean of merit and virtue is full and complete, a Buddha appears in the world. Thereupon he employs various expedients to teach and transform beings, enabling all those beings to fulfill their oceans of merit and virtue and become Buddhas, and then return to teach and transform other beings with expedient means. This Celestial King attained this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Celestial King Supreme Pure Light gained a passage into liberation of giving rise to a treasury of profound faith and delight in the powerful past vows of Thus Come Ones.

At that time, Celestial King Winsome Light received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the multitudes of the Heavens of Lesser Light, the Heavens of Limitless Light, and the Heavens of Utmost Light, and spoke the following verse:

Commentary:

The Celestial King named Supreme Pure Light gained a passage into liberation of giving rise to a treasury of profound faith and delight in the powerful past vows of Thus Come Ones. This Celestial King has understood the power of the vows the Thus Come Ones made while on the level of planting causes, and this has evoked deep faith and interest in him. He has deep, unswerving faith in the Thus Come Ones’ state. He feels great joy and delight toward the Dharma treasury and this kind of state. He has attained this passage into liberation.

At that time, Celestial King Winsome Light received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, the inconceivable, awesome strength of his spiritual powers, universally contemplated the multitudes of the Heavens of Lesser Light, the Heavens of Limitless Light, and the Heavens of Utmost Light, and spoke the following verse. He spoke verses to reiterate the meaning, to enable beings to deeply understand the principles involved.

Sutra:

I recall the past practices of the Thus Come One,
How he served and made offerings to innumerable Buddhas.
Relying on the Buddha’s awesome strength, I now perceive
All the pure karma stemming from his fundamental faith.

Commentary:

Celestial King Winsome Light says: I recall the past practices of the Thus Come One. I recollect the practices cultivated by the Thus Come One in the past, how he served and made offerings to innumerable Buddhas. He attended upon all those Buddhas, acting as their servant, undertaking all kinds of duties. He also extensively made offerings to countless Buddhas in the ten directions. Relying on the Buddha’s awesome strength, I now perceive / All the pure karma stemming from his fundamental faith. Based upon his faith, the Buddha cultivated pure, undefiled karma. I now see and understand this state.

Sutra:

The Buddha’s body, devoid of form, is free of any defilement.
He dwells forever on the ground of compassion and pity,
Casting out all the woes of the world.
This is the liberation of Exquisite Light.

Commentary:

The Buddha’s body, devoid of form, is free of any defilement. The Buddha’s Dharma body pervades the Dharma Realm, and yet he is without form or appearance. Since he is devoid of form, he can pervade the Dharma Realm. If he had a fixed form, his body would have a limit and he would be restricted. Being formless, his body cannot be defiled by filth. If it had form, it would get defiled. Since it is without form, it naturally leaves all defilement behind. “Defilement” refers to ignorance and afflictions; it means false thinking. An impure mind and improper thoughts are defiled. The Buddha has no mark of self, others, beings, or life span. Having emptied the four marks, one could not become defiled, even if one might want to. Therefore, the Buddha leaves behind all filth, all defiled dharmas.

He dwells forever on the ground of compassion and pity. He constantly dwells on the ground of great kindness, great compassion, and pity for all beings. He takes great kindness and compassion as his dwelling; it is the house he lives in. The Buddha always pities beings and vows to save them all. He helps them to leave suffering and attain bliss. Beings become adept at casting out all the woes of the world. All the worries and hardships of the world are normally overwhelming. Because of them, beings remain submerged in the sea of suffering, confused and unable to wake up. But the Buddha with his compassion and pity dispels their woes and hardships, causing them to vanish.

This is the liberation of Celestial King Exquisite Light. This is the state he has been enlightened to and the samadhi of liberation he has attained.

Sutra:

The Buddhadharma is vast and boundless;
The oceans of all lands appear within it.
The stages of formation and decay of each are different.
Such is the power of liberation of the god Comfortable Sound.

Commentary:

Celestial King Exquisite Light understood the state of the Buddha’s body being formless and free from defilement. Celestial King Comfortable Sound observes a different state. He understands that the Buddhadharma is vast and boundless. The Buddha spoke the 84,000 dharma doors to counteract the 84,000 afflictions of beings. For however many afflictions exist, that many methods to cure them also exist. Each method is used to counteract a specific affliction. There is nothing vaster, greater, or loftier than the Buddhadharma. It has no boundaries or limits. The oceans of all lands appear within it. Lands as numerous as motes of dust appear within the Dharma. Or, you could say that all dharmas appear in the midst of the ocean of lands for the purpose of teaching and transforming beings.

The stages of formation and decay of each are different. Every world goes through the four stages of formation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness. Each of them lasts twenty small eons, making a total of eighty small eons, or four middle-sized eons. Twenty small eons comprise a middle-sized eon, and four middle-sized eons comprise one great eon. Each great eon contains those four stages of formation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness. After this world decays, another world comes into being. After that world decays, yet another world comes into being. This world, that world, and countless worlds exist.

This land, that land, and countless lands can be found. Lands are also infinite in number. The four stages that worlds go through are equivalent to their birth and death. Worlds also undergo birth and death. The formation of a world is its birth; its decay and emptiness are its death. The planet dies. But when this planet dies, another planet is born, and on it many beings are born at the same time. When a planet dies, the beings on it also perish.

Therefore, the text says, “The stages of formation and decay of each are different.” Each world goes through its individual formation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness. When one world comes into being, another world decays. There are infinitely many worlds and lands in space. The worlds mutually differ from one another, and so do the lands. Just take a look at our world, where there are well over a hundred countries and many different languages and forms of writing.

Such is the power of liberation of the god Comfortable Sound. Celestial King Comfortable Sound has attained this state of liberation.

Sutra:

The Buddha, with his unequalled spiritual powers,
Appears everywhere in the vast lands of the ten directions,
Causing those lands to manifest eternally, adorned and pure.
Such is the expedient emancipation of Supreme Intent.

Commentary:

The Buddha is a greatly enlightened one. Whoever is truly enlightened is a Buddha; whoever is truly muddled is a ghost. The difference between a Buddha and a ghost is the difference between enlightenment and confusion. Confused, one is a sentient being; enlightened, one is a Buddha. The Sixth Patriarch said,

The Dharma is inherently neither sudden nor gradual,
But awakening from confusion may be fast or slow.

There is no such thing as sudden dharmas or gradual dharmas. Sudden dharmas come about from gradual dharmas, and gradual dharmas come about from sudden dharmas. Awakening from confusion is a matter of time. Some people awaken more quickly than others.

The Buddha, with his unequalled spiritual powers. What are the Buddha’s spiritual powers? The Buddha has three types of bodies, four kinds of wisdom, five eyes, and six spiritual powers.

The Three Types of Bodies

1.    Dharma body
2.    reward body
3.    Transformation bodies

The Four Kinds of Wisdom

1.    Perfect mirror-like wisdom
2.    Equal wisdom
3.    Wonderful contemplative wisdom
4.    Wisdom of accomplishment

The Five Eyes

1.    Buddha eye
2.    Dharma eye
3.    Wisdom eye
4.    Heavenly eye
5.    Flesh eye

The Six Spiritual Powers

1.    Power of the heavenly eye
2.    Power of the heavenly ear
3.    Power of knowing others’ thoughts
4.    Power of knowing past lives
5.    Powers derived from a spiritual basis
6.    Ending of outflows

The strength of the Buddha’s spiritual powers is inconceivable; therefore they are “unequaled.” Nothing can compare with them. No other sage can match the Buddha. He appears everywhere in the vast lands of the ten directions. In a single thought, the Buddha can appear in lands throughout the ten directions, teaching and transforming the beings there and causing those lands to manifest eternally, adorned and pure. He causes all Buddhalands to be extremely beautiful and immaculate, and to be that way constantly.

Such is the expedient emancipation of Supreme Intent. This is the expedient dharma door attained by Celestial King Supreme Intent.

Sutra:

He rendered homage to all Thus Come Ones,
Numerous as dust motes in oceans of lands.
He lost no opportunity to hear the Dharma and leave defilement.
The dharma door of the god Wonderful Sounds functions thus.

Commentary:

“Losing no opportunity” means not casually mishandling even the tiniest thing so that it is lost, such as not wasting even a speck of flour. Not to mention a grain of rice, which is bigger, you don’t want to waste even a speck of flour.

He rendered homage to all Thus Come Ones / Numerous as dust motes in oceans of lands. When he was cultivating at the level of planting causes, Sãkyamuni Buddha made offerings and paid homage to Buddhas as many as dust motes in lands. He lost no opportunity to hear the Dharma and leave defilement. This line describes Sãkyamuni Buddha while he was on the level of planting causes, not when he had already realized Buddhahood. Having heard the Dharma, he was freed from all ignorance and defilement—from greed, anger, and delusion. This is what he did while planting causes.

Don’t mistakenly assume that the Buddha has to listen to Dharma. What Dharma would the Buddha need to hear? The Buddha is already adorned with the ten thousand virtues. He only speaks the Dharma; he doesn’t have to listen to the Dharma. This line of verse is referring to how the Buddha heard the Dharma before he became a Buddha, while at the level of planting causes. He left all defiled dharmas. He did not pass up the opportunity to study any Dharma. He paid close attention to even the slightest bit of Dharma and relied on the Dharma to cultivate, and thus he was able to free himself from defilement. He wouldn’t casually forget even the tiniest bit of Dharma.

The dharma door of the god Wonderful Sounds functions thus. Who understands this state? Celestial King Wonderful Sounds understands the great functioning of this dharma door.

The disciple who explained this passage should develop a sharper sense of judgment so he can distinguish the Dharma from what is not the Dharma. You shouldn’t confuse the Buddha with sentient beings, saying that the Buddha and sentient beings both listen to the Dharma, but that they are slightly different. Exactly how are they different? You haven’t recognized the issue clearly. Why would the Buddha need to hear the Dharma? The Buddha doesn’t need to hear the Dharma. The Buddha is the Dharma King who has attained self-mastery in the Dharma. Sentient beings need to hear the Dharma. This passage refers to how Sãkyamuni Buddha, at the level of planting causes, before he became a Buddha, heard the Dharma and left defilement. He didn’t overlook even the tiniest bit of Dharma. All of you think it over. Is my disciple’s explanation correct or is mine? My explanation was not nearly as long as my disciple’s.

Sutra:

The Buddha, throughout measureless oceans of great eons,
Expounded the grounds with peerless skill-in-means.
What he said remains infinite and unending.
The god Sound of Wholesome Reflection understands this meaning.

Commentary:

The Buddha continued throughout measureless oceans of great eons. In the past, while at the level of planting causes, Sãkyamuni Buddha passed through innumerable great eons, which were as vast as an ocean. There’s no way to discuss them with numbers or analogies, so they are likened to an ocean. It is impossible to fathom how deep, wide, and vast the ocean is. The measureless eons during which the Buddha cultivated resemble an ocean.

During that time, he expounded upon the grounds with peerless skill-in-means. “Ground” carries the meaning of production and growth, since the myriad things grow from the earth. Here, it means starting from the ground of common people and reaching all the way to the ground of sages. It takes a long period of time to arrive at the position of sagehood. The Buddha used various skillful means to explain the meaning of the grounds, and his exposition was peerless: None of the Bodhisattvas, Sages Enlightened by Conditions, Hearers, or gods could match it.

What he said remains infinite and unending. The expedient dharmas that he spoke are boundless and without end. Speaking from various points of view, in terms of dust motes and in terms of lands, there is no way to exhaustively discuss them all. The god Sound of Wholesome Reflection understands this meaning. Celestial King Sound of Wholesome Reflection understands this state and principle.

Sutra:

The Thus Come One’s spiritual transformations open infinite doors. 
In a single thought he can appear in all places.
His spirit descended, and he realized the Way, enacting a great expedient.
Splendid Sound is liberated thus.

Commentary:

The Thus Come One’s spiritual transformations open infinite doors. The transformations wrought by his spiritual powers are infinite, boundless, and measureless. Unlike Arhats who have only Eighteen Transformations and Bodhisattvas who have millions of transformations and spiritual powers, the Buddhas’ spiritual transformations are infinite. “Spiritual” means mysterious and unfathomable, beyond imagination and reckoning. It refers to that which the mind cannot think about and words cannot describe. These changes are infinite. One door gives rise to countless doors; countless doors return to the one door. One is many; many are one. One and many are nondual; one and many are measureless.

In a single thought he can appear in all places. Without leaving the Way-place, he pervades the Dharma Realm. The Buddha is seated in samÁdhi, and yet, throughout space and the Dharma Realm, there is no place where he doesn’t manifest.

His spirit descended from the Tushita Heaven, which is where every Bodhisattva undergoing his last rebirth waits for his turn to become a Buddha. Seated on the Dharma seat in that heaven, he waits to succeed to the Buddha’s position. Right now Maitreya Bodhisattva is in that heaven, waiting to come down to earth to become the next Buddha. For how long must he wait? Those of externalist sects claim that Maitreya Bodhisattva is due here soon. They say, “Our teacher is Maitreya Bodhisattva. This will be his ninth time coming to the world, and on the tenth round he will become a Buddha.” That is wrong. Maitreya Bodhisattva isn’t due to become a Buddha that soon. When will he become a Buddha?

Right now we are in a period of decrease in this eon. Every hundred years, the average human life span decreases by one year, and the average height decreases by one inch. Right now the average human life span is around sixty years. It will keep decreasing down to ten years. That’s an average. Of course there will be those who live to be twenty, and those who only live one or two months, but we are talking about the average age. This will be followed by a period of increase. Every hundred years, our life span will increase by one year and our height by one inch. This increase continues until our life span reaches a maximum of 84,000 years, at which point it will start to decrease again. When the human life span reaches 80,000 years, Maitreya Bodhisattva will appear in the world. He will teach and transform beings very quickly. In one day and night, he will finish teaching all the beings he is supposed to teach. He is unlike Sãkyamuni Buddha, who spoke the Dharma for forty-nine years in over three hundred assemblies.

When Maitreya Bodhisattva appears in the world, human blood won’t be red in color; it will be white. But that’s a matter of the future, and so we won’t delve into it now. If we bring it up, some people will be skeptical.

Anyway, every Bodhisattva who is about to become a Buddha must first wait in the Tushita Heaven. Sãkyamuni Buddha also waited in that heaven, and then descended to earth. He entered his mother’s womb and dwelt in the womb, left the womb, realized the Way, taught and transformed sentient beings by turning the Dharma wheel, and entered nirvana. At that point, the Buddha completed his work.

His spirit descended, and he realized the Way, enacting a great expedient. He flung the door of expedients open wide to teach and transform beings and to liberate them. He taught all the beings he was meant to teach, and left the rest to Maitreya Bodhisattva. Beings who have affinities with Maitreya Bodhisattva will encounter him in the Three Convenings of the Dragon Flower Assembly Splendid Sound is liberated thus. Celestial King Proclaiming with Splendid Sound understands this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Sustained by awesome strength, he can discuss
And manifest incidents involving the Buddhas’ spiritual powers.
Beings are purified according to their faculties and desires.
This is the passage into liberation of the god Voice of Light.

Commentary:

The Buddha achieved his awesome strength through cultivating virtue for many eons, and so we speak of his “awesome virtue” or “awesome strength.” Sustained by this awesome strength, he can bring peace to a world that was fated to perish. Moreover, he can discuss various wholesome dharmas and expedient methods to teach and transform beings, making them realize that, “The sea of suffering is boundless; a turn of the head is the other shore.”

And he can manifest incidents involving the miraculous use of all Buddhas’ spiritual powers. / Beings are purified according to their faculties and desires, their dispositions and propensities. Some beings have many good roots from the past, but due to the mixture of good and evil in the seeds or causes that they planted, in this life they do evil instead of good. Why have they not suffered the consequences of that evil in this life? Since they have good roots from the past, in this life they are enjoying their rewards from their past good deeds, whereas the retribution for their bad deeds has not yet ripened. When that retribution ripens in the future, they will have to suffer the consequences of their evildoing. Other beings planted many seeds of evil in the past, but in this life they do a lot of good deeds, and so their evil seeds have not borne fruit and they have not suffered the retribution yet.

Since beings are endowed with different faculties, they have different experiences. Each being has different aspirations. Some aspire to own airplanes; some like ships; some like trains; others like cars. Almost everyone likes cars. Some people desire to be high officials; others want to strike it rich; some wish to have fancy houses; others like to wear pretty clothes. In short, there are many kinds of desires. But materialistic desires bind people up. People are bound up by their inherited personalities and covered by their desire for material things. Their wisdom is smothered, and their inborn character hampers them. The Buddha teaches and transforms them in accordance with their faculties and aspirations, enabling them to plant good roots and purify themselves of desires. Thus the text says, “Beings are purified.”

This is the passage into liberation of the god Voice of Light. That Celestial King understands this state of the Buddha and attained this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

The Thus Come One’s wisdom is boundless.
In the world he is peerless and without attachment.
Responding with a kind heart, he appears before all beings.
The god Vast Renown awakens to this truth.

Commentary:

The Thus Come One’s wisdom is boundless. The Thus Come One is one of great enlightenment and great wisdom. Yet you shouldn’t look upon the Buddha as being too lofty. He is the same as sentient beings, except that he has great understanding. There is nothing he doesn’t know and understand. His wisdom has no limit or boundaries. It pervades all of space throughout the Dharma Realm.

In the world he is peerless and without attachment. No one in the world has wisdom as great as the Buddha’s. Even the Bodhisattvas’ wisdom cannot compare with the Buddha’s. Not only is he peerless in the world, he is also peerless in the heavens. No one can compare with the Buddha. Although the Buddha has great wisdom, he is not attached to it. He is not attached to anything at all, and in that way is unlike ordinary people.

When they see someone who excels at something, they compare themselves to him, saying, “I’m just the same as he!” When they see someone else who is the best in something, they say, “I’m also the same as he.” Yet, when they see a dog, these people never think, “I’m just the same as that dog.” When they see a cat, they never think, “I’m just the same as that cat.” Even if they look just like a dog or a cat, they would never compare themselves to a dog or a cat. Why, then, do they compare themselves to someone lofty? They are attached. They want to avail themselves of the other person’s excellence to mask their own inadequacy.

For example, some of you may remember the elderly man in San Francisco who used to go around advertising on my behalf, saying, “Such and such a person is enlightened, and I’m just like him!” He was pathetic. Responding with a kind heart, he appears before all beings.

Endowed with great wisdom and great kindness and compassion, the Buddha uses that compassion to teach beings. He universally responds to their varying potentials. The Buddha will save anyone who has affinities with him. He appears before all beings. The god Vast Renown awakens to this truth. Celestial King Vast Renown understands this principle.

Sutra:

In the past the Buddha practiced in quest of bodhi,
Making offerings to all Buddhas in the ten directions.
Before each and every Buddha, he made vows.
Upon hearing this, Supreme Light experiences great joy.

Commentary:

In the past when the Buddha Sãkyamuni was on the level of planting causes, he practiced in quest of bodhi, practicing the Bodhisattva Path, making offerings of his body and life to all Buddhas in the ten directions.
As he cultivated the Bodhisattva Path in quest of the supreme fruit of Buddhahood, he gave up his own life without hesitation, how much more external wealth. When it was necessary to renounce his own body, mind, and life, he would do so. Therefore, over the entire earth, there is not a single mote of dust where the Buddhas of the past, the present, and the future have not given up their lives. Every single spot on earth is a place where the Buddhas have given up their lives.

The Buddha made offerings to all Buddhas of the ten directions. It wasn’t that he made offerings to the Buddhas of the east, but not to those of the west; or to the Buddhas of the south, but not to those of the north; or to the Buddhas above, but not to those below. It wasn’t like that. He made offerings to the Way-places of all Buddhas. Before each and every Buddha, he made vows. At all those Way-places, he made countless great vows to present offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Upon hearing this, Supreme Light experiences great joy. Having understood this state, Celestial King Supreme Light is extremely happy.

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