The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds

Chapter One, Part Three

 

f. Kinnara Kings

Sutra:

Moreover, Kinnara King Bright Heaven of Kind Wisdom gained a passage into liberation of universally generating happiness and joy through all deeds. Kinnara King Wonderful Floral Banner gained a passage into liberation of experiencing unsurpassed bliss of Dharma, bestowing peace and joy upon all.

Commentary:

The state of the Flower Adornment Sutra is infinitely multi-layered. Now, continuing with the principle not yet completely explained previously, the text says: Moreover, Kinnara King Bright Heaven of Kind Wisdom. In a while we’ll have some people explain what kinnaras are. This Kinnara King gained a passage into liberation of universally generating, which means causing all sentient beings to generate, happiness and joy through all deeds. If sentient beings create good karma, they will enjoy happiness and joy. If they create evil karma, they will suffer from anxiety and woe. That is his passage into liberation.

Kinnara King Wonderful Floral Banner gained a passage into liberation of experiencing unsurpassed bliss of Dharma. He has understood this state of the Buddha, which fills him with the bliss of Dharma. He takes the joy of dhyana as his food. When he listens to the sutras and the Dharma, he is filled with Dharma bliss. Although he does not eat, he does not feel hungry, and although he does not sleep, he doesn’t feel tired.

As the saying goes, “He spurs himself on and forgets to eat; he is so happy that he forgets his worries.” Because he has obtained the bliss of Dharma, he forgets all his worries. This Kinnara King experiences unsurpassed, the highest, bliss of Dharma, bestowing peace and joy upon all. It does not count if he alone obtains the bliss of Dharma. He is further able to enable all sentient beings to receive comfort and joy. That’s “benefiting oneself and benefiting others; enlightening oneself and enlightening others.” He himself is happy, and he enables others to feel likewise. That is his passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Kinnara King Assorted Adornments gained a passage into liberation of achieving a treasury of tremendous, pure faith and understanding resulting from the perfection of all merit and virtue.

Commentary:

The next Kinnara King is named Assorted Adornment. He has many kinds of adornment, not only one kind. This refers to a kind of wonderful, sublime beauty that adorns Buddhalands. He has gained a passage into liberation of achieving a treasury of tremendous, pure faith and understanding resulting from the perfection of all merit and virtue. He has perfected all merit and virtue from cultivating various acts of blessings. His merit and virtue, once perfected, is tremendous, and he experiences a treasury of pure faith and understanding. “Pure” means not going crazy. If one goes crazy, then one is not pure. Pure means not being defiled. One does not give rise to thoughts when encountering states. It means:

The eyes see forms, yet inside there is nothing.
The ears hear mundane sounds, but the mind does not know.

It’s as if you see, but don’t see. You hear music in your external environment, such as the sounds of drums and cymbals, but your mind is not attached to the state. You hear as if you haven’t heard. When one reaches the state of hearing as if not hearing, seeing as if not seeing, one obtains a treasury of pure faith and understanding.

Faith is the source of the Way, the mother of merit and virtue.
It nurtures all roots of goodness.

An icchantika is someone who is deficient in faith. But now, one has faith, and so one is not an icchantika. One can foster the source of merit and virtue, and cause the forest of merit and virtue to grow. The very first requisite that the Flower Adornment Sutra brings up is faith. Next comes understanding, then practice, and then realization. Those are the four stages of the Flower Adornment Sutra: faith, understanding, practice, and realization, which all of us should study in detail. In this verse, faith and understanding are profuse and so they are described as a “treasury.” One obtains this passage into liberation. Who? Kinnara King Assorted Adornments has attained this state.

Yesterday I received several books from Taiwan, a few of which were about the Living Buddha of Gold Mountain. In the past, someone wrote a biography of the Living Buddha of Gold Mountain, which was an inconceivable story. I have read several selections from this version of his biography. I have remembered a few sections, and I will relate them to you. The incidents described in this book may be hard for most Westerners to believe. Being unable to do such things themselves, they may draw the conclusion that the facts are unsubstantiated. There is no concrete evidence and no scientific explanation for such events. However, these things did happen as a matter of fact.

Gold Mountain is located in Zhenjiang County . Most people call it Gold Mountain Monastery, but actually that’s a mistake. The monastery itself is called Jiangtian Monastery, and the mountain on which it is built is called Gold Mountain. Gold Mountain is a very well-known Way-place. And the Living Buddha lived at that monastery, cultivating ascetic practices. He performed all sorts of chores, but most people disliked him. Most of the monks complained that he did not observe the rules of the monastery. It wasn’t the case that he did not observe the rules, but that his state was rather inconceivable. His disregard for the rules was like the disregard for the rules that some of us show.

Some of us say, “You people can go ahead and do something, but I’m not going along with you. I want to do my own thing.” The Living Buddha wanted to do his own thing, too. What did he want to do? For example, if people ate peanuts, no matter where they dumped the peanut shells, the Living Buddha would pick up the shells and eat them. The same applied to the shells of melon seeds. He did not eat the kernel inside; he ate the shell. After people ate their bananas and threw away the peels, the Living Buddha would pick up the peels and eat them. Of course nothing would happen if he didn’t see those discarded things. But if he did see them, then he would move very swiftly. People could not fend him off fast enough. Even if they didn’t want him to eat such things, he would grab them before they could stop him. He was incredibly fast. Because of those incidents, most people complained that he did not follow the rules.

He was also known for another unique feat. Before he ate, he would blow his nose and let some of his snot and saliva run into the bowl. He would then stir them up in the bowl and eat the mixture. People who sat at the same table would feel like vomiting because he was simply too dirty. Also, he would pick up newspapers and the like and eat those, too. He could eat paper. He had a disdain for paper with words printed on it, saying that it was just such printed matter that was harming the world the most because of the turmoil those words created. And so he ate up printed words. Whether he could digest all this stuff or not, we don’t know. However, that was what he ate. And that was how he did not comply with the rules. Any one of you who is able to manage that, anyone who can eat that stuff, is welcome to disregard the rules. The Living Buddha ate what others rejected. He could eat smelly and rotting stuff that had maggots in it.

Moreover, he could cure illnesses. A certain incident happened in Burma. One of his refuge disciples sent an old woman to him with a message, a written invitation to a meal. When the Living Buddha saw the note, immediately he slapped the old woman on the face, yelling, “If you want to invite me to a meal then do so. Why bother to write me a note?” The old woman wanted to blow up because she was slapped. However, she knew that most people called him the Living Buddha, and she did not dare to get angry. Suddenly she realized that whereas she had been suffering from a severe toothache, right after she was slapped across the face, her toothache was gone. There were many such strange feats in which the Living Buddha cured people of their sicknesses. He concocted a soup called prajña soup. What ingredients did the prajña soup have in it? Its stock was his foot-washing water. Then he would spit into the water, or put something dirty from his body into the water and stir it up. That was what he called prajña soup. People were told to take it home and drink it, after which they recovered from their illnesses. If they had an internal sickness, they were given prajña soup. If they had an external sickness, then the Living Buddha would punch them to heal them.

He was able to cure people’s illness, and everyone called him the Living Buddha, but he was someone who did not comply with the rules. Any one of you who does not wish to not follow the rules can first try eating the stuff that he ate. If you can manage that, I’ll permit you to disregard the rules. However, you must be able to digest the stuff. Then it counts. You cannot throw up after eating it. Those are a few things about the Living Buddha of Gold Mountain. The author of his biography met him in his youth. Very often, the Living Buddha lived in the homes of his lay disciples, most of whom were rich and famous people. One time when he was about to go to the house of a lay disciple, this layman told the author, “In a couple days a Living Buddha will visit.”

The author asked, “Is he a lama from Tibet ?”

“No,” said the host, “This is the Living Buddha of Gold Mountain.”

The author had heard the name too, and so he was excited, and asked, “Can I meet him too?”

“Yes, of course,” said the layman.

Then the author, who was a monk, asked, “How do you know that he is going to visit? Did he write you a letter?”

“No, every time he is about to come, everyone in our household gets a dream. And he will arrive without fail. Last night everyone in our family dreamed of him, and so he will definitely come.”

The author said, “In that case, I will wait for him.”

Soon after that, everyone ran outside to welcome the Living Buddha. When the refuge disciple saw the Living Buddha, he bowed to him outside. Well, what happened then? When his disciples bowed to them, he bowed back to them. He wasn’t like any of you, and he wasn’t like me, either. When laypeople or left-home people bow to me, I just stand there and take it. There’s also a Bhikshuni who does the same. When people bow to her, she just stands there. Those are places where we don’t match up to the Living Buddha. When his lay disciples bowed to him, he also bowed back to them. They engaged in a series of bows. When the author saw this, he thought to himself, “What kind of Living Buddha is this? He doesn’t even understand the rules of etiquette. When did left-home people ever bow to lay people? That’s ridiculous!” Immediately he had no respect for Living Buddha. He was quite displeased, in fact.

After they welcomed the Living Buddha into the house, the Living Buddha said, “By rights, left-home people should not bow to lay people. However, a left-home person should bow to a monk when he encounters one. Thereupon he got up and bowed to the author, who thought, “I was criticizing him in my mind, but he read my thoughts.” He felt this was very strange, and did not dare to be disrespectful after that. He knew that the Living Buddha was unusual.

The Living Buddha then said, “Tonight we can stay in the same room.”

The servant wanted to bring in another bed, but the Living Buddha said, “No, there’s no need. I can sit on this square stool.”

The author thought that since they were sharing the same room, there would be a chance to talk to the Living Buddha that night. However, right after the meal, the Living Buddha put his legs in full lotus and started to meditate. He did not utter a single word. Then at midnight , he started to speak on his own. What did he say? Now, originally the author had some doubts about the Living Buddha. He was wondering, “How did this title Living Buddha come about? His name is Miao Shan. He’s not really a Living Buddha; it’s just that most people call him that.”

Just as the author was entertaining those doubts, the Living Buddha spoke his thoughts out loud, as if he was completely cognizant of what was going on in his mind. The author was shocked. From that time on, he had an especially good impression of the Living Buddha.

The thing about the Living Buddha that most merits our respect is that he did not want money. He did not hold the precept against not holding money. When people gave him money, he simply put it into his mouth and swallowed it. He would accept however much money you gave him. He did not refuse it. That was his special dharma door.

He had a dharma treasure. From morning to night, he would intone, “Who is mindful of Namo Amitabha Buddha? Who is mindful of Namo Amitabha Buddha?” He would intone this in his special chanting style, with a clear, resonant voice. He especially liked to sing out loud at night. When everyone else had gone to sleep at night, the Living Buddha would sing at the top of his lungs, “Who is mindful of Namo Amitabha Buddha?” That’s why most people thought he was a nuisance.

Sutra:

Kinnara King Delightful Roar gained a passage into liberation of constantly emitting every delightful sound, thereby dispelling the sorrow and terror of all who hear.

Commentary:

The next Kinnara King is named Delightful Roar. He delights the mind by means of his roars, which are like the lion’s roar, a great sound. That’s the name of this musical spirit. He has gained a passage into liberation of constantly emitting every delightful sound. Often he makes pleasing sounds, thereby dispelling the sorrow and terror of all who hear. Those who hear his sound will be apart from fear. Although he has attained this state, he is not the only one who has that state. Rather, the Buddha is replete with this kind of pleasing, roaring sound. When sentient beings hear this sound, they are happy and leave behind all worry and fear. Their worries, sorrow, suffering and distress are alleviated, and they feel joyful. That is his passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Brilliance of Bejeweled Trees gained a passage into liberation of establishing sentient beings in great compassion, enabling them to enlighten to their original conditions.

Commentary:

The Kinnara King named Brilliance of Bejeweled Trees gained a passage into liberation of establishing sentient beings in great compassion, enabling them to hear the Dharma and enlighten to their original causes and conditions. These sentient beings awaken to the fact that originally their nature is pure. That is his passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Kinnara King Everywhere Delighting the Beholder gained a passage into liberation of manifesting bodies of a myriad wondrous forms. Kinnara King Adornment with Supreme Light gained a passage into liberation of understanding the karma that leads to perfecting all sorts of supreme adornments.

Commentary:

The next Kinnara King is named Everywhere Delighting the Beholder. Because he manifests wondrous form bodies, sentient beings are delighted to see him. He gained a passage into liberation of manifesting bodies of a myriad subtle, wondrous forms. He also knows how the Buddha manifests wonderful bodies to teach and transform sentient beings, causing them all to be happy.

Kinnara King Adornment with Supreme Light gained a passage into liberation of understanding the karma that leads to perfecting all sorts of supreme adornments, which is just the Buddha fruition. What kind of karma brought about this fruition of supreme adornment? He understands this passage into liberation.  

Sutra:

Kinnara King Exquisite Flower Banner gained a passage into liberation of capably contemplating the retributions that result from all worldly karma.  

Commentary:

Kinnara King Exquisite Flower Banner gained a passage into liberation of capably contemplating the retributions that result from all worldly karma. He knows the different karmic retributions of those in the world. For whatever causes one plants, one reaps the corresponding results. If you plant a good cause, you will reap a good result. If you plant an evil cause, you will reap an evil result. Reaping an evil result means undergoing an evil retribution. This is a fixed principle. As for sentient beings among the nine dharma realms: how did Bodhisattvas become Bodhisattvas? They cultivated good deeds, the Six Perfections and the Myriad Practices, and so they became Bodhisattvas. Sages Enlightened to Conditions cultivated the karma of the Twelve Causal Conditions, and thereby became Sages Enlightened to Conditions. Hearers cultivated the Four Holy Truths and became Hearers. We plant causes and reap the results. If you plant the causes of good works, merit and virtue, you will be reborn in the three wholesome paths. If you commit offenses and transgressions, you will fall into the three evil paths. Therefore, each has his or her own karmic retribution. This Kinnara King is skilled at contemplating the retributions that sentient beings in the world receive due to their karma. That is his passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Kinnara King Earth-Shaking Power gained a passage into liberation of constantly embarking on any deed to benefit sentient beings.

Commentary:

Kinnara King named Earth-Shaking Power can shake the earth. He is that powerful. He can cause earthquakes. He has gained a passage into liberation of constantly embarking on any deed to benefit sentient beings. He constantly gives rise to a strength that enables him to benefit sentient beings and make them happy. That is his passage into liberation.

Sutra:

Kinnara King Awesome and Brave Lord gained a passage into liberation of fully understanding the thoughts of all kinnaras and cleverly gathering in and directing them.

At that time, Kinnara King Bright Heaven of Kind Wisdom received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the kinnara multitudes, and spoke the following verse.

Commentary:

Kinnara King Awesome and Brave Lord has awesome virtue and is very courageous. He acts as a ruler of kinnaras. He gained a passage into liberation of fully understanding the thoughts of all kinnaras. There are many kinnaras, and their thoughts are hard to decipher. However, this Kinnara King is skilled at knowing their thoughts. Kinnaras are very unruly. From morning to night they are always bouncing up and down. They like to dance. This king is good at cleverly gathering in and guiding them. He employs various skill-in-means to regulate and subdue them. He watches over them. Although he is called Awesome and Brave Lord, he does not rule them with his awesome might. Instead he uses skill-in-means to teach and transform the kinnaras as if teaching young children. That is called “cleverly gathering in and guiding them.” There are two ways to teach and transform: the twin doors of gathering in and of subduing. Subduing means forcefully getting them under control. Sentient beings may be very stubborn. In that case, one has to use a strong method to subdue them. That is the dharma of subduing. On the other hand, there is the dharma of gathering in, which is like coaxing young children so they don’t cry. Guiding them means to regulate them. For example, there are those who insist that they don’t want others to watch over them. This Kinnara King specializes in watching over those who don’t want others to watch over them. That is his passage into liberation.

At that time, Kinnara King Bright Heaven of Kind Wisdom , who was the first Kinnara King mentioned, received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the kinnara multitudes, and spoke the following verse.

As for the Living Buddha of Gold Mountain, he also had some special skills. He could do what most people cannot do, especially Westerners. What skill did he have? If people had sores or carbuncles that were oozing blood and pus, he could press his mouth against the sore and suck out all the blood and pus. He didn’t spit out the contents. He would swallow it. Once there was a woman who had an eye disease. For two months her eyes hurt so bad that she could not open them. She could not see anything. Then she knelt before him and asked for his help. The Living Buddha rubbed her head, while with his mouth he sucked the eye. That woman was screaming as he was doing this. He managed to squeeze out black-colored blood and pus, enough to fill a teacup—it was black and white all mixed up together. Then he told the woman, “You eat half of this, and I will eat the other half. If you eat your half, it will put an end to your suffering.”

The woman did not dare to refuse. Because she couldn’t see anything, she didn’t know what it was, and so she ate one half, and the Living Buddha ate the other half. After they had both finished eating that stuff, he ordered the woman to open her eyes. She did, and she regained her vision. This is something that most people aren’t able to do. But he was able to do it. If you have that kind of skill, then you will come close to him. I don’t have such skill.

Sutra:

All peace and joy in the world
Arise from seeing the Buddha.
The Teacher benefits all sentient beings.
He is a place of universal refuge, saving and protecting them.

Commentary:

All peace and joy in the world of sentience. In this world, some are happy while others are miserable. But now we are talking about happy events, which includes all happy and peaceful events. How do they come about? They arise from seeing the Buddha. “Peace” refers to an absence of disasters and sickness. Not only is one very peaceful, one is also joyous. How do these benefits come about? All of them come about from seeing the Buddha, hearing the Dharma, and seeing the Sangha. Then those happy events arise. The great Teacher of humans and gods, which is another name for the Buddha, at all times benefits all sentient beings. He does not only benefit himself, he benefits himself and benefits others, enlightens himself and enlightens others. When he has perfected the conduct of enlightenment, he becomes a Buddha. After becoming a Buddha, he is a place of universal refuge, saving and protecting them. He continues to teach and transform sentient beings and benefit them. If sentient beings are caught in disasters or difficulties, the Buddha rescues them. He is the true place of refuge for sentient beings. This set of verses was spoken by Kinnara King Bright Heaven of Kind Wisdom.

Sutra:

He proliferates all happiness and joy.
All in the world experience them without end.
No one ever sees the Buddha in vain.
Floral Banner is enlightened to this.

Commentary:

He proliferates all happiness and joy. The Buddha is able to fill sentient beings with the joy of Dharma. When they hear the Buddhadharma, they are delighted. All in the world experience them—these feelings of happiness and joy—without end. All those in the world can obtain this Dharma joy. It is like water which flows without end. No one ever sees the Buddha in vain: Those who see the Buddha will definitely accrue merit and virtue. None of it will pass by in vain. Whoever sees the Buddha will obtain Dharma joy. Whoever obtains Dharma joy will cultivate according to the Dharma and realize the fruition. This effort will not be in vain. Floral Banner is enlightened to this. Kinnara King Floral Banner has understood this state, this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

The ocean of the Buddha’s merit and virtue is infinite.
Its boundaries cannot be found.
His light shines throughout the ten directions.
This is the liberation of King Adornment.

Commentary:

The ocean of the Buddha’s merit and virtue is infinite, measureless and boundless. Not to talk about all of the Buddha’s merit and virtue, even the merit and virtue in one of his pores is measureless and boundless, like an ocean that is infinite.

In the heavens above and below there is no one like the Buddha. Throughout the worlds of the ten directions, none can compare with him. Sentient beings in worlds of the ten directions do not have merit and virtue that can compare to the Buddha’s.

I have seen everything in the world.
None can compare with the Buddha.

I have seen everything in the world, but no sentient being can match the Buddha. Therefore, the ocean of the Buddha’s merit and virtue is without measure or end.

Its boundaries cannot be found. Since this ocean is too immense, you will not be able to find its boundaries, its shores. It is vast and great and without boundaries, lofty and deep and unfathomable. It is higher than Mount Sumeru and deeper than any ocean. There’s no way to know its boundaries. His light shines throughout the ten directions. The Buddha’s light shines on the worlds of the ten directions. When sentient beings in worlds of the ten directions obtain the aid of the Buddha’s light, they return from confusion and return to enlightenment, renounce the deviant and follow the proper.

This is the liberation of King Adornment. The state described in this four-line verse was spoken by Kinnara King Assorted Adornments. He has attained this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

The Thus Come One’s magnificent sound issues forth always,
Revealing the true dharma of leaving worries behind.
When sentient beings hear, they rejoice with delight.
Roar believes, and thus accepts.

Commentary:

The Thus Come One’s —the Buddha’s—vast, magnificent sound, also his perfect sound, Dharma sound, issues forth always. He proclaims Dharma without interruption. For this reason, once when Great Master Zhi Zhe (“Wise One”) of Tiantai Mountain was reciting the Dharma Flower Sutra and realized the Dharma Flower Samadhi, the single-revolution dharani, he saw that the Dharma Assembly on Vulture Peak still had not dispersed. Great Master Zhi Zhe saw that Sãkyamuni Buddha was still speaking Dharma there. This proves that the Buddhadharma can move countlessly many eons from the past to the present, and also move countlessly many eons in the future to the present. The past is not the past; the future is not the future. What about the present? It cannot be obtained. Therefore, it’s said, “Past thought cannot be got at. Present thought cannot be got at. Future thought cannot be got at.”

“Proclaim” means to expound, to explain in a very free, expressive way, saying what one wishes to say, speaking the Dharma and principles one wants to utter, like water that flows on and on without stop. Revealing the true dharma of leaving worries behind. He teaches sentient beings how to separate from worry, sorrow, suffering, and distress, how to leave suffering and attain bliss. This is the dharma door he reveals to sentient beings. How does one separate from worry, sorrow, suffering, and distress? By cultivating precepts, samadhi, and wisdom. With those three, one is no longer worried. When one does not have hang-ups and impediments, one has no more worries. That is a true and actual dharma for leaving worries behind. Cultivating precepts, samadhi, and wisdom is a true and actual dharma spoken by the Buddha. This is not a false dharma for cheating people.

When sentient beings hear, they rejoice with delight. When they hear the Buddha’s actual and true dharma, all of them are delighted. They are all happy, and they believe, accept, and put it into practice. Roar believes, and thus accepts. This Kinnara King deeply enters this state, and he understands, believes, and accepts this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

I contemplate the Thus Come One’s power of self-mastery,
Arising from his cultivation in the past.
With great compassion he rescues beings, leading them to purity.
King Bejeweled Trees enlightens thus and enters.

Commentary:

Kinnara King Brilliance of Bejeweled Trees spoke this verse: I contemplate the Thus Come One’s power of self-mastery. How did the Buddha obtain this spiritual power of self-mastery? It didn’t come about easily. Arising from his cultivation in the past. If the Buddha hadn’t cultivated, he would not have such power of self-mastery. Because he cultivated, he obtained this spiritual power of self-mastery. With great compassion he rescues beings, leading them to purity: The Buddha, endowed with great compassion, rescues all sentient beings, guiding them to return to their origin, turn away from confusion and return to enlightenment, renounce the deviant and follow the proper. He wants them to return to their original purity. King Bejeweled Trees enlightens thus and enters. Kinnara King Brilliance of Bejeweled Trees understands and enters this state, this passage into liberation.

Sutra:

To see and hear the Thus Come One is difficult indeed.
Only after millions of eons do sentient beings encounter him.
His many marks are adorned and complete.
King Delighting the Beholder sees thus.

Commentary:

It is not easy to meet the Buddha. It’s not known how many great eons have to pass before one can encounter the Buddha, listen to the Dharma, and see the Sangha. To see and hear the Thus Come One is difficult indeed. Although the Buddha’s Dharma body pervades all places, most sentient beings who do not have the Five Eyes cannot see the Buddha’s Dharma body. As for the Buddha’s form body, it is not easy to encounter that, either. Not only is it not easy to encounter it, it is also hard to get to hear the Buddha’s name. It is not easy to get to hear, “Namo Fundamental Teacher Sãkyamuni Buddha,” or “Namo Amitabha Buddha.” It’s also not easy to get to hear the titles of Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions.

It is not easy to get to see or hear the Buddha. Only after millions of eons do sentient beings encounter him. Not only one million, but throughout hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of eons, still it’s not easy to encounter the Buddha. After that long of a time, sentient beings who have affinities with him finally get to see the Buddha. As for sentient beings lacking the requisite affinities:

They have ears but do not hear the perfect, sudden teaching.
They have eyes but cannot see Nisyanda Buddha.

His many marks are adorned and complete. Instead of “many marks” (zhong xiang), my edition of the sutra says “sentient beings” (zhong sheng). When you corrected me, it caused me to be “enlightened.” Anyway, I noticed that “sentient beings” already occurs in the previous line, so I believe this is a misprint. Furthermore, it doesn’t make much sense to say, “Sentient beings are adorned and complete.” It makes more sense to say, “His many marks are adorned and complete.” The “many marks” refer to the Thirty-two Marks and the Eighty Subtle Characteristics. The subtle characteristics are implicitly included along with the marks. All the marks are adorned and perfect. King Delighting the Beholder sees thus. Kinnara King Delighting the Beholder understands this kind of state and passage into liberation.

Sutra:

You may observe the great wisdom of the Thus Come One:
He universally responds to the wishes of all sentient beings.
He proclaims all paths of wisdom without exception.
Supreme Adornment understands thus.

Commentary:

Kinnara King Supreme Adornment says: You may observe the great wisdom of the Thus Come One. Take a look at the immense wisdom of the Buddha. It is inconceivable and unfathomable.

With wonderful functioning, he always universally responds to the wishes of all sentient beings. No matter what sentient beings desire and think about, he will grant their wishes. He fulfills all their desires. He proclaims all paths of wisdom without exception: He expounds upon all the principles that cause sentient beings to develop wisdom, omitting none.

He expounds upon the true appearance of all dharmas, causing all beings to attain great wisdom. There is nothing he holds back and fails to explain. Kinnara King Supreme Adornment understands this passage into liberation thus.

Sutra:

The sea of karma is unimaginably wide.
Sentient beings’ suffering and joy arise from it.
The Buddha demonstrates these truths.
King Flower Banner is thus aware.

Commentary:

The sea of karma is unimaginably wide. The karma created by sentient beings may be good or evil. Good karma leads to enjoyable rewards. Evil karma leads to bitter retributions. Good karma results in pure conditions. Evil karma creates defiled conditions. You are always accompanied by your karma; it never leaves you. Your good karma follows you, and so does your evil karma. They follow you like a shadow, never leaving you for a moment. Suppose you create the karma of killing. You will then undergo the retribution of being killed. In the hells, you will constantly be boiled in the cauldron of oil, sent up the mountain of knives, and so on. If you engage in theft, you will also undergo agony in the hells. The hand with which you stole will be chopped off. If you stole with both hands, both of your hands will be chopped off. You will have to undergo that kind of retribution.

Some people create the karma of lust. What do I mean by “the karma of lust”? It means being wanton or promiscuous. For instance, although a man may be already married, he still wanders around looking for an affair with a woman. Or there may be a married woman who looks for an affair with another man. These people will fall into the hells in the future. What kind of hell will they enter? They will fall into the hell of Molten Copper. The hell of Molten Copper is truly inconceivable and marvelous.

The molten copper is actually a red-hot chunk of burning copper, but when a man looks at it, it appears as the woman he loved the most in his past life. This woman isn’t wearing any clothes, and she looks even more compelling than a strip-tease dancer, so he runs over to hug her. But suddenly as he hugs her, he finds that he cannot let go of her, and his body is burnt to charcoal. Wouldn’t you say this is hard to take? Even though it is hard to take, he still has to endure it. This is the retribution of molten copper, for a man who is promiscuous and indulges his desires.

What happens to a woman who indulges in lust and desire? When she looks at the molten copper, it appears as the man whom she once liked the most; so immediately, she runs forward and hugs him. Once she hugs him, she becomes aware that the contact is painful and unbearable, but she has no way to avoid it. She can’t get away from him and she is burnt to charcoal, and she smells very foul. These are the consequences for the men and women who indulge in sexual misconduct.

After hearing this, some of the audience may be saying, “Really? Is it true?”

Well, if you think it couldn’t happen, nothing is stopping you from trying it out.

If you tell lies, what kind of offense will you get? You may have to go to the hell of “Pulling Out Tongues” where your tongue will be severed, so that you can’t talk in the future. By then, your tongue has been sliced off!

What do you think happens to those who like to take intoxicants? If you like to drink alcoholic beverages, in the future you will go to hell where you suffer from burning in “fiery alcohol.” People have these kinds of retributions because of the karma they have created. If you want to speak extensively about it, the topic is limitless and boundless. Therefore the text says, “The sea of karma is inconceivably vast and great.”

Sentient beings’ suffering and joy arise from it. The suffering and bliss of sentient beings arise from karma. The Buddha demonstrates these truths. The Buddhas are able to instruct sentient beings about principles such as these, and can bring them to understand cause and effect. King Flower Banner is thus aware. Kinnara King Floral Banner can understand these principles and this method for liberation.

Sutra:

The Buddhas’ spiritual powers are perpetual.
In all directions, the earth trembles eternally.
Although no sentient beings apprehend,
Immense Power constantly perceives and understands these things.

Commentary:

The Buddhas’ spiritual powers are perpetual. The Buddhas of the ten directions have same awesome spiritual powers. “Unceasing” means non-stopping. All Buddhas of the ten directions turn the great Dharma wheel and use all kinds of wisdom light to teach and transform sentient beings and cause them to become enlightened. They turn the great Dharma wheel eternally, without stopping. It is therefore called “the ever-turning Dharma wheel.”

In all directions, the earth trembles eternally. Sometimes, if the earth quakes, it is the Buddha manifesting his spiritual power. And sometimes it is a demon showing his spiritual power. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas reveal their spiritual power in order to let sentient beings realize that the world is impermanent and changing. The demon, however, shows his spiritual power because he wants to delude sentient beings so they enter the door of birth and death, leave the Bodhi path behind, and become one of his retinue.

Although no sentient beings apprehend. No sentient being can understand these kinds of state and principles. Although Buddhas constantly benefit sentient beings, sentient beings still do not recognize the Buddhas’ kindness and compassion. Immense Power constantly perceives and understands these things. This is a state of Kinnara King Earth-Shaking Power. He understands this state.

Sutra:

Among the multitudes, the Buddha demonstrates his spiritual powers. His resplendent brilliance enlightens them.
He reveals all the states of the Thus Come One.
Awesome and Brave Lord thus observes.

Commentary:

Among the multitudes, the Buddha demonstrates his spiritual powers. The Buddha turns the Dharma wheel and teaches and transforms multitudes of sentient beings in Dharma assemblies in all Buddhalands of the worlds of ten directions. In each and every sea-vast Dharma Assembly there are sentient beings listening to the Dharma. When the Buddha is lecturing, he will manifest all kinds of spiritual powers to cause sentient beings to become enlightened on their own. Thus the text says, “demonstrates his spiritual powers.” His resplendent brilliance enlightens them. The Buddha radiates great wisdom light to cause all beings also to attain the same kind of wisdom light, and likewise to attain proper knowledge and proper views and get rid of deviant knowledge and deviant views. “Great light” means wisdom, the light of prajña that shines upon all sentient beings and causes them to become fully enlightened. He reveals all the states of the Thus Come One. The Buddha employs many varieties of spiritual powers to reveal the states of the Buddhas. And thus all these states appear. The states of the Buddha are unfathomable like empty space. Awesome and Brave Lord thus observes. Kinnara King Awesome and Brave Lord is able to understand this door of liberation.

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