The Wondrous Adornments of the Rulers of the Worlds

Chapter One, Part Four and Five

 

VIII. Multitudes issue forth from the lion throne   
J. They speak verses in praise
2. Thunderclap Bodhisattva praises the throne and the ground

Sutra:

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Universally Resounding Thunderclap received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the oceanic multitudes in the bodhimanda, and spoke the following verses.

While accumulating practices for bodhi, the World Honored One
Made offerings to countless Buddhas in the ten directions.
Aided by the awesome power of the Well Gone One,
All can see the Thus Come One on his throne.

Fragrant, brilliant mani, the magnificent, wish-fulfilling gem,
Is inlaid on the lion throne of wondrous flowers.
Various decorations are reflected in its surface.
The whole assembly clearly beholds all of this.

The Buddha on his throne assumes an adorned appearance.
The forms he manifests vary from thought to thought.
According to their different conceptions, sentient beings
Each perceive the Buddha seated upon his throne.

Jeweled branches hang down, forming a net of lotuses.
When the flowers bloom, Bodhisattvas emerge.
Each speaks with a splendid, charming voice,
Extolling the Thus Come One seated upon the throne.

Commentary:

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Universally Resounding Thunderclap received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the oceanic multitudes who had come to the Dharma assembly in the bodhimanda, and spoke the following verses to elaborate upon the Buddha’s merit and virtue.

The World Honored One, while accumulating merit by undertaking practices for bodhi during measureless eons in the past—how did he cultivate? He made offerings to countless Buddhas in the ten directions. Before the Buddha realized Buddhahood, he made offerings to infinitely and measurelessly many Buddhas in the ten directions and the three periods of time. Wherever there was a Buddha, he would go and perform offerings. Aided by the awesome power of the Well Gone One. “Well Gone One” is one of the Buddha’s titles. This line could be explained as referring to former Buddhas aiding the present Buddha, or to the present Buddha aiding the present Way-place. Through aid, one who originally lacks spiritual powers comes to possess them. Aiding allows one without wisdom to attain wisdom. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can aid you, enabling you to attain such wisdom and radiance. All can see the Thus Come One on his throne. As the Buddha sits upon his throne, none of the Bodhisattvas fail to see him.

Fragrant, brilliant mani, the magificent wish-fulfilling gem, / Is inlaid on the Buddha’s lion throne of wondrous lotus flowers. / Various decorations of all kinds, not just a single kind, are reflected in its surface. All types of adornments appear in the light, like frame after frame appearing on a movie screen. The whole assembly clearly beholds all of this. Everyone in the great assembly can see this state.

The Buddha on his throne assumes an adorned appearance. The Buddha universally takes on his adorned Dharma appearance. The forms he manifests vary from thought to thought. In every thought-instant, he manifests measureless radiance and infinite shapes and forms. The colors and forms differ from one instant to the next. The Buddha manifests states according to sentient beings’ dispositions. Each sentient being has his or her own view and understanding. According to their different conceptions, sentient beings / Each perceive the Buddha seated upon his throne. Despite their differences in terms of outlook, understanding, and wisdom, each sentient being perceives the Buddha seated right in front of him or her. This is like how the sun is in the sky, and yet everyone perceives the sun as shining upon himself or herself. Like the sun in the sky, the Buddha is perceived as appearing above and in front of every sentient being.

Jeweled branches hang down, forming a net of lotuses. The jeweled branches hang down from the jeweled trees, forming a net of lotuses. When the lotus flowers in the net bloom, infinitely many Bodhisattvas emerge from them. Each Bodhisattva speaks with a splendid, charming voice that sounds like music, extolling the Thus Come One seated upon the throne. Their sublime voices praise the Buddhas, the Dharma, and the Sangha, in particular extolling the Thus Come One, who sits on his Dharma throne and speaks Dharma for sentient beings.

Sutra:

Vast as space, the Buddha’s meritorious virtue
Gives rise to all his adornments.
His work of adornment at each and every ground
Surpasses the comprehension of any sentient being.

Paved with indestructible vajra,
The ground is vast, pure, and completely level.
Mani-studded nets drift and flutter in the air.
While beneath the bodhi tree, the Buddha pervades everywhere.

Boundless and sublime in appearance,
The ground is covered with dust of pure gold
And spread with fine flowers and multitudes of gems,
All brightening the Thus Come One’s throne.

Commentary: 

Vast as space is the Buddha’s meritorious virtue / Gives rise to all his adornments. If we tried to quantify the Buddha’s merit and virtue, we wouldn’t be able to come up with a numerical amount. No number can represent the Buddha’s merit and virtue. Thus, we are forced to use space to represent it, and say that the Buddha’s merit and virtue is as great as all of space—infinite, inexhaustible, measureless, and boundless. How great would you say space is? You can’t put a number on it.

All of the Buddha’s Thirty-two Hallmarks and Eighty Subsidiary Characteristics come from the measureless merit and virtue he created long ago over limitless eons. These adorning characteristics were born from his merit and virtue. They verify his work of adornment at each and every ground. All the merit and virtue he created and the adornments of the Dharma body he attained as he traveled through the positions of the Bodhisattvas of the Dharma body—from the First Ground through the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and all the way to the Tenth Ground, and then Equal Enlightenment—surpass the comprehension of any sentient being. No sentient being can fathom the Buddha’s merit and virtue, because it is boundless and immeasurable. It is beyond their understanding.

Paved with indestructible vajra, / The ground is vast, pure, and completely level..  Nothing can harm ground made of vajra, which is spacious, clean, and extremely flat. Mani gem-studded nets drift and flutter in the air. / While beneath the bodhi tree, the Buddha pervades everywhere. While sitting under the bodhi tree, the Buddha is simultaneously present everywhere in the Dharma Realm.

The ground where the Buddha speaks Dharma is boundless and sublime in appearance. This place has an exceptional appearance. What makes it so special? The ground is covered with dust of pure gold / And spread with fine flowers and multitudes of gems. The ground is sprinkled with precious flowers and precious gems, all brightening and adorning the Thus Come One’s Dharma throne.

I once met a sick person who went to the Land of Ultimate Bliss in his ill state. He only reached the outer border of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, but even there, the ground was paved with golden sand, just like the line of verse here, “covered with dust of pure gold.” As a result, that sick individual became an ardent believer in the practice of reciting the Buddha’s name. After he recovered, he cultivated that practice and was born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss at the end of his life. He knew beforehand when he would go. His was an inconceivable state.

Sutra:

The earth spirits leap up in joy and happiness
As the Buddha makes infinite revelations in an instant
And everywhere creates beautiful clouds.
The spirits constantly fix their gaze upon the Buddha.

Commentary:

The earth spirits leap up in joy and happiness. Each place has its local earth spirit. Earth spirits also like to see the Buddha, and in their happiness they leap and frolic about. As the Buddha makes infinite revelations in an instant. In a brief instant’s time, the Buddha displays infinite manifestations of light and everywhere creates beautiful, auspicious clouds. / The spirits constantly fix their gaze upon the Buddha. The earth spirits are always in front of the Buddha and gazing at him.

Sutra:

Gigantic, jeweled lamps of fiery splendor
Pour forth redolent, blazing light without cease,
Manifesting states that vary over time.
Earth spirits present these as offerings.

All the lands throughout the ten directions
And all adornments in those lands
Without exception now appear in this bodhimanda
By virtue of the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power.

Commentary:

Also adorning are gigantic jeweled lamps of incredibly fiery splendor. The fires in them blaze brilliantly. From those jeweled lamps pour forth redolent, blazing light without cease. The fragrance and light stream forth continuously without cease, manifesting states that vary over time. Different images and states appear at different times. Earth spirits present these states of adornment as offerings to the Buddha.

All the Buddhalands of the ten directions / And all adornments in those lands / Without exception now appear in this bodhimanda. All those adornments appear in the Buddha’s Way-place by virtue of the Buddha’s awesome virtue and great spiritual power.

VIII. Multitudes issue forth from the lion throne   
J. They speak verses in praise
3. Radiant Topknot of All Jewels Bodhisattva praises the unique qualities of the ground

Sutra:

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Radiant Topknot of All Jewels received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the oceanic multitudes in the bodhimanda, and spoke the following verses.

While practicing long ago, the World Honored One
Observed the perfection of all Buddhas’ lands.
In this way he saw infinitely many grounds.
All is now clearly revealed in this bodhimanda.

With immense spiritual powers, the World Honored One
Releases light that everywhere rains down mani jewels.
Strewn throughout the bodhimanda, these jewels
Ornament the grounds and surroundings.

By the Thus Come One’s blessings, virtue, and spiritual powers,
Wondrous jewels of mani decorate everywhere.
The ground as well as the bodhi tree
Mutually expound with light and sound.

Countless jeweled lamps fall through the air like rain,
Intermingling with magnificent jewels to become adornments.
They all emit wondrous sounds proclaiming the Dharma.
This is what the earth spirits manifest.

Clouds of lovely radiance appear all across the precious ground.
Precious torches blaze as brilliantly as lightning.
Precious nets extend afar, providing shade from above.
Precious branches are scattered throughout as ornamentation.

Commentary:

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Radiant Topknot of All Jewels received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the oceanic multitudes in the Buddha’s bodhimanda—the assembly was as vast as an ocean—and spoke the following verses.

This verse praises the Buddha when he was cultivating all types of practices at the level of planting causes. While practicing long ago, the World Honored One / Observed the perfection of all Buddhas’ lands. The Buddha perceived all Buddhalands in their adorned perfection. In this way he saw infinitely many grounds. The eons that the Buddha cultivated were infinite in number, and thus the perfectly adorned grounds that he saw were also infinite. All is now clearly revealed in this bodhimanda. All the grounds of the Buddha’s past cultivation are now manifest in the Way-place where he realized Buddhahood.

With immense spiritual powers, the World Honored One / Releases light that everywhere rains down mani jewels. / Strewn throughout the bodhimanda, these precious mani jewels / Ornament the grounds and surroundings. Such a treasury of jewels showers down and disperses through the Way-place, making its grounds and surroundings adorned and beautiful.

By the Thus Come One’s blessings, virtue, and spiritual powers, / Wondrous jewels of mani decorate everywhere, embellishing the ground. The ground as well as the bodhi tree / Mutually expound and communicate with light and sound.

Countless jeweled lamps fall through the air like rain, / Intermingling with magnificent jewels to become adornments decorating the ground of the bodhimanda as well as the bodhi tree. “Magnificent jewels” (bao wang) should actually be “precious jade” (bao yu) [Note: The Chinese characters wang and yu differ by only one stroke], but “magnificent jewels” also makes sense—it can refer to mani, the “king” of jewels. They all emit wondrous sounds proclaiming the Dharma. The jeweled lamps and maÜi jewels are interwoven as adornments. From within the lamplight and the jewels come wondrous sounds of Dharma. This is what the earth spirits who guard the bodhimanda manifest. They display such states of adornment.

Clouds of lovely radiance appear all across the precious ground. / Precious torches blaze as brilliantly as lightning. The light of the torches is as bright as a flash of lightning. Precious nets extend afar, providing shade from above. Jeweled nets are spread out over the precious torches. Precious branches of the bodhi tree are scattered throughout as ornamentation in the Way-place.

Sutra:

Everyone! Thoroughly contemplate this earth
Embellished with all kinds of marvelous gems.
It reveals the sea of sentient beings’ karma,
Leading them to understand the true Dharma nature.

All Buddhas throughout the ten directions
As well as all perfect bodhi trees
Appear without exception in the bodhimanda
To expound the Thus Come One’s pure Dharma.

According to sentient beings’ inclinations,
Wondrous sounds issue forth from all over the earth.
Just as when the Buddha proclaims from the throne,
Each and every dharma door is expounded in full.

Commentary:

Everyone in the great assembly should thoroughly contemplate this earth / Embellished with all kinds of marvelous gems. The ground is made of and decorated with assorted wondrous gems. It reveals the sea of all sentient beings’ karma. What’s the purpose of revealing this? It is for the sake of leading them—all sentient beings—to understand the true Dharma nature, which is just their own inherent nature.

All Buddhas throughout the ten directions / As well as all perfect bodhi trees, the great kings of trees, appear without exception in the bodhimanda / To expound the Thus Come One’s pure Dharma. They propagate the Buddha’s pristine and wondrous Dharma.

According to sentient beings’ inclinations, according to what they like and what makes them happy, wondrous, delightful sounds issue forth from all over the earth. The sounds are just like the Dharma the Buddha is supposed to proclaim from the Dharma throne. Just as when the Buddha proclaims from the throne, / Each and every dharma door is expounded in full. The wondrous sounds emitted from the ground proclaim all 84,000 dharma doors. All sentient beings become enlightened upon hearing the Dharma and soon realize Buddhahood.

Sutra:

A subtle, scented radiance rises constantly from the earth.
Pure and clear voices pervasively resonate within the light.
All sentient beings who are ready for the Dharma
Can hear it and let their afflictions melt away.

Each and every ornament is totally perfect.
Even in a billion eons, they could not be described.
The Thus Come One’s spiritual power reaches all places.
Hence the earth is all beautiful and pure.

Commentary:

A subtle, scented radiance rises constantly from the earth at the Dharma assembly where the Buddha speaks Dharma. Sentient beings resolve their minds on bodhi at the sight of this light. They also resolve their minds upon smelling its fragrance. Pure and clear, sublime voices pervasively resonate within the wondrous, redolent light, proclaiming pure and sublime Dharma. All sentient beings who are ready for the Dharma, beings who have affinities with this Dharma and who are ready to accept it, can hear it and let their afflictions melt away. When the Buddha speaks Dharma, some sentient beings hear it, while others don’t, although they are all present. Sentient beings who have affinities with the Dharma can hear it, while those lacking affinities cannot. If they hear it, their afflictions will disappear.

Each and every ornament of the ground is totally perfect. / Even in a billion eons, they could not be described. One could not finish describing this state of perfect adornment even in several great eons or billions of eons. The Thus Come One’s spiritual power and the manifestation of his light reaches all places. There is no place they fail to pervade. Hence the earth is all beautiful and pure. All the land is clean, pure, and beautiful.

VIII. Multitudes issue forth from the lion throne   
J. They speak verses in praise
4. Sun of Great Knowledge Bodhisattva praises the palace in which the Buddha dwells

Sutra:

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sun of Great Knowledge and Courageous Wisdom received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the oceanic multitudes in the bodhimanda, and spoke the following verses.

The World Honored One sits absorbed in the Dharma Hall,
A clear and dazzling presence within the palace.
According to the delights of sentient beings,
He manifests throughout the lands of the ten directions.

Commentary:

At that time, Bodhisattva Mahasattva Sun of Great Knowledge and Courageous Wisdom received the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, universally contemplated the oceanic multitudes in the bodhimanda, and spoke the following verses.

The World Honored One sits absorbed in the Dharma Hall. His gaze remains still as he sits in the Dharma Hall. He is a clear and dazzling presence within the palace, like a bright star in the sky. According to the delights of sentient beings, what they like and prefer, he manifests throughout the lands of the ten directions. The Buddha not only fulfills the wishes of one sentient being or the sentient beings in one land, he appears in the dharma realms of the ten directions so that all sentient beings see him and hear him speak the Dharma.

Sutra:

The Thus Come One’s palace is inconceivable,
Adorned with a treasury of mani gems.
The ornaments shine and dazzle, one and all.
Seated among them, the Buddha is especially eminent.

There are columns of mani in various hues
And bells of pure gold suspended like clouds.
There are jeweled staircases lining the four sides
And doors that open in every direction.

Among silken banners adorned with beautiful blossoms,
Ornamental jeweled branches,
And mani beads draped on all four sides,
The Ocean of Wisdom sits serenely.

Commentary:

The Thus Come One’s palace is inconceivable. This line extols the Buddha’s palace. All the states therein are inconceivable. It is adorned with a treasury of mani gems. All palaces of Buddhas are decorated with mani jewels. The ornaments shine and dazzle, one and all. All the decorative objects and vessels glow with light. Seated in their midst, the Buddha is especially eminent. Seated in his palace, the Buddha’s exceptional radiance illuminates the ten directions.

There are columns in the palace made of mani in various hues / And bells of pure gold suspended like clouds around the four sides of the palace. There are jeweled staircases lining the four sides. Assorted precious gems make up the neatly aligned terraces. And there are also doors and windows that open in every direction. There are openings in every direction.

Among silken banners adorned with beautiful blossoms—those flowers and silk-like materials are used to make precious curtains—there are also ornamental jeweled branches. The branches of mani jewels are breathtakingly beautiful. And one also finds mani beads draped on all four sides of the palace. Surrounded by these adornments, the Ocean of Wisdom, the Buddha, sits serenely. He sits in perfect tranquility.

Sutra:

Nets of mani and banners of wondrous fragrance,
Bright as blazing lamps and arrayed in cloud-like formation,
Hang above the assorted ornaments.
The Transcendent One of Right Knowledge sits in their midst.

Magical clouds appear throughout the ten directions.
These clouds proclaim Dharma for all in the worlds,
Taming and subduing all sentient beings.
All this is manifested from the Buddha’s palace.

Wondrous flowers bloom on the tree of mani.
Nothing in the ten directions can compare.
The adornment of the lands of the three periods of time
Is entirely revealed in this state.

Clusters of mani are everywhere to be found,
Blazing with infinite kinds of brilliance.
Well-spaced doors and windows open in every direction.
The entire building is elegant and of the utmost beauty.

The Thus Come One’s palace is inconceivable,
Pure, luminous, and filled with every kind of image.
All other palaces appear within it,
Each with a Thus Come One seated inside.

The Thus Come One’s palace is boundless.
The Enlightened One naturally dwells within it.
The multitudes throughout the ten directions
All gather at the Buddha’s without fail.

Commentary:

Nets made of manijewels and banners of wondrous fragrance adorn the Buddha’s palatial hall. Bright as blazing lamps and arrayed in cloud-like formation, those nets hang above the various ornaments. The mani nets blaze as bright as lamps, resembling endless layers of clouds in the sky. The Transcendent One of Right and Universal Knowledge sits in their midst. “One of Right and Universal Knowledge” refers to the Buddha, who dwells in the palace.

All kinds of magical clouds appear throughout the ten directions. / These clouds proclaim for all in the worlds. Dharma sounds proclaiming the true appearance of all dharmas come forth from the clouds and fill the world, taming and subduing all sentient beings. The Dharma is proclaimed for the sake of taming all sentient beings, even those who are difficult to subdue. All of this is manifested from the Buddha’s palace. These clouds and proclamations are magically created within the Buddha’s palace.

Wondrous flowers bloom on the bodhi tree of manijewels, with which nothing in the ten directions can compare. No other tree in the ten directions can compare to the bodhi tree. The adornment of the lands of the three periods of time / Is entirely revealed in this state. The adorned circumstances of lands of the past, present, and future all appear in the Buddha’s magnificent light and wondrous flowers.

Clusters of mani are everywhere to be found in the palace of the Buddha, serving as ornaments. They appear to be blazing with infinite kinds of brilliance. They radiate infinite kinds of light and colors, not just one kind. Well-spaced doors and windows open in every direction. The doors and windows are built to open in precisely the right directions and placed at just the right places. The entire building is elegant and of the utmost beauty. The pillars, walls, and ceilings are beautifully adorned and extremely fine.

The Thus Come One’s palace is inconceivable and would require endless expression to describe. The palace is pure, luminous, and filled with every kind of image. The palace is filled with a pristine radiance, which manifests all types of images. All other palaces of Buddhas in the ten directions appear within it, and this palace also appears in the palaces of the Buddhas in the ten directions. There is an endless mutual reflection of light and images. All the palaces appear, each with a Thus Come One seated inside speaking Dharma.

The Thus Come One’s palace is boundless. Not to mention anything else, the palace of the Buddha by itself has boundless aspects of wonder. The Enlightened One naturally dwells within it. Very naturally, there is a Buddha in each of the Buddha-palaces. The multitudes throughout the ten directions / All gather at the Buddha’s palace without fail. Like clouds gathering in the sky, they all convene at the Buddha’s Dharma assembly.

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