Overall Teaching

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva describes the Buddha’s samādhi. The Buddha then emanates a light whereby all the bodhisattvas see that they are united by Vairocana Buddha, whose samādhis manifests all awakened activities and contain all awakened knowledge. The bodhisattvas enter into Vairocana’s manifestations and thereby themselves manifest throughout the world in infinite forms and using infinite methods according with the needs of beings in order to compassionately guide them to buddhahood. Mañjuśrī then describes this.

Summary

1. (1159) Bodhisattva Samantabhadra^[1] then, in order to elucidate the “lion emergence” samādhi of the Buddha, which pervades all times and reveals the interpenetration of all lands, gave ten expressions of the “lion emergence” samādhi (1160):

i. The Buddha dwells in his buddha-land; there he dwells, while buddha-lands on a hair tip are as numerous as atoms.

ii. On that hair tip is the Buddha’s lotus throne extended throughout the cosmos.

iii. As many buddhas as atoms expound all good actions on a single hair.

iv. The Buddha pervades all lands from one land, and endless bodhisattvas come.

v. The audiences of the teachers have bodhisattvas as countless as atoms.

vi. Bodhisattvas appear like reflections and are oceans of buddha-knowledge.

vii. They pass millions of kalpas in each land while hearing myriad teachings.

viii. Bodhisattvas practice in the ocean of truth, entering the ocean of vows.

ix. They are born of Buddha’s teachings, entering his qualities with manifestations.

x. (1161) They pervade refuge of the Dharma Realm and emanate a cloud of bodies as numerous as atoms raining the Dharma for awakening.

2. The Buddha, in order to establish those bodhisattvas in his samādhi, emanated a light from between his brows which illuminated all realms in the ten directions.

3. Thereby the bodhisattvas who gathered saw a bodhisattva teaching in various places, appearances, and teaching with various words and in various situations.

i. They also saw transfigurations of the buddhas throughout the ten directions reflected in all beings’ minds without discrimination and teaching them. (1162)

ii. All were united by Vairocana Buddha, and were united by his samādhi which transcends the entire cosmos. Some bodhisattvas thereby realised one of the three buddha-bodies, and entered into oceans of the Buddha’s mystical projections and transformations, thereby seeing the realm of realization of Thusness whereby all realms were pervaded by illumination and the Dharma.

iii. They entered oceans of projections of Vairocana by means of various awakening samādhis which, through various ways, allow realization of truth.

iv. (1163) These samādhis also pervade all times, space, and experiences and reveal the meanings of all things, and are the source of all buddhas, (1164) and realization of the integration of all things and beings in the net of Indra.

v. Through these samādhis they enter into the ocean Vairocana’s mystical projections and remembered equivalent transformations from the past. They developed knowledge of how to carry out compassionate teachings for beings’ benefit, such as how all things are like a dream, reflection, or echo. (1165) They

thus knew how to manifest in all directions and bravely subdue all challenges, control reflections, and, with knowledge, adapt to the needs of all beings. (1166) From those bodhisattvas’ resulting ecstasy, clouds of light were released from their body which themselves filled the ten directions and emanated voices telling of bodhisattvas activities and the transcendent buddha activities, and manifested bodies in all directions which told of the deeds of Samantabhadra and the Buddha, by virtue of their state of illumination of the inconceivable virtue of truths.

4. Then Mañjuśrī, observing this, said in verse (1167):

i. Observe the power of the Buddha which emanates various powers, and that which is emanating from the bodies of bodhisattvas. They go forth telling of qualities of bodhisattvas in Jeta’s grove. Transfigurations of the buddhas emerge in every land and adorn all sites (1168) and the bodhisattvas’ reflections are seen in the sky here.

5. Then, each of those bodhisattvas, enter countless gates of compassion and attained even more capabilities to adapt to the needs of various beings, and instantly began emanating to beings. They did this in ways, such as through dreams, showing forbearance even when dismembered, showing the benefit of meditations, the benefit of asking about teachings, and showing knowledge of deeds and the destruction of harmful emotions. (1169) They come to all beings without discrimination in order to save and develop them. They manifested in these ways without being absent from the assembly in Jeta’s grove, and manifested in countless appearances, in countless districts, and with countless ways of teaching.

[1] Whose name Cleary translates as “enlightening being Universally Good.”