They all cultivate the virtues of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva-Mahasattva. Equipped with immeasurable Bodhisattva action vows, they stand firm in all virtuous ways. They visit worlds in the ten directions, skillfully carrying out suitable missions. They enter into the store of the Buddha Dharma, arrive on the shore of nirvana, and demonstrate attainment of samyak-sambodhi in innumerable worlds.
A Bodhisattva first stays in Tusita Heaven to expound the true Dharma. Then he leaves the celestial palace and descends into his mother’s womb. He is born from the right side of his mother and walks seven steps as his dazzling radiance illuminates innumerable Buddha Lands in the ten directions. As the earth quakes in six different ways, he declares aloud, “I will be the unsurpassed honored one in this world.” The Bodhisattva is attended by the god-king Sakra and Brahma-kings, and gods and humans take refuge in him.
As a demonstration, he learns mathematics, literature, archery, and horsemanship, masters sacred arts, and studies voluminous texts. Playing in the garden, he discusses martial arts and tests his ability. Even as he manifests enjoyment of sense objects in his palace, such as sights and flavors, he perceives old age, illness, and death, and realizes the impermanence of the world. Abandoning his kingdom, riches, and status, he goes into mountain forests, seeking bodhi. He rides off on his white horse then sends it back with his jeweled crown and necklaces. Shedding his regal garment, the Bodhisattva puts on the Dharma robe and shaves off his hair and beard. He meditates under trees, training arduously as he should for six years. Because he has appeared in the world of the five turbidities, he conforms to the way of the multitudes and displays dirt on his body. He then bathes in [the Nairanjana] the river of gold. Gods bend the tree branches so that he can hold them to get out of the river. Intelligent birds follow him to his bodhimanda. The youth who offers him grass is an auspicious sign of the fullness of his merit and endeavor. Out of compassion, the Bodhisattva accepts this offering of grass and makes a seat under the bodhi tree, upon which he sits cross-legged.
Alerted by his great radiance, the celestial mara-king leads mara legions to harass and test him. However, he subjugates them all with his wisdom and power. Then he realizes the wondrous Dharma and attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. The god-king Sakra and Brahma-kings all beseech Him to turn the Dharma wheel. As a Buddha, He walks the Buddha steps and roars the Buddha roar. He beats the Dharma drum, blows the Dharma conch shell, wields the Dharma sword, and erects the Dharma banner. He rumbles the Dharma thunder, flashes the Dharma lightning, pours down the Dharma rain, and gives the Dharma alms. Sounding the wondrous Dharma tones, he awakens the world.
As the Buddha illuminates everywhere in innumerable Buddha Lands with His radiance, the entire world quakes in six different ways, reaching the mara’s dominion, and the mara’s palace is shaken. The maras in multitudes are intimidated and terrified, and none of them fails to fall under submission. He shatters the web of evils and crushes the wrong views. He expels sentient beings’ afflictions, which enslave their body and mind, and destroys their pit of desires. He cleanses their impurities to reveal purity. He protects the Dharma fortress and opens Dharma Doors. He illuminates the Buddha Dharma and widely disseminates it to transform all sentient beings.
The Buddha enters towns to beg for food and receives offerings in abundance. Revealing Himself as a fortune field, He enables the almsgivers to accumulate merit acquired from their planting. He smiles as He expounds the Dharma. He heals with Dharma medicine the three kinds of suffering. He teaches the immeasurable merit of the resolve to attain bodhi. He bestows upon Bodhisattvas the prophecy that they all will attain Buddhahood. By His demonstration of entering parinirvana, He helps innumerable multitudes to eradicate their afflictions and plant their roots of virtue. The merit He has acquired is wondrous and immeasurable as he visits Buddha Lands, giving everyone the teachings for attaining bodhi.
His actions are pure and untainted. Like a master of illusion who conjures up various images, He manifests Himself as male or female, or in any suitable form. With perfect understanding of what He has learned, He manifests Himself at will. The Bodhisattvas in this assembly do the same. To learn all Dharmas on their Way to Buddhahood, they collect them and train accordingly. The truth they uphold can inspire and transform all sentient beings. Fully equipped with ways to help sentient beings compassionately, they manifest themselves everywhere in innumerable Buddha Lands, never acting arrogant or domineering.
They thoroughly understand the essentials of Bodhisattva scriptural texts. As their names spread everywhere, their virtuous ways prevail in the ten directions. They are protected and remembered by innumerable Buddhas. They abide in the truths that Buddhas abide in, and they establish the teachings that great holy ones have established. Under Tathagatas’ guidance, they are Bodhisattvas and great teachers, who each can proclaim the Way. With wisdom arising from profound meditation, they educate and guide multitudes of sentient beings. Penetrating dharma nature, they understand sentient beings’ appearances and their lands. When such Bodhisattvas make offerings to Buddhas, they magically manifest themselves like flashes of lightning. They skillfully learn the way of fearlessness and fully understand that dharmas are illusory. They annihilate the webs of maras and liberate sentient beings from bondage and fetters. Transcending the ground of voice-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, they attain the Three Samadhis: emptiness, no appearance, and no wish. By skillful means, they present the Three Vehicles. For those of middling or low capacity, they demonstrate parinirvana. Knowing that [in true reality] there is neither action nor existence, neither arising nor ceasing, they realize the truth of equality and fully attain innumerable dharanis and hundreds and thousands of samadhis.
As their faculties and wisdom remain in boundless silence, they delve into the store of the Bodhisattva Dharma and attain the Samadhi of Buddha Adornment. While they remain inside the profound Samadhi Door, they see Buddhas before them. Then they promote and expound the Dharma in all the sutras. In the instant of a thought, they visit everywhere in all Buddha Lands, rescuing those in extreme suffering, both those who do and those who do not find respite from suffering. As they explicate the true reality of dharmas, they acquire a Tathagata’s eloquence. With mastery of the languages of the multitudes, they educate and transform them all. Having transcended the dharmas of the world, their minds abide in ways to deliver the world. With command of all things in the world, they are the unasked friends to multitudes of sentient beings, and they carry the heavy load of sentient beings [to the shore of nirvana]. As such Bodhisattvas accept and uphold Tathagatas’ profound Dharma store, they protect those of the Tathagata character-type and help them to carry on this character-type. Exuding great compassion for sentient beings, they speak to them with lovingkindness to open their dharma-eye. As they block the three evil life-paths, they open the door to the good life-paths and, unasked, they teach the Dharma to the multitudes. Like a dutiful son who loves and respects his parents, they regard sentient beings as they do themselves. All their roots of goodness contribute to their crossing over to the shore of nirvana, as they acquire the immeasurable merit, inconceivable wisdom, and holy knowledge of Buddhas. Innumerable such Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas came to this assembly.
Now we are going to translate this part of the Sutra into vernacular Chinese.
All the Bodhisattvas present at the assembly cultivate the virtues of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva-Mahasattva. Equipped with immeasurable Bodhisattva action vows, they stand firm in all ways of practicing Dharma to perfect their virtues and merits. They visit worlds in the ten directions, capable of assuming any form of appearance in order to propagate Buddhism. They visit, worship and make offerings to the Buddhas of the Ten Directions World. They enter into the store of the Buddha Dharma, have insights and skillful means to arrive on the other shore of nirvana from this shore of production and annihilation, and demonstrate attainment of samyak-sambodhi in innumerable worlds.
As a Bodhisattva represented by our original teacher Shakyamuni, he first stays in Tusita Heaven to expound the true Dharma. Then he leaves the celestial palace and descends into his mother’s womb as soon as he sees the maturity of Hetu-pratyaya—primary cause and secondary cause. He is born from the right side of his mother and walks seven steps immediately after his birth as his dazzling radiance illuminates innumerable Buddha Lands in the ten directions. As the earth quakes in six different ways, he declares aloud, “I will be the unsurpassed honored one in this world.” The Bodhisattva is attended by the god-king Sakra and Brahma-kings, and gods and humans take refuge in him.
As a demonstration, in the teenage years he learns mathematics, literature, arts, archery and horsemanship, and studies voluminous texts and practices magic arts of various sects. In daily life, he, like other royal members, attends competitions of martial arts and tests his ability and skills in the back garden of the royal palace to obtain respect and appreciation of the public. At ease, he has happily enjoyed the luxurious clothing and food in the palace, as well as the arranged marriage by his parents. Once our Bodhisattva goes out of the palace to have a tour, he perceives old age, illness, and death, and suddenly realizes the impermanence of the world. He ponders if there is a way of escaping from the bonds and obtaining freedom from transmigration. Abandoning his kingdom, riches, and status, he goes into mountain forests, seeking bodhi. In the mountain, he rides off on his white horse, then asks his entourage to send it back with his jeweled crown and necklaces. Shedding his splendid regal garment, the Bodhisattva puts on the simple and unadorned Dharma robe and shaves off his hair and beard. He meditates under trees in Uruvela forest, training arduously as he should for six years. He makes endeavor to practice almost all the methods popular with a hermit in the world. To conform to the natural capacities of human beings with whom he has an affinity and to save them from the wheel of reincarnation, he has appeared in the world of the five turbidities. Undergoing six years of religious austerity, he then bathes in the Nairanjana, the river of gold, to cleanse the dirt on his body. He is so frail that gods bend the tree branches so that he can hold them to get out of the river to go to his bodhimanda (place of meditation). Intelligent birds follow him, and the auspicious youth in response comes to meet our Bodhisattva. All the signs show that the merits and virtues achieved by our Bodhisattva are inconceivable! Out of compassion, the Bodhisattva accepts the auspicious grass offered by the youth and makes a seat under the bodhi tree, upon which he sits cross-legged.
Alerted by his great radiance in deep Dhyana-samadhi and awakened to the fact that our Bodhisattva is going to attain Buddhahood, the celestial mara-king leads mara legions to harass and test him. However, he subjugates them all with his wisdom and power. Then he realizes the wondrous Dharma and attains anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. The god-king Sakra and Brahma-kings all beseech Him to turn the Dharma wheel. Upon the entreatment, He begins to spread Dharma to all sentient beings of all the worlds in ten directions. As a Buddha, He demonstrates the divine power and roars the Buddha roar. He beats the Dharma drum, blows the Dharma conch shell, wields the Dharma sword, and erects the Dharma banner. He rumbles the Dharma thunder, flashes the Dharma lightning, pours down the Dharma rain, and gives the Dharma alms. Sounding the wondrous Dharma tones tirelessly, he awakens the world. As the Buddha illuminates everywhere in innumerable Buddha Lands with His radiance, the entire world quakes in six different ways, reaching the mara’s dominion, and the mara’s palace is shaken. The maras in multitudes are intimidated and terrified, and none of them fails to fall under submission. He shatters the web of evils and crushes the wrong views. He expels sentient beings’ primal ignorance and afflictions, which enslave their body and mind, and destroys their pit of desires. He protects the Dharma fortress and opens Dharma Doors. He cleanses their impurities to reveal purity of their nature. He illuminates the Buddha Dharma and widely disseminates it to transform all sentient beings.
The Buddha enters towns to beg for food and receives offerings in abundance. Revealing Himself as a fortune field, He enables the almsgivers to accumulate merit acquired from their planting. He smiles as He expounds the Dharma. He heals with Dharma medicine the three woeful paths, namely, animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings, showcasing the immeasurable merits of one who has achieved the Fruition state. He bestows upon Bodhisattvas the prophecy that they all will attain Buddhahood. By His demonstration of entering parinirvana, He helps innumerable multitudes to eradicate their ignorance and afflictions and plant their roots of virtue. The merit He has acquired is wondrous and immeasurable as he visits Buddha Lands in ten directions, giving everyone the teachings in accordance with their natural capacities for attaining bodhi. In whatever forms He assumes, His actions are pure and untainted. Like a master of illusion who conjures up various images, He manifests Himself as male or female, or in any suitable form. With perfect understanding of all being the illusory manifestation of the heart, He reveals Himself in various forms at will with no attachment to any illusions at all. The Bodhisattvas-Mahasattva in this assembly do the same as our Buddha has done. To learn all Dharmas to help all beings to liberation, they collect methods and train accordingly. The truth they uphold can inspire and transform all sentient beings, and no one has not been moved and converted. In various forms, they manifest themselves everywhere in innumerable Buddha Lands, never acting arrogant, domineering or letting loosen their desires. With compassion, they carry out all actions required of Bodhisattvas. They thoroughly understand the essentials of Mahayana scriptural texts. As their names spread everywhere, their virtuous ways and their attainment of truth prevail in the ten directions. They are protected and remembered by innumerable Buddhas of worlds in ten directions. They abide in the truths and the realization within that Buddhas abide in, and they establish the teachings that great holy ones have established. Under Tathagatas’ guidance, they each can proclaim the Way. With wisdom arising from profound meditation, they are eligible to educate and guide multitudes of sentient beings on the way of Bodhisattva-yana. Penetrating dharma nature, they understand and teach according to all sentient beings’ natural capacities. They know the Buddhas’ Lands in ten directions and properly make offerings to Buddhas. They are capable of assuming emanation bodies in various forms and visit other Buddhas’ Lands like flashing lightning. They skillfully learn the way of fearlessness and fully understand that dharmas are illusory. They annihilate the webs of maras and liberate sentient beings from bondage and fetters of worries and vexations. Transcending the ground of voice-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, they attain the Three Samadhis played with by Bodhisattvas: emptiness, no appearance, and no wish. By skillful means relevant to natural capacities of sentient beings, they present the Three Vehicles, namely Shravaka (the voice hearers of Buddha), Pratyekabuddhas (the solitary realizers) and Bodhisattva-yana. When the principal and subsidiary causes for teaching sentient beings in the world terminate, they demonstrate parinirvana. All the manifestations of Bodhisattvas are illusory. There is neither words nor action, neither arising nor ceasing, and no fruit of Buddhahood to gain. All Dharmas cannot be born or destroyed, and all come from emptiness and stillness, which are the equal exhibition of the immaterial, invisible and immortal body of the Tathagata. Knowing this ultimate true reality, they fully attain innumerable dharanis and hundreds and thousands of samadhis. Achieving various good roots, virtues, wisdom, and samadhis, delving deep into the store of the Bodhisattva Dharmas, reaching the state of Avatamsaka Samadhi where both noumenal and phenomenal are interdependent and all phenomena exist in perfect harmony and do not obstruct each other, they promote and expound all scriptures. While they remain inside the profound Samadhi Door, they see countless Buddhas before them. In the instant of a thought, they visit everywhere in all Buddha Lands, paying homage to and making offerings to Buddhas in ten directions. They rescue those in extreme suffering (sentient beings in the evil paths are deprived of the opportunity to learn and practice Dharma due to extreme sufferings). As they explicate the true and genuine Suchness, they acquire a Tathagata’s eloquence. With mastery of the languages of the multitudes, they educate and transform all sentient beings. Having transcended the dharmas of the world, their minds abide in the true reality to deliver the world, in the midst of which they feel at great ease. Bodhisattvas are the unasked friends to multitudes of sentient beings, ordinary and inferior, and they carry the heavy load of ferrying over these sentient beings to the shore of nirvana. As such Bodhisattvas accept and uphold Tathagatas’ profound Dharma store, they protect and help to carry on the Tathagata seed nature and prevent the highest knowledge and perception of the Buddha Dharma from extinction. Exuding great compassion for sentient beings, they speak to them with lovingkindness to open their dharma-eye to the reality of truth, having no fear to debate with heretics. As they block the three evil life-paths, they open the door to the good life-paths and, unasked, they teach the Dharma to the multitudes, ordinary and inferior. Like a dutiful son who loves and respects his parents, they regard sentient beings as they do themselves. All their roots of goodness contribute to their great wish to help living beings cross over to the shore of nirvana, and let them acquire the immeasurable merit, inconceivable wisdom, and holy knowledge of Buddhas. Such Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas are so numerous that they cannot be counted, and they all gather at the Dharma assembly at the time.