Avatamsaka Sutra: Volume 46: Inconceivable Qualities of Buddhas, the 1st section by Thomas Cleary
(Taisho Tripitaka 0279)
Translated into English by Thomas Cleary
Volume 46: Inconceivable Qualities of Buddhas, the 1st section
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Buddha's Child, all Buddhas, the Bhagavans, have ten things that pervade the infinite and boundless Dharma-Realm. What are these ten? All Buddhas have unbounded bodies, with pure forms, entering into all categories of beings without defilement or attachment. All Buddhas have unbounded, unobstructed eyes that can clearly see all things. All Buddhas have unbounded, unobstructed ears that can understand all sounds and utterances. All Buddhas have unbounded, unobstructed noses that can reach the other shore of freedom of the Buddhas. All Buddhas have universal tongues that utter sublime sounds pervading the Dharma-Realm. All Buddhas have unbounded bodies that appear to sentient beings in accord with their Hearts. All Buddhas have unbounded minds that dwell on the unobstructed impartial body of reality. All Buddhas have unbounded, unobstructed liberation, manifesting inexhaustible great sacrosanct supernatural powers. All Buddhas have unbounded pure worlds, manifesting Buddha-lands according to the pleasures of sentient beings, replete with infinite adornments, yet without giving rise to any obsession or attachment to them. All Buddhas have unbounded practices and vows of Bodhisattvas, having perfect wisdom, freedom of playing [in all worlds), and ability to master all Buddha-Dharmas. Buddha's child, these are the ten phenomena of Buddhahood that pervade the Dharma-Realm without bound, which the Thus Come Ones, Worthy of Offerings, Correctly Awakened Ones have.
Buddha's Child, all Buddhas, the Bhagavans, have ten kinds of Wisdom produced single thought by single thought. What are these ten? All Buddhas can, in a single thought, appear to descend from heaven in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest birth as Bodhisattvas in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest renunciation of the mundane and study of the Way to liberation in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest attainment of the Perfect Correct Awakening under Bodhi-trees in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest turning wonderful Dharma- wheels in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest education of sentient beings and service of the Buddhas in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest untold variety of Buddha-bodies in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest all kinds of sublimes in infinite worlds, innumerable sublimes, the freedoms of the Thus Come Ones, and the treasury of omniscience. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest countless pure beings in infinite worlds. All Buddhas can, in a single thought, manifest the Buddhas of past, present, and future in infinite worlds, with various faculties and characters, various diligences, and various practices and understandings, attaining the Perfect Correct Awakening in the past, present and future. These are the ten.
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Buddha's Child, all Buddhas, the Bhagavans, have ten peerless inconceivable realms. What are they? All Buddhas, once sitting with their legs crossed in lotus position, pervade infinite worlds in the ten directions. All Buddhas, uttering one logical statement, can express all Buddha teachings. All Buddhas, emanating one light, can illumine all worlds. All Buddhas, in one body, can manifest all kinds of bodies. All Buddhas can show all worlds in one place. All Buddhas can ascertain all things within one knowledge without any impediment. All Buddhas can travel to all worlds in the ten directions in a single moment of thought. All Buddhas can manifest the infinite mighty virtues of the Thus Come Ones in a single thought. All Buddhas can focus on all the Buddhas and sentient beings of past, present and future in a single thought without confusion of mind. All Buddhas are in one thought essentially the same as all Buddhas of past, future and present. These are the ten.
Buddha's Child, all Buddhas, the Bhagavans, can produce ten kinds of wisdom. What are they? All Buddhas know all things have no aim, yet they can produce the wisdom of vows of returning or transferring merits. All Buddhas know all things have no body, yet they can produce the wisdom of pure bodies. All Buddhas know all things are fundamentally nondual, yet they can produce the wisdom capable of awareness and understanding. All Buddhas know all things have no self and no being, yet they can produce the wisdom to civilize beings. All Buddhas know all things fundamentally have no forms, yet they can produce the wisdom of understanding all forms. All Buddhas know all worlds have no becoming or decay, yet they can produce the wisdom of understanding becoming and decay. All Buddhas know all things have neither creation nor action, yet they can produce the wisdom of knowing fruits of karma. All Buddhas know all things have no verbal explanation, yet they can produce the wisdom of perfect verbal explanation. All Buddhas know all things have no defilement or purity, yet they can produce the wisdom of knowing defilement and purity. All Buddhas know all things have no birth or extinction, yet they can produce the wisdom of understanding birth and extinction. These are the ten.
Buddha's Child, all Buddhas, the Bhagavans, have ten kinds of ways of entry into universality. What are they? All Buddhas have pure and wonderful bodies that penetrate past, present and future. All Buddhas are endowed with three kinds of mastery - of diagnosis, prescription and occult powers - by which they edify beings everywhere. All Buddhas are endowed with all Dharanis so that they are able to receive and hold all Buddha-Dharma. All Buddhas fully have the four eloquences, and operate all cycles of pure teaching everywhere. All Buddhas have impartial great compassion and never abandon all sentient beings. All Buddhas have profound meditation concentration and always observe all sentient beings everywhere. All Buddhas have roots of goodness beneficial to others, and civilize sentient beings unceasingly. All Buddhas have unobstructed minds, able to abide calmly in all Dharma-realms. All Buddhas have unimpeded sacrosanct powers and are able to manifest the Buddhas of past, present and future in a single thought. All Buddhas have unobstructed intellect, in a single thought defining sets of ages of past, present and future. These are the ten.
Buddha's Child, all Buddhas, the Bhagavans, have ten great qualities that are hard to believe in. What are they? All Buddhas can destroy all demons. All Buddhas can overcome all exterior-paths. All Buddhas can tame all sentient beings and make them all happy. All Buddhas can go to all worlds and guide the myriad types of beings there. All Buddhas can knowingly experience the most profound realm of reality. All Buddhas can, by means of a nondual body, manifest various bodies, filling the world. All Buddhas can, with pure voices, produce the four special knowledges of principle, meaning, expression, and elocution, and expound truths endlessly, to the unfailing benefit of those who accept. All Buddhas can manifest Buddhas as numerous as atoms in all worlds in a single pore, without end. All Buddhas can manifest in a single atom as many lands as atoms in all worlds, replete with all kinds of fine adornments, and continuously turning the wheel of sublime Teaching therein for the edification of sentient beings - yet the atom is not enlarged and the worlds are not small; they always abide in the realm of reality by realizational knowledge. All Buddhas arrive at the pure realm of reality, shatter the darkness of ignorance of the world by means of the light of wisdom, cause all to gain understanding of the Buddha teachings, follow the Thus Come Ones, and dwell in the ten powers. These are the ten.
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