Saturday, March 16, 2013

华严经 Avatamsaka Sutra Book 1 Part 1: 23





Book 1 Part 1:23

Wish-fulfilling jewels are the roots of the trees, Diamond are their trunks; Nets of jewels cover them And a rich fragrance surrounds.

The tree branches are adorned by all kinds of gems, The limbs are of precious stone, soaring high; The branches and twigs hang thickly, like heavy clouds: Underneath sits Buddha on the enlightenment site.

The site of enlightenment is unthinkably vast: The trees surround it, covering all; The dense foliage and luxurious flowers mutually cover and reflect, While in the flowers grow gemstone fruits.

From among all the branches emanate beautiful lights Illuminating the whole enlightenment scene; Pure, bright, inexhaustible, This appears by the power of Buddha's vows.

Banks of precious stones are the flowers, Reflections shining like patterned clouds; The encircling trees perfume all around: The enlightenment site's adorned everywhere.

See in the site of the Buddha's enlightenment Lotuses and jewel nets, all pure; Flames of light in whorls appear from here, Music of bells and chimes comes from the clouds.

All the wonderfully adorned trees Existing in all lands Appear in the enlightenment tree; Buddha, beneath it, sheds all defilement.

The site of enlightenment is made of vast blessings; The tree branches rain jewels without end. In the jewels appear enlightening beings, Going everywhere to serve the Buddhas.

The realm of the Buddhas is inconceivable; They cause all the trees there to produce music In accord with the enlightened way developed by Buddha, The hosts of beings, hearing the music, can see it all.

Then the great enlightening being Hundred Eyes Lotus Topknot, empowered by the Buddha, surveyed all the assemblies at the scene of enlightenment and said,

All the jewels emit wondrous sounds Extolling the names of Buddhas of all times. The deeds of those Buddhas' mystical powers Can all be viewed in this enlightenment scene.

Flowers bloom in profusion, like parti-colored cloth; Clouds of light flow in all directions: The spirits of enlightenment trees bring these to the Buddha, With single-minded devotion making offerings of them.

Flames of jewel light all form banners; From the banners burst forth sublime fragrances, The fragrances perfuming all the congregations— Therefore the place is all beautifully pure.

Lotuses hang down, with light of golden hue, The light intoning clouds of Buddha's wondrous voice, Covering all the lands in all directions, Extinguishing the fires of sentient beings' torments.

The independent power of Enlightenment Tree King Constantly radiates light extremely pure; The assembled masses in the ten directions have no bounds, Yet all of them appear reflected in the enlightenment scene.

The light flames of the jewel branches are like bright lamps; Their light emanates sound declaring the great vow— What the Buddha practiced of yore in all states of being Is fully expounded therein.

Under the tree are spirits, as many as atoms in the land, All staying together at this enlightenment site, Each before the Buddha's enlightenment tree Continuously expounding the liberation doors.

Buddha practiced many deeds of yore, Making offerings to all the enlightened: His practices as well as his fame All appear within the jewels.

Everything in the scene produces wonderful sound— The sound is vast, pervading the ten directions; If any beings can hear the teaching, It civilizes them and makes them pure.

The Buddha in the past cultivated Infinite embellishments, all; All the adornments, innumerable kinds, Of every enlightenment tree.
Then the great enlightening being Light Spheres of Golden Flames, empowered by the Buddha, looked over all the assemblies at the scene of enlightenment and said,

Buddha cultivated enlightening practices, Comprehending all things, Clarifying the true and the false; This is the Buddha's first power of knowledge.

As in the past he observed the nature of all things equally, He clarified the ocean of all doings: Thus now in the nets of light He can tell it all, throughout all quarters.

In past eons he developed great techniques For guiding beings according to their faculties, Causing all their minds to be pure; Thus was Buddha able to perfect the knowledge of potentials.

As the understanding of sentient beings is not the same, And their inclinations and actions are different, He teaches them according to their needs: Buddha can do this by his powers of knowledge.

Comprehending the oceans of lands in all directions, All the worlds of beings they contain, Buddha's knowledge is equanimous, like space: All he can show within a pore.

Buddha knows the outcome of all acts, Comprehending past, present, and future instantly; The lands, ages, beings, and times of all regions: All he can reveal and make clear.

Meditation states, liberations, and powers are boundless, And so are trances and other techniques: Buddha shows them all to beings, gladdening them, Causing all to wash away the darkness of afflictions.

Buddha's knowledge is unhindered, comprehending all times; All he shows in an instant, in his hair pores: The Buddhas' teachings, lands, and sentient beings: All these appear from his recollective power.

Buddha's eye is as vast as space; He sees the entire cosmos. In the unimpeded state, with unequalled function, All Buddhas can tell of this eye.

All sentient beings are totally bound; All their intoxications and habits Buddha causes to be removed by his methods, Appearing throughout the world.

Then the great enlightening being Universal Sound of the Cosmos, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the assembled beings at the site of enlightenment and said,

The Buddha's awesome spiritual powers pervade the ten directions, Their grandiose displays making no discrimination; The transcendent means, enlightening practices Fulfilled in the past—all they show.

Of old he conceived compassion for beings And practiced transcendent generosity, Wherefore his body is most sublime, Gladdening all who see.

In boundless eons past He cultivated transcendent self-control, So acquired a pure body all-pervading, Extinguishing the various torments of the world.

He cultivated patience and tolerance, pure, Faithful to truth, without discrimination; So his physical form is perfect, Shedding light in all directions.

He strove for boundless eons past, Able to overthrow the barriers of sentient beings; Therefore he can emanate bodies in all directions, All appearing under enlightenment trees.

Buddha practiced, for long, long eons, Oceans of meditations, all of them pure: Thus he delights his beholders, Removing all taint of afflictions.

Buddha mastered the ocean of practices, Fulfilling transcendent wisdom; Therefore he sheds light illumining all, Destroying the darkness of ignorance.

Edifying beings by various means, He causes their practice to succeed; Traveling everywhere in the ten directions For endless eons, he never rests.

Buddha practiced for boundless eons Purifying and mastering transcendent vows; Therefore he appears throughout the world Saving beings forever and ever.
Buddha cultivated extensively for countless eons Transcendent power to deal with all truths;
Thus he has perfected natural power, Appearing throughout all lands. 


Buddha cultivated all-sided knowledge; The nature of his omniscience is like space: Therefore he has unhindered power Illuminating all lands in the ten directions.

Then the great enlightening being Cloud Sound Pure Moon, empowered by the Buddha, looked over all the beings gathered at the enlightenment site and said,

The realm of his spiritual powers is equal to space No beings do not perceive them. The stages he perfected in his past practice Are fully explained in the jewels.

No comments:

Post a Comment