Then Universally Good extended his right hand to Sudhana, who
had attained this consummation of knowledge, and laid it on his
head.
With the hand of Universally Good on his head, countless
concentrations entered into Sudhana each concentration let him
enter into countless oceans of worlds, and countless provisions for
omniscience he had not seen before became visible to him.
Sudhana entered into countless oceans of vows and went forth on
countless liberating paths of all-knowledge. He engaged in the work
of bodhisattvas in countless ways. He was energized by immeasurable
floods of omniscience and illuminated by countless lights of all
the buddhas' knowledge.
Just as in this world, in the presence of Vairocana Buddha, the
bodhisattva Universally Good extended his right hand and laid it on
Sudhana's head, in the same way, sitting at the feet of all buddhas
in all worlds, the bodhisattva Universally Good extended his right
hand and laid it on Sudhana's head.
And just as facets of truth entered Sudhana as he was touched by
the hand of Universally Good at the feet of Vairocana Buddha,
likewise, facets of truth entered Sudhana in various ways as he was
touched by the multitude of hands extended from the all the bodies
of Universally Good.
Then the great bodhisattva Universally Good said to Sudhana: "Did
you see my mystical projection?"
Sudhana said: "I saw, noble one, but only a buddha could understand
such an inconceivable mystic projection."
Then the great bodhisattva Universally Good told Sudhana about his
past practice seeking the mind of all-knowledge, his association
with untold numbers of buddhas, his sacrifices over the eons, his
ceaseless efforts to keep to the bodhisattva path and stay true to
his aspiration for enlightenment. Just to tell the story would take
eons.
Universally Good told Sudhana:
"I attained the ultimately pure body of reality which is continuous
and unfragmented throughout past, present, and future by the
power of preparing correctly and bringing together the correct
factors, by the power of being resolute, by the power of
contemplating things as they are, by the power of the eye of
wisdom, by the power of buddha, by the power of great compassion,
by the power of the care of spiritual benefactors.
"I also purified a physical body that appears to all beings
according to their mentalities, and is omnipresent in all
buddha-lands, abiding everywhere, showing all kinds of mystical
projections, visible in every world.
"Look at this body I have achieved. Those who have not planted
roots of goodness cannot even hear of me, much less see me.
"Some beings become irreversible on the path to enlightenment just
by hearing my name, or by seeing me, or by coming into contact with
me, or by following me, or by seeing me in a dream, or by hearing
my name in a dream.
"Some beings become mature by remembering me for a day and a night,
or a week, or a month, or a year. Some beings become mature by
remembering me for a century, or an eon, or many eons. Some beings
become mature by remembering me for one lifetime, or a hundred
lifetimes, or countless lifetimes.
"Some beings become mature by seeing my radiance, or by seeing me
send out light beams, or by seeing my physical form, or by feeling
me encouraging them.
"In these ways, through countless different means, these sentient
beings become irreversible on the path toward supreme perfect
enlightenment.
"Whoever hears of the purity of my buddha-land will be born in pure
buddha-lands, and whoever sees the purity of my body will be born
in my body."
Then Universally Good said to Sudhana:
"Look at my body."
Sudhana looked again at the body of the enlightening being
Universally Good.
In every pore he saw untold numbers of buddha-lands filled with
buddhas.
In each buddha-land he saw the buddhas surrounded by assemblies of
bodhisattvas. He saw all the different landscapes of the
lands.
He saw various buddhas appearing, announcing various cycles of the
Teaching. He saw the projected bodies of buddhas numberless as all
the atoms in all worlds emerging and filling all worlds in all
directions, developing sentient beings toward supreme perfect
enlightenment.
Then Sudhana entered into all the worlds within the body of the
enlightening being Universally Good, and worked to develop living
beings in those worlds toward their full potential.
Sudhana saw that all the roots of goodness he had accumulated by
seeing countless numbers of spiritual benefactors was not even a
miniscule fraction of the roots of goodness that came with seeing
Universally Good.
Sudhana entered countless successive oceans of buddha-lands in
every single pore of the body of Univerally Good in each moment of
thought.
In each moment of thought he passed through untold numbers of
worlds, in every step he passed through the worlds of countless
eons.
Still Sudhana did not come to the end of the oceans of lands or the
oceans of buddhas or the oceans of congregations of bodhisattvas.
He did not come to the end of the entrances to the realms of
sentient beings, to the entrances to instantaneous knowledge of the
faculties of sentient beings. He did not come to the end of
developing and guiding sentient beings. He did not come to the end
of the mystic powers of the bodhisattvas.
In each moment of consciousness Sudhana entered infinite oceans of
lands and developed sentient beings toward supreme perfect
enlightenment.
This continued as Sudhana gradually reached equality with the
bodhisattva Universally Good.
He reached equality with all the buddhas, equality in pervading all
lands, equality in fulfilling all practices, equality in turning
the wheel of the Teaching, equality in universal love and
compassion, equality in the spiritual powers of the inconceivable
liberation of bodhisattvas.
Then the bodhisattva Universally Good went on to make a vow to
honor and serve all the buddhas in all lands of the past, present,
and future, and to present the Teaching to all living beings.
I will travel the paths of the world
Free from compulsion, affliction, and delusion
I will always be in communion
With those who share my practice
I will always be with my spiritual benefactors
Who teach me the practice of good
I will always be face to face with the buddhas
Illuminating the practice of enlightenment
I will act in all eons within a single instant
I will see all the buddhas of all times in one instant
I will fulfill the vows of enlightening practice
Of all the buddhas of past, present, and future
As long as the earth exists
As long as all living beings exist
As long as their actions and afflictions exist
My vow will remain
May all living beings be happy!
Om Mani Padme Hum