What the Ten Thousand Maidens Share in Common
Endowed reveals that the ten thousand maidens Good-Wealth has already seen are only the foremost among a hundred million asaṃkhyeyas — every one of them sharing the same conduct, vows, voice, and compassion, down to a single pure bodily action that makes whoever sees it rejoice.
A Hundred Million Asaṃkhyeyas, All the Same
What looked like a single retinue of ten thousand turns out to be only the visible foremost of a number beyond counting, and Endowed names, one after another, twenty-five distinct things every single one of them shares — conduct, vows, voice, compassion, and the very ground of practice itself.
「善男子！汝見我此十千童女眷屬以不？」答言：「已見。」優婆夷言：「善男子！此十千童女而為上首，如是眷屬百萬阿僧祇，皆悉與我同行、同願、同善根、同出離道、同清淨解、同清淨念、同清淨趣、同無量覺、同得諸根、同廣大心、同所行境、同理、同義、同明了法、同淨色相、同無量力、同最精進、同正法音、同隨類音、同清淨第一音、同讚無量清淨功德、同清淨業、同清淨報、同大慈周普救護一切、同大悲周普成熟眾生、同清淨身業隨緣集起令見者欣悅、同清淨口業隨世語言宣布法化、同往詣一切諸佛眾會道場、同往詣一切佛剎供養諸佛、同能現見一切法門、同住菩薩清淨行地。
"Good son, have you seen this retinue of my ten thousand maidens?" He replied: "I have seen them." The laywoman said: "Good son, these ten thousand maidens are only the foremost among them; such a retinue numbers a hundred million asaṃkhyeyas, all of them sharing with me the same conduct, the same vows, the same roots of goodness, the same path of renunciation, the same pure understanding, the same pure mindfulness, the same pure destination, the same measureless awakening, the same attainment of every faculty, the same vast mind, the same domain of practice, the same principle, the same meaning, the same clearly understood dharma, the same pure form, the same measureless power, the same supreme diligence, the same voice of true dharma, the same voice adapted to every kind of listener, the same supreme pure voice, the same praise of measureless pure merit, the same pure karma, the same pure recompense, the same great loving-kindness universally rescuing and protecting all, the same great compassion universally maturing every being, the same pure bodily karma arising in accordance with conditions and causing whoever sees it to rejoice, the same pure verbal karma proclaiming the transformation of the dharma in accordance with worldly language, the same going to every buddha's own assembly and platform of awakening, the same going to every buddha-land to make offerings to every buddha, the same ability to manifest and see every dharma-gate, and the same abiding in the pure ground of bodhisattva practice."
此十千童女而為上首，如是眷屬百萬阿僧祇 — these ten thousand maidens are only the foremost among them; such a retinue numbers a hundred million asaṃkhyeyas. What Good-Wealth took for the entirety of Endowed's household turns out to be its visible surface only — a pattern already familiar from this pilgrimage's very largest assemblies, where the number actually present always exceeds what any single glance could take in.
Part 1000 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle sixty-five. Part 1001 turns to Endowed's own demonstration — countless beings streaming in through her house's four gates, each one fed from the very same small vessel, exactly as she has just described.