Good-Wealth Journeys Toward Enlightened Wisdom
Carrying Endowed's own liberation-light with him, Good-Wealth moves through twelve distinct images of merit — ocean, sky, mountain, treasury, abyss, pool — before the road brings him to Great Flourishing, his own mind now explicitly defined by an unbreakable thirst for the next good spiritual friend.
Twelve Ways to Hold a Single Merit
Rather than naming twelve different merits, this reflection takes a single merit and turns it twelve different ways — reflected on, observed, climbed, gathered, entered, swum in, purified, walked, and cultivated, as though one thing could only be fully known by approaching it from every possible direction.
爾時，善財童子得無盡莊嚴福德藏解脫光明已，思惟彼福德大海，觀察彼福德虛空，趣彼福德聚，登彼福德山，攝彼福德藏，入彼福德淵，游彼福德池，淨彼福德輪，見彼福德藏，入彼福德門，行彼福德道，修彼福德種。
At that time, the boy Good-Wealth, having attained the light of the liberation, the Adornment Treasury of Inexhaustible Merit, reflected on that great ocean of merit, observed that empty space of merit, proceeded toward that accumulation of merit, climbed that mountain of merit, gathered in that treasury of merit, entered that abyss of merit, swam in that pool of merit, purified that wheel of merit, saw that treasury of merit, entered that gate of merit, walked that path of merit, and cultivated that seed of merit.
A Mind Thirsting for the Good Spiritual Friend
Good-Wealth's own understanding of why he keeps traveling becomes explicit here — not habit, but a settled knowledge that every wholesome thing, every merit, and every growth in practice all come specifically through reliance on a good spiritual friend, and on nothing else.
漸次而行，至大興城，周遍推求明智居士。於善知識心生渴仰，以善知識熏習其心，於善知識志欲堅固，方便求見諸善知識心不退轉，願得承事諸善知識心無懈倦；知由依止善知識故，能滿眾善；知由依止善知識故，能生眾福；知由依止善知識故，能長眾行；知由依止善知識故，不由他教，自能承事一切善友。如是思惟時，長其善根，淨其深心，增其根性，益其德本，加其大願，廣其大悲，近一切智，具普賢道，照明一切諸佛正法，增長如來十力光明。
Gradually journeying on, he arrived at the city of Great Flourishing, searching everywhere for the householder Enlightened Wisdom. Toward his good spiritual friends, his mind gave rise to thirsting admiration, his own mind perfumed and permeated by his good spiritual friends, his own resolve toward his good spiritual friends firm and solid, his mind, skillfully seeking to see every good spiritual friend, never regressing, his mind, wishing to attend and serve every good spiritual friend, never growing lazy or weary; knowing that by relying on good spiritual friends, he was able to fulfill every wholesome thing; knowing that by relying on good spiritual friends, he was able to give rise to every kind of merit; knowing that by relying on good spiritual friends, he was able to grow every practice; and knowing that by relying on good spiritual friends, without needing any other teaching, he himself was able to attend and serve every good friend. While reflecting in this way, his roots of goodness grew, his own profound mind became pure, his own faculties and nature increased, his own foundation of virtue was benefited, his own great vows were strengthened, his own great compassion widened, he drew near to omniscience, he became endowed with the path of Samantabhadra, illuminating every buddha's own true dharma, and increasing the light of the tathāgata's own ten powers.
不由他教，自能承事一切善友 — without needing any other teaching, he himself was able to attend and serve every good friend. After fourteen teachers, Good-Wealth's own dependence has turned into something closer to self-sufficiency — not needing further instruction to know how to seek and serve a good spiritual friend, because the practice itself has by now become entirely his own.
Part 1002 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle sixty-five. Part 1003 turns to Good-Wealth's first sight of Enlightened Wisdom, seated on a jeweled tower at the city's own crossroads, surrounded by ten thousand attendants and the sound of five hundred instruments.