Good-Wealth Finds Enlightened Wisdom's Own Tower
Unlike teachers found in forests or riverbanks, Enlightened Wisdom holds court in the busiest possible place — a jeweled tower at the city's own crossroads, its throne built from maṇi and vajra, its canopy gold and beryl, its own five hundred instruments outplaying heaven itself.
A Throne at the City's Own Crossroads
Every previous teacher's own setting has pulled Good-Wealth away from ordinary life — into forests, up mountains, onto river islets. Enlightened Wisdom instead sits in the most public place a city has, a tower at its own crossroads, adorned as richly as any celestial palace.
爾時，善財見彼居士在其城內市四衢道七寶臺上，處無數寶莊嚴之座。其座妙好，清淨摩尼以為其身，金剛帝青以為其足，寶繩交絡，五百妙寶而為校飾；敷天寶衣，建天幢幡，張大寶網，施大寶帳；閻浮檀金以為其蓋，毘瑠璃寶以為其竿，令人執持以覆其上；鵝王羽翮清淨嚴潔以為其扇；熏眾妙香，雨眾天華；左右常奏五百樂音，其音美妙過於天樂，眾生聞者無不悅豫。十千眷屬前後圍遶，色相端嚴，人所喜見，天莊嚴具以為嚴飾，於天人中最勝無比，悉已成就菩薩志欲，皆與居士同昔善根，侍立瞻對，承其教命。
At that time, Good-Wealth saw that householder within the city, at the crossroads of the marketplace, upon a tower of the seven treasures, seated upon a throne adorned with countless treasures. That throne was wondrous and fine, pure maṇi jewels forming its own body, vajra and indranīla forming its legs, jeweled cords crossing and netting it, five hundred wondrous jewels adorning it; heavenly jeweled garments were spread over it, heavenly banners and pennants raised, a great jeweled net stretched out, a great jeweled canopy set up; Jambū-river gold formed its canopy, beryl formed its pole, held up by attendants to cover it above; the pure, clean feathers of a royal goose formed its fan; every kind of wondrous fragrance perfumed the air, and heavenly flowers rained down; to his left and right, five hundred musical sounds constantly played, their own sound beautiful and wondrous, surpassing even heavenly music, and there was no being who heard it who did not rejoice. Ten thousand retainers surrounded him on every side, their own form upright and dignified, a joy for people to behold, adorned with heavenly ornaments, supreme and without equal among gods and humans, all of them having already accomplished the bodhisattva's own aspiration, all sharing the same roots of goodness from the past with the householder, attending and standing, gazing directly at him, receiving his every instruction.
在其城內市四衢道七寶臺上 — within the city, at the crossroads of the marketplace, upon a tower of the seven treasures. Placing this much adornment at a literal crossroads is a deliberate choice — Enlightened Wisdom's own teaching will not require Good-Wealth to leave ordinary commerce and daily life behind at all, but to find the bodhisattva path precisely where the city's own traffic already passes.
Part 1003 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle sixty-five. Part 1004 turns to Good-Wealth's own approach and his extended statement of purpose — thirteen distinct reasons, each beginning "for the sake of," before he finally asks his standard question.