Good-Wealth Weeps on the Road
Alone on the road out of Wondrous Light city, Good-Wealth's reflection on King Great Light's own teaching moves him to tears — not from sorrow, but from the sheer rarity of what a good spiritual friend truly is — before a deva's voice from the sky sends him onward once again.
Tears for a Good Spiritual Friend
Walking alone, Good-Wealth's reflection on King Great Light's own inconceivable qualities builds through eleven named states of mind until it overflows — not into more resolve, but into tears, at the sheer rarity of a good spiritual friend.
爾時，善財童子出妙光城，遊行道路，正念思惟大光王教，憶念菩薩大慈幢行門，思惟菩薩隨順世間三昧光明門，增長彼不思議願福德自在力，堅固彼不思議成熟眾生智，觀察彼不思議不共受用大威德，憶念彼不思議差別相，思惟彼不思議清淨眷屬，思惟彼不思議所作業；生歡喜心，生淨信心，生猛利心，生欣悅心，生踊躍心，生慶幸心，生無濁心，生清淨心，生堅固心，生廣大心，生無盡心。如是思惟，悲泣流淚，念善知識實為希有，出生一切諸功德處，出生一切諸菩薩行，出生一切菩薩淨念，出生一切陀羅尼輪，出生一切三昧光明，出生一切諸佛知見，普雨一切諸佛法雨，顯示一切菩薩願門，出生難思智慧光明，增長一切菩薩根芽。
At that time, Good-Wealth left Wondrous Light city, and as he journeyed along the road, he rightly recollected and reflected upon King Great Light's own teaching, calling to mind the bodhisattva's own gate of the practice of the Banner of Great Loving-Kindness, and reflecting on the bodhisattva's own gate of the light of the samādhi that accords with the world, increasing that inconceivable sovereign power of vow and merit, strengthening that inconceivable wisdom of bringing beings to maturity, contemplating that inconceivable great majesty enjoyed by him alone, calling to mind his inconceivable distinguishing marks, reflecting on his inconceivable pure retinue, and reflecting on his inconceivable deeds; he gave rise to a mind of joy, a mind of pure faith, a mind of keen sharpness, a mind of delight, a mind that leaps for joy, a mind of good fortune, a mind free of turbidity, a mind of purity, a mind of firmness, a mind vast and expansive, and a mind inexhaustible. Reflecting in this way, he wept and shed tears, thinking that his good spiritual friends were truly rare beyond measure, giving rise to every place of merit, giving rise to every bodhisattva practice, giving rise to every bodhisattva's own pure recollection, giving rise to every wheel of dhāraṇī, giving rise to every light of samādhi, giving rise to every buddha's own knowledge and vision, universally raining down every buddha's own rain of dharma, revealing every bodhisattva's own gate of vows, giving rise to the inconceivable light of wisdom, and increasing every bodhisattva's own root and sprout.
Ten Powers of a Good Spiritual Friend, and a Voice From the Sky
Good-Wealth's own sorrow becomes a ten-fold reflection on what a good spiritual friend can do — before a deva who always accompanies bodhisattvas speaks from the open sky, naming four rewards for trusting such a friend, and sending him onward.
又作是念：「善知識者，能普救護一切惡道，能普演說諸平等法，能普顯示諸夷險道，能普開闡大乘奧義，能普勸發普賢諸行，能普引到一切智城，能普令入法界大海，能普令見三世法海，能普授與眾聖道場，能普增長一切白法。」善財童子如是悲哀思念之時，彼常隨逐覺悟菩薩、如來使天，於虛空中而告之言：「善男子！其有修行善知識教，諸佛世尊悉皆歡喜；其有隨順善知識語，則得近於一切智地；其有能於善知識語無疑惑者，則常值遇一切善友；其有發心願常不離善知識者，則得具足一切義利。善男子！汝可往詣安住王都，即當得見不動優婆夷大善知識」
He further thought: "Good spiritual friends are able to universally rescue and protect beings from every evil destiny, able to universally proclaim every dharma of equality, able to universally reveal every level and dangerous path, able to universally open up the profound meaning of the Great Vehicle, able to universally encourage the arising of Samantabhadra's every practice, able to universally lead one to the city of all-knowing wisdom, able to universally cause one to enter the ocean of the dharma-realm, able to universally cause one to see the ocean of the dharma of the three times, able to universally bestow the place of enlightenment of every sage, and able to universally increase every wholesome dharma." Just as Good-Wealth, in sorrow, was reflecting in this way, the deva who always accompanies and awakens bodhisattvas, a messenger of the tathāgatas, spoke to him from the open sky, saying: "Good son, whoever practices a good spiritual friend's own teaching brings joy to every buddha, every world-honored one; whoever accords with a good spiritual friend's own words draws near to the ground of all-knowing wisdom; whoever is able to hold no doubt or confusion toward a good spiritual friend's own words will forever encounter every good friend; and whoever gives rise to the wish never to be separated from a good spiritual friend will attain the fullness of every benefit. Good son, you should go to the royal capital of Secure Abode, and you shall then be able to behold the great good spiritual friend, the laywoman Immovable."
悲泣流淚，念善知識實為希有 — he wept and shed tears, thinking that his good spiritual friends were truly rare beyond measure. Good-Wealth has wept before in this pilgrimage, but rarely from gratitude alone, with no accompanying doubt, fear, or loss — here the tears themselves seem to be part of the teaching's own effect, arising directly from having just witnessed loving-kindness reach even blood-drinking rākṣasas.
Part 1028 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle sixty-six. Part 1029 follows Good-Wealth into Secure Abode city, where he learns that the laywoman Immovable is in fact still a young girl, kept at home by her own parents.