Ten Bodhisattvas Named for Groves
Ten great bodhisattvas — Merit Grove, Wisdom Grove, Supreme Grove, and seven more — arrive from ten worlds whose names, buddhas, and assemblies are all structured identically, exactly mirroring what happened when the sūtra ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa heaven many fascicles ago. Merit Grove Bodhisattva speaks first.
Ten Bodhisattvas, Ten Worlds, Ten Buddhas
爾時，佛神力故，十方各有一大菩薩，一一各與佛剎微塵數菩薩俱，從十萬佛剎微塵數國土外諸世界中而來集會，其名曰：功德林菩薩、慧林菩薩、勝林菩薩、無畏林菩薩、慚愧林菩薩、精進林菩薩、力林菩薩、行林菩薩、覺林菩薩、智林菩薩。此諸菩薩所從來國，所謂：親慧世界、幢慧世界、寶慧世界、勝慧世界、燈慧世界、金剛慧世界、安樂慧世界、日慧世界、淨慧世界、梵慧世界。此諸菩薩各於佛所淨修梵行，所謂：常住眼佛、無勝眼佛、無住眼佛、不動眼佛、天眼佛、解脫眼佛、審諦眼佛、明相眼佛、最上眼佛、紺青眼佛。是諸菩薩至佛所已，頂禮佛足，隨所來方，各化作摩尼藏師子之座，於其座上結跏趺坐。如此世界中，夜摩天上菩薩來集；一切世界，悉亦如是，其諸菩薩、世界、如來，所有名號悉等無別。
At that time, through the Buddha's own spiritual power, in each of the ten directions there was one great bodhisattva, each accompanied by bodhisattvas as numerous as the fine motes of dust in a buddha-land, coming from worlds beyond lands as numerous as the fine motes of dust in a hundred thousand buddha-lands, to gather together at this assembly. Their names were: Merit Grove Bodhisattva, Wisdom Grove Bodhisattva, Supreme Grove Bodhisattva, Fearless Grove Bodhisattva, Conscience Grove Bodhisattva, Diligence Grove Bodhisattva, Power Grove Bodhisattva, Practice Grove Bodhisattva, Awakening Grove Bodhisattva, and Knowledge Grove Bodhisattva. The lands these bodhisattvas came from were named: the World of Kindred Wisdom, the World of Banner Wisdom, the World of Jewel Wisdom, the World of Supreme Wisdom, the World of Lamp Wisdom, the World of Vajra Wisdom, the World of Peaceful and Happy Wisdom, the World of Sun Wisdom, the World of Pure Wisdom, and the World of Brahmā Wisdom. Each of these bodhisattvas had purely cultivated the pure conduct at the place of a buddha, namely: the Buddha of the Ever-Abiding Eye, the Buddha of the Unsurpassed Eye, the Buddha of the Unabiding Eye, the Buddha of the Unmoving Eye, the Buddha of the Heavenly Eye, the Buddha of the Liberated Eye, the Buddha of the Discerning Eye, the Buddha of the Bright-Marked Eye, the Buddha of the Supreme Eye, and the Buddha of the Indigo Eye. Once these bodhisattvas had arrived at the Buddha's own place, they bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet, and, in accordance with the direction each had come from, each conjured a lion-throne of the maṇi-treasury and sat cross-legged upon it. Just as, within this world, bodhisattvas gathered atop the Yāma heaven, so too was it exactly the same in every world — the names of all those bodhisattvas, worlds, and tathāgatas were entirely equal, without any difference at all.
爾時，世尊從兩足上放百千億妙色光明，普照十方一切世界；夜摩宮中，佛及大眾靡不皆現。
At that time, the World-Honored One emitted a hundred thousand million wondrous, colored lights from the top of both his feet, universally illumining every world of the ten directions; and within the Yāma palace, both the Buddha and the great assembly appeared, without exception, everywhere.
Merit Grove Bodhisattva's Hymn
爾時，功德林菩薩承佛威力，普觀十方而說頌言：
At that time, relying upon the Buddha's own awesome power, Merit Grove Bodhisattva universally surveyed the ten directions and then spoke a verse, saying:
「佛放大光明，普照於十方，
悉見天人尊，通達無障礙。
佛坐夜摩宮，普遍十方界，
此事甚奇特，世間所希有。
須夜摩天王，偈讚十如來，
如此會所見，一切處咸爾。
彼諸菩薩眾，皆同我等名，
十方一切處，演說無上法。
所從諸世界，名號亦無別，
各於其佛所，淨修於梵行。
彼諸如來等，名號悉亦同，
國土皆豐樂，神力悉自在。
十方一切處，皆謂佛在此，
或見在人間，或見住天宮。
如來普安住，一切諸國土，
我等今見佛，處此天宮殿。
昔發菩提願，普及十方界，
是故佛威力，充遍難思議。
遠離世所貪，具足無邊德，
故獲神通力，眾生靡不見。
遊行十方界，如空無所礙，
一身無量身，其相不可得。
佛功德無邊，云何可測知？
無住亦無去，普入於法界。」
"The Buddha emits a great light, universally illumining the ten directions; everyone sees the Honored One among gods and humans, penetrating everywhere without obstruction. The Buddha sits within the Yāma palace, and yet is present throughout the worlds of the ten directions — this matter is truly extraordinary, something rare in all the world.
The King of the Suyāma Heaven has, in verse, praised ten tathāgatas, and just as it is seen in this very assembly, so it is in every place, without exception. Those bodhisattva assemblies there all bear the very same names as we ourselves do, and throughout every place of the ten directions, they expound the unsurpassed Dharma.
The worlds they have come from likewise bear no different names, and each of them has purely cultivated the pure conduct at their own buddha's own place. Those tathāgatas, too, all bear entirely the same names, their lands all abundant and joyful, their spiritual powers all sovereign and free.
Throughout every place of the ten directions, everyone says the Buddha is right here; some see him dwelling among humans, some see him abiding within a heavenly palace. The Tathāgata universally abides settled within every single land, and we ourselves now see the Buddha, dwelling within this very heavenly palace.
In ages past he gave rise to the vow of bodhi, extending universally throughout the worlds of the ten directions; and it is for this reason that the Buddha's own awesome power fills and pervades everywhere, inconceivable. Having kept far from every worldly desire, and being fully endowed with boundless virtue, he has therefore obtained the power of spiritual abilities, and there is no living being who fails to see him.
He travels throughout the worlds of the ten directions, like empty space, meeting no obstruction at all; from a single body come immeasurable bodies, and yet no fixed mark of them can ever be found. The Buddha's own merit is boundless — how could it ever be measured or known? Abiding nowhere and going nowhere, he universally enters the whole Dharma-realm."
This chapter repeats, almost exactly, the structure of the sūtra's earlier ascent to the Trāyastriṃśa heaven: ten bodhisattvas bearing parallel names — here, all ending in "Grove" (林) — arrive from ten worlds whose own names and buddhas are likewise built on a shared pattern. Nine more hymns follow this one; the tenth, from Awakening Grove Bodhisattva, will contain one of the most quoted verses in the entire sūtra.
Part 119 Complete
This closes Part 119. Chapter 20 continues in Part 120 with Wisdom Grove Bodhisattva's own hymn.