The Awakening-Site of No Reliance
Worthy Superior names a liberation-gate and an inexhaustible samādhi that arises, one clause at a time, through every one of the six senses before sending Good-Wealth south toward an elder named Firm Liberation.
The Awakening-Site of No Reliance
Worthy Superior's own samādhi is inexhaustible not as an abstract claim but clause by clause — the same phrase repeated once for each sense, and three times more besides.
賢勝答言：「善男子！我得菩薩解脫，名：無依處道場；既自開解，復為人說。又得無盡三昧，非彼三昧法有盡、無盡，以能出生一切智性眼無盡故，又能出生一切智性耳無盡故，又能出生一切智性鼻無盡故，又能出生一切智性舌無盡故，又能出生一切智性身無盡故，又能出生一切智性意無盡故，又能出生一切智性功德波濤無盡故，又能出生一切智性智慧光明無盡故，又能出生一切智性速疾神通無盡故。「善男子！我唯知此無依處道場解脫。如諸菩薩摩訶薩一切無著功德行，而我云何盡能知說？「善男子！南方有城，名為：沃田；彼有長者，名：堅固解脫。汝可往問：菩薩云何學菩薩行、修菩薩道？」爾時，善財禮賢勝足，遶無數匝，戀慕瞻仰，辭退南行。到於彼城，詣長者所，禮足圍遶，合掌恭敬，於一面立，白言：「聖者！我已先發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，而未知菩薩云何學菩薩行？云何修菩薩道？我聞聖者善能誘誨，願為我說！」
Worthy Superior answered, saying: "Good son! I have attained a bodhisattva's own liberation-gate, named The Awakening-Site of No Reliance; having opened this understanding for myself, I in turn explain it for others. I have also attained an inexhaustible samādhi — not that the dharma of that samādhi itself has an end or is without end, but because it is able to give rise to the inexhaustible nature of all-knowing wisdom in the eye; and is able, moreover, to give rise to its inexhaustible nature in the ear; and is able, moreover, to give rise to its inexhaustible nature in the nose; and is able, moreover, to give rise to its inexhaustible nature in the tongue; and is able, moreover, to give rise to its inexhaustible nature in the body; and is able, moreover, to give rise to its inexhaustible nature in the mind; and is able, moreover, to give rise to the inexhaustible nature of its own surging waves of merit; and is able, moreover, to give rise to the inexhaustible nature of its own light of wisdom; and is able, moreover, to give rise to the inexhaustible nature of its own swift spiritual powers. Good son! I know only this liberation-gate of the Awakening-Site of No Reliance. As for the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas' own every unattached practice of merit — how could I possibly know or speak of it in full? Good son! To the south, there is a city, named Fertile Field; there is an elder there, named Firm Liberation. You may go to him and ask: how does a bodhisattva study the bodhisattva's own practice, and cultivate the bodhisattva's own path?" At that time, Good-Wealth bowed at Worthy Superior's feet, circled her countless times, gazing upon her with longing and devotion, and took his leave, journeying south. He arrived at that city, went to the elder's own place, bowed at his feet, circled him, stood reverently to one side with his palms joined, and said: "Noble one! I have already given rise to the mind of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, yet I do not yet know how a bodhisattva studies the bodhisattva's own practice, or how one cultivates the bodhisattva's own path. I have heard that you, noble one, are skillfully able to guide and instruct — I beg you, teach me!"
以能出生一切智性眼無盡故，又能出生一切智性耳無盡故⋯速疾神通無盡故 — because it is able to give rise to the inexhaustible nature of all-knowing wisdom in the eye; and is able, moreover, to give rise to its inexhaustible nature in the ear⋯its own swift spiritual powers. Nine clauses in all: the six senses in their standard order — eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind — followed by three further qualities of all-knowing wisdom itself. The samādhi's "inexhaustibility" is not asserted once; it is demonstrated nine times over.
Part 1252 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, in fascicle seventy-six. Part 1253 turns to Firm Liberation's own answer, and the liberation-gate he names.