Every Buddha's Own Inexhaustible Dharma Gates
Two new vows open this Part. The first: attaining every buddha's own inexhaustible Dharma gates, expounding the Dharma-ocean of the three times for every sentient being, down to ten distinct aspects of a single dharma at a time. The second turns the dedication's own name — "equal to the boundless dharma-realm" — into eleven concrete attainments, closing on a wish stated as plainly as anything in this sūtra: whatever the bodhisattva himself attains, may every sentient being attain too, no different from himself.
Expounding the Dharma-Ocean of the Three Times
The vow moves from the grand — every buddha's own inexhaustible Dharma gates — down to the granular: ten distinct aspects of comprehending a single dharma, from its arising to its distinct stages, before returning to scale with a chain of ten attainments each described as equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, closing the vow that gives this whole dedication its name.
「佛子！菩薩摩訶薩復以法施所生善根如是迴向，所謂：『願我獲得一切諸佛無盡法門，普為眾生分別解說，皆令歡喜，心得滿足，摧滅一切外道異論。願我能為一切眾生演說三世諸佛法海，於一一法生起、一一法義理、一一法名言、一一法安立、一一法解說、一一法顯示、一一法門戶、一一法悟入、一一法觀察、一一法分位，悉得無邊無盡法藏，獲無所畏，具四辯才，廣為眾生分別解說，窮未來際而無有盡。為欲令一切眾生立勝志願，出生無礙、無謬失辯；為欲令一切眾生皆生歡喜，為欲令一切眾生成就一切淨法光明，隨其類音，演說無斷：為欲令一切眾生深信歡喜，住一切智，辨了諸法，𢔌無迷惑，作是念言：我當普於一切世界，為諸眾生精勤修習，得遍法界無量自在身，得遍法界無量廣大心，具等法界無量清淨音聲，現等法界無量眾會道場，修等法界無量菩薩業，得等法界無量菩薩住，證等法界無量菩薩平等，學等法界無量菩薩法，住等法界無量菩薩行，入等法界無量菩薩迴向。』是為菩薩摩訶薩以諸善根而為迴向，為令眾生悉得成就一切智故。
"Child of the Buddha! This bodhisattva mahāsattva further dedicates the wholesome roots born from the giving of Dharma in this way, namely: 'May I attain every buddha's own inexhaustible Dharma gates, universally discriminating and explaining them for the sake of sentient beings, causing them all to rejoice, their minds fully satisfied, crushing every heterodox doctrine of non-Buddhist paths. May I be able to expound the Dharma-ocean of every buddha throughout the three times for the sake of every sentient being — within the arising of each single dharma, the principle of each single dharma, the terminology of each single dharma, the establishing of each single dharma, the explanation of each single dharma, the revealing of each single dharma, the gateway of each single dharma, the comprehension of each single dharma, the contemplation of each single dharma, and the distinct stages of each single dharma — entirely attaining a boundless, inexhaustible treasury of the Dharma, gaining fearlessness, fully possessing the four kinds of eloquence, broadly discriminating and explaining for the sake of sentient beings, to the very end of future time, without exhaustion. Wishing to cause every sentient being to establish a supreme aspiration, giving rise to unobstructed, unerring eloquence; wishing to cause every sentient being to give rise to joy entirely; wishing to cause every sentient being to accomplish the light of every pure dharma, expounding it without interruption according to their own kind of voice; wishing to cause every sentient being to deeply believe and rejoice, abiding in omniscience, discerning every dharma clearly, without any confusion, reflecting in this way: I shall, universally throughout every world, diligently cultivate and practice for the sake of every sentient being, attaining a sovereign body immeasurable and pervading the dharma-realm, attaining a vast mind immeasurable and pervading the dharma-realm, possessing a pure voice equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, manifesting an assembly at the seat of enlightenment equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, cultivating a bodhisattva's own karma equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, attaining a bodhisattva's own abiding equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, realizing a bodhisattva's own equality equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, studying a bodhisattva's own dharma equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, abiding in a bodhisattva's own practice equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, and entering a bodhisattva's own dedication equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm.' This is a bodhisattva mahāsattva's dedication of every wholesome root, for the sake of causing sentient beings to entirely accomplish omniscience.
Ten different facets of a single dharma — its arising, its principle, its terminology, its establishing, its explanation — suggest that fully knowing even one dharma is not a single act of comprehension but a set of distinct comprehensions, each one necessary and none reducible to the others. Boundless wisdom, on this account, is built from precision applied to the smallest possible unit, not from breadth alone.
Equal to the Boundless Dharma-Realm
A second vow gives this dedication its name directly — nine attainments each qualified as "equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm," from beholding every buddha to fulfilling every wholesome root that benefits sentient beings — before closing on eleven kinds of equality, and a final wish stated with unusual directness: whatever the bodhisattva himself attains, he wishes every sentient being to attain in exactly the same way, no different from himself.
「佛子！菩薩摩訶薩復以善根如是迴向，所謂：『為欲見等法界無量諸佛，調伏等法界無量眾生，住持等法界無量佛剎，證等法界無量菩薩智，獲等法界無量無所畏，成等法界無量諸菩薩陀羅尼，得等法界無量諸菩薩不思議住，具等法界無量功德，滿等法界無量利益眾生善根；又願以此善根故，令我得福德平等、智慧平等、力平等、無畏平等、清淨平等、自在平等、正覺平等、說法平等、義平等、決定平等、一切神通平等，如是等法皆悉圓滿。如我所得，願一切眾生亦如是得，如我無異。』
"Child of the Buddha! This bodhisattva mahāsattva further dedicates his wholesome roots in this way, namely: 'Wishing to behold every buddha equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to tame every sentient being equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to uphold every buddha-land equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to realize every bodhisattva's own wisdom equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to attain every fearlessness equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to accomplish every bodhisattva's own dhāraṇī equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to attain every bodhisattva's own inconceivable abiding equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, to possess every merit equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm, and to fulfill every wholesome root of benefiting sentient beings equal to the immeasurable dharma-realm; I further vow, through these wholesome roots, to cause myself to attain equality of merit, equality of wisdom, equality of power, equality of fearlessness, equality of purity, equality of sovereignty, equality of perfect enlightenment, equality of expounding the Dharma, equality of meaning, equality of resolve, and equality of every spiritual power — every dharma such as this entirely and fully complete. Just as I attain it, so may every sentient being attain it too, no different from myself.'
"No different from myself" closes a vow built almost entirely from the word "equal," and it lands with unusual force precisely because the whole passage has already been repeating that word for nine straight clauses — the sentient beings are not merely made equal to a standard the bodhisattva sets; the bodhisattva refuses, in the end, to remain even slightly ahead of them.
Part 376 Complete
This continues the tenth dedication's prose section. Chapter 25 continues in Part 377 as the bodhisattva mahāsattva dedicates his wholesome roots by comparing them directly to the dharma-realm itself — as the dharma-realm is immeasurable, so too is this dedication, its wisdom never having any measure; as the dharma-realm is boundless, so too is this dedication, seeing every buddha without any boundary.