The Sons of Heaven Seek Vairocana Bodhisattva
Having heard the drum's teaching, the sons of heaven make clouds of offerings and go to Vairocana Bodhisattva's palace, only to learn he has already descended to be born as the future Buddha in Śuddhodana's household; the drum then explains what it means to truly see, and begins to teach them how to repent of every fault.
A Birth Already Underway
The sons of heaven's offerings and reverence meet only an empty palace; the drum explains that true seeing does not depend on the eye, and calls them to generate the aspiration for supreme awakening and to repent of every obstruction.
「時，諸天子聞是音已，得未曾有，即皆化作一萬華雲、一萬香雲、一萬音樂雲、一萬幢雲、一萬蓋雲、一萬歌讚雲；作是化已，即共往詣毘盧遮那菩薩所住宮殿，合掌恭敬，於一面立，欲申瞻覲而不得見。時，有天子作如是言：『毘盧遮那菩薩已從此沒，生於人間淨飯王家，乘栴檀樓閣，處摩耶夫人胎。』時，諸天子以天眼觀見菩薩身，處在人間淨飯王家，梵天、欲天承事供養。諸天子眾咸作是念：『我等若不往菩薩所問訊起居，乃至一念於此天宮而生愛著，則為不可。』時，一一天子與十那由他眷屬欲下閻浮提。
"At that time, the sons of heaven, having heard this sound, gained what they had never had before, and each at once transformed themselves into ten thousand clouds of flowers, ten thousand clouds of incense, ten thousand clouds of music, ten thousand clouds of banners, ten thousand clouds of canopies, and ten thousand clouds of songs of praise; having made these transformations, they went together to the palace where Bodhisattva Vairocana dwelt, pressing their palms together in reverence, standing to one side, wishing to gaze upon and pay homage to him, yet unable to see him. At that time, one son of heaven spoke thus: 'Bodhisattva Vairocana has already passed from this place, and has been born into the household of King Śuddhodana in the human world, riding a sandalwood tower-pavilion, dwelling within the womb of Lady Māyā.' At that time, the sons of heaven, using their heavenly eye, beheld the bodhisattva's body dwelling in the human world in the household of King Śuddhodana, served and venerated by the Brahma gods and the gods of desire. The assembly of the sons of heaven all had this thought: 'If we do not go to inquire after the bodhisattva's well-being, and instead give rise even for a single thought to attachment and fondness for this heavenly palace, that would not do.' At that time, each and every son of heaven, together with a hundred thousand koṭis of nayutas of their own retinue, wished to descend to Jambudvīpa.
時，天鼓中出聲告言：『諸天子！菩薩摩訶薩非此命終而生彼間，但以神通，隨諸眾生心之所宜，令其得見。諸天子！如我今者，非眼所見，而能出聲；菩薩摩訶薩入離垢三昧亦復如是，非眼所見，而能處處示現受生，離分別，除憍慢，無染著。諸天子！汝等應發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，淨治其意，住善威儀，悔除一切業障、煩惱障、報障、見障；以盡法界眾生數等身，以盡法界眾生數等頭，以盡法界眾生數等舌，以盡法界眾生數等善身業、善語業、善意業，悔除所有諸障過惡。』「時，諸天子聞是語已，得未曾有，心大歡喜而問之言：『菩薩摩訶薩云何悔除一切過惡？』爾時，天鼓以菩薩三昧善根力故，發聲告言：『諸天子！菩薩知諸業不從東方來，不從南西北方、四維上下來，而共積集，止住於心；但從顛倒生，無有住處。菩薩如是決定明見，無有疑惑。
At that moment, a sound came forth from the heavenly drum and declared: 'Sons of heaven! The bodhisattva-mahāsattva does not end his life here and take birth there; he only uses spiritual power to allow every sentient being, according to what suits their mind, to see him. Sons of heaven! Just as I, right now, am not seen by the eye and yet am able to produce sound, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva, having entered the samādhi of freedom from defilement, is likewise just the same: not seen by the eye, and yet able to manifest the receiving of birth in every place, free of discrimination, having removed arrogance, without any defiling attachment. Sons of heaven! You should give rise to the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, purify your intentions, dwell in wholesome dignity of conduct, and repent of every obstruction of karma, every obstruction of affliction, every obstruction of retribution, and every obstruction of view; with bodies equal in number to the beings of the entire dharma-realm, with heads equal in number to the beings of the entire dharma-realm, with tongues equal in number to the beings of the entire dharma-realm, and with wholesome deeds of body, wholesome deeds of speech, and wholesome deeds of mind equal in number to the beings of the entire dharma-realm, repent of every fault and every obstruction there is.' "At that time, the sons of heaven, having heard these words, gained what they had never had before, and their minds greatly rejoicing, asked: 'How does the bodhisattva-mahāsattva repent of every fault?' At that time, the heavenly drum, through the power of the bodhisattva's wholesome roots gained in samādhi, gave voice and declared: 'Sons of heaven! The bodhisattva knows that every karmic action does not come from the east, nor from the south, west, or north, nor from the four intermediate directions, nor from above or below, and yet accumulates together and comes to rest in the mind; it arises only from inverted thinking, and has no fixed abode. The bodhisattva sees this with such certainty and clarity that there remains no doubt at all.
非眼所見，而能出聲 — not seen by the eye, and yet able to produce sound. The drum uses its own nature — audible yet invisible — as direct proof for the claim that follows: Vairocana Bodhisattva's birth in the human world is likewise something that ordinary sight cannot verify or refute, since his presence in the Tuṣita palace and his descent to Jambudvīpa are both, in the drum's account, manifestations rather than departures and arrivals in the way physical sight would expect.
Part 622 Complete
This continues chapter thirty-five, 如來隨好光明功德品, in fascicle forty-eight. Part 623 continues with the heavenly drum's teaching on how the bodhisattva repents of every fault.