Turning the Wheel of the Dharma, Cultivating the Ground
The hymn's long first movement closes its refrain of reasons for the initial resolve, then turns to what follows it — offering to every buddha, seeking the path without weariness, becoming a refuge for beings fallen into evil destinies — before an explicit closing line names this entire movement as the Abode of the Initial Resolve. The second abode then follows in far fewer lines, restating the ten kinds of mind toward living beings in verse.
The Final Reasons, and Turning the Wheel of the Dharma
The refrain of "the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve" reaches its final couplets, then the verse turns to what the newly resolved bodhisattva does next: seeking the path without weariness across birth-and-death, becoming a refuge for beings fallen into evil destinies, and turning the pure wheel of the Dharma in place of the wheel of birth-and-death — before the movement closes, naming itself explicitly as the Abode of the Initial Resolve.
「一切十方諸世界，無量如來悉充滿，
欲悉了知彼佛法，菩薩以此初發心。
種種變化無量身，一切世界微塵等，
欲悉了達從心起，菩薩以此初發心。
過去未來現在世，無量無數諸如來，
欲於一念悉了知，菩薩以此初發心。
欲具演說一句法，阿僧祇劫無有盡，
而令文義各不同，菩薩以此初發心。
十方一切諸眾生，隨其流轉生滅相，
欲於一念皆明達，菩薩以此初發心。
欲以身語及意業，普詣十方無所礙，
了知三世皆空寂，菩薩以此初發心。」
"Every world throughout the ten directions, entirely filled with immeasurable Tathāgatas — wishing to understand entirely their own buddha-dharma, the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve.
Every kind of transformed, immeasurable body, equal in number to the motes of dust in every world — wishing to understand and penetrate entirely that they arise from the mind, the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve.
Throughout the past, the future, and the present, immeasurable and countless Tathāgatas — wishing to understand them entirely within a single thought, the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve.
Wishing to fully expound a single phrase of the Dharma across asaṃkhyeya kalpas without ever exhausting it, and yet to cause its letter and its meaning to each remain distinct, the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve.
Every living being throughout the ten directions, according to their own transmigrating marks of arising and ceasing — wishing to understand and penetrate them all entirely within a single thought, the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve.
Wishing, by means of the deeds of body, speech, and mind, to universally go throughout the ten directions without any obstruction at all, understanding entirely that the three periods of time are all empty and tranquil, the bodhisattva, by this, gives rise to his initial resolve."
「菩薩如是發心已，應令往詣十方國，
恭敬供養諸如來，以此使其無退轉。
菩薩勇猛求佛道，住於生死不疲厭，
為彼稱歎使順行，如是令其無退轉。
十方世界無量剎，悉在其中作尊主，
為諸菩薩如是說，以此令其無退轉。
最勝最上最第一，甚深微妙清淨法，
勸諸菩薩說與人，如是教令離煩惱。
一切世間無與等，不可傾動摧伏處，
為彼菩薩常稱讚，如是教令不退轉。
佛是世間大力主，具足一切諸功德，
令諸菩薩住是中，以此教為勝丈夫。
無量無邊諸佛所，悉得往詣而親近，
常為諸佛所攝受，如是教令不退轉。
所有寂靜諸三昧，悉皆演暢無有餘，
為彼菩薩如是說，以此令其不退轉。
摧滅諸有生死輪，轉於清淨妙法輪，
一切世間無所著，為諸菩薩如是說。
一切眾生墮惡道，無量重苦所纏迫，
與作救護歸依處，為諸菩薩如是說。
此是菩薩發心住，一向志求無上道，
如我所說教誨法，一切諸佛亦如是。」
"The bodhisattva, having thus given rise to this resolve, should then go to the lands of the ten directions, reverently making offering to every Tathāgata — by this he is caused to be without any regression.
The bodhisattva, valiant, seeks the buddha-path, abiding within birth-and-death without any weariness or discontent; extolling this for their sake, causing them to practice in accord with it — thus is he caused to be without any regression.
Throughout the immeasurable lands of the worlds of the ten directions, becoming, within every one of them, an honored lord — proclaiming this for the sake of the bodhisattvas, by this he is caused to be without any regression.
The most supreme, the most excellent, the very foremost, the exceedingly profound, subtle, and pure Dharma — urging the bodhisattvas to proclaim it to others, teaching them in this way to leave affliction behind.
That which has nothing at all equal to it throughout the whole world, a place that cannot be shaken or overturned — forever extolling this for the sake of the bodhisattvas, teaching them in this way to be without any regression.
The Buddha is the great and mighty lord of the world, fully endowed with every merit there is; causing the bodhisattvas to abide within this very thing — by this teaching, he becomes a supreme and excellent one.
At the place of immeasurable, boundless buddhas, entirely able to go there and draw near, forever gathered in and embraced by every buddha — teaching them in this way to be without any regression.
Every tranquil samādhi there is, expounding and proclaiming all of them entirely, with nothing at all left over — proclaiming this for the sake of the bodhisattvas, by this he is caused to be without any regression.
Destroying and extinguishing the wheel of birth-and-death within every state of existence, turning the pure and wondrous wheel of the Dharma instead, clinging to nothing at all throughout the whole world — proclaiming this for the sake of the bodhisattvas.
Every living being who falls into an evil destiny, bound and pressed by immeasurable, heavy suffering — becoming their own rescue and refuge, proclaiming this for the sake of the bodhisattvas.
This is the bodhisattva's own Abode of the Initial Resolve, single-mindedly aspiring to seek the unsurpassed path; just as I myself have spoken this teaching and instruction, so too does every single buddha teach it in exactly this way."
The Second Abode: Cultivating the Ground, in Verse
The verse now restates the second abode far more briefly than the first — the same ten kinds of mind toward living beings, the same disciplines of learning, speech, and settled composure, now given in couplets rather than prose.
「第二治地住菩薩，應當發起如是心，
十方一切諸眾生，願使悉順如來教。
利益大悲安樂心，安住憐愍攝受心，
守護眾生同己心，師心及以導師心。
已住如是勝妙心，次令誦習求多聞，
常樂寂靜正思惟，親近一切善知識。
發言和悅離麁獷，言必知時無所畏，
了達於義如法行，遠離愚迷心不動。
此是初學菩提行，能行此行真佛子，
我今說彼所應行，如是佛子應勤學。」
"The bodhisattva of the second abode, Cultivating the Ground, should give rise to just such a mind as this: vowing to cause every living being throughout the ten directions to entirely accord with the Tathāgata's own teaching. A mind of benefit, a mind of great compassion, a mind of peace and happiness; a mind of settling them, a mind of pity, a mind of gathering them in; a mind of guarding living beings, a mind that treats them as one's own self; a mind of being their teacher, and likewise a mind of being their guide.
Having already abided within such a supreme and wondrous mind as this, he is next caused to recite and study, seeking great learning, forever delighting in tranquil stillness and right contemplation, drawing near to every good and wise friend. Speaking words that are gentle and pleasing, free of coarseness and roughness, speaking always with a knowledge of the proper time and without any fear at all, thoroughly understanding meaning and practicing in accordance with the Dharma, staying far removed from foolishness and confusion, his mind unmoving.
This is the practice of one newly learning the conduct of bodhi; one able to practice this very conduct is a true son of the Buddha. I have now spoken of the conduct that is fitting for him; sons of the Buddha should diligently study it in just this way."
The dramatic contrast in scale between the first abode's verse — ninety-two lines of accumulating vows and cosmic ambitions — and the second abode's twelve lines restating the same ten minds already given in prose is itself instructive. The awakening-mind, the sūtra's own structure suggests, is not one stage among ten equal stages but the foundational act from which everything else unfolds; once given rise to properly, in full and exhaustive detail, the remaining nine abodes can each be stated with comparative brevity, since their content was already implicit in that first, thoroughly examined resolve.
Part 81 Complete
This closes Part 81. The great hymn continues in Part 82 with the third and fourth abodes, Cultivating Practice and Noble Birth.