Fascicle Sixty-Three Complete
After six months of showing Good-Wealth a single samādhi from every part of his own body, Sea-Banner calls it, in the end, only one light among countless others he cannot even describe. He sends Good-Wealth onward once more, and Good-Wealth departs transformed — his own body made firm, his wisdom bright, unable to stop looking back.
One Light, Among What He Cannot Even Name
Everything Good-Wealth has just witnessed for six months — the feet, the crown, every pore — Sea-Banner now calls a single light among countless he cannot describe: not because it was small, but because what lies beyond it is too vast even to characterize in the asking.
「善男子！我唯知此一般若波羅蜜三昧光明。如諸菩薩入智慧海，淨法界境，達一切趣，遍無量剎，總持自在，三昧清淨，神通廣大，辯才無盡，善說諸地，為眾生依；而我何能知其妙行，辨其功德，了其所行，明其境界，究其願力，入其要門，達其所證，說其道分，住其三昧，見其心境，得其所有平等智慧？「善男子！從此南行，有一住處，名曰：海潮；彼有園林，名：普莊嚴；於其園中，有優婆夷，名曰：休捨。汝往彼問：菩薩云何學菩薩行、修菩薩道？」
"Good son! I know only this single light of the samādhi of the pāramitā of wisdom. As for how the great bodhisattvas enter the ocean of wisdom, purify the domain of the dharma-realm, comprehend every destiny, pervade measureless lands, attain self-mastery in total retention, keep their samādhi pure, possess vast and expansive spiritual power, hold inexhaustible eloquence, skillfully speak of every ground, and become a refuge for sentient beings; how could I possibly know their own wondrous practice, distinguish their own merit, comprehend their own conduct, illuminate their own domain, fathom the power of their own vows, enter their own essential gate, reach their own realization, speak of their own portion of the path, abide in their own samādhi, see their own mental domain, or attain the equal wisdom that they possess? Good son! To the south of here there is a dwelling-place, named: Sea-Tide; there is a grove there, named: Universal Adornment; and within that grove, there is a laywoman, named: Rest-and-Release. Go there and ask her: how does a bodhisattva study the bodhisattva's own practice and cultivate the bodhisattva's own path?"
我唯知此一般若波羅蜜三昧光明 — I know only this single light of the samādhi of the pāramitā of wisdom. After every emanation this fascicle has described — feet, knees, waist, ribs, chest, back, shoulders, belly, face, eyes, brow, forehead, head, crown, and every pore — Sea-Banner still names it a single light, one item among a list he cannot even complete.
Unable to Stop Looking Back
Good-Wealth's own departure this time is described almost entirely in terms of what changed inside him — a firm body, wisdom made bright, a mind abiding in every pure gate — and only then does he bow, circle, and linger, unwilling to simply walk away from what he has just received.
時，善財童子於海幢比丘所，得堅固身，獲妙法財，入深境界，智慧明徹，三昧照耀，住清淨解，見甚深法，其心安住諸清淨門，智慧光明充滿十方，心生歡喜，踊躍無量；五體投地，頂禮其足，遶無量匝，恭敬瞻仰，思惟觀察，諮嗟戀慕，持其名號，想其容止，念其音聲，思其三昧及彼大願所行境界，受其智慧清淨光明；辭退而行。大方廣佛華嚴經卷第六十三
At that time, the boy Good-Wealth, at the place of the monk Sea-Banner, attained a firm body, obtained the wondrous treasure of dharma, entered a profound domain, his wisdom bright and penetrating, his samādhi shining forth, abiding in pure understanding, beholding a most profound dharma, his mind abiding securely amid every pure gate, the light of his own wisdom filling the ten directions entirely; his mind gave rise to joy, leaping and rejoicing without measure; he threw all five limbs to the ground, bowed his head at his feet, circled him measureless times, gazed up at him with reverence, reflected and observed, and sighed with admiration and longing, holding onto his own name, calling to mind his own bearing and manner, remembering his own voice, reflecting on his own samādhi and the domain of practice belonging to his own great vow, and receiving the pure light of his own wisdom; and then he took his leave and set off.
Fascicle Sixty-Three of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra
持其名號，想其容止，念其音聲 — holding onto his own name, calling to mind his own bearing and manner, remembering his own voice. Before Good-Wealth can bring himself to actually leave, the text lists three separate things he holds onto at once — a name, a manner, a voice — as though departure itself needed to be delayed by cataloguing everything about Sea-Banner he does not want to forget.
Part 942 Complete — Fascicle 63 Complete
This closes fascicle sixty-three of chapter thirty-nine, 入法界品, which continues into fascicle sixty-four. Part 943 opens fascicle sixty-four, continuing Good-Wealth's own journey toward the laywoman Rest-and-Release in the grove of Universal Adornment.