Mañjuśrī's Hymn
Mañjuśrī — introduced in Part 1 as the "gate of prajñā," paired with Samantabhadra's "gate of the Dharma-realm" — raises his own hymn to Jetavana's transfigured adornment, and the assembled bodhisattvas manifest as physicians, merchants, entertainers, and every kind of being in every kind of realm, without ever leaving their own thrones.
Mañjuśrī's Own Verse
爾時，文殊師利菩薩摩訶薩承佛神力，觀察十方，欲讚歎祇洹林中無量莊嚴，以偈頌曰：
「觀察祇洹中， 如來自在力，一切境界出， 無量功德雲。無量淨妙色， 種種而莊嚴，皆悉普照現， 十方諸佛剎。佛子身毛孔， 出佛音聲雲，種種寶莊嚴， 充滿十方剎。其身如梵王， 威儀常安靜，遍遊十方剎， 演出妙音聲。如來毛孔出， 不可思議身，皆悉如普賢， 眾妙相莊嚴。菩薩普成就， 三世功德海，充滿於虛空， 出生莊嚴雲。於此祇洹中， 演出妙音聲，普說一切眾， 善淨業果報。一一境界中， 悉現佛剎海，三世諸如來， 無量自在力。如來毛孔中， 一切諸世界，微塵等佛剎， 皆悉分別現。一切境界中， 出生諸佛雲，無量善方便， 度脫一切眾。華雲香焰雲， 清淨摩尼寶，種種莊嚴雲， 充滿於十方。三世一切佛， 莊嚴妙道場，於此祇洹林， 一切悉顯現，普賢等佛子， 無量種莊嚴。眾生等劫中， 所修嚴淨剎，如是諸世界， 悉現祇洹林。」
At that time, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, sustained by the Buddha's own spiritual power, contemplated the ten directions, wishing to praise the boundless adornment within Jeta's Grove, and spoke in verse, saying:
Beholding, within Jetavana, the Tathāgata's own sovereign power, every domain gives rise to clouds of merit beyond measure.
Pure and sublime forms beyond measure, adorned in every kind of way, all of them appear, universally illumining every buddha-land in the ten directions.
From the Buddha's children's own pores come forth clouds of the Buddha's own voice, adorned with every kind of jewel, filling every land in the ten directions.
Their bodies like the Brahmā King's own, their bearing constantly tranquil, they wander throughout every land in the ten directions, sending forth sublime voices.
From the Tathāgata's own pores come forth bodies beyond conceiving, every one of them like Samantabhadra, adorned with every marvelous mark.
The bodhisattvas, universally accomplishing the ocean of merit of the three times, filling all of space, give rise to clouds of adornment.
Within this very Jetavana, sending forth sublime voices, universally proclaiming the pure karmic fruit of every being.
Within every single domain, the ocean of every buddha-land appears entirely, every tathāgata of the three times, sovereign power beyond measure.
Within the Tathāgata's own pores, every world there is, buddha-lands as numerous as motes of dust, all of them manifest distinctly.
Within every domain, clouds of every buddha come forth, boundless and skillful means, delivering every being across.
Clouds of flowers, clouds of fragrant flame, pure maṇi jewels, clouds of every kind of adornment, filling the ten directions.
Every buddha of the three times, adorning the sublime bodhimaṇḍa — within this very Jeta's Grove, everything is manifest entirely, Samantabhadra and every buddha's child, adornment beyond every kind of measure.
Whatever pure and adorned lands sentient beings have cultivated through equal eons, every such world is manifest entirely within Jeta's Grove.
This is Mañjuśrī's first act of speech in the chapter, and it echoes, in miniature, the pattern Part 5 already established for the ten directional bodhisattvas' own hymns — contemplation of the ten directions, then verse — but with one telling difference: where those ten hymns each unfolded the Lion's-Vigor Samādhi from the angle of the direction each bodhisattva arrived from, Mañjuśrī's hymn stays fixed on Jetavana itself, closing on the claim that every pure land any sentient being has ever cultivated, through eons beyond counting, is now manifest within this single grove. Part 1's reading note already established, after Fazang, why Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra stand first among the assembly: Samantabhadra as the Dharma-realm entered, Mañjuśrī as the prajñā that enters it. This hymn is the first time in the chapter that the second half of that pairing steps forward to speak in its own voice — and it is Mañjuśrī, not Samantabhadra, who will shortly leave Jetavana altogether and travel south, carrying that same prajñā directly toward the pilgrimage that gives this whole chapter its name.
Every Form, in Every Realm, Without Leaving Their Own Thrones
時，彼一切諸菩薩眾，以如來三昧照故，一一皆得不可說佛剎微塵等大悲法門，饒益安樂，攝取眾生。彼諸菩薩於一一毛孔，各出不可說佛剎微塵等光明；一一光明端，各出不可說佛剎微塵等菩薩。其身尊重，於諸世間，最為殊勝；隨其所應，皆悉顯現，充滿法界；教化眾生，未度者度，未脫者脫；現不可說佛剎微塵等諸天宮殿，無常死相，一切諸法，皆悉如夢；讚歎道場，說一切菩薩諸大願門。或於一切世界，示現受生，為一切眾生，廣現檀波羅蜜門；或現一切諸佛，圓滿淨戒功德，尸羅波羅蜜門；或現斷一切肢節，羼提波羅蜜門；或現勤修精進，毘梨耶波羅蜜門；或現一切菩薩禪定三昧，相續解脫法門。如來圓滿智慧光明，專求一切佛法，為一一句身、味身義故，能捨無量無數之身；詣諸佛所，問無量法門，善知時會，隨其所應而為現法。令一切眾生住一切智，逮得方便智光海門，悉能供養諸佛菩薩；降伏眾魔，制諸外道，悉能顯現菩薩力門；知一切技術明淨智地，欲令眾生得勝妙法，悉能了知眾生諸根，煩惱習氣，種種業報及智慧地。以如是等不可說佛剎微塵等法門，教化眾生：或現天宮，或現龍宮，夜叉、乾闥婆、阿脩羅、迦樓羅、緊那羅、摩睺羅伽等宮，或現梵宮，或現人宮，或現閻羅王宮，或現地獄、餓鬼、畜生處，大悲智慧，及諸大願，不可沮壞，攝取眾生，不捨方便；或以名號教化，或以憶念教化，或以音聲教化，或以圓滿光明教化；或以光明網教化，隨其所應，悉現其前，現處處莊嚴，不離佛所，不離樓閣座，而普現十方。或放化身雲；或現無二身，遊行十方，教化眾生；或現聲聞色像；或現梵天色像；或現一切苦行色像；或現良醫色像；或現商人色像；或現正命色像；或現妓人色像；或現天色像；或現一切技術色像；或現一切城邑、聚落、京都色像；隨其所應，往詣其所。或現種種色身音聲，教化眾生；或現諸語言法，種種威儀、種種菩薩行、種種巧術，一切智明；為世間燈，普照眾生業報莊嚴，分別諸方，悉行圓滿菩薩諸行，悉現一切城邑、聚落、京都，化度眾生。
At that time, all these bodhisattvas, through the illumination of the Tathāgata's own samādhi, each attained gates of great compassion as numerous as motes of dust in buddha-lands beyond telling, bringing benefit and peace, gathering sentient beings in. From every single pore of these bodhisattvas came forth light as numerous as motes of dust in buddha-lands beyond telling; and from the tip of every single ray of light came forth bodhisattvas as numerous as motes of dust in buddha-lands beyond telling. Their bodies, honored and revered, were supreme among every world; manifesting entirely according to what was needed, filling the Dharma-realm; teaching and transforming sentient beings, delivering across those not yet delivered, liberating those not yet liberated; manifesting heavenly palaces as numerous as motes of dust in buddha-lands beyond telling, the mark of impermanence and death, every dharma entirely like a dream; praising the bodhimaṇḍa, expounding the gate of every bodhisattva's own great vow. Some manifested taking birth in every world, broadly manifesting, for the sake of every sentient being, the gate of the giving-pāramitā; some manifested the merit of every buddha's perfected, pure precepts, the gate of the moral-conduct pāramitā; some manifested every limb and joint being cut away, the gate of the patience-pāramitā; some manifested diligent cultivation of vigor, the gate of the diligence-pāramitā; some manifested every bodhisattva's own dhyāna and samādhi, the Dharma-gate of unbroken liberation.
Through the Tathāgata's own perfected light of wisdom, single-mindedly seeking every buddha-dharma, for the sake of the meaning of every single phrase-body and flavor-body, they were able to give up bodies beyond number and count; going before every buddha, asking after boundless Dharma-gates, skillfully knowing the right time and occasion, they manifested the Dharma according to what was needed. Causing every sentient being to abide in omniscience, attaining the gate of the ocean of the light of skillful wisdom, they were able to make offerings to every buddha and bodhisattva; subduing every māra, restraining every heterodox path, they were able to manifest fully the gate of a bodhisattva's own strength; knowing the bright, pure ground of wisdom of every skill and craft, wishing to cause sentient beings to attain the sublime Dharma, they were able to fully understand the faculties of every sentient being, their afflictions and habitual tendencies, and every kind of karmic result and ground of wisdom.
Through Dharma-gates such as these, as numerous as motes of dust in buddha-lands beyond telling, they taught and transformed sentient beings: some manifested as heavenly palaces, some as palaces of nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas; some manifested as the palace of Brahmā, some as human palaces, some as the palace of Yama, King of the Dead; some manifested in the hells, among hungry ghosts, or among animals — their great compassion and wisdom, together with every great vow, could not be shaken or destroyed, gathering sentient beings in, never abandoning skillful means. Some taught through their own name, some taught through being remembered, some taught through their own voice, some taught through perfect, radiant light; some taught through a net of light, manifesting entirely before whatever being needed it, manifesting adornment in every place, yet never departing from the Buddha's own presence, never departing from their pavilion and throne, while manifesting universally throughout the ten directions. Some released clouds of transformation-bodies; some manifested a body without duality, wandering through the ten directions, teaching and transforming sentient beings; some manifested in the form of a śrāvaka; some manifested in the form of Brahmā; some manifested in the form of one practicing every kind of austerity; some manifested in the form of a skilled physician; some manifested in the form of a merchant; some manifested in the form of one of right livelihood; some manifested in the form of an entertainer; some manifested in the form of a deva; some manifested in the form of one skilled in every craft; some manifested in the form of every kind of city, village, and capital — going before whatever place required it. Some manifested every kind of physical form and voice, teaching and transforming sentient beings; some manifested every kind of language, every kind of bearing, every kind of bodhisattva practice, every kind of skillful craft, the clarity of omniscience itself — becoming a lamp for the world, universally illumining the karmic adornment of every being, distinguishing every direction, fully practicing every bodhisattva practice to perfection, manifesting in every city, village, and capital, transforming and delivering sentient beings.
Fazang's own commentary on this exact stretch was not available for consultation in preparing this page's reading note; the observation below rests on the sutra's own visible structure rather than a specific citation, and should be read with that caveat. What is worth flagging plainly: this passage's catalogue of forms a bodhisattva may take — a physician, a merchant, one of right livelihood, an entertainer, a practitioner of austerities, inhabitants of every realm from the heavens down to the hells — reads as a direct anticipation of the very cast of teachers Sudhana is about to meet. When this chapter's pilgrimage proper begins, several of its fifty-three kalyāṇamitras will occupy exactly these roles: a ship's captain, a physician-like elder, a king, a courtesan, a night-goddess, a grammarian. This page does not name any of them, but it already states the principle their variety will later embody — that a bodhisattva teaches "according to what is needed" (隨其所應), through whatever form a given being can actually receive, without that bodhisattva ever leaving "their own pavilion and throne" behind. Sudhana's forthcoming pilgrimage through fifty-three utterly different figures is not a departure from this principle; it is this same principle, unfolded one encounter at a time.
Part 10 Complete
This closes Part 10: Mañjuśrī's own hymn to Jetavana, and the bodhisattvas' catalogue of every form a teaching might take. Part 11 turns to the moment this whole assembly finally begins to move: Mañjuśrī himself leaves Jetavana, traveling south with a vast retinue of named deities and kings, and Śāriputra, watching him go, resolves to follow.
Continue to Part 11 — Mañjuśrī Departs South →