Susthitamati, Walking in the Sky
At Sea Shore, Sudhana finds the monk Susthitamati walking, standing, sitting, and lying down in open space itself, honored by gods, nāgas, and every kind of being — his mastery resting, in his own words, on "having nothing at all and doing nothing at all."
A Monk Attended in Open Space
爾時，善財童子正念善知識教，正念普眼經，思惟彼佛自在神力，受持彼佛句味法雲。修習正法，入深法海；盡法源底，攝取勝法；除滅癡曀，了法寶洲。至海岸國，周遍十方，推求大師，今在何所？見彼比丘，經行虛空，阿僧祇天眷屬圍遶。
時，諸天眾為供養善住比丘故，於虛空中，散諸天華；作眾妓樂，出微妙音；阿僧祇寶幢，莊嚴虛空。時，諸龍王為供養故，興不可思議沈水香雲，遍滿虛空；緊那羅王為供養故，作諸妓樂，出妙音聲，充滿虛空；諸海神王為供養故，嘯和雅音；阿脩羅王為供養故，興不可思議寶雲，莊嚴虛空，放不可思議光明，普照一切，以不可思議珍玩之具，莊嚴虛空。不可思議緊那羅王，充滿虛空，離殺害心，恭敬供養善住比丘；不可思議諸羅剎王，與諸惡形羅剎鬼等，眷屬圍遶，充滿虛空，善住比丘大慈力故；不可思議諸夜叉王，與夜叉眾俱，充滿虛空，為守護善住比丘故，周匝圍遶；不可思議諸梵天王，在虛空中，合掌敬禮，以人音聲，讚彼比丘，於一面住；不可思議諸淨居天，與宮殿俱，為供養故，詣善住比丘。
爾時，善財童子見虛空中，如是供養，合掌敬禮善住比丘，白言：「大聖！我已先發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，而未知菩薩云何正向佛法、專求佛法、恭敬佛法、修諸佛法、長養佛法、積集佛法、熏修佛法、淨諸佛法、遍淨佛法、至諸佛法。我聞大聖，善能教授諸菩薩法；云何菩薩修習佛法，常見諸佛，未曾遠離；常見菩薩，同其善根；不離佛法，智慧滿足；不捨大願於一切眾生，究竟其事；於一切劫，修菩薩行，心無疲倦，不捨佛剎；普能莊嚴一切世界，悉能知見諸佛自在；不離有為，修菩薩行，悉了如幻，入一切趣；現受生死而無起滅，常聞正法，未曾遠離；悉能受持諸佛法雲，不離慧光，普照三世？」
At that time Sudhana the Boy, rightly holding in mind the spiritual friend's own teaching, rightly holding in mind the Universal Eye Sūtra, contemplating that buddha's own sovereign spiritual power, upholding that buddha's own cloud of Dharma in phrase and flavor — cultivating the true Dharma, entering deeply into the ocean of Dharma; reaching the very source and depth of the Dharma, gathering in its supreme teaching; extinguishing the haze of delusion, understanding the very island-treasure of Dharma — arrived at the land of Sea Shore, and, searching in every direction, sought out where the great teacher might now be found. He saw that monk walking in the open sky, surrounded by a retinue of devas beyond counting.
At that time the multitude of devas, in order to make offering to the monk Susthitamati, scattered heavenly flowers throughout the open sky; they made every kind of music, sending forth subtle and marvelous sounds; banners of jewels beyond counting adorned the sky. At that time the nāga-kings, to make offering, raised up clouds of aloeswood incense beyond conceiving, filling the sky entirely; the kiṃnara-kings, to make offering, made every kind of music, sending forth sublime sounds filling the sky; the ocean-deity kings, to make offering, sang out in harmonious, elegant voices; the asura-kings, to make offering, raised up clouds of jewels beyond conceiving, adorning the sky, releasing light beyond conceiving, universally illumining everything, adorning the sky with treasures and delights beyond conceiving. Kiṃnara-kings beyond conceiving filled the sky, their minds free of any wish to harm, reverently making offerings to Susthitamati; rākṣasa-kings beyond conceiving, together with their retinues of fierce-formed rākṣasa-demons, filled the sky, through the power of Susthitamati's own great kindness; yakṣa-kings beyond conceiving, together with their yakṣa hosts, filled the sky, surrounding him on every side to guard him; brahmā-kings beyond conceiving, within the open sky, joined their palms in reverence, praising that monk in human voice, standing to one side; and pure-abode devas beyond conceiving, together with their own palaces, came before Susthitamati to make offering.
At that time Sudhana the Boy, seeing offerings such as these within the open sky, joined his palms in reverence to Susthitamati, and said: "Great sage! I have already raised the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, but I do not yet know how a bodhisattva rightly turns toward the Buddha-dharma, single-mindedly seeks the Buddha-dharma, reverently honors the Buddha-dharma, cultivates the Buddha-dharma, nurtures the Buddha-dharma, accumulates the Buddha-dharma, is imbued through cultivation with the Buddha-dharma, purifies the Buddha-dharma, purifies the Buddha-dharma completely, and reaches every buddha-dharma. I have heard that you, great sage, are well able to teach a bodhisattva's own Dharma: how does a bodhisattva cultivate the Buddha-dharma, constantly beholding every buddha without ever once being apart from them; constantly beholding every bodhisattva, sharing in their very roots of goodness; never departing from the Buddha-dharma, wisdom fulfilled entirely; never abandoning the great vow toward every sentient being, bringing that matter to its very end; through every eon, cultivating the bodhisattva path, the mind never once wearied, never abandoning any buddha-land; universally able to adorn every world, able to know and see every buddha's own sovereignty entirely; without departing from the conditioned, cultivating the bodhisattva path, understanding entirely that it is all like an illusion, entering every destiny; manifesting the acceptance of birth and death yet without arising or ceasing, constantly hearing the true Dharma without ever once being apart from it; able to uphold entirely the cloud of every buddha's own Dharma, never departing from the light of wisdom, universally illumining the three times?"
Fazang glosses the sixty yojanas Sudhana travels as a figure some earlier commentators read literally as the cultivation of the six pāramitās (十由旬 per pāramitā, six times ten), and the land's own name — Sea Shore, its fuller Sanskrit given as "Sea Shore Laṅkā Road" — as marking a real route toward Laṅkā, while also tracing a symbolic progression: 前入於海門，今達到海岸故也 — "having previously entered at the Sea Gate, one now arrives at the Sea Shore." On the teacher's own name, Fazang gives a double gloss: 善往者，巧入理住 — "Susthitamati, skillfully entering an abiding grounded in principle"; and, closer to the letter of the scene itself, 身住虛空，行路無礙，名為善住 — "his body abides in open space, walking a path without any obstruction — hence he is called 'Well-Abiding.'"
"Resting on What Has Nothing at All"
爾時，善住比丘告善財言：「善哉！善哉！善男子！乃能發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，能問佛法，一切智法及無師法。善男子！我已成就菩薩無礙法門，我已修習分別明了逮得無礙明淨慧光。得慧光已，觀察一切眾生心行，無所障礙；觀一切眾生，死此生彼，無所障礙；於宿命智，無所障礙；於未來智，無所障礙；於現在世，知一切眾生，無所障礙；於一切眾生語言法中，無所障礙；若一切眾生，來問難者，悉能應答，無所障礙；知一切眾生根，無所障礙；教化眾生，無所障礙；分別了知一切剎那羅婆摩睺姤路，無所障礙；於三世海無所障礙；己身充滿十方佛剎，無所障礙。何以故？依無所有，無作神通力故。善男子！我得此神通力故，於虛空中，行、住、坐、臥，遊騰十方；於一念中，遍至東方一佛世界；百佛世界；千佛、百千佛、無量佛世界；乃至不可說不可說諸佛世界，閻浮提微塵等世界；乃至不可說不可說佛剎微塵等世界，悉得覩見彼世界中，一切諸佛，及其眷屬，以一切華香、末香、塗香、寶鬘幢幡，雜綵繒蓋，眾妙寶網，一切形像，供養彼如來、應供、等正覺。彼諸如來所可開現宣明讚歎，悉聞受持，分別通達；彼佛所有過去淨剎，我悉憶念；南、西、北方，四維，上、下，亦復如是。若有眾生，得見我者，皆悉畢定阿耨多羅三藐三菩提；如我所見一切眾生，若大、若小，若好、若醜，若苦、若樂，為化度故，隨其所應，現同彼身。若有眾生，來至我所，悉令安住於此正法。善男子！我唯知此一無礙法門，云何能說菩薩修大悲戒、諸波羅蜜戒、乘大乘戒、不捨菩薩道戒、滅障礙戒、菩薩藏戒、不捨菩提心戒、一切佛法深心戒、念一切智不忘失戒、如虛空戒、一切世間無所依戒、不可壞戒、無譬諭戒、不濁戒、不雜戒、離疑戒、清淨戒、離塵戒、離垢淨戒？善男子！菩薩有如是等無量功德，我豈能知，如實解說？善男子！於此南方，有一國土，名曰自在，城名呪藥；彼有良醫，名曰彌伽。汝詣彼，問云何菩薩向菩薩行。」
時，善財童子禮善住比丘足，乃至辭退南行。
At that time Susthitamati said to Sudhana: "Excellent, excellent, good son! You have been able to raise the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and to ask about the Buddha-dharma, the Dharma of omniscience, and the Dharma that needs no teacher. Good son, I have already accomplished the bodhisattva's own unobstructed Dharma-gate; I have cultivated discernment and clarity, and attained the unobstructed, bright, pure light of wisdom. Having attained this light of wisdom, I contemplate every sentient being's own mind and conduct without any obstruction; I observe every sentient being dying here and being born there without any obstruction; I have unobstructed knowledge of past lives; I have unobstructed knowledge of the future; in the present world, I know every sentient being without any obstruction; I have unobstructed understanding of the language and speech of every sentient being; whenever any sentient being comes to question or challenge me, I am able to answer entirely without any obstruction; I know every sentient being's own faculties without any obstruction; I teach and transform sentient beings without any obstruction; I discern and understand entirely every kṣaṇa, lava, and muhūrta without any obstruction; I have no obstruction regarding the ocean of the three times; and my own body fills the buddha-lands of the ten directions without any obstruction. Why is this so? Because it rests upon the power of spiritual mastery that has nothing at all and does nothing at all.
"Good son, having attained this power of spiritual mastery, I walk, stand, sit, and lie down within the open sky, roaming freely through the ten directions; in a single thought-moment, I reach entirely, to the east, one buddha-world; a hundred buddha-worlds; a thousand, a hundred thousand, immeasurable buddha-worlds; even worlds of every buddha beyond telling, worlds as numerous as motes of dust in Jambudvīpa; even worlds as numerous as motes of dust in buddha-lands beyond telling — and in every one of those worlds I am able to behold entirely every buddha and their retinue, and, with every kind of flower, incense, powdered incense, ointment incense, jeweled garlands, banners, multicolored silk canopies, and every kind of marvelous jeweled net and image, make offering to that tathāgata, worthy of offerings, perfectly and fully awakened. Whatever those tathāgatas open, reveal, proclaim, and praise, I hear and uphold entirely, discerning and penetrating it fully; whatever pure lands those buddhas have had in the past, I recall them all entirely; and in the south, west, and north, and in the four intermediate directions, and above and below, it is exactly the same.
"If there are sentient beings who are able to see me, they are all thereby assured of reaching unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening; and, as I behold every sentient being — whether great or small, whether fair or plain, whether suffering or joyful — for the sake of their transformation, I manifest, according to what each requires, a body identical to their own. If there are sentient beings who come to where I am, I cause every one of them to abide firmly in this true Dharma.
"Good son, I know only this one unobstructed Dharma-gate — how could I possibly explain a bodhisattva's own cultivation of the precept of great compassion, the precepts of every pāramitā, the precept of riding the Mahāyāna, the precept of never abandoning the bodhisattva path, the precept of extinguishing every hindrance, the precept of the bodhisattva's own treasury, the precept of never abandoning the mind of awakening, the precept of a profound mind toward every buddha-dharma, the precept of holding omniscience in mind without ever forgetting it, the precept that is like space itself, the precept of relying on nothing in any world, the indestructible precept, the precept beyond any analogy, the precept free of turbidity, the precept free of mixture, the precept free of doubt, the pure precept, the precept free of dust, or the precept pure and free of every stain? Good son, a bodhisattva possesses immeasurable merits such as these — how could I possibly know them, or explain them as they truly are? Good son, to the south of here there is a land called Sovereign, with a city called Spell-Medicine; there is a skilled physician there named Megha. Go to him, and ask how a bodhisattva turns toward the bodhisattva's own practice."
At that time Sudhana the Boy bowed at Susthitamati's feet, and, having taken his leave, traveled onward to the south.
Fazang glosses the recurring 無所障礙 ("without any obstruction") as twelve separate clauses, all resting on a single stated basis: 依無所有，無作神通力故 — "resting upon a spiritual power that has nothing at all and does nothing at all." He is careful to unpack the two halves of that phrase distinctly rather than treating them as a single vague gesture at emptiness: 無所有者，稱理性故 — "'having nothing at all' means according with the very nature of principle"; 無作者，無功用故 — "'doing nothing at all' means being free of any effortful exertion." Susthitamati's sky-walking is not, on this reading, a display of extraordinary effort mastered through practice; it is what naturally follows once nothing further needs to be added to how things already are.
On the technical vocabulary of time this teacher uses to describe his own unobstructed knowledge, Fazang supplies the actual conversion table the text assumes but does not spell out: 於一彈指頃有六十剎那，一百二十剎那名一呾剎那...六十呾剎那名一羅婆，三十羅婆名一摩睺妬路...三十摩睺妬路名一日一夜 — "within a single finger-snap there are sixty kṣaṇas; a hundred and twenty kṣaṇas make one tatkṣaṇa... sixty tatkṣaṇas make one lava; thirty lavas make one muhūrta... and thirty muhūrtas make one full day and night." Susthitamati's claim to understand every kṣaṇa, lava, and muhūrta without obstruction is, in other words, a claim to comprehend time at every one of its own nested scales at once — from the span of a finger-snap up to a full day — not merely a vague gesture at "knowing time."
Fazang closes by noting the Sanskrit name for Susthitamati's whole liberation, "attaining the universally swift, non-empty, ultimate, and inexhaustible bodhisattva liberation" (得普速疾不空超度究竟無盡菩薩解脫), and explains each element in turn: reaching the ten directions in an instant is what makes it "universally swift"; making offerings to buddhas and benefiting beings is what makes it "not empty"; and its function having no limit at all is what makes it "ultimate and inexhaustible." Against that same standard, the twenty precepts Susthitamati names but cannot explain in his closing disclaimer are a deliberate reminder that this liberation, remarkable as it is, is still only one gate among the bodhisattva path's own further, unexhausted range.
Part 19 Complete
This closes Part 19, and the whole of Susthitamati's teaching: his sky-walking mastery resting on having and doing nothing at all, his unobstructed knowledge across every scale of time, and his referral onward to the physician Megha at Sovereign. Part 20 turns to Sudhana's fourth teacher — the first layperson he meets, and a healer whose medicine reaches further than the body.
Continue to Part 20 — Megha, the Physician →