Part 191 of the collection · Teacher 41 of 53: Lady Māyā (4 of ~?) · Fascicle 56 of 60 · T278

Ten Eyes, Granted by a Network of Light

A deva named Dharma, Sublime Virtue, praises Lady Māyā from the sky and sends forth a network of light of every color, circling every buddha's own body before entering the crown of Sudhana's own head. At once, he attains ten named, purified eyes — each dispelling a specific kind of darkness, and each opening onto a different register of reality.

Translator: Ru-Yi Meditation Center Status: Part 191 of 454 complete Source: Taishō T278, 入法界品第三十四之十四 (Buddhabhadra, Eastern Jin) Reading notes after Fazang's 華嚴經探玄記 (T1733)

A Network of Light, Entering Sudhana's Own Crown

Chinese Source

「爾時,有天名法妙德,在虛空中,妙聲讚歎摩耶夫人,又放種種色光明網,廣照無量諸佛世界。爾時,善財見光明網,照諸佛身,遶一匝已,然後還來入善財頂,充滿其身。爾時,善財即得離垢淨光明眼,除滅一切愚癡闇障;得離瞖眼,了知一切眾生實性;得離垢眼,觀一切法性;得淨慧眼,觀一切剎性;得淨光眼,見佛法身;得普明眼,觀不思議如來色身;得無礙光眼,觀察一切世界成敗;得遍光眼,見一切佛轉正法輪,出生修多羅;得普境界眼,觀察無量諸佛神力,教化眾生,得普見眼;觀一切世界隨因緣起。」

Ru-Yi Translation

At that time, there was a deva, named Dharma, Sublime Virtue, who, within the sky, with a sublime voice, praised Lady Māyā, and further sent forth a network of light of every kind of color, broadly illumining boundless buddha-worlds. At that time, Sudhana beheld this network of light illumine the bodies of every buddha, and, after circling once, it then returned and entered the crown of Sudhana's own head, filling his entire body. At that time, Sudhana at once attained the stainless, pure light-eye, extinguishing every obstruction of the darkness of folly and delusion; he attained the eye free of cataracts, thoroughly understanding every sentient being's own true nature; he attained the stainless eye, contemplating the nature of every dharma; he attained the pure wisdom-eye, contemplating the nature of every land; he attained the pure light-eye, beholding the buddha's own Dharma-body; he attained the universally bright eye, contemplating the tathāgata's own inconceivable form-body; he attained the unobstructed light-eye, contemplating the formation and destruction of every world; he attained the all-pervading light-eye, beholding every buddha turning the true Dharma-wheel, giving rise to every sūtra; he attained the eye of the universal state, contemplating the boundless spiritual power of every buddha, teaching and transforming sentient beings; he attained the eye of universal beholding, contemplating every world arising according to its own causes and conditions.

Reading note — after Fazang

Ten distinct eyes, each dispelling a specific darkness and each opening onto a different scope — sentient beings' own nature, the nature of dharmas, the nature of lands, the buddha's own Dharma-body, the tathāgata's own form-body, worlds forming and dissolving, the Dharma-wheel turning, spiritual power, and, finally, causal arising itself. Coming directly after Jeweled Eye's own teaching on clearing the obstruction to "seeing a buddha," this passage answers that teaching in the most literal way possible: Sudhana is not merely told how obstruction is removed, he is given, on the spot, the very organs of sight that removal makes possible.

Part 191 In Progress

Ten pure eyes are now Sudhana's own. Part 192 turns to a rākṣasa king named Good Eye, guardian of the bodhisattvas' own Dharma-hall, who names ten dharmas for drawing near to a good and wise friend.

Continue to Part 192 →