Supreme Voice Without Fear, and a Single Touch

"...skilled in explaining every bodhisattva practice. Go to him and ask." At that time Sudhana the Boy bowed his head at her feet, circled her countless times, gazing upon her without ever tiring, weeping tears of sorrow, rightly holding in mind and reflecting: "Attaining awakening is difficult; encountering a good spiritual friend is difficult; dwelling together with a person of such stature is difficult; attaining the bodhisattva's own faculties is difficult; fulfilling the bodhisattva's own upright mind is difficult; encountering a good spiritual friend of like mind is difficult; contemplating true reality is difficult; rightly according with the true teaching is difficult; giving rise to a sublime mind is difficult; holding omniscience in mind is difficult; nurturing the brightness of the Dharma is difficult." Having thought this, he took his leave and traveled south.

At that time Sudhana the Boy, reflecting on and according with the bodhisattva's own true teaching, purifying the bodhisattva's own practice, his mind able to nurture the bodhisattva's own power of virtue; his mind beholding every buddha; his mind wishing for awakening; his mind able to raise and nurture the great vow; his mind illumining every dharma in the ten directions; his mind beholding the true reality of the Dharma; his mind covering everything, never once scattered or confused; his mind's own pure wisdom contemplating the Dharma-realm, extinguishing the darkness of folly; his mind pure and upright, extinguishing every hindrance; his mind able to subdue every māra. Gradually traveling onward, he arrived at the land Sea Tide, seeking everywhere for the sage Supreme Voice Without Fear. At that time this sage was within a great forest; countless trees adorned this forest, jeweled leaves covering it entirely; every flowering and fruiting tree constantly adorned it; jeweled trees rained down jewels, scattering them across the ground; great sandalwood trees stood in rows all around; every fragrant-resin tree constantly sent forth sublime fragrance; nyagrodha and Jambū trees rained down sweet, fragrant fruit; blue lotus, red lotus, and white lotus flowers adorned it.

At that time Sudhana beheld this sage within that forest, wearing a garment of tree bark, his hair bound up, seated upon grass; ten thousand sages formed his retinue, like a forest of sandalwood trees surrounded by sandalwood. Going before him, he bowed with his five limbs in reverence: "Holding the good spiritual friend in mind, able to open and guide me to the gate of omniscience; holding the good spiritual friend in mind, manifesting the true path; holding the good spiritual friend in mind, able to establish me on the ground of omniscience; holding the good spiritual friend in mind, kindling the jeweled lamp of wisdom, its bright, pure light of wisdom nurturing the light of the ten powers' own wisdom; the good spiritual friend's own path is itself the inexhaustible treasury of omniscience. A good spiritual friend is a lamp, illumining the domain of omniscience; a good spiritual friend is a bridge, delivering one across birth and death; a good spiritual friend is a canopy, giving rise to the power of great kindness, covering everything; a good spiritual friend is never in vain, illumining the true mark of every dharma; a good spiritual friend is the tide of the sea, fulfilling great compassion entirely." Having thought this, he circled him countless times, and, joining his palms, stood and said: "Great sage! I have already raised the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and I do not yet know how a bodhisattva learns the bodhisattva's own practice, and cultivates the bodhisattva path."

At that time this sage, surveying the great assembly, spoke thus: "You should know that this boy has already raised the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, requesting for every sentient being, universally bestowing fearlessness, bringing benefit to every sentient being; turning toward the profound ocean of wisdom, wishing to drink the rain of every buddha's own Dharma; wishing to reach the very bottom of the ocean of every Dharma; wishing to accomplish the great ocean of worldly wisdom; wishing to raise the heavy clouds of great compassion; wishing to rain down the rain of the ambrosial Dharma; wishing to bring forth the bright, pure moon of wisdom transcending the world; wishing to extinguish the darkness of every worldly affliction; wishing to nurture the root of goodness of every sentient being." At that time the great assembly each took hold of every kind of golden, sublime flower, fragrant and delightful, and scattered it over the boy; bowing their heads at his feet, bending low in reverence and circling him, they spoke thus: "This boy is able to rescue and protect every sentient being entirely, extinguishing the three evil paths, freeing them from every peril of Yama's own realm; exhausting the ocean of desire, extinguishing the aggregate of suffering, casting aside the darkness of folly, cutting off the bonds of craving and desire; able to ascend the vajra-encircling mountain of merit, establishing the Sumeru of worldly wisdom, bringing forth, for the world, the bright, pure sun of wisdom, illumining every root of goodness and every dharma, showing and guiding the world to discern good from evil clearly." At that time this sage said to the great assembly: "Whoever is able to raise the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening will attain omniscience, purifying the very ground of every buddha's own merit."

At that time this sage said to Sudhana: "Good son, I have already accomplished the bodhisattva's own Dharma-gate of the Indestructible Banner of Wisdom." Sudhana said: "Great sage, what is the domain of this Dharma-gate?" At that time this sage extended his right hand and touched Sudhana's crown; having touched it, he took hold of Sudhana's hand. At that very moment, Sudhana beheld himself present, in the ten directions, at buddhas as numerous as motes of dust in ten buddha-worlds, beholding those buddhas, their excellent marks adorned, their lands adorned with treasures and marvels beyond number. He also beheld the great ocean of those buddhas' own retinues, from whom he heard the Dharma and upheld it entirely, not losing even a single phrase or a single flavor of it, discerning and upholding the true Dharma's own Brahmā-wheel, receiving every cloud of Dharma, entering the buddhas' own great vow, purely cultivating every strength, his vow and practice made pure, reaching the very end of every treasury of merit. He beheld those buddhas teaching and delivering every sentient being according to what was needed, beholding every buddha's own pure, perfect, great net of light. Having seen this, according with unobstructed wisdom and light, he reached the very end of the Buddha's own strength; sometimes he beheld himself, in the presence of one buddha, for a single day and night; sometimes he beheld himself, in the presence of another buddha, for seven days and seven nights. In this same sequence, in the presence of yet other buddhas, sometimes half a month, a month, a year, a hundred years, a thousand years; sometimes a hundred thousand years, a hundred thousand koṭis of years; sometimes a hundred koṭis of nayutas of years; sometimes half an eon, a full eon, a hundred eons, a thousand eons, a hundred thousand eons; sometimes a hundred koṭis of nayutas of eons, even up to nayutas of eons beyond telling upon telling; sometimes eons as numerous as motes of dust in Jambudvīpa, even up to eons as numerous as motes of dust in worlds beyond telling upon telling.

At that time Sudhana, illumined by the Dharma-gate of the Indestructible Banner of Wisdom, attained the samādhi of the Bright, Pure Treasury; illumined by the samādhi of the Inexhaustible Dharma-gate, he attained the light of the dhāraṇī that travels every direction; illumined by the Dharma-gate of the Perfect Light of Vajra, he attained the samādhi of the Pavilion of Discerning Wisdom-Intent, abiding on the level ground, the adorned treasury of Dharma; illumined by diligence in the perfection of wisdom, he attained the light of the Buddha's own Samādhi of the Space-Treasury; illumined together by the light of the samādhi of every buddha's own Dharma-wheel, he attained the inexhaustible light of wisdom perfected through the three times.

At that time this sage released Sudhana's hand; at that moment Sudhana beheld himself once more in his original place. At that time this sage asked Sudhana: "Do you remember it?" He answered: "Indeed I do, great sage — through the power of a good spiritual friend." "Good son, I know only this bodhisattva's own Dharma-gate of the Indestructible Banner of Wisdom — how could I possibly know the great bodhisattvas' own practice? The great bodhisattvas have all attained the samādhi of sovereign mastery over every sentient being, attaining sovereign mastery over the wheel of every time; giving rise to the inexhaustible wisdom of every buddha, realizing every buddha, the adorned, pure lamp of wisdom; in a single thought-moment, comprehending the affairs of the three times; within every world, manifesting a body of pure wisdom, filling the Dharma-realm, appearing directly before whatever sentient being requires it; understanding entirely the conduct of every sentient being, perfect and pure, entirely delightful. How could I possibly know the great bodhisattvas' own practice, their sublime merit and vow, adorning and purifying buddha-lands, skillfully discerning the capacity for discourse, the domain of wisdom; their profound samādhi, sovereign spiritual power, the domain of liberation; their playful spiritual powers, the voice of the Dharma-body, the ultimate wisdom? Matters such as these are not within my own domain. Good son, to the south of here there is a land, called Seeking Advancement; there is a brahmin there, named Skillful Life. Go to him and ask how a bodhisattva turns toward the bodhisattva path, and cultivates the bodhisattva path."