Maitrāyaṇī, and Every Buddha Reflected in a Single Jewel

At that time Sudhana the Boy gave rise to a mind of reverence beyond conceiving, delighting in the pure Dharma, turning single-mindedly toward the Great Vehicle, seeking the wisdom of every buddha, drawing near to the Tathāgata, contemplating the Dharma's own domain without any obstruction, resolving upon the true limit, abiding in the true domain, reaching the very limit of the three times, understanding that the three times are like the limit of space itself, resolving and understanding entirely the limit of the Dharma of the three times, not fabricating any limit of the Dharma, abiding in the unobstructed limit, never opposing the limit of karma, resolving and understanding entirely that the Buddha's own limit is no limit at all, abiding in the Tathāgata's own abiding; extinguishing every false thought, attached to no buddha, no retinue, no world at all; knowing that no sentient being has any self or any true reality, that every sound and voice is apart from the path of language, understanding that every form is like a flash of lightning. Gradually traveling south, he arrived at that city, and, seeking everywhere, asked where the girl Maitrā might be found. At that time someone answered: "She is now within the palace of King Lion's Banner." Having heard this, he went to the gate seeking to see this girl. At that time countless people were entering the palace; Sudhana asked them: "Where are all of you going now?" They answered: "We wish to go before the girl Maitrā to hear and receive the true Dharma."

At that time Sudhana thought thus: "This palace gate opens and admits freely, without any obstruction." Sudhana then entered, and beheld this woman within a bright, pure, jeweled treasury Dharma-hall; its ground the color of crystal, its pillars of lapis lazuli, its walls of vajra, its balustrades and windows of Jambū-river gold, its light universally illumining everything, adorned with countless maṇi jewels; further, a thousand jeweled-treasury maṇi mirrors, perfectly round and adorned, delighting whatever being beheld them, adorned with bright, pure, sublime jewels; further, a net of countless maṇi jewels covered over it, a hundred thousand golden bells sending forth subtle, marvelous sounds — with every kind of treasure beyond conceiving such as these, the hall was adorned. He beheld this woman, her body like true gold, her eyes and hair a deep blue-black color, seated upon a lion-throne of pure, fragrant jewels amid water, covered with a net of gold; spread with every kind of jeweled robe, surrounded by a great assembly, expounding the Dharma in a voice like Brahmā's own. Having seen her, he bowed his head at her feet, circled her countless times, and, joining his palms in reverence, stood to one side 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, cultivates the bodhisattva path?" She answered: "Good son, look closely and contemplate the adornment of this very Dharma-hall."

At that time Sudhana beheld, within every single pillar of lapis lazuli, within every single wall of vajra, within every single maṇi mirror, within every single image, within every single jewel, within every single ornament, within every single golden bell, within every single jeweled tree, within every single jeweled image, within every single jeweled necklace — he beheld entirely, equal to the whole Dharma-realm, every tathāgata, from their very first raising of the mind, cultivating the bodhisattva's own practice, fulfilling the great vow, adorned with merit, attaining perfect awakening, turning the pure Dharma-wheel, even manifesting entry into nirvāṇa without remainder — just as one beholds the moon's own reflection within clear water. Within every single adorned object of every domain, Sudhana the Boy beheld every buddha, from their very first raising of the mind even to manifesting entry into nirvāṇa without remainder, in exactly the same way — all of it through the power of this woman's own roots of goodness planted in the past.

At that time Sudhana, rightly holding every buddha in mind, reverently joining his palms, said: "Great sage, what Dharma-gate is this?" She answered: "Good son, this is the Dharma-gate of the Perfection of Wisdom's Universal Adornment; at the presence of thirty-six Ganges-River-sands' worth of buddhas, I cultivated this Dharma-gate, and each of those tathāgatas, through a different gate, caused me to enter this very Dharma-gate of the Perfection of Wisdom's Universal Adornment." Sudhana said: "Great sage, what is the domain of this Dharma-gate?"

She answered: "Good son, entering this Dharma-gate, rightly holding it in mind and reflecting on it, discerning and upholding it, at the moment of giving rise to the time of equanimity, I attained the Universal-Gate Dhāraṇī and dhāraṇīs beyond a million in number as its own retinue — namely: the Dhāraṇī-gate of Buddha-Lands, of Buddhas, of the Dharma, of Sentient Beings, of the Past, of the Future, of the Present, of Abiding in the True Limit, of Merit, of the Equipment of Merit, of Wisdom, of the Equipment of Wisdom, of Every Vow, of Discerning Every Vow, of Practice, of Cultivating and Gathering Practice, of Pure Practice, of Fulfilled Practice, of Karma, of Not Opposing Karma, of the Flow of Karma, of What Karma Produces, of Being Far from Evil Karma, of Turning Toward Right Karma, of Sovereign Mastery over Karma, of Wholesome Conduct, of the Samādhi of Wholesome Conduct, of Samādhi, of According with Samādhi, of Discerning Samādhi, of Indestructible Samādhi, of Every Spiritual Brightness, of the Ocean of Mind, of Every Kind of Mind, of the Pure Ground of Mind, Universally Illumining the Heaviest Mind of Evil, of the Joyful Mind, Tamer and Guide, of Rousing Sentient Beings, of Affliction, of Habitual Tendency, of the Skillful Means of Affliction, of Desire, of What Sentient Beings Do, of Every Kind of Karmic Conduct of Sentient Beings, of the Own-Nature of the World of Sentient Beings, of the Mark of Sentient Beings, of Direction, of Expounding the Dharma, of Great Compassion, of Great Kindness, of Tranquil Extinction, of Every Path of Language, of Skillful Means and Non-Skillful-Means, of According With, of Discerning, of Gathering In, of the Unobstructed True Limit, the Universal Dhāraṇī-gate, of the Buddha-dharma, of the Bodhisattva's Dharma, of the Pratyekabuddha's Dharma, of the Śrāvaka's Dharma, of Worldly Dharma, of the World's Own Arising, of the World's Own Dissolution, of the World's Own Shape and Color, of a Pure World, of a Stained World, of Manifesting a Stained, Murky Land Within a Pure World, of Manifesting a Pure Land Within a Stained World, of an Entirely Pure World, of an Entirely Stained World, of an Equal World, of an Inverted World, of a World Made Stable, of Entering Indra's Net, of Revolving Worlds, of Abiding Marks, of Placing the Great Within the Small, of Placing the Small Within the Great, of Discerning the Buddha's Body, of Releasing the Net of the Buddha's Own Adorned Light, of Discerning the Tathāgata's Own Perfect Voice, of the Buddha's Own True Dharma-Wheel, of Giving Rise to the Buddha's Dharma-Wheel, of Discerning the Buddha's Dharma-Wheel, of the Buddha's Indestructible Dharma-Wheel, of the Buddha's Own Eloquent Dharma-Wheel, of Turning Toward the Buddha's Dharma-Wheel, of Being Able to Perform a Buddha's Own Work, of Turning Toward Every Buddha's Assembly, of Discerning Every Buddha's Great Assembly, of the Inexhaustible Great Ocean of Every Buddha's Own Retinue, Universally Illumining the Buddha's Own Strength, of the Tathāgata's Own Samādhi, of the Tathāgata's Own Samādhi's Sovereign Spiritual Power, of the Buddha's Work Brought to Its Very End, of Abiding in the Buddha's Own Abiding, of the Buddha's Own Sustaining Power, of the Buddha's Own Transformation, of the Buddha Knowing Every Sentient Being's Mind and Every Mental Factor's Own Activity, of the Buddha's Own Sovereign Spiritual Power, of Abiding in the Tuṣita Heaven, even up to the Dhāraṇī-gate of Manifesting Entry into Final Nirvāṇa, of Bringing Benefit to Sentient Beings Beyond Measure, of Every Profound Dharma, of Every Adorned Dharma, of the Skillful Means of the Form of the Mind of Awakening, of the Form Arising from the Mind of Awakening, of the Form of Vow, of the Form of Practice, of the Form of Spiritual Brightness, of the Form That Transcends Birth and Death, of the Form of Pure Wisdom, of the Form of Pure Understanding, of the Form of Awakening Beyond Measure, and the Dhāraṇī-gate of the Form of One's Own Pure Mind. Good son, I know only this Dharma-gate of the Perfection of Wisdom's Universal Adornment — the great bodhisattvas, their minds like space itself, entering deeply into the Dharma-realm, their merit accomplished and complete, abiding in the transcendent Dharma, forever removed from worldly conduct; fully endowed with purity, apart from every deluded eye of wisdom, resolving and understanding entirely the boundless Dharma-realm, their wisdom boundless, equal to space itself, attaining the unobstructed eye, unobstructed within every domain, abiding in the unobstructed treasury of the ground, universally illumining everything, skillfully able to discern the meaning of every dharma, unable to be destroyed by any world at all, practicing worldly conduct without being stained by it, through skillful means bringing benefit and gathering in every sentient being, manifesting according to whatever is needed, sovereign in turning the true Dharma-wheel at every time — such merit as this, how could I possibly know it, how could I possibly explain it? Good son, to the south of here there is a land, called Rescue and Deliverance; there is a monk there, named Excellent Manifestation. Go to him and ask how a bodhisattva learns the bodhisattva's own practice, cultivates the bodhisattva—