A Good Friend, a Great King, the Great Ocean
The catalogue turns to cosmological imagery: the mind of bodhi is a good friend, free of every evil and every terror; a great king, surpassing the mind of every śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha; the most supreme, perfecting every incomparable vow; the great ocean, holding every merit within it; the king of mountains Sumeru, its mind regarding every being equally, unmoved; the vajra-encircling mountains, gathering in and holding every sentient being; the snow mountain, nurturing the cooling medicine of wisdom; the fragrant mountain, bringing forth the fragrance of every merit; empty space, its every wondrous merit without bound; a lotus, unstained by any worldly dharma; a jeweled elephant and a jeweled horse, taming every faculty and free of every vicious quality; a tamer, guarding the Great Vehicle; a good medicine, healing every sickness of the afflictions; the submarine fire, consuming every unwholesome dharma; vajra, shattering every evil dharma; and a blended incense, bringing forth the fragrance of every merit.
Sumeru, the Vajra-Encircling Mountains, and the Snow Mountain
切諸菩薩故；菩提心者，則為善知識，離一切惡諸恐怖故；菩提心者，則為大王，勝諸聲聞、緣覺心故；菩提心者，則為最勝，成滿一切無比願故；菩提心者，則為大海，悉能容受諸功德故；菩提心者，則為須彌山王，等觀眾生心不動故；菩提心者，則為金剛圍山，攝持一切諸眾生故；菩提心者，則為雪山，長養智慧清涼藥故；菩提心者，則為香山，出生一切功德香故；菩提心者，則為虛空，諸妙功德無邊際故；菩提心者，則為蓮華，不染一切世間法故；菩提心者，則為寶象，悉能調伏一切根故；菩提心者，則為寶馬，遠離諸惡悷法故；菩提心者，則為調御師，悉能守護摩訶衍故；菩提心者，則為良藥，療治一切煩惱病故；菩提心者，則為沃焦，消盡一切不善法故；菩提心者，則為金剛，壞散一切諸惡法故；菩提心者，則為和香，出生一切功德香故；
"…the mind of bodhi is a good friend, for it is free of every evil and every terror; the mind of bodhi is a great king, for it surpasses the mind of every śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha; the mind of bodhi is the most supreme, for it perfects every incomparable vow; the mind of bodhi is the great ocean, for it is able to hold every merit within it; the mind of bodhi is the king of mountains, Sumeru, for its mind regards every being equally, unmoved; the mind of bodhi is the vajra-encircling mountains, for they gather in and hold every sentient being; the mind of bodhi is the snow mountain, for it nurtures the cooling medicine of wisdom; the mind of bodhi is the fragrant mountain, for it brings forth the fragrance of every merit; the mind of bodhi is empty space, for its every wondrous merit is without bound; the mind of bodhi is a lotus, for it is unstained by any worldly dharma; the mind of bodhi is a jeweled elephant, for it is able to tame every faculty; the mind of bodhi is a jeweled horse, for it is far removed from every vicious and unruly quality; the mind of bodhi is a tamer, for it is able to guard and protect the Great Vehicle; the mind of bodhi is a good medicine, for it heals every sickness of the afflictions; the mind of bodhi is the submarine fire, for it consumes every unwholesome dharma entirely; the mind of bodhi is vajra, for it shatters and scatters every evil dharma; the mind of bodhi is a blended incense, for it brings forth the fragrance of every merit;"
This stretch draws on the classical Buddhist cosmology of Mount Sumeru ringed by the vajra-encircling mountains (Cakravāḍa, the outermost ring of iron mountains bounding a world-system) and on Himalayan and fragrant-mountain imagery familiar from Indian cosmological literature — Fazang reads the pairing of Sumeru's immovable equanimity with the encircling mountains' protective enclosure as two complementary aspects of the same steadiness, one facing inward toward impartiality and one facing outward toward protection. The source's own text for "vicious and unruly" in the simile of the jeweled horse preserves a rare compound glyph (a variant character built from 怡, 台, and 龍) that does not render in standard fonts; this translation follows its evident sense from context and parallel usage elsewhere in the canon.
Part 337 In Progress
The catalogue continues without pause. Part 338 turns to the mind of bodhi as a wondrous flower, white sandalwood, a musical instrument, a valiant hero, tweezers that pull out every thorn, a sovereign lord, and the heavenly king Vaiśravaṇa.
Continue to Part 338 →