One Hundred and Ten Buddhas, and Tranquil Sound

At that time, the night-deva Sublime Virtue, Rescuing and Protecting Sentient Beings, wishing to make this meaning clear once more, spoke this hymn in verse:

"Sudhana, you should listen carefully to this profound Dharma so difficult to behold,
universally illumining the three times, discerning the profound Dharma-realm.

As I first raised the mind, single-mindedly seeking the unsurpassed path,
according to the Dharma-gate I attained, listen carefully now as I speak of it.

In ages long past, kalpas as numerous as motes of dust in every buddha-land ago,
at that time there was a kalpa, named Stainless Perfection.

At that time there was a world named Bright, Pure Sublime-Virtue Banner,
in which tathāgatas as numerous as motes of dust on Mount Sumeru arose in the world.

The first buddha was Sublime-Virtue Banner; the second, Universal Wisdom's Blazing Light;
the third, Banner of the Dharma, Virtue of Sumeru; the fourth, the Lion Buddha;
the fifth, the Tranquil King; the sixth, named Extinguishing Evil;
the seventh, Gathering of Merit; the eighth, Sumeru Mountain;
the ninth, the Sublime-Virtue Buddha; the tenth, Bright, Pure Moon —
such were the ten tathāgatas who first arose in that kalpa.

Next there were ten more buddhas: the first, Skillful Means of Space;
the second, Universal Light; the third, Abiding Securely in Every Direction;
the fourth, Ocean of Merit; the fifth, Lofty and Unsurpassed;
the sixth, Supreme Cloud; the seventh, the Merit Buddha;
the eighth, Blazing-Light Mountain; the ninth, the Lotus Buddha;
the tenth, Transformation of the Dharma-Realm — these were the twentieth and those before.

The first, King of the Banner of Light; the second, the Wisdom Buddha;
the third, the Buddha of the Meaning of Mind; the fourth, Indra's Own Sublime Virtue;
the fifth, the Sublime Heavenly Buddha; the sixth, the Valiant King;
the seventh, the Virtue of Wisdom; the eighth, the Banner of Light;
the ninth tathāgata was named Surpassing Every World; the tenth, the Lotus Buddha —
these were the thirtieth and those before.

The first, Blazing-Light Mountain; the second, Ocean of Merit;
the third, the Light of the Dharma; the fourth, the Sublime Lotus Flower;
the fifth, the Eye of Sentient Beings; the sixth, Fragrant Light;
the seventh, the Jeweled Mountain of Sublime Virtue; the eighth, King of the Gandharvas;
the ninth, Bright, Pure Wisdom; the tenth, the Tranquil Form.

The first, the Light of Wisdom; the second, Jeweled Light;
the third, the Sublime Virtue of Space; the fourth, the Buddha of Sublime Marks;
the fifth, the Perfect Light of Merit; the sixth, Nārāyaṇa;
the seventh, Sublime Sumeru; the eighth, the Wheel-Turner of Merit;
the ninth, the Indestructible King; the tenth, the Jeweled-Mountain Buddha.

The first, King of the Sāla Tree; the second, Treasury of Sublime Virtue;
the third, King of Light; the fourth, Arising of the Truth;
the fifth, the Virtue of Light; the sixth, the Virtue of Dhāraṇī;
the seventh, the Profound Depth of Light; the eighth, the Buddha of the Sound of the Ocean of Dharma;
the ninth, the Banner of Sumeru, the Buddha of the Light of Sublime Virtue;
and the Tathāgata of Jeweled, Blazing Light — this was the tenth buddha of this group.

The first, the Blazing Light of Brahmā; the second, the Sound of Space;
the third, the Light of the Dharma-Realm; the fourth, Perfect Light;
the fifth, Discerning Light; the sixth, the Banner of Light;
the seventh, the Lamp of Space; the eighth, the Joy of Sublime Virtue;
the ninth, Bright, Pure Light, the Tathāgata of Sublime Merit;
the tenth, Tranquil Sublime Virtue, the Tathāgata of the Cloud of Great Compassion.

The first, the Wisdom of the Light of Power; the second, Appearing Before Sentient Beings;
the third, Unsurpassed Merit; the fourth, the Light of Sublime Virtue;
the fifth, the Buddha of the Arising of the Dharma; the sixth, the Sublime Virtue of Wind's Own Speed;
the seventh, the Buddha of the Pure Banner; the eighth, the Buddha of the Jeweled Canopy;
the ninth, the Sublime-Virtue Buddha; the tenth, Universally Illumining the Three Times.

The first buddha was named Ocean of the Vow; the second, the Virtue of Light;
the third, the Vajra Body; the fourth, the Sublime Virtue of Sumeru;
the fifth, the Buddha of True Mindfulness; the sixth, the Sublime Virtue of the King of Banners;
the seventh, the Lamp of Wisdom; the eighth, Boundless Jewels;
the ninth was named Skillful Means, the Buddha of the Bright, Pure Dharma-Realm;
the tenth was named the Ocean of Dharma, the Sublime Virtue of Bright, Pure Wisdom.

The first buddha was named the Jewel of the Dharma, the Wheel-Turning King of Merit;
the third, the Cloud of Merit; the fourth, the Lamp of Forbearance;
the fifth, Tranquil Sound; the sixth, the Tranquil Banner;
the seventh, the Lamp of Sentient Beings; the eighth, the Buddha of the Great Vow;
the ninth tathāgata was named the Indestructible King of Banners;
the tenth was named Wisdom, the Buddha of the Sublime Virtue That Arises in Blazing Light.

The first buddha was named the King of the Dharma; the second, Unobstructed Wisdom;
the third, Illumining the Ocean of Language; the fourth, Sublime Sound;
the fifth, the Sound of Sublime Virtue; the sixth, the Sovereign Buddha;
the seventh, the Buddha Appearing Before Every Sentient Being of the Ten Directions;
the eighth, the Mind of Equality; the ninth, the Unsurpassed Tathāgata;
the tenth was named the Spontaneous One, Sage and Sublime Virtue, Most Supreme.

All such buddhas as these, as numerous as motes of dust on Mount Sumeru,
every one of these tathāgatas I have already made offering to entirely.

Throughout kalpas as numerous as motes of dust in every buddha-land, to every tathāgata who has arisen,
I have reverently made offering, and thereby attained this Dharma-gate.

Throughout boundless kalpas I have cultivated practice and attained this Dharma-gate;
Sudhana, having heard and contemplated it, should swiftly bring it to completion."

"Good son, I know only this Dharma-gate of teaching and transforming sentient beings; the great bodhisattvas, reaching the very end of the boundless, unbounded practice of the bodhisattva, all of it arising from the ocean of every kind of nature, every kind of upright body and mind, fulfilling the ocean of every faculty, fully endowed with every gate of the great vow, cultivating boundless gates of samādhi, fully accomplished in boundless spiritual power, cultivating the practice of boundless wisdom, entering every kind of wisdom, the light of every dharma, universally illumining all — how could I possibly know, how could I possibly speak of, such merit and practice as this? Good son, within this very bodhimaṇḍa, not far from me, there is a night-deva, named Tranquil Sound, seated upon a lion-throne of a jeweled-banner lotus-treasury, surrounded by a retinue of a million asaṃkhyeyas of devas. Go to her and ask how a bodhisattva learns the bodhisattva's own practice, cultivates the bodhisattva's own path."

At that time Sudhana the Boy reverently bowed his head at the night-deva Sublime Virtue, Rescuing and Protecting Sentient Beings' feet, circled her countless times, and, with a reverent heart, took his leave.