Ten Rebirths, Ten Buddhas, Ten Samādhis
Asked how long she has held this Dharma-gate, the night-deva opens her account in a kalpa named Universal Illumination Banner, locating a single world through a telescoping address — ocean of worlds, world-nature, world, capital, bodhimaṇḍa. At that one bodhimaṇḍa, across ten consecutive rebirths as bodhi-tree spirit and night-deva, she meets ten buddhas in unbroken sequence, attaining a distinct samādhi from each.
A Kalpa Named Universal Illumination Banner
善財白言：「天神！發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心為久如耶？」
答言：「佛子！乃往古世，過二佛剎微塵等劫，有劫名普照幢；於此蓮華藏莊嚴世界海東，過十世界海，有一世界海，名曰離垢眾寶莊嚴；彼世界海中，有世界性，名一切佛光明願音；彼世界性中，有一世界，名離垢光。金色莊嚴，一切寶雲而莊嚴之，眾寶為地，堅固不動，形如一切香妙德王，莊嚴樓閣皆悉清淨，諸天宮殿充滿其中。彼有王都，名曰普滿妙德藏王，彼有道場，名一切眾寶莊嚴藏月光明，其佛號不退法界妙音，於此道場，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。我於爾時，為菩提樹神，名功德燈無邊光幢，我見彼佛，成等正覺，顯現無量自在神力；我於爾時，發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心，於彼佛所，逮得三昧，名普照佛功德海。
Sudhana said: "O deva! How long has it been since you raised the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening?"
She answered: "Child of the Buddha, in ages long past, beyond kalpas as numerous as motes of dust in two buddha-lands, there was a kalpa named Universal Illumination Banner. East of this ocean of worlds, the Lotus-Treasury World of Adornment, past ten oceans of worlds, there was an ocean of worlds named Stainless, Adorned with Every Jewel; within this ocean of worlds there was a world-nature, named the Sound of the Vow and Light of Every Buddha; within this world-nature there was a world, named Stainless Light. It was adorned in golden color, adorned with clouds of every jewel, its ground formed of every jewel, firm and unmoving, its shape like the King of Every Fragrance and Sublime Virtue, its adorned pavilions all entirely pure, filled throughout with the palaces of every heaven. There was a royal capital there, named King of the Fully Perfect Treasury of Sublime Virtue; there was a bodhimaṇḍa there, named the Moonlight of the Treasury Adorned with Every Jewel, and its buddha was named Never-Retreating Sublime Sound of the Dharma-Realm, who, at this very bodhimaṇḍa, attained unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening. At that time I was a bodhi-tree spirit, named the Banner of Boundless Light, the Lamp of Merit; I beheld that buddha attain the most correct awakening, manifesting boundless sovereign spiritual power; at that time I raised the mind of unsurpassed, perfect, complete awakening, and, at that buddha's own presence, attained a samādhi, named Universally Illumining the Ocean of the Buddha's Own Merit."
Fazang marks this as opening the deepest question yet asked of this teacher: 第六善財白言下明法根深淺，先問、後答 — "sixth, beginning with 'Sudhana said,' reveals how deep this Dharma's own root runs; first the question, then the answer." He divides the long answer that follows into four: 一明知過去普照幢劫中發心修行；二於彼剎下二佛世界塵數劫修行；三最後命終下明於此賢劫中修行得法；四善男子汝所問我下結答所問 — "first, revealing the raising of the mind and cultivation within the past kalpa of Universal Illumination Banner; second, beginning with 'within that land,' cultivation across kalpas as numerous as motes of dust in two buddha-worlds; third, beginning with 'at the final death,' cultivation and attainment of the Dharma within this present Bhadrakalpa; fourth, beginning with 'good son, what you asked me,' concluding the answer to the question." What this part translates is only the first of these four — a single world, located through an address that narrows five times over: ocean of worlds, world-nature, world, capital, bodhimaṇḍa, until only one tree remains, and a single spirit dwelling within it who has just raised the mind of awakening for the very first time.
Ten Rebirths at One Bodhimaṇḍa, Ten Buddhas, Ten Samādhis
「彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號法樹功德山；彼菩提樹神，命終之後，還生此處，為菩提樹夜天，名妙德慧功德光明，聞彼如來轉正法輪，復得無量歡喜，普照一切境界三昧。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號一切法海妙音聲王；值彼如來，復得三昧，名成就一切法地。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號寶光焰燈幢王；值彼如來，復得三昧，名分別一切普照雲。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號功德須彌光王；值彼如來，復得三昧，名照諸佛海。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號法雲妙音聲王；值彼如來，復得三昧，名一切法海燈。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號智慧炬明淨燈王；時我為天女，值彼如來，復得三昧，名明淨燈，滅眾生苦。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號法勇幢妙德；值彼如來，復得三昧，名三世佛普照藏。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號法燈勇猛智慧師子；值彼如來，復得三昧，名明淨智，普照一切，無所障礙。彼道場上，次有如來出興于世，號智力山王；值彼如來，復得三昧，名普照三世眾生根行。
「佛子！彼普照幢劫離垢光金色莊嚴世界，如是次第，有十佛世界微塵等如來，出興于世。我於爾時，或為天王、龍王、夜叉王、乾闥婆王、阿脩羅王、迦樓羅王、緊那羅王、摩睺羅伽王；或為人王、梵王、男子、女人、童男、童女皆悉值彼一切如來，恭敬供養；彼佛說法，悉聞受持。
"At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the Merit-Mountain of the Dharma-Tree; after this bodhi-tree spirit's own life had ended, I was born again in this same place, as the night-deva of the bodhi tree, named the Light of the Merit of Sublime-Virtue Wisdom; hearing that tathāgata turn the true Dharma-wheel, I again attained boundless joy, and the samādhi of Universally Illumining Every State. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the King of the Sublime Sound of the Ocean of Every Dharma; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named Accomplishing the Ground of Every Dharma. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the King of the Banner of the Lamp of Jeweled, Blazing Light; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named Discerning the Cloud of Universal Illumination. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the King of the Light of Merit and Sumeru; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named Illumining the Ocean of Every Buddha. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the King of the Sublime Sound of the Dharma-Cloud; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named the Lamp of the Ocean of Every Dharma. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the King of the Bright, Pure Lamp, the Torch of Wisdom; at that time I was a heavenly maiden, and, meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named the Bright, Pure Lamp That Extinguishes the Suffering of Sentient Beings. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named Sublime Virtue, the Valiant Banner of the Dharma; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named the Treasury of Universal Illumination of the Buddhas of the Three Times. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the Lion of Valiant Wisdom, the Lamp of the Dharma; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named Bright, Pure Wisdom, Universally Illumining All Without Any Obstruction. At that bodhimaṇḍa, next there arose in the world a tathāgata, named the King of the Mountain of the Power of Wisdom; meeting that tathāgata, I again attained a samādhi, named Universally Illumining the Roots and Conduct of the Sentient Beings of the Three Times.
"Child of the Buddha, in that kalpa of Universal Illumination Banner, in that world of Stainless Light, Adorned in Golden Color, in this same sequence, tathāgatas equal in number to motes of dust in ten buddha-worlds arose in the world. At that time I was, in turn, a deva-king, a nāga-king, a yakṣa-king, a gandharva-king, an asura-king, a garuḍa-king, a kinnara-king, a mahoraga-king; or a human king, a Brahmā-king, a man, a woman, a boy, or a girl, and in every one of these forms I met every one of these tathāgatas, and reverently made offering to them; these buddhas expounded the Dharma, and I heard and upheld it entirely."
Fazang counts this sequence exactly: 二彼道場上下明轉生更值餘佛得法，略舉十生值於十佛得十三昧。三如是次第下總結十剎塵佛及受生得法。上明一劫中所見諸佛 — "second, beginning with 'at that bodhimaṇḍa,' reveals being reborn again and again to meet further buddhas and attain the Dharma — briefly citing ten rebirths, meeting ten buddhas, attaining ten samādhis. Third, beginning with 'in this same sequence,' summarizes the buddhas as numerous as motes of dust in ten lands, and the rebirths and attainments across them. The above reveals every buddha beheld within a single kalpa." Ten rebirths, ten buddhas, ten samādhis — the exact count this translation preserves, name by name: bodhi-tree spirit, then night-deva, then unnamed rebirths as she meets buddha after buddha without ever once leaving the same bodhimaṇḍa. Only after the tenth samādhi does the account widen its lens, naming the eight classes of nonhuman kings and six classes of human and Brahmā-born beings she has also been, meeting every buddha of that kalpa in every one of these forms in turn.
Part 80 In Progress
One kalpa's account is now complete: a single bodhimaṇḍa, ten consecutive rebirths, ten buddhas met without interruption, and ten distinct samādhis attained one after another. Part 81 turns to the far longer span that follows — kalpas as numerous as motes of dust in two buddha-worlds — and to her arrival, at last, in the present Bhadrakalpa, meeting the buddhas Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kāśyapa, and Vairocana himself.
Continue to Part 81 →