Book 20. Eulogies in the Palace of the Suyama Heaven. Then, due to the spiritual force of the Buddha, a great enlightening being from each of the ten directions, each accompanied by as many enlightening beings as atoms in a Buddha land, came from beyond as many lands as atoms in a hundred thousand Buddha lands and gathered in an assembly. The names of those great enlightening beings were Forest of Virtues, Forest of Wisdom, Forest of Victory, Forest of Fearlessness, Forest of Conscience, Forest of Energy, Forest of Power, Forest of Practice, Forest of Awareness, Forest of Knowledge. The lands which these enlightening beings came

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from were called Intimate Wisdom, Symbolic Wisdom, Jewel Wisdom, Supreme Wisdom, Lamp Wisdom, Adamantine Wisdom, Peaceful Wisdom, Sun Wisdom, Clear Wisdom, Pure Wisdom, and Pure Wisdom. These enlightening beings had each purely cultivated religious practice in the company of a Buddha. The names of those Buddhas were Eternal I, Invincible I, Non-Dwelling I, Imperturbable I, Divine I, I of Liberation, I Comprehending Truth, I Understanding Forms, Supreme I, Violet I. Having come to the Buddha, these enlightening beings bowed at the Buddha's

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feet, then each made jewel-bank lion seats in their respective directions and sat thereupon. As in this world enlightening beings gathered this way in the Suyama Heaven, so did this also take place in all worlds. The names of the enlightening beings, their worlds, and the Buddhas they associated with were all the same. Then the World Honored One emanated from the top of her feet ten trillion beams of light of wonderful hues illumining the ten directions. The Buddhas and congregations in the palaces of the Suyama Heavens in all worlds were made clearly visible. Then the enlightening being Forest of Virtues, imbued with power from the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, Buddha emanates great light illumining the ten directions. All see the Honored One of Heaven and Earth

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freely without obstruction. Buddha sits in the Suyama Palace yet pervades all worlds in the cosmos. This phenomenon is most extraordinary, wondered at by the world. The King of the Suyama Heaven has praised ten Buddhas in verse. What is seen in this assembly is all the same everywhere. Those groups of enlightening beings all have the same names as ours. In every palace in the ten directions they expound the unsurpassed teaching. The worlds from which they come are also the same in name as ours. Each of them have with their Buddhas perfected religious practice. The names of each of those Buddhas are also the same as of ours. Their countries are rich and happy. Their spiritual powers are autonomous. Each

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everywhere in the ten directions they think the Buddha is there. Some see her in the human world. Some see her in heaven. The Buddha abides everywhere in all the various lands. We now see the Buddha in this celestial court. She made a vow of enlightenment that extended to every world in the cosmos. This is why Buddha's power pervades all inconceivably. Leaving behind worldly desires, she fulfilled boundless virtue. Therefore, she gained spiritual power and is seen by all beings. She traverses all worlds in the cosmos like space with no obstruction. One body, infinite bodies, her form cannot be grasped. Buddha's virtues are boundless. How could they be measured? Neither abiding nor leaving, she permeates the cosmos. Then

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the enlightening being, forest of wisdom, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, The great leader of the world, supreme honored one, free from defilement, is hard to get to meet even in countless eons. Buddha emits great light visible to all the world. Preaching extensively for the multitudes, she benefits all living beings. Buddha appears in the world removing the darkness of ignorance. Such a lamp of the world is rare and hard to get to behold. Having cultivated generosity, self-control and patience, diligence and meditation and ultimate transcendent wisdom, with them she lights the world. The Buddha has no peer. None comparable can be found. Without comprehending

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real truth, no one can perceive her. Buddha's body and psychic powers are inconceivably free. Neither going nor coming, she speaks the truth to liberate. If any can see and hear the pure teacher of humans and gods, they'll leave forever the states of woe and cast off all miseries. For measureless, countless eons, she cultivated enlightening practice. Who cannot know the meaning of this cannot attain Buddhahood. If one can know this meaning, one's virtues will surpass one who makes offerings to countless Buddhas for inconceivable eons. Even if one gives to a Buddha countless lands full of jewels, if one knows not this meaning, one never attains enlightenment. Then the enlightening being, forced of victory, imbued

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with power from the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, as in the summer months with the sky clear and cloudless, the radiant sun blazes with light filling the ten directions. That light, boundless, impossible to measure even by those with eyes, let alone the blind. So are the Buddhas. Their virtues are boundless. Even in inconceivable eons, no one can know them in detail. All things have no provenance, and no one can create them. There is nowhere whence they are born. They cannot be discriminated. All things have no provenance, therefore they have no birth. Because there is no birth, neither can extinction be found. All things are birthless and have no extinction either.

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Those who understand in this way will see the Buddha. Because things have no birth, their inherent nature is non-existent. One who analyzes and knows this will arrive at the profound truth. Because things have no inherent nature, no one can comprehend them. When understanding things in this way, ultimately nothing is understood. That which is set to have birth is to manifest lands. If one can know the nature of lands, one's mind will not be confused. Examining according to truth the nature of the world and lands, one will understand. If one is able to know this, one can explain all things. Then the enlightening being, forced of fearlessness by the power of the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, The Buddha's immense body reaches the extremities of the

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cosmos. Without leaving this seat, it pervades all places. Whoever hearing this teaching respects and has faith in it, shall forever escape all the miseries of the states of woe. Even going to many worlds, uncountably numerous, single-mindedly desiring to hear of the powers of the Buddha and such qualities of Buddha's, their unexcelled enlightenment, even wanting to hear for a moment, none is able to do so. If any in the past believed this aspect of Buddha, they have already become Buddhas and are lamps of the world. If any will get to hear of the Buddha's free powers and having heard will believe, they too will become Buddhas. If any in the present can believe this teaching of Buddha, they will also become Buddhas and

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expound the teaching fearlessly. This teaching is hard to encounter, even in countless eons. If any get to hear it, know it is the power of past vows. If any can accept and hold such teachings of Buddha and upholding them, spread them too, they will become Buddhas. How much the more so, those who work diligently, firm of mind, not giving up, you should know such people will certainly attain enlightenment. Then the enlightening being forest of conscience empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, if people get to hear this rare teaching of freedom and can produce a joyful mind, they'll soon remove the webs of doubt. The one who knows and sees all speaks these words herself. There's nothing

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the Buddha knows not, therefore she's inconceivable. Never from lack of wisdom has wisdom ever been born. Worldlings are always in the dark and therefore none can produce it. Just as form and non-form are two and not one, so are knowledge and ignorance. They are essentially different. As signs and signlessness, birth, death and nirvana are distinct and not the same, so are knowledge and nescience. When a world first comes to be, there's no sign of decay. So it is with knowledge and ignorance. Their characteristics are not simultaneous. Like the enlightening being's first state of mind does not coexist with their final state of mind, so it is with knowledge and nescience. These two minds do not coexist. Just as bodies

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of consciousness are individual and don't combine, so also knowledge and ignorance ultimately have no communion. Just as a panacea can eliminate all toxins, so also can knowledge extinguish all ignorance. The enlightened is unexcelled and also has no peer. She has no compare at all and is therefore hard to meet. Then the enlightening being, forest of energy, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, all things have no differentiation. No one can know them. Only among Buddhas are they known because Buddha's knowledge is ultimate. Just as gold and gold color are in essence no different, so also phenomena and non-phenomena are in essence no different. Sentient beings and not sentient beings are both without reality.

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In this way, the natures of all things in truth are non-existent. Just as the future has not the marks of the past, so also do all things not have any marks at all. Just as the signs of birth and death are all unreal, so also are all things void of intrinsic nature. Nirvana cannot be grasped, but when spoken of there are two kinds, so it is of all things. When discriminated they are different. Just as based on something counted, there exists a way of counting, their nature is non-existent. Thus are phenomena perfectly known. It's like the method of counting, adding one up to infinity. The numbers have no substantial nature. They

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are distinguished due to intellect. Just as the worlds have an end when burnt in the final holocaust, yet space is not destroyed, so is the Buddha's knowledge. These sentient beings of the universe each grasp characteristics of space, so it is of the Buddha's. Worldlings conceive of them arbitrarily. Then the enlightening being forced of power by the Buddha's power looked over the ten directions and said in verse, all realms of living beings are in the past, present, or future. The living beings of past, present, and future all dwell in the five clusters. The five clusters are based on actions. Actions are based on mind. Mental phenomena are like phantoms and so indeed is the world. The world doesn't make itself,

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nor is it made by another, yet it has a formation and also has a disintegration. Though the world has a formation and a disintegration, one who understands the world would not speak this way. What is the world? What is not a world? World and not world are only distinctions of name. The three times and five clusters are called the world. Their extinction is not the world. Thus they are just temporary names. How are the clusters explained? What nature do they have? The nature of the clusters is indestructible, so it is called unborn. 4.50. Analyzing these clusters, their nature is fundamentally empty and nil. Because it

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is empty, it cannot be destroyed. This is the meaning of birthlessness. Since sentient beings are thus, so also are the Buddhas. Buddhas and Buddha teachings intrinsically have no existence. If any can know these things truly without delusion, the one who knows and sees all will always be before them. Then the enlightening being forced of practice, empowered by the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, as in all worlds, all the solid elements have no independent existence, yet are found everywhere. So also does the Buddha body pervade all worlds, its various physical forms without abode or origin. Just because of activities do we say the name living beings, and there is no action to be found

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apart from living beings. The nature of action is fundamentally empty and nil, but is that on which beings are based, everywhere producing all physical forms and yet coming from nowhere. This is the active power of forms, impossible to conceive. If one comprehends the basis, therein no object is seen. The Buddha body is also like this. It cannot be conceived. Its various physical forms appear in all lands in the cosmos. The body is not the Buddha, nor is Buddha a body. Only reality is the body permeating all things. If one can see the Buddha body pure as the nature of reality, such a one has no doubt or confusion about the Buddha. If one sees all things as in essence like nirvana, this is seeing the enlightened

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ultimately without abode. If one cultivates right awareness and clearly sees true awakening signless without discrimination, this is an inheritor of truth. Then the enlightening being forest of awareness imbued with the power of Buddha looked over the ten directions and said in verse, it's like a painter spreading the various colors. Delusion grasps different forms but the elements have no distinctions. In the elements, there's no form and no form in the elements and yet apart from the elements, no form can be found. In the mind, there is no painting. In painting, there is no mind. Yet not apart from mind is any painting to be found. That mind never stops manifesting all forms, countless, inconceivably many,

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unknown to one another. Just as a painter can't know her own mind yet paints due to the mind, so is the nature of all things. Mind is like an artist able to paint the worlds. The five clusters all are born thence. There's nothing it doesn't make. As is the mind, so is Buddha. As the Buddha, so living beings. Know that Buddha and mind are in essence inexhaustible. If people know the actions of mind create all the worlds, they will see the Buddha and understand Buddha's true nature. Mind does not stay in the body nor body stay in mind, yet it's able to perform Buddha work freely without precedent. If people want to really know all Buddhas of all times, they should contemplate the nature of the cosmos,

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all is but mental construction. Then the enlightening being forest of knowledge, receiving power from the Buddha, looked over the ten directions and said in verse, the grasp cannot be grasped. The seen cannot be seen. The heard cannot be heard. The one mind is inconceivable. The finite and the infinite are both ungraspable. If any want to apprehend them, ultimately they apprehend nothing. To say what should not be said is self-deception. When one's own task is not complete, one cannot gladden others. Those who wish to laud the Buddha's in countless eons, just as the wish-fulfilling jewel can manifest all colors, being colorless

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yet manifesting color, so are all the Buddhas. Also like clear space is formless and invisible, and though it shows all forms, none can see space, so it is with the Buddhas. They manifest infinite forms everywhere yet are not in the province of mental activity, so no one is able to see them. Though the Buddha's voice is heard, the sound is not the Buddha, and yet not apart from the sound can the truly awake be known. Enlightenment has no coming or going. It's apart from all discriminations. How then can one say she is able to see it? The Buddhas have no doctrine. How could Buddha have any explanation? It is just in accord with one's own mind. One thinks Buddha expounds such a doctrine.

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