Avatamsaka Sutra-Flower Adornment Sutra
Book Eleven
Pure Conduct
Then the Bodhisattva Chief in Knowledge asked the Bodhisattva Manjushri, “ How can Bodhisattvas attain faultless physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain harmless physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain blameless physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain invulnerable physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain nonregressive physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain unshakable physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain excellent physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain pure physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain unpolluted physical, verbal, and mental action? How can they attain (Wise) physical, verbal, and mental action that is guided by wisdom? How can they attain birth in appropriate places, among good people, physical complete, with full mindfulness, understanding, completeness in conduct, fearlessness, and awareness? How can they attain excellent discernment, foremost discernment, supreme discernment, immeasurable discernment, incalculable discernment, inconceivable discernment, incomparable discernment, unfathomable discernment, inexpressible discernment? How can they attain causal power, will power, skill power, the power of proper conditions and objects of attention, faculty power, power of observation, the power to stop (focus) the mind, power s of analytic insight, and power of contemplative thought? How can they attain skill in analyzing the psychophysical elements and organs, skill in analyzing interdependent origination, skill in analyzing the realms of desire, form, and formlessness, and skill in understanding the past, present, and future? (p.312) How can they cultivate well the branches of enlightenment- mindfulness, discernment, effort, joy, well-being, concentration, relinquishment? How can they attain emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness? How can they fulfill the means of transcendence-generosity, self-control, tolerance, effort, meditation, and wisdom? How can they fulfill kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity? How can they attain the knowledge of consequences of past, future, and present acts, the power of knowledge of superiority and inferiority of faculties, the power of knowledge of various realms, the power of knowledge of various understandings, the power of knowledge of where all paths lead, the power of knowledge of defilement or purity of meditations, liberations, and trances, the power of knowledge of past life, the power of knowledge of unhindered clairvoyance, and the power of knowledge of having cut off all taints? How can they always gain the protection, respect, and support of celestial kings, dragon kings, yaksha kings, gandharva kings, titan kings, garuda kings, kimnara kings, mahoraga kings, human kings, and brahma kings? How can they be a reliance and savior, a refuge and resource, a lamp and a light, an illuminator and a guide, a supreme and universal leader for all sentient beings? How can they be foremost and greatest, excellent and supreme, sublime and most wonderful, highest and unexcelled, incomparable and peerless among all sentient beings?
Manjushri said to Chief in Knowledge, “Excellent, O Child of Buddha! You have asked this out of a desire to benefit many, to bring peace to many, out of pity for the world, to profit and gladden celestial and human beings. Child of Buddha, if Bodhisattvas use their mind properly, they can attain all supreme qualities, can have a mind unhindered in regard to all enlightening teachings, can remain on the Path of the Buddhas of past, present, and future, never leaving it even while living in the midst of sentient beings, can comprehend the characteristics of all things, cut off all evils and fulfill all good. They will be physical excellent, like Universally Good; all of their practical vows they will be able to fulfill, and will be free in all ways, and will be guides for all sentient beings. How can they use their minds so as to attain all supreme sublime qualities?
Bodhisattvas at home
Should wish that all beings
Realize the nature of “home” is empty
And liberate from it burdens.
While serving their parents,
They should wish that all beings
Serve the Buddhas
Protecting and nourishing everyone
While with their spouses and children
They should wish that all beings
Be impartial toward everyone
And forever give up attachment. (p. 313)
While attaining desires,
They should wish that all beings
Pull out the arrow of lust
And realize ultimate peace.
On festive occasions
They should wish that all beings
Enjoy themselves with truth
And realize amusement’s not real.
If in palace rooms
They should wish that all beings
Enter the sanctified state,
Forever rid of defiled craving.
When putting on adornments,
They should wish that all beings
Give up phony decoration
And reach the abode of truth.
When climbing up in balconies,
They should wish that all beings
Ascending the tower of truth
And see through everything
When they give something
They should wish that all beings
Be able to relinquish all
With hearts free of clinging.
When in gatherings or crowds,
They should wish that all beings
Let go of compounded things
And attain to total knowledge.
If in danger and difficulty,
They should wish that all beings
Be free,
Unhindered wherever they go.
When they give up home life,
They should wish that all beings
Have no hindrance in leaving home,
And that their minds be liberated. (p.314)
Entering a monastery,
They should wish that all beings
Expound various principles
Of noncontention.
Going to tutors and teachers,
They should wish that all beings
Skillfully serve their teachers
And practice virtuous ways.
Seeking initiation,
They should wish that all beings
Reach the nonregressing state,
Their minds without impediment.
Shedding lay clothing,
They should wish that all beings
Cultivate roots of goodness
And abandon the yoke of transgressions.
Putting on religious garb,
They should wish that all beings
Be undefiled in mind
And fulfill the Way of the Great Sage (Noble)
When they formally leave home,
They should wish that all beings
Leave home with the Buddha
And rescue one and all.
Taking refuge in the Buddha,
They should wish that all beings
Propagate the lineage of Buddhas,
Conceiving the superlative resolve.
Taking refuge in the Teaching,
They should wish that all beings
Enter deeply into the scriptures
And their wisdom be deep as the sea. (p. 315)
Taking refuge in the Sangha,
They should wish that all beings
Order the masses
All becoming free from obstruction.
When receiving the learners’ precepts,
They should wish that all beings
Learn self-control well
And not do any wrong.
Receiving a mentor’s instruction,
They should wish that all beings
Bear themselves with dignity
And that their actions be fruitful.
Receiving a teacher’s guidance,
They should wish that all beings
Enter the knowledge of birthlessness
And reach the state of independence.
Receiving the full set of precepts,
They should wish that all beings
Fulfill all means of liberation
And master the supreme teaching.
When entering a hall,
They should wish that all beings
Ascend to the unexcelled sanctuary
And rest there secure, unshakable.
When setting out a seat,
They should wish that all beings
Cause good principles to bloom
And see their true character.
Sitting up straight,
They should wish that all beings
Sit on the seat of enlightenment,
Their minds without attachment.
Sitting cross-legged,
They should wish that all beings
Have firm and strong roots of goodness
And attain the state of immovability. (p.316)
Cultivating concentration,
They should wish that all beings
Conquer their minds by concentration
Ultimately, with no remainder.
When practicing contemplation,
They should wish that all beings
See truth as it is
And be forever of opposition and contention.
When uncrossing the legs,
They should wish that all beings
Observe that all acts and all things
Return to dispersal and extinction.
When lowering the feet and resting,
They should wish that all beings
Attaint liberation of mind,
Resting at peace, unrestricted.
When raising the legs,
They should wish that all beings
Leave the sea of birth and death
And fulfill all good qualities.
When putting on lower garments,
They should wish that all beings
Wear the foundations of goodness
And have a sense of shame and conscience.
When putting on a belt,
They should wish that all beings
Bundle roots of goodness
And not let them be lost.
When putting on an outer garment,
They should wish that all beings
Attain supreme bases of goodness
And reach the Other Shore of the teaching.
Putting on monastic robes,
They should wish that all beings
Enter the foremost rank
And attaint imperturbability. (p. 317)
Taking a toothstick in hand,
They should wish that all beings
Attain the wonderful teaching
And be ultimately pure.
When chewing on the toothstick,
They should wish that all beings
Be harmonious and pure in mind,
Biting through all afflictions.
When going to the toilet,
They should wish that all beings
Reject greed, hatred, and delusion,
And completely eradicate sinful things.
When going to wash thereafter,
They should wish that all beings
In the transmundane path,
Speedily reach its aims.
When washing off the body’s filth,
They should wish that all beings
Be pure and harmonious
And ultimately without defilement.
When washing the hands with water,
They should wish that all beings
Have pure clean hands
To receive and hold Buddha’s teaching.
When washing the face with water,
They should wish that all beings
Attain the pure teaching
And be forever free from defilement.
Pick up a staff,
They should wish that all beings
Establish great works of charity
And point to the road of truth.
Taking up a bowl,
They should wish that all beings,
Accomplish the vessel of teaching
And receive human and divine offering. (p.318)
Setting on a road,
They should wish that all beings
Go where the Buddha goes
Into the realm of Nonreliance.
When on the road,
They should wish that all beings
Tread the pure realm of reality,
Their minds without obstruction.
Seeing a road uphill,
They should wish that all beings
Forever leave the world,
Their minds free from weakness.
Seeing the road downhill,
They should wish that all beings
Be humble in mind
And develop enlightened bases of virtue.
Seeing a winding road,
They should wish that all beings
Abandon false paths
And forever purge wrong views.
Seeing a straight road,
They should wish that all beings
Be straight and true in mind,
Without flattery or deceit.
Seeing a dusty road,
They should wish that all beings
Get rid of dust and dirt
And attain the state of purity.
Seeing a dust-free road,
They should wish that all beings
Always practice great compassion,
Their hearts refreshing and nourishing.
Seeing a dangerous road,
They should wish that all beings
Abide in the realm of truth,
And avoid the troubles of misdeed. (p.319)
Seeing group of people,
They should wish that all beings
Expound the most profound teaching,
That all be harmoniously united.
If seeing a big pillar/tree*,
They should wish that all beings
Divorce egotistic contentiousness
And be free of anger and resentment.
If seeing a forest*,
They should wish that all beings
Be worthy of respect
Of celestials and humans.
If seeing high mountains,
They should wish that all beings
Obtaining the sublime roots of goodness,
Peaking beyond anyone’s reach.
When seeing thorny trees,
They should wish that all beings
May quickly cut away
The thorns of the three poisons.
Seeing trees with luxuriant foliage.
They should wish that all beings
Take the stability of liberation
And form a shade against sunrays.
Seeing flowers in bloom,
They should wish that all beings
Miraculous spiritual powers
Flourish like blossoming flowers.
If seeing blossoms on trees,
They should wish that all beings
Have good features like flowers,
With all thirty-two marks of distinction.
If seeing fruits and seeds,
They should wish that all beings
Attain the supreme teaching
And realize the enlightened path. (p.320)
If seeing a big river,
They should wish that all beings
Gain entry into the stream of truth
And merge into the ocean of Buddha-knowledge.
If seeing a reservoir,
They should wish that all beings
Quickly attain the wondrous Dharma,
The uniform taste of the Buddhas.
If seeing a pond,
They should wish that all beings
Perfect in their speech
And be skillful in preaching.
If seeing a well,
They should wish that all beings
Have full powers of elucidation
To explain all things.
If seeing a spring,
They should wish that all beings
Have their skill in means increased
And obtain inexhaustible good roots.
If seeing a bridge,
They should wish that all beings
Carry all across to liberation,
Like a bridge or a ferry.
If seeing flowing water,
They should wish that all beings
Develop wholesome will
And wash away the stains of delusion.
Seeing a garden cultivated,
They should wish that all beings
In the garden of sensual desires
Clear away the weeds of craving.
Seeing a forest of “Sorrowless” trees,
They should wish that all beings
Forever divorce greed and lust
And no longer in fear and anxiety. (p.321)
If seeing a park
They should wish that all beings
Diligently cultivate the wholesome practices
Reaching the Buddhas’ enlightenment.
Seeing people wearing ornament,
They should wish that all beings
Beautifully adorn their bodies
With thirty-two marks of distinction.
Seeing the unadorned,
They should wish that all beings
Give up decorations,
And accomplish the ascetic practice.
Seeing people attached to pleasure,
They should wish that all beings
Delight themselves with the righteous teaching,
Without abandoning love for it.
Seeing the unattached,
They should wish that all beings
Take no delight
In mundane things.
Seeing happy people,
They should wish that all beings
Always be peaceful and happy.
Gladly support the Buddha,
Seeing people suffer,
They should wish that all beings
Attain fundamental knowledge
And eliminate all misery.
Seeing people with no maladies,
They should wish that all beings
Enter true wisdom,
And never have sickness or afflictions.
Seeing the sick
They should wish that all beings
Know the body is empty and null
And divorce opposition and conflicts. (p. 322)
Seeing handsome people,
They should wish that all beings
Always have respect and pure faith
In the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Seeing ugly people,
They should wish that all beings
Not become attached
To anything not good.
Seeing grateful people,
They should wish that all beings
Be able to know the blessing
Of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Seeing ungrateful people,
They should wish that all beings
Not increase the punishment
Of those who are bad.
If seeing the mendicants/Sramanas,
They should wish that all beings
Be harmonious and tranquil,
Ultimately conquering themselves.
Seeing Brahmins
They should wish that all beings
Always maintain pure conduct,
Getting rid of all evil.
Seeing ascetics,
They should wish that all beings
By austere practices
Reach the ultimate state.
Seeing self-disciplined people,
They should wish that all beings
Strongly maintain their will in practice
And not give up the Buddha’s path.
Seeing people wearing armor
They should wish that all beings
Always wear the armor of virture,
Heading for the teacherless state. (p. 323)
Seeing the unarmed,
They should wish that all beings
Be forever rid of all
Doing that are not good.
Seeing people debate,
They should wish that all beings
Be able to refute
All erroneous doctrines.
Seeing people of proper livelihood,
They should wish that all beings
Succeed in pure livelihood
Without improper behavior.
If seeing a king,
They should wish that all beings
Become kings of truth,
Always expounding the right teaching.
If seeing a prince,
They should wish that all beings
Be reborn from the truth
And be children of Buddha.
If seeing an elder/truong gia*,
They should wish that all beings
Be able to clearly cut off
And not practice the evil ways.
Is seeing a great minister,
They should wish that all beings
Always maintain right mindfulness
And practice all virtues.
If seeing a castle,
They should wish that all beings
Gain strong and firm bodies
And indefatigable minds.
If seeing a capital,
They should wish that all beings
Collect all virtuous qualities
And always be joyful and blissful. (p. 324)
Seeing someone in a forest*,
They should wish that all beings
Be worthy of praise and honor
Of celestials and humans.
Entering a village to beg,
They should wish that all beings
Enter the profound realm of truth,
Their minds without impediment.
Coming to someone’s door,
They should wish that all beings
Enter into all
Doors of the Buddha’s teaching.
Having entered a house,
They should wish that all beings
Might enter the vehicle of Buddhahood
Which is equal in all time.
Seeing someone who doesn’t give,
They should wish that all beings
Never ever give up
Supremely virtuous ways.
Seeing those who give
They should wish that all beings
Forever abandon
The three evil paths and their miseries.
If seeing an empty bowl,
They should wish that all beings
Be pure of heart
And empty of all afflictions.
If seeing a full bowl,
They should wish that all beings
Completely fulfill
All virtuous ways.
If receiving respect,
They should wish that all beings
Respectfully practice
All the Buddha’s teachings. (p.325)
If getting no respect,
They should wish that all beings
Not act in any ways
That are not good.
Seeing people with conscience
They should wish that all beings
Act with discretion
And cover their organs.
Seeing the shameless,
They should wish that all beings
Give up shamelessness
And abide in the way of kindness.
If getting fine food,
They should wish that all beings
Should fulfill their aspirations
And be free from envy and longing.
If they get poor food,
They should wish that all beings
Should not fail to obtain
The taste of all meditations.
Getting soft food,
They should wish that all beings
Be imbued with compassion,
Their minds become gentle.
Getting coarse, dry food,
They should wish that all beings
Have no attachments
And cut off mundane craving.
When eating,
They should wish that all beings
Feed on the joy of meditation
And be sated by delight in the teaching.
When tasting flavor,
They should wish that all beings
Attain the savor of Buddhahood
And be filled with the elixir of immortality. (p. 326)
When finishing the meal,
They should wish that all beings
Accomplish all their tasks
And fulfill the Buddha’s Teachings.
When explaining the teaching,
They should wish that all beings
Attain inexhaustible eloquence
And widely expound the essentials of the teaching.
When leaving a place,
They should wish that all beings
Deeply enter enlightened knowledge,
Forever leaving the triple world.
When entering a bath,
They should wish that all beings
Enter Omniscient knowledge,
Knowing past, present, and future are equal.
While washing their bodies,
They should wish that all beings
Be undefiled in body and mind,
Radiantly pure inside and out.
In the blistering heat of the day,
They should wish that all beings
Cast off myriad afflictions,
Putting an end to them all.
When the heat subsides and begins to cool,
They should wish that all beings
Experience the higher truth
And be ultimately cool.
When reciting scripture,
They should wish that all beings
Accord with the Buddha’s teachings,
Remembering without forgetting.
If seeing a Buddha,
They should wish that all beings
Be all like Samantabadhra
Handsome and well adorned. (p. 327)
When seeing the Buddha stupa,
They should wish that all beings
Be honored as the stupa.
And receive the offerings of celestials and humans.
Reverently gazing at the stupa,
They should wish that all beings
Be looked up to by all
Celestials and humans.
Paying homage the Buddha’s stupa,
They should wish that all beings
Be exalted beyond the view
Of gods and men.
Circumambulating the stupa,
They should wish that all beings
Act without offense
And develop omniscience.
Circling the stupa thrice,
They should wish that all beings
Diligently seek the Buddha’s path
Without indolence of mind.
Praising the Buddha’s virtues,
They should wish that all beings
Fulfill all virtues
Extolled endlessly.
Praising the Buddha’s distinguishing marks,
They should wish that all beings
Develop the Buddha-body
And realize formless truth.
When washing their feet,
They should wish that all beings
Fulfill the powers of transcending space,
Unhindered wherever they go.
When going to sleep at night,
They should wish that all beings
Attain physical ease
And undisturbed minds. (p.328)
Awaken from sleep,
They should wish that all beings
Awaken omniscience,
Perceiving in all directions.
“Child of Buddha, if Bodhisattvas use their minds in this way, they will attain all supremely wonderful qualities, which cannot be dislodged by any gods, demons, monks, Brahmins, gandharvas, titans, etc., or by any Buddhist followers or self-enlightened ones.”