阿難及諸大眾蒙佛開示，慧覺圓通得無疑惑。一時，合掌頂禮雙足而白佛言：「我等今日身心皎然快得無礙，雖復悟知一六亡義，然猶未達圓通本根。世尊！我輩飄零積劫孤露，何心何慮預佛天倫，如失乳兒忽遇慈母，若復因此際會道成，所得密言還同本悟，則與未聞無有差別。惟垂大悲惠我祕嚴，成就如來最後開示。」作是語已，五體投地，退藏密機冀佛冥授。
After receiving the Buddha’s revelation of such all-pervasive (’pariniṣpanna’ 圓通) wisdom, Ānanda and the great assembly were free of doubt and suspicion. At once, Ānanda brought his palms together, prostrated himself with his head at the Buddha’s feet and addressed the Buddha saying, “Today our bodies and minds are clear, at ease and unhindered. Though I have understood what you mean by the disappearance of both one and six, I am still unable to penetrate the all-pervasive root organ (達圓通本根). World-Honored One! I am like a lonely wanderer and a hapless orphan. How fortunate have I been to meet the Buddha and to be his relative, like a hungry baby who suddenly meets its suckling mother. This gives me a chance to attain the Way, but although I have listened to your profound words, I am still unawakened as if I had not heard them. Will you please reveal to me the Ultimate Approach (by means of the appropriate organ)?” After saying this, he prostrated himself and concentrated on the secret treasury of his inner potentiality to receive the profound instruction.
爾時，世尊普告眾中諸大菩薩及諸漏盡大阿羅漢：「汝等菩薩及阿羅漢，生我法中得成無學。吾今問汝，最初發心悟十八界誰為圓通？從何方便入三摩地？」
Thereupon, the World-Honored One said to all those in the assembly, the great bodhisattvas and great arhats whose outflows had ended, “All you bodhisattvas and arhats have attained a state beyond study from within my Dharma. I now ask you, ‘When you first generated [bodhi]citta, how did you come to all-pervasive (’pariniṣpanna’) awareness of the eighteen [sense] fields? From what expedient mean (upāya) did you enter samādhi?”
Six Sense Objects
驕陳那五比丘即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我在鹿苑及於雞園，觀見如來最初成道，於佛音聲悟明四諦。佛問比丘，我初稱解，如來印我名阿若多。妙音密圓，我於音聲得阿羅漢。佛問圓通，如我所證，音聲為上！」
1. Ājñāta-kauṇḍinya, one of the first five bhikṣus, arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha saying, “When I was in the Deer Park and the Pheasant Garden, I observed the Thus-Come One soon after he had achieved the Way, and upon hearing him speak, I understood the Four Noble Truths. The Buddha questioned us bhikṣus, and I was the first to truly understand. The Buddha thereupon verified my understanding and gave me the name Ājñāta (’The One Who Understands’). The wondrousness of sound, which had been hidden, was everywhere revealed to me and I attained arhatship by contemplating sound. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness, and, as I have realized, sound is the best method!”
優波尼沙陀即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我亦觀佛最初成道，觀不淨相生大厭離，悟諸色性以從不淨，白骨微塵歸於虛空，空色二無成無學道，如來印我名尼沙陀。塵色既盡妙色密圓，我從色相得阿羅漢。佛問圓通，如我所證，色因為上！」
2. Upaniṣad arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha saying, “I also observed the Buddha soon after he had achieved the Way. Observing the characteristic of impurity arise, I developed a strong aversion to it. I came to understand that the nature of visible form (rūpa) is that it arises from impurity. Whitened bones turn to dust, disperse into space, and vanish. I understood that neither space nor visible forms truly exist, and thus I needed no further instruction. The Thus-Come One verified (’sealed’) my understanding and gave me the name Niṣad (’Recline/Sit Down’). Dusty forms vanished and wonderous forms, which had been hidden, were everywhere revealed to me and I attained arhatship by contemplating visible forms. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, visible forms are the best method!”
香嚴童子即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我聞如來教我諦觀諸有為相。我時辭佛宴晦清齋，見諸比丘燒沈水香，香氣寂然來入鼻中，我觀此氣非木、非空、非煙、非火，去無所著來無所從，由是意銷發明無漏，如來印我得香嚴號。塵氣倏滅妙香密圓，我從香嚴得阿羅漢。佛問圓通，如我所證，香嚴為上！」
3. A youth named ‘Fragrance Adorned’ then arose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha saying, “I heard the Thus-Come One teach me the Truth, observing attentively the characteristics of conditioned phenomena. I then took my leave of the Buddha and retreated to a pure and peaceful dwelling. I saw a monk burning sandalwood incense, its fragrance silently entered my nostrils and I observed that this fragrance was neither wood, nor space, nor smoke, nor fire; it came from no place and went to no place. As a result of this contemplation, my distinction-making consciousness (manas) disappeared, and I gained freedom from outflows. The Thus-Come One verified my understanding and gave me the name Fragrance Adorned. Dusty odors vanished, and wonderous fragrances, which had been hidden, were everywhere revealed to me and I attained arhatship by contemplating fragrant adornments. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, fragrant adornments are the best method!”
藥王、藥上二法王子并在會中五百梵天即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我無始劫為世良醫，口中嘗此娑婆世界草木金石，名數凡有十萬八千，如是悉知苦醋鹹淡甘辛等味，并諸和合俱生變異，是冷是熱有毒無毒悉能遍知。承事如來了知味性非空、非有、非即身心、非離身心，分別味因從是開悟，蒙佛如來印我昆季藥王、藥上二菩薩名。今於會中為法王子，因味覺明位登菩薩。佛問圓通，如我所證，味因為上！」
4. The two Dharma Heirs, Medicine King (Bhaiṣajyarāja) and Medicine Supreme (Bhaiṣajya-samudgata) together with five hundred gods from the Heavens of Brahma then stood up in the assembly, bowed at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “For countless kalpas, we have served the world as skillful physicians. We have tasted one hundred and eight thousand kinds of medicinal substances found in the Sāha world — herbs, woods, metals, and minerals. We know how each of them tastes — whether bitter, sour, salty, bland, sweet, or hot — and we know their inherent characteristics, the various ways they may be combined, and the changes that they effect — whether they are cooling or warming, toxic or benign. We understand them all. While reverently serving the Thus Come One, we came to understand that the nature of flavors is that they are neither empty nor existent. We understood that flavors do not arise from the body nor from the mind, nor are they independent of the body and mind. Thus by discerning the differences among flavors, we became enlightened. The Buddha, the Thus Come One, verified our understanding, and he named us two brothers the Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja and the Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajya-samudgata. Now in this assembly we are princes in the Dharma. So it was that through flavors we realized enlightenment and understood, and we ascended to the Bodhisattva level. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as we have realized, flavors are the best method!”
跋陀婆羅并其同伴十六開士即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我等先於威音王佛聞法出家，於浴僧時隨例入室，忽悟水因既不洗塵亦不洗體，中間安然，得無所有。宿習無忘乃至今時從佛出家，今得無學，彼佛名我跋陀婆羅。妙觸宣明，成佛子住。佛問圓通，如我所證，觸因為上！」
5. Bhadrapāla and his sixteen Bodhisattva companions stood up in the assembly and bowed at the Buddha’s feet. Bhadrapāla said respectfully to the Buddha: “In the past, when we heard the Buddha Awe Inspiring Royal Voice (Bhīṣmagarjita-ghoṣasvararāja) speak about the Dharma, we left the household life. When it was time to bathe, I followed the custom and entered the bathhouse. Suddenly, upon contact with the water, I understood that the water was neither washing away the dirt nor washing my body. In the midst of this I became tranquil as I understood that there was nothing there. I have never forgotten that event from that lifetime until this one, and now I have followed the Buddha Śākymuni into the monastic life and need no further instruction. The Buddha has named me Bhadrapāla. The wondrousness of tangible objects has been revealed to me, and I am now a child of the Buddha. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, tangible objects are the best method!”
摩訶迦葉及紫金光比丘尼等即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我於往劫於此界中，有佛出世名日月燈，我得親近聞法修學，佛滅度後供養舍利、然燈續明，以紫光金塗佛形像，自爾已來世世生生身常圓滿紫金光聚，此紫金光比丘尼者，即我眷屬，同時發心，我觀世間六塵變壞，唯以空寂修於滅盡，身心乃能度百千劫猶如彈指。我以空法，成阿羅漢。世尊說我頭陀為最，妙法開明銷滅諸漏。佛問圓通，如我所證，法因為上！」
6. Mahākāśyapa, who was with the bhikṣuṇī Golden Light (Jāmbūnada) and others, arose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “In a former kalpa, when Sun Moon Lamp (Candra-sūrya-pradīpa) Buddha appeared in this world, I had a chance of following along and hear the Dharma, and cultivate and study. After that Buddha had passed away, I revered his relics, lit lamps to perpetuate his light and decorated his statue with pure gold powder. Since then, in every subsequent reincarnation, my body has been radiant with perfect golden light. This Golden Light bhikṣuṇī and the others who are with her are my retinue because we generated [bodhi]citta at the same time. I observed the six changing sense data which can be reduced to complete extinction only through empty quiescence. Thus my body and mind were able to pass through hundreds and thousands of kalpas in a finger-snap. I achieved arhatship by way of emptying dharmas. The World-Honored One declared that I was the foremost in ‘abandonment’ (dhūta). I awakened to the wonderful dharma, thereby extinguishing all outflows. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, dharmas (’ideas’) are the best method!”
Five Sense Organs
阿那律陀即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我初出家常樂睡眠，如來訶我為畜生類，我聞佛訶啼泣自責，七日不眠失其雙目，世尊示我樂見照明金剛三昧，我不因眼觀見十方，精真洞然如觀掌果，如來印我成阿羅漢。佛問圓通，如我所證，旋見循元斯為第一！」
7. Aniruddha then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “After I left home, I was always very fond of sleep and the Tathāgata scolded me, saying that I was like an animal. After this severe reprimand, I wept bitterly and blamed myself. Because of my sadness I did not sleep for seven successive nights and went completely blind. Then the World-Honored One taught me how to take delight in the enlightening Vajra Samādhi which enabled me to perceive, not with my eyes but my mind, the Pure Truth pervading the Ten Directions, very clearly perceptible, as easy to see as a mango held in my own hand. The Tathāgata verified my attainment of arhatship. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, turning the organ of sight back to its source is foremost.”
周利槃特迦即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我闕誦持無多聞性，最初值佛聞法出家，憶持如來一句伽陀，於一百日得前遺後、得後遺前，佛愍我愚教我安居調出入息。我時觀息微細窮盡，生住異滅諸行剎那，其心豁然得大無礙，乃至漏盡成阿羅漢，住佛座下印成無學。佛問圓通，如我所證，返息循空斯為第一！」
8. Kṣudrapanthaka then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I did not know much nor did I read and recite, but when I first met the Buddha I heard the Dharma, I left home. I tried to memorize a line of the Thus Comes One’s gāthās but failed for a hundred days because as soon as I could retain the first words, I forgot the last ones, and when I could remember the last words, I forgot the first ones. The Buddha took pity on my stupidity and taught me how to live in a quiet retreat and to regularize my breathing [through the nose]. At the time I looked exhaustively into each in and out breath and realized that its arising, abiding, change, and cessation lasted only an instant (kṣaṇa); thereby my mind became clear and unhindered until I stepped out of the stream of transmigration and finally attained arhatship. I came to abide with the Buddha who verified my realization of the state beyond study. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, turning the breath back to the condition of emptiness is foremost!”
驕梵鉢提即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我有口業，於過去劫輕弄沙門，世世生生有牛呞病，如來示我一味清淨心地法門，我得滅心入三摩地，觀味之知非體非物，應念得超世間諸漏，內脫身心外遺世界，遠離三有如鳥出籠，離垢銷塵法眼清淨成阿羅漢，如來親印登無學道。佛問圓通，如我所證，還味旋知斯為第一！」
9. Gavāṃpati (’Lord of Cattle’) then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I have this verbal karma whereby, because I trifled with śramaṇas (ascetics) in a former kalpa, in every succeeding reincarnation I have been born with a mouth that always chews the cud like a cow. The Tathāgata revealed to me the pure, single flavor ground of mind Dharma Door which enabled me to eliminate the mind and enter Samādhi. I observed tasting and realized that it was neither (a subjective) substance nor (an objective) thing and leaped beyond the stream of transmigration; I thereby disengaged myself from both the inner body and mind and the outer world and was released from the three realms of existence. I was like a bird escaping from its cage, thus avoiding impurities and defilements. With my Dharma Eye now pure and clean of dirt, I attained arhatship and the Tathāgata personally sealed my realization of the stage beyond study. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, turning taste back to its knower is foremost!”
畢陵伽婆蹉即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我初發心從佛入道，數聞如來說諸世間不可樂事，乞食城中心思法門，不覺路中毒刺傷足，舉身疼痛我念有知，知此深痛雖覺覺痛，覺清淨心無痛痛覺，我又思惟如是一身寧有雙覺？攝念未久身心忽空，三七日中諸漏虛盡成阿羅漢，得親印記發明無學。佛問圓通，如我所證，純覺遺身斯為第一！」
10. Pilindavatsa then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “When I first followed the Buddha to enter the Path, very often I heard the Tathāgata speak about the worldly which could not give joy and happiness. I went to town to beg for food, and as I was thinking about this Dharma Door, I stepped inadvertently on a poisonous thorn that pierced my foot and caused me to feel pain all over my body. I thought of my body which knew and felt this great pain. Although there was this feeling, I looked into my pure and clean mind which no pain could affect. I also thought, ‘How can this one body of mine have two sorts of feeling?’ and after a short (mental) concentration on this, all of a sudden, my body and mind seemed to be non-existent and three weeks later I achieved the stage beyond the stream of transmigration and thereby attained arhatship. The Buddha personally sealed my realization of the stage beyond study. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, pure awareness that wipes out the (conception of) body is foremost!”
須菩提即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我曠劫來心得無礙，自憶受生如恒河沙，初在母胎即知空寂，如是乃至十方成空，亦令眾生證得空性，蒙如來發性覺真空，空性圓明得阿羅漢，頓入如來寶明空海，同佛知見印成無學，解脫性空我為無上。佛問圓通，如我所證，諸相入非非所非盡，旋法歸無斯為第一！」
11. Subhūti then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “As my mind was already free from all hindrances in former kalpas, I can now remember my previous reincarnations as countless as the sands in the Ganges. Even when I was a fetus in my mother’s womb, I had already awakened to the condition of still emptiness which subsequently expanded to fill all the Ten Directions and which enabled me to teach living beings how to awaken to their absolute nature. Thanks to the Tathāgata, I realized the absolute emptiness of self-natured awareness, and with the perfection of my immaterial nature, I attained arhatship, thereby entering suddenly into the Tathāgata’s Precious Brightness which was as immense as space and the ocean, wherein I (partially) achieved Buddha knowledge. The Buddha sealed my attainment of the stage beyond study; I am, therefore, regarded as the foremost disciple because of my understanding of empty self-nature. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, perceiving the unreality of all characteristics, with the elimination of even this unreality, reducing all dharmas to nothingness, is foremost!”
Six Consciousnesses
舍利弗即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我曠劫來心見清淨，如是受生如恒河沙，世出世間種種變化，一見則通獲無障礙，我於路中逢迦葉波，兄弟相逐宣說因緣，悟心無際從佛出家，見覺明圓得大無畏，成阿羅漢為佛長子，從佛口生從法化生。佛問圓通，如我所證，心見發光光極知見斯為第一！」
12. Śāriputra then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “In former kalpas, my mind’s seeing (心見) was already pure and clean, and in my subsequent incarnations as countless as the sands in the Ganges, I could see through all things either on a worldly or supramundane plane without obstruction. I once met the Kāśyapa brothers walking together along a road. They were discoursing on dependent-origination and, after listening to them, I woke up to the boundlessness of mind. I then left home to follow the Buddha and achieved perfect sight perception thereby acquiring fearlessness, attaining arhatship and qualifying as the Buddha’s Elder Son - born from the Buddha’s mouth and by transformation of the Dharma. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have realized, the mind’s radiant sight-perception realizing the most illuminating knowledge is foremost!”
普賢菩薩即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我已曾與恒沙如來為法王子，十方如來教其弟子，菩薩根者修普賢行，從我立名。世尊！我用心聞，分別眾生所有知見，若於他方恒沙界外，有一眾生心中發明普賢行者，我於爾時乘六牙象，分身百千皆至其處，縱彼障深未合見我，我與其人暗中摩頂，擁護安慰令其成就。佛問圓通，我說本因，心聞發明分別自在斯為第一！」
13. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I was already a Dharma Heir when formerly I was with the Tathāgatas who were countless as the sands in the Ganges. All the Buddhas in the Ten Directions who teach their disciples to plant Bodhisattva roots, urge them to practice the deeds of Samantabhadra, which are called after my name. World-Honored One! I use my mind to listen (用心聞) in order to distinguish the variety of views held by living beings. If in a place, separated from here by a number of worlds as countless as the sands in the Ganges, a living being practices the deeds of Samantabhadra, I mount at once a six-tusked elephant and reproduce myself in a hundred thousand apparitions to come to their aid. Even if they are unable to see me because of a great karmic obstruction, I secretly lay my hand on their head to protect and comfort them so that they can succeed. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and, as I have explained from the beginning, the light generated through the non-discriminative sovereignty of hearing with the mind is foremost!”
孫陀羅難陀即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我初出家從佛入道，雖具戒律，於三摩提，心常散動未獲無漏。世尊教我及俱絺羅觀鼻端白，我初諦觀經三七日，見鼻中氣出入如煙，身心內明圓洞世界，遍成虛淨猶如瑠璃，煙相漸銷鼻息成白，心開漏盡，諸出入息化為光明，照十方界得阿羅漢，世尊記我當得菩提。佛問圓通，我以銷息息久發明，明圓滅漏斯為第一！」
14. Sundarananda [the younger brother of the Śākyamuni] then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “When I first left home to follow the Buddha, although fully ordained, I failed to realize the state of samādhi because my mind was always unsettled; I was, therefore, unable to reach the condition without outlfows. The World-Honored One then taught Kauṣṭhila and I to fix the mind on the tip of the nose. I started this meditation and some three weeks later, I saw that the breath that went in and out of my nostrils was like smoke; inwardly both body and mind were clear and I looked through the (external) world which became a pure emptiness like crystal everywhere. The smoke gradually disappeared and my breath became white. As my mind opened, outflows ceased. Both my in and out breaths turned to light, illumining the Ten Directions so that I attained arhatship, and the World-Honored One predicted of me that I would attain bodhi. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness, and for me, dissolving the breath, the breath eventually becoming light. and the light shining everywhere ceasing outflows is foremost!”
富樓那彌多羅尼子即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我曠劫來辯才無礙，宣說苦空深達實相，如是乃至恒沙如來祕密法門，我於眾中微妙開示得無所畏。世尊知我有大辯才，以音聲輪教我發揚，我於佛前助佛轉輪，因師子吼成阿羅漢，世尊印我說法無上。佛問圓通，我以法音降伏魔怨銷滅諸漏斯為第一！」
15. Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “In former kalpas, my eloquence (pratibhāna) was unhindered and I explained Suffering, Emptiness, and the profound Characteristic of Suchness. Like this, even expounding in the assembly the Tathāgata’s secret Dharma Doors, as uncountable as the sands in the Ganges, and through such subtle demonstrations attained fearlessness. The World-Honored One knew that I had acquired the great power of eloquence and he taught me how to resound with ‘sound wheels’. With the Buddha before me I assisted the Buddha in turning the Wheel [of the Dharma], and since I could give the lion’s roar, I attained arhatship. The World-Honored One verified that my skill in explaining the Dharma was unsurpassable. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness, and for me, using the sound/voice of the Dharma to control the enmity of Māra, ceasing all outflows, is foremost!
優波離即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我親隨佛踰城出家，親觀如來六年勤苦，親見如來降伏諸魔制諸外道，解脫世間貪欲諸漏，承佛教戒如是乃至三千威儀、八萬微細，性業、遮業悉皆清淨，身心寂滅成阿羅漢，我是如來眾中綱紀，親印我心持戒修身眾推無上。佛問圓通，我以執身身得自在，次第執心心得通達，然後身心一切通利斯為第一！」
16. Upāli then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I myself accompanied the Buddha when he escaped the city and left the household life. I was there to watch the Thus-Come One as he diligently practiced austerities for six years. I myself saw the Thus-Come One defeat Māra, bring under his influence the followers of wrong paths, and free himself from the outflows (āsrava) of worldly greed and desire. He taught me discipline, including the three thousand regulations and eighty thousand lines of conduct which purified all my innate and conventional subtle karmas. My body became still and my mind vanished. So it was that I became an Arhat. The Tathāgata sealed my mind because of my strict observance of discipline and control of body. I am now a pillar of discipline in this assembly and am regarded as the foremost disciple. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, discipling the body for the body to attain sovereignty, gradually disciplining the mind for the mind to attain all-pervasiveness, whereby the body and mind penetrate everything is foremost!”
大目犍連即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我初於路乞食逢遇優樓頻螺、伽耶、那提三迦葉波，宣說如來因緣深義，我頓發心得大通達，如來惠我袈裟著身鬚髮自落，我遊十方得無罣礙，神通發明推為無上，成阿羅漢。寧唯世尊，十方如來歎我神力，圓明清淨自在無畏。佛問圓通，我以旋湛心光發宣，如澄濁流久成清瑩斯為第一！」
17. Mahāmaudgalyāyana then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “When I first started begging for food in the street, I met the three Kāśyapa brothers, Uruvilvā, Gayā and Nadī who preached the Tathāgata’s profound doctrine of dependent-origination. Suddenly my mind opened and became all-pervading. Then the Tathāgata gave me a monk’s robe and when I wore it, my hair and beard fell out. I rambled in the Ten Directions and met no obstruction. I thus acquired transcendental power which proved the foremost and that led to my attainment of arhatship. Not only the World-Honored One, but all the Tathāgatas in the ten directions praised my supernatural powers which were perfect, pure, sovereign and fearless. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, returning to stillness to allow the light of the mind to appear, just as muddy water by settling becomes pure and clean as crystal, is foremost!”
The Seven Elements
烏芻瑟摩於如來前，合掌頂禮佛之雙足而白佛言：「我常先憶，久遠劫前性多貪欲，有佛出世名曰空王，說多婬人成猛火聚，教我遍觀百骸四肢，諸冷暖氣神光內凝，化多婬心成智慧火，從是諸佛皆呼召我名為火頭，我以火光三昧力故成阿羅漢。心發大願，諸佛成道，我為力士親伏魔怨。佛問圓通，我以諦觀身心暖觸無礙流通，諸漏既銷生大寶焰登無上覺斯為第一！」
18 Then Ucchuṣma (’Fire-Head’), standing before the Tathāgata, put his palms together, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and addressed the Buddha saying, “I often recall that many long kalpas ago, I was afflicted with an excess of sexual desire. At that time there was in the world a Buddha named King of Emptiness, who said that a blazing fire grows in people with too much sexual desire. He taught me to observe the flow of hot and cold energies along the hundred bones and four limbs, all through my body. A spiritual light became focused within me and transformed my excessive desire into the fire of wisdom. Since then, all the Buddhas I have served have given me the name ‘Fire-Head.’ I became an Arhat by the strength of the ‘Blazing Light Samādhi. I made a great vow: that whenever someone is about to become a Buddha, I will serve as a spiritual warrior (vira) and will come to [help] subdue the enmity of Māra. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, truly observing the feeling of warmth of the body and mind with unobstructed flowing penetration, all outflows being brought to dissolution and then giving rise to the great jewel of radiant, unsurpassable enlightenment, is foremost!
持地菩薩即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我念往昔普光如來出現於世，我為比丘，常於一切要路、津口、田地、險隘，有不如法妨損車馬，我皆平填，或作橋梁、或負沙土，如是勤苦經無量佛出現於世，或有眾生於闤闠處，要人擎物我先為擎，至其所詣放物即行不取其直。毘舍浮佛現在世時，世多饑荒，我為負人，無問遠近唯取一錢，或有車牛被於陷溺，我有神力為其推輪拔其苦惱，時國大王筵佛設齋，我於爾時平地待佛，毘舍如來摩頂謂我：『當平心地，則世界地一切皆平。』我即心開，見身微塵與造世界所有微塵等無差別，微塵自性不相觸摩，乃至刀兵亦無所觸，我於法性悟無生忍成阿羅漢。迴心今入菩薩位中，聞諸如來宣妙蓮華佛知見地，我先證明而為上首。佛問圓通，我以諦觀身界二塵等無差別，本如來藏虛妄發塵，塵銷智圓成無上道斯為第一！」
19. Dharaṇimdhara (’Holder of Earth’) Bodhisattva then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I recall that formerly when the Buddha of Universal Light appeared in the World, I was a bhikṣu who used to level all obstacles, build bridges and carry sand and earth to improve the main roads, ferries, rice fields and dangerous passes which were in bad condition or impassable to horses and carts. Thus I continued to toil for a long time in which an uncountable number of Buddhas appeared in the World. If someone made a purchase at the marketplace and required another to carry it home, I did it without charge. When Viśvabhū Buddha appeared in the world and famine was frequent, I became a carrier charging only one coin no matter whether the distance was long or short. If an ox cart could not move in a bog, I used my supernatural power to push its wheels free. One day the king invited that Buddha to a feast: as the road was bad, I levelled it for him. The Tathāgata Viśvabhū placed his hand on my head and said: ‘You should level your mind-ground, then all things in the world will be on the same level.’ (Upon hearing this), my mind opened and I perceived that the molecules of my body did not differ from those of which the world is made. These molecules were such that they did not touch one another and could not be touched even by sharp weapons. I then awakened to the Patient Tolerance of Birthlessness and thereby attained arhatship. Then by turning my mind inwards, I realized the Bodhisattva stage and when I heard the Tathāgatas expound upon the wonderous lotus flower of the Buddha’s knowledge (the Lotus Sutra?), I was the first listener to be awakened to it and was made a leader of the assembly. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, truly observing that there is no difference between the dusty earth particles of the body and the particles of the world, both originally being falsehoods arising within the tathāgatagarbha, until this defilement vanishes and is replaced by perfect wisdom which then leads to the unsurpassable Way, is foremost!”
月光童子即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我憶往昔恒河沙劫，有佛出世名為水天，教諸菩薩修習水精入三摩地，觀於身中水性無奪，初從涕唾如是窮盡津液、精血、大小便利，身中漩澓水性一同，見水身中與世界外浮幢王剎諸香水海等無差別。我於是時初成此觀，但見其水未得無身，當為比丘室中安禪，我有弟子窺窓觀室，唯見清水遍在屋中了無所見，童稚無知取一瓦礫投於水內，激水作聲顧盻而去，我出定後頓覺心痛，如舍利弗遭違害鬼，我自思惟：『今我已得阿羅漢道久離病緣，云何今日忽生心痛，將無退失？』
20. Moonlight Youth (Candraprabha) then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I still remember that in the remotest of kalpas countless as the sands in the Ganges, there was a Buddha called Varuna, who appeared in the world and taught bodhisattvas to contemplate the element of water in order to enter into the state of Samādhi. This method consists in looking into the body wherein all watery elements do not by nature suppress one another, using as subjects of meditation first tears and snot, and then saliva, secretion, blood, urine and excrement, and then reversing the order, thereby perceiving that this element of water in the body does not differ from that of the fragrant oceans that surround the Pure Lands of Buddhas, situated beyond our world. When I achieved this contemplation, I succeeded in realizing only the sameness of the element of water (everywhere) but failed to relinquish (my view of) the body. I was then a bhikṣu practising dhyāna and when my disciple peeped into the room, he saw that it was filled entirely with clear water, without anything else. As he was an ignorant boy, he picked up a broken tile, threw it into the water with a splash, gazed curiously and left. When I came out of my dhyāna state, I suddenly felt pain in my heart as if I had the same trouble which Śāriputra had with a wicked demon. I thought, ‘Since I have realized arhatship, I should be free from all causal ailments. Why today, all of a sudden, have I pain in my heart; is it not a sign of my backsliding?’
「爾時，童子捷來我前說如上事，我則告言：『汝更見水，可即開門入此水中除去瓦礫。』童子奉教，後入定時還復見水瓦礫宛然，開門除出，我後出定身質如初，逢無量佛如是至於山海自在通王如來，方得亡身，與十方界諸香水海，性合真空無二無別，今於如來得童真名預菩薩會。佛問圓通，我以水性一味流通，得無生忍圓滿菩提斯為第一！」
Thereupon, the boy returned and related what he had seen and done during my meditation, I said, ‘When next you see water in my room, open the door, enter the water and take away the broken tile.’ The boy obeyed, for when I again entered the dhyāna state, he saw the same broken tile in the water; he then opened the door and removed the tile. When I came out of dhyāna, my pain had vanished. Later, I met countless Buddhas before I encountered Sāgara-varadhara-buddhi-vikrīḍita-Ūita-bhijña Buddha under whose instruction I succeeded in relinquishing the conception of a body, thereby realizing perfect union of this body and the fragrant oceans in the Ten Directions with absolute voidness, without any further differentiation. This is why I was called ‘a child of the Buddha’ and was qualified to attend all bodhisattva meetings. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, attaining the patient tolerance of birthlessness which ensures complete enlightenment through a flowing penetration of the single flavor of the nature of water, is foremost!”
瑠璃光法王子即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我憶往昔經恒沙劫，有佛出世名無量聲，開示菩薩本覺妙明，觀此世界及眾生身，皆是妄緣風力所轉。我於爾時，觀界安立、觀世動時、觀身動止、觀心動念，諸動無二等無差別，我時了覺此群動性，來無所從去無所至，十方微塵顛倒眾生同一虛妄，如是乃至三千大千，一世界內所有眾生，如一器中貯百蚊蚋啾啾亂鳴，於分寸中鼓發狂鬧。逢佛未幾得無生忍，爾時心開，乃見東方不動佛國，為法王子事十方佛，身心發光洞徹無礙。佛問圓通，我以觀察風力無依，悟菩提心入三摩地，合十方佛傳一妙心斯為第一！」
21. Crystal Light (or vaiḍūrya, lapis lazuli) Dharma Prince then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I remember once, in the remotest of kalpas countless as the sands in the Ganges, there was a Buddha called ‘Immeasurable Voice’ who appeared in the world to reveal to bodhisattvas the profoundly enlightened fundamental awareness that observes this world and the bodily forms of all living beings as created by the power of the wind arising from illusory concurrent causes. At the time, I observed the illusory setting up of the world, I observed the changing of time, I observed bodily motion and motionlessness, I observed the stirring of mind, in other words, all kinds of movement that were non-dual and did not differ from one another. I then realized that these movements had neither whence to come nor whither to go, and that the inverted thinking of all living beings throughout the ten directions, as uncountable as the dust, comes from the same falsehood. Likewise, all living beings in every small world of the Three Thousand Great Thousand world-system were like mosquitoes in a trap in which they hummed aimlessly and created a mad tumult. Soon after meeting that Buddha, I attained patient tolerance of birthlessness. As my mind opened, I perceived the land of the Imperturbable Buddha (Akṣobhya) in the eastern region where I was admitted as a son of the Dharma king, serving all the Buddhas in the Ten Directions. My body and mind gave out rays of light that illumined all the worlds without obstruction. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, observing the power of wind which has nothing upon which it relies, thereby awakening to the Bodhi mind so as to enter Samādhi and (then) to unite with the profound One Mind expounded by the Buddhas throughout the Ten Directions is foremost!.”
虛空藏菩薩即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我與如來定光佛所得無邊身，爾時手執四大寶珠，照明十方微塵佛剎化成虛空，又於自心現大圓鏡，內放十種微妙寶光流灌十方，盡虛空際諸幢王剎來入鏡內涉入我身，身同虛空不相妨礙，身能善入微塵國土，廣行佛事得大隨順，此大神力由我諦觀，四大無依妄想生滅，虛空無二佛國本同，於同發明得無生忍。佛問圓通，我以觀察虛空無邊入三摩地妙力圓明斯為第一！」
22. Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “When the Tathāgata and I were with the Buddha Samadhi Light and realized our boundless bodies, I held in my hands four big precious gems which illumined all Buddha lands in the ten directions, as uncountable as dust, and transmuted them into space. Then my own mind appeared like a great mirror emitting ten kinds of mysterious precious light which penetrated the Ten Directions, reaching the boundaries of space and causing all pure lands of Buddhas to enter the mirror and then to intermingle freely with my own body which was just like empty space, a body that is able to perfectly enter as many countries as there are grains of dust in order to carry out far and wide the work of the Buddha, attaining great accordance. This great spiritual power derived from my close observation that the four Great Elements have no basis of support in that they arise and cease from erroneous perception, and that empty space is nondual, the same as all Buddha Lands originally are, thereby bringing about illumination and attaining patient tolerance of birthlessness. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, the close observation of boundless space, leading to entry into the mysterious power of Samādhi is foremost!”
彌勒菩薩即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我憶往昔經微塵劫，有佛出世名日月燈明，我從彼佛而得出家，心重世名好遊族姓。爾時，世尊教我修習唯心識定入三摩地，歷劫已來以此三昧事恒沙佛，求世名心歇滅無有，至然燈佛出現於世，我乃得成無上妙圓識心三昧，乃至盡空如來國土淨穢有無，皆是我心變化所現。世尊！我了如是唯心識故，識性流出無量如來，今得授記次補佛處。佛問圓通，我以諦觀十方唯識，識心圓明入圓成實，遠離依他及遍計執得無生忍斯為第一！」
23. Maitreya Bodhisattva then rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I recall in the remotest of kalpas as uncountable as the dust, there was a Buddha called Candrasūrya-pradīpa (’Sun-Moon Lamp Radiance’) who appeared in the world. I left home because of that Buddha, however, I still cherished worldly fame and liked to mingle among noble clans. Then the World-Honored One taught me how to practice entering samādhi solely by concentrating on mind-consciousness (or, the conscious mind, *citta-vijñāna). After a kalpa had passed in this samādhi, helping as many Buddhas as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River, the mind that was set on worldly fame completely ceased and was no longer. Then, when Dīpaṃkara Buddha appeared in the world, I attained completion of the unsurpassed, wondrous mind of perfect consciousness samādhi (*parivijñāna-citta-samādhi), to the point that the purity and filth, and the existence and/or nonexistence of the lands of the Tathāgatas all appeared as transformations of my mind. World-Honored One! Because I understand [everything being] mind-consciousness only like this, immeasurable Tathāgatas flow forth from the nature of consciousness, and I now receive the prophecy that I shall be the next Buddha. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and for me, truly observing all throughout the Ten Directions as consciousness only, the conscious mind becoming completely illuminated and entering complete, absolute Reality, transcending reliance on any other, removing all attachments caused by discrimination and thereby achieving the Patient Tolerance of Birthlessness is foremost!.”
大勢至法王子與其同倫五十二菩薩即從座起，頂禮佛足而白佛言：「我憶往昔恒河沙劫，有佛出世名無量光，十二如來相繼一劫，其最後佛名超日月光，彼佛教我念佛三昧。譬如有人，一專為憶一人專忘，如是二人若逢不逢、或見非見，二人相憶二憶念深，如是乃至從生至生，同於形影不相乖異，十方如來憐念眾生如母憶子，若子逃逝雖憶何為？子若憶母如母憶時，母子歷生不相違遠，若眾生心憶佛念佛，現前當來必定見佛去佛不遠，不假方便自得心開，如染香人身有香氣，此則名曰香光莊嚴。我本因地以念佛心入無生忍，今於此界攝念佛人歸於淨土。佛問圓通，我無選擇，都攝六根，淨念相繼得三摩地斯為第一！」
24. Mahāsthāmaprāpta Dharma Prince who was the head of a group of fifty-two Bodhisattvas, rose from his seat, prostrated himself with his head at the feet of the Buddha and addressed the Buddha saying, “I recall in the remotest of kalpas countless as the sands in the Ganges River, there was a Buddha called ‘Infinite Light’ (Amitābha) who was succeeded by eleven other Tathāgatas in that kalpa. The last one was called the ‘Buddha Whose Light Surpassed that of the Sun and Moon’; he taught me how to realize the state of Samādhi through mindfulness of the Buddha. By way of illustration, if someone concentrates their mind on someone else while the latter always forgets them, both people may meet and see each other, but without recognizing each other. However, if both people are keen on thinking of each other, their keenness will grow from one incarnation to another until they become inseparable like a body and its shadow. The Tathāgatas in the Ten Directions have compassion for all living beings and always think of them, like a mother who never ceases thinking of her child. If the child runs away, her thoughts of them will not help. But if the child also thinks of her with the same keenness, they will not be separated in spite of the passing of transmigration. If living beings remember and think of the Buddha, they are bound to behold the Buddha right before them. They will not be far from the Buddha and thus without the aid of any other upāya, their minds will be opened. They are like someone whose body, perfumed by incense, gives off a good fragrance; hence their name ‘One Adorned by Fragrant Light.’ From my fundamental cause-ground and with all my thoughts concentrated on the Buddha, I achieved the Patient Tolerance of Birthlessness. Now I help all living beings of this world to control their thoughts by repeating the Buddha’s name so that they can reach the Pure Land. The Buddha inquires about all-pervasiveness and I have no choice; the six senses being harmonized, pure mindfulness continuously attaining Samādhi is foremost!