“I know this enlightening liberation of ultimate dispassion, but how can I know the practice or tell the virtues of the enlightening beings who are endowed with the skill of endless means and knowledge, who are vast, inexhaustible treasuries of good, who are in the realm of invincible knowledge?
“Thus, I know the enlightening liberation of removal of all vain imaginings; but how can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings who penetrate the infinite cosmos of realities, who are free from vain imaginings about all things, who pervade all realms of reality while sitting cross-legged in one body, who see all buddha-lands in their own bodies, who go to all buddhas in a single instant, in whose own beings the miracles of all buddhas are taking place, who lift up untold buddha-lands with a single hair, who show the eons of becoming and dissolution of untold worlds in their own pores, who in a single instant enter into the commonality of coexistence in untold eons, who enter untold eons in a single instant?
“I know this method of purification of enlightening practice that goes everywhere, an undefiled manifestation of nondoing based on illumination. How can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of enlightening beings who have all mystic knowledges, who go throughout all lands with the body of knowledge of illusoriness, who have attained the stage of knowledge of the universal eye, who are heroic masters of knowledge comprehending all things, who speak with the voice of totality communicating to infinite sentient beings according to their mentalities, who have phantom bodies the same as all enlightening beings pleasing to the masses of sentient beings with their various wishes, who are intent upon one and the same inconceivable body of all buddhas, whose body of knowledge pervades past, present, and future, whose sphere is as vast and measureless as the sky?
“I have attained this enlightening liberation which is characterized by great compassion and the sound of flowing water, and it is beneficial to see me, hear me, live with me, and remember my name; but how can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings who traverse all the oceans of the mundane whirl, who are unaffected by the ocean of afflictions, who are free from the danger of being engulfed by the ocean of views, who travel the water of inherent nature of the ocean of all phenomena, who travel the ground of inherent nature of the ocean of all beings, who hold the net of means of salvation of all creatures from the oceans of the mundane, who abide in the ocean of omniscience, who pull all sentient beings out of the ocean of attachments, who remain continuously through the ocean of all times, who have true higher knowledge to perfect the ocean of all sentient beings, who do not miss the right occasions to guide the ocean of all sentient beings? “
“I know this art of perfuming. How can I know the practice, tell of the virtues, elucidate the method of purification of conduct, convey the irreproachable action, or explain the malice-free words, thoughts, and deeds of the enlightening beings who are free from foulness, who are void of lusts, who are free from the snares of the demon of afflictions, who have transcended all conditions of existence, who proceed with material form as being something in the magic of knowing, who are unstained by any world, whose way of life is free from attachment, who have purified the sphere of unobstructed knowledge, who are in the realm of unimpeded knowledge, who do not take refuge in any abode or rely on anything in existence?
“I know this enlightening practice of going everywhere. How can I know the practice or tell of the virtues of the enlightening beings with bodies equal to all beings, who have attained concentration in which their own bodies and all bodies are indivisible, whose vast sphere of emanation adapts to all states of existence, who pass through existence in all worlds in their own bodies, who are intent on mystical projections pleasing to the sight of all beings, who appear to be born in all races, who carry out their vows unimpeded in all ages, who can manifest the interrelated cosmic network of practices, who are devoted to working for the welfare of all beings while living together with them without becoming defiled, who realize the basic equality of the worlds of past, present, and future, who are imbued with endless great compassion appearing in the realm of selfless knowledge, who aim to foster good in all beings?
Achala said, “In this way, learning enlightening beings’ practice of firm resolve, absorbed in tireless search for all truths, established in enlightening beings’ way of liberation by invincible knowledge, I satisfy all sentient beings with good explanation by following mental command of the stage of equanimity in all things, using the skill of the light of knowledge of how to elucidate the basis of all things. How can I know the practice or tell the virtues of the enlightening beings who are imbued with inconceivable, measureless virtues, who are like eagles soaring independently through the sky, who plunge into the sea of sentient beings to take out the mature enlightening beings, who search the treasure island of omniscience for the jewels of knowledge of the ten powers, who go like strong fishers into the sea of the mundane whirl with the net of the Teaching to mature beings born amid craving and pull them out of it, who go like titan kings throughout all realms of existence quelling the titanic disturbances and agitations of afflictions, who rise like the sun in the sky of the reality realm to evaporate the water of beings’ cravings and dry up the mud of afflictions, who rise like the full moon in the sky to awaken the water lilies of the minds of the teachable, who support all beings equally, whether friendly or hostile, high or low, to plant and grow the sprouts of roots of goodness in all sentient beings, who go everywhere unhindered like the wind to uproot the afflictions and views of all sentient beings, who go through the world like sovereigns uniting all beings with generosity, kindness, assistance, and cooperation?
Then King Mahaprabha came out of that concentration and said to Sudhana, “I know this medium of the light of knowledge of practice of enlightening beings which is characterized by great benevolence. How can I know the practice, tell the virtues, measure the mountain of merit, view the myriad stars of virtuous qualities, encompass the atmosphere of great vows, measure the power of impartiality toward things, clarify the forms of arrangements of the vehicle of universal salvation, express the excellences of the principles of universally good practice, open the doors of cultivation of great enlightening concentrations, or are inseparable companions to all beings; who have set out to save all beings, working equally with the superior, inferior, and middling; whose benevolence is as impartial as the earth, supporting all beings; who are impartial as the full moon, shining the light of virtue and knowledge equally on all beings; who are impartial as the sun, illumining the world with knowledge of all that can be known; who are like great lamps, dispelling the darkness in the recesses of all beings’ minds; who are like water-clarifying jewels, removing the turbidity of deceit and guile from the water of beings’ minds; who are like wish-fulfilling jewels, fulfilling the aspirations of all beings; who are like a gale, driving all beings into the citadel of omniscience with its houses of concentration and equilibrium?
The king said, “I have attained enlightening beings’ magical liberation. The people in my realm are given to all sorts of evildoing—murder, theft, rape, falsehood, slander, vilification, divisive talk, covetousness, malice, false views, villainy, violence, cruelty. I am unable to turn them away from evildoing by any other means, so in order to subdue them, mature them, guide them, and secure their welfare, out of compassion I have illusory executioners kill and maim illusory criminals, making a display of intense suffering and pain; seeing this, the people in my realm become afraid to do evil. Seeing the people alarmed by this device, I have them give up evildoing and conduct themselves virtuously; then I establish them in ultimate security, the end of all suffering, the bliss of omniscience. I do not harm anyone by thought, word, or deed. I would sooner go to the deepest hell than so much as think of hurting even a dumb animal or an insect, much less a human being, who has potential for virtuous conduct. I do not do anything bad even in dreams, much less while awake.
“I know this medium of the Teaching, the ball of fragrance making offerings on meeting buddhas everywhere, pleasing all sentient beings; how can I know the practice or tell the virtues of the enlightening beings who are like great medicines, whom it is beneficial to see, to hear, to associate with, to remember, to follow, and to recall their names, with the sight of whom all sentient beings are relieved of afflictions, with the sight of whom sentient beings leave all evil ways, with the sight of whom sentient beings find a way to buddhahood, with the sight of whom the sufferings of sentient beings are relieved, with the sight of whom sentient beings are freed from fear of all mundane states, with the sight of whom sentient beings become fearless because of being near the abode of omniscience, with the sight of whom sentient beings no longer fall into the abyss of old age and death, with the sight of whom sentient beings attain the bliss of tranquillity through cosmic equanimity?