THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA, ”THE TEN GROUNDS,” CHAPTER 26

Commentary by the Venerable Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua
Translation by the Buddhist Text Translation Society 

      AT THAT TIME, ALL THE BUDDHAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS ALL EXTENDED THEIR RIGHT HANDS, AND RUBBED STORE OF VAJRA BODHISATTVA ON THE CROWN. AFTER THEY HAD RUBBED HIS CROWN, STORE OF VAJRA BODHISATTVA AROSE FROM SAMADHI, AND UNIVERSALLY TOLD ALL THE ASSEMBLY OF BODHISATTVAS, "DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, ALL BODHISATTVAS' VOWS ARE WELL-DECIDED. THEY ARE UNADULTERATED, IMPERCEPTIBLE, VAST AND GREAT LIKE THE DHARMA REALM, REACHING THE ULTIMATE LIMITS OF EMPTY SPACE, EXHAUSTING THE BOUNDARIES, OF THE FUTURE. THEY PERVADE ALL BUDDHALANDS, AND RESCUE AND PROTECT ALL LIVING BEINGS. THEY ARE PROTECTED BY ALL BUDDHAS. THEY ENTER THE GROUNDS OF WISDOM OF ALL BUDDHAS OF THE PAST, THE FUTURE AND THE PRESENT.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, WHAT ARE THE GROUNDS OF WISDOM OF THE BODHISATTVAS, MAHASATTVAS? DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, THE GROUNDS OF WISDOM OF THE BODHISATTVAS, MAHASATTVAS, ARE OF TEN KINDS, WHICH ALL BUDDHAS OF THE PAST, THE FUTURE AND THE' PRESENT. HAVE SPOKEN, WILL SPEAK AND ARE SPEAKING. I ALSO SPEAK THEM THUS.

Commentary:

AT THAT TIME, after the Buddhas of the ten directions had praised Store of Vajra Bodhisattva, it was then that ALL THE BUDDHAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS, the Buddhas from above, below. East, West, South and North—the six directions—with the addition of the four intermediate points making ten directions ALL EXTENDED THEIR RIGHT HANDS, each Buddha extending his right hand, AND RUBBED STORE OF VAJRA BODHISATTVA ON THE CROWN. They rubbed the crown of the great Bodhisattva Store of Vajra. AFTER THEY HAD RUBBED HIS CROWN, STORE OF VAJRA BODHISATTVA AROSE FROM SAMADHI. After he had been rubbed on the crown. Store of Vajra Bodhisattva came out of samadhi, AND UNIVERSALLY TOLD ALL THE ASSEMBLY OF BODHISATTVAS, saying to all the Bodhisattvas everywhere, "DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA." He addressed them as disciples of the Buddha and said, "ALL BODHISATTVAS' VOWS ARE WELL-DECIDED." He told them that all the great vows made by all Bodhisattvas are decisive, and that. THEY ARE UNADULTERATED, they have no admixture, and are IMPERCEPTIBLE. The vows made by Bodhisattvas cannot be seen. If you try to look at them, you cannot see them, and yet they are VAST AND GREAT LIKE THE DHARMA REALM. Their great Dharma is as great as the Dharma Realm, REACHING TO THE ULTIMATE LIMITS OF EMPTY SPACE. At their ultimate point they are like empty space: you cannot find their limits, EXHAUSTING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FUTURE, to the ends of future bounds. THEY PERVADE ALL BUDDHALANDS, the countries of all Buddhas, AND RESCUE AND PROTECT ALL LIVING BEINGS, having the ability to save all beings. THEY ARE PROTECTED BY ALL BUDDHAS. All the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time constantly protect and recollect them. THEY ENTER THE GROUNDS OF WISDOM OF ALL BUDDHAS OF THE PAST, FUTURE AND PRESENT. They certify to the grounds of wisdom of all Buddhas of the past, the future and the present.

DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, all of you Buddhist disciples, WHAT ARE THE GROUNDS OF WISDOM OF THE BODHISATTVAS, MAHASATTVAS? What are the grounds of wisdom of all the great Bodhisattvas among Bodhisattvas, who cultivate and accumulate various kinds of good roots, and the grounds of wisdom of all the Buddhas? What are they? DISCIPLES OF THE BUDDHA, THE GROUNDS OF WISDOM OF THE BODHISATTVAS, MAHASATTVAS, ARE OF TEN KINDS. The grounds of wisdom of the great Bodhisattvas who cultivate the conduct of Bodhisattvas and accumulate all kinds of good roots, if described in detail, are ten in number. If spoken in even further detail, there are limitless and boundlessly many kinds, WHICH ALL BUDDHAS OF THE PAST, THE FUTURE AND THE PRESENT HAVE SPOKEN, WILL SPEAK AND ARE SPEAKING. The Buddhas of the past, the future and the present have spoken, will in the future speak, and right now are speaking them. I ALSO SPEAK THEM THUS. I, too, just like the Buddhas of the past, the future and the present, will speak the ten kinds of grounds of wisdom of the Bodhisattvas."